Stories for 13 February 2007

The Northern Echo News

Men arrested over supermarket raids

TWO men were arrested today in connection with armed robberies at supermarkets in Teesside.   more...

Dirty duo wanted

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Head chef faces jail for assaulting women

A HEAD chef was facing jail last night for sexually assaulting two women kitchen staff.   more...

A darkened street where buzz of family life is stilled

THE detached houses in Westerton Close are usually buzzing with family life, but last night the street was in darkness.Families that would usually be sheltering from the cold in front of the fire with their feet up in front of the TV were instead preparing for a night on relatives' sofas.Those who had nowhere else to go had Sedgefield Borough Council to thank for coming to their rescue by finding them rooms in nearby hotels.Spennymoor Leisure Centre was used as an evacuee station for families while they tried to work out where they were going to spend the night.Only a few householders were able to return to their homes - under police escort - to collect pets or pick up urgent supplies.Pensioner Sarah Bray, who was preparing to spend the night at a hotel in Croxdale with her husband, described the moment the leak was sprung.She said: "We were having lunch when we heard a noise. We just thought it was the binmen."But a few minutes later, a fireman knocked at the door and said there'd been an explosion. He asked us to leave for a few hours while it was made safe."We returned in the afternoon and found out we would not be going back that night, so my husband was escorted back by police officers - like royalty - for his medication."For children who were greeted by a police blockade whey they returned from school, the day provided a bit of excitement.But for some of the adults it was a frightening experience, as the reality of the situation hit home.Judith Russell said: "It was very scary really. When we were taken back up to quickly grab a few essentials, a gas man went in each room first with a meter to check the gas levels were safe. Each room smelled really bad, the fumes hit the back of your throat."The residents were last night able to laugh at the situation, but were aware it could have turned out to be much more serious.Colin Smailes, who was preparing to stay with family friends, said: "Our two kids have got to spend the night at their girlfriend's and boyfriend's and we've got a night out of the house, but it could have been a lot worse."If it had happened a week later, lots more people would have been around because of the school holidays."At the leisure centre last night, Sedgefield chief executive Brian Allen praised the attitude of householders, and those who had turned out to help.He said: "We made the decision in the afternoon to find alternative accommodation for occupants of nine houses - that was 17 adults and seven children, who needed somewhere to sleep."He said people had been patient and thanked the volunteers, including those from the WRVS and British Red Cross, who helped staff the makeshift evacuee station.  more...

Bid to save city's riverside site

AN eleventh hour plea was made to university leaders last night to protect an area of green space on a prime riverside site.Durham University Council will today consider lifting a covenant preventing development on Racecourse Park, mostly comprising a disused bowling green on the banks of the River Wear in the city.The restriction was imposed on the land when Durham University sold it, and 800 yards of adjacent river frontage, in 1944.If the decision is taken to revoke the covenant, it could pave the way for a proposed housing development on the former bowling green and part of an adjacent car park, on land behind the city swimming baths, on Elvet Waterside.Members of Elvet Residents' Association, who oppose the development and loss of green space, presented a petition bearing almost 1,900-names to Durham University vice-chancellor Sir Kenneth Calman yesterday.Handing it over, to the accompaniment of a string trio, association member Janet Gill said: "We are here to represent those citizens who have not been consulted on this sale of land to a property developer and look to see it protected by the university council from building devel- opment, as their forbears did in 1944."Fellow member Pippa Bell said that opponents could not be classed as mere "Nimbys" (not in my back yard), as support has come from far and wide, including many former students of the university.Durham City MP Roberta Blackman-Woods has written to the university council, pointing out that her local consultation exercise proved "emphatically" that the green space should remain in place.Sir Kenneth said the issue is taken "very seriously" by the university and the petition would be presented to today's meeting.He pledged a full statement would be made following the meeting.  more...

An elected mayor - the arguments for and against

Darlington is almost certain to have a referendum on whether it wants a directly-elected mayor, after a local group collected 4,000 signatures to trigger the poll. In the North-East, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, and North Tyneside have voted for elected mayors - but Sedgefield, Sunderland, and Durham have voted against. Across the country, there are 13 directly-elected mayors. Owen Amos spoke to one person in favour, and on person against.In favour: Stuart Drummond, Mayor of Hartlepool.Stuart Drummond was Hartlepool United's mascot when he was elected as the town's mayor in 2002, with a majority of less than 500. One of his pledges was free bananas for schoolchildren.At the last election in 2005, Mr Drummond stood again - and his majority leapt to more than 10,000.He was one of England's first directly-elected mayors, and his story soon became known across the country and the world."I am in favour of elected mayors - although I would be, I suppose," Mr Drummond said."I have spoken to the people who organised the Darlington petition a few times, I know their position, and I am glad they have their numbers."The elected mayor system certainly seems to work in the 12 areas we have them. I wouldn't tell people in Darlington what to do, but I would encourage them to think long and hard about it."Mr Drummond believes the main benefit of an elected mayor is clear accountability."People know who makes the decisions," he said. "People know who to come to when they've got a complaint or something goes wrong."It used to be done by committees behind closed doors. Nobody knew who was who, or who was doing what."The mayoral system lends itself much more to public participation. It really gives people a bit of ownership of what goes on in their area."In December, Mr Drummond was invited by the Darlington Referendum Group to their public debate.Then, he told the audience: "I believe that the mayoral system has really given the community in Hartlepool the impetus to get involved. "People know who's accountable, who to go to if there's a problem and who to blame if something goes wrong. And believe me, they do." Opposing: Nick Wallis, Darlington councillor.Nick Wallis has been a Darlington councillor since 1991, and is currently cabinet member for highways and transport.Although Darlington's Labour-controlled council cannot express an opinion as a whole, individual councillors are allowed to comment. His views do not necessarily reflect those of his colleagues - but Coun Wallis is against having a directly-elected mayor."An elected mayor would end 140 years of Darlington's history by binning our ceremonial mayor," he said. "Stretching back to Henry Pease in 1867, the town's first citizen is expressly above politics, with the mayor the most senior councillor who has not performed the task before."All this would be swept away with an elected political mayor. An important local tradition would be lost."An elected Mayor would not bring a penny piece in additional revenue. The only thing that would increase would be the salary of its leading political figure."This drive to bring another bit of American politics to the UK is in fact running out of steam. So far the elected Mayor model has been rejected in referendums by a margin of 21 to 12, including six out the last eight ballots."Citizens are suspicious of a model which places so much responsibility in the hands of one person. Grassroots rebellions have sprung up against the elected mayoral system in four out of the 12 boroughs where it has been instituted."Residents want to return to a more pluralistic and inclusive form of politics. "No one pretends the current council is perfect. Unfortunately, the petition organisers have decided the only way to change matters is to have an elected Mayor. "No doubt some of the petition organisers think they would make very fine elected mayors - but that is no reason to ditch a respected civic tradition."  more...

Milestone in poll bid for mayor

A NORTH-EAST town will almost certainly hold a referendum on whether it wants a directly-elected mayor.Darlington could be the fourth place in the region to have a directly-elected mayor, joining Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and North Tyneside.The Darlington Referendum Group confirmed yesterday it had collected the 4,000 signatures needed to trigger a referendum on the issue.The signatures - five per cent of the Darlington borough electoral roll - must be verified by the council's solicitor within 28 days.Once that is done, the borough-wide referendum will be held within six months - meaning it will take place by September at the latest.Sunderland, Sedgefield and Durham City have also held referendums, but have rejected the plans.Clive Owen, spokesman for the Darlington Referendum Group, said: "It has been a long campaign, and everyone is very pleased."The group will formally hand the petition to the town hall on Monday.Traditionally, the mayor of Darlington is a long-serving councillor, elected for one-year terms by fellow council members. It is largely a ceremonial, non-political role.A directly-elected mayor is elected by the public as council leader for four-year terms, and is accountable for council policy. There are 13 directly-elected mayors, including the Mayor of London, across the country.Darlington Borough Council is not allowed to lobby for or against an elected mayor, but individual councillors are permitted to express opinions.The option of directly-elected mayors was introduced in the Local Government Act of 2000.Since then, 34 areas have held referendums on having a directly-elected mayor, with 12 triggered by public petition. London's was created by an Act of Parliament. Of the 34, 22 rejected the plan. In Sunderland's referendum, turnout was only ten per cent.John Williams, Darlington council leader since 1991, said he hoped for a strong turnout if the referendum is confirmed.He said: "I sincerely hope that everyone votes so that the result of the referendum reflects the majority view in the borough."  more...

Project takes justice to the people

PEOPLE living in the North-East are to be more closely involved in the criminal justice system in an attempt to cut re-offending.East Middlesbrough is one of ten areas across the country that will take part in the Government's Community Justice initiative.To be launched at Easter, the project will give people in the area a greater voice in highlighting problems of crime, and will keep them better informed of arrests and the punishments received.However, it will also see convicted offenders carrying out "pay back" community orders in the areas where they committed their crimes.That could lead to community facilities in the area being improved.Pilot schemes in Liverpool and Salford have already proved successful.Yesterday, at a conference to launch the initiative in east Middlesbrough, which was attended by a number of residents and community groups, project director Colin Monson said the area had been chosen because of its high crime levels and excellent links with the community.He said: "We particularly want to hear from people in the community about what their concerns are. "We all feel there are parts of the system that don't work as well as they might. In general, cases take too long to resolve."He said there was a perception that defendants had an easy time, police did not try to catch all criminals, prosecutors laid soft charges and courts were too lenient.But he said the initiative, which involves all criminal justice agencies and community cluster groups, would improve communication and see an east Middlesbrough court established two days a week at Teesside Magistrates' Court, where the same magistrates would deal with cases until they were resolved.He said a hard line would be taken on adjournments, and defendants would be asked to explain themselves. They would also be more closely monitored to ensure orders were completed and fines paid.Carol Freeman Dunn, deputy chairwoman of the bench at Teesside Magistrates' Court, appealed for more residents to attend court hearings.She said the initiative would help to reduce the "remoteness" of justice.Councillor Bob Brady, who represents the Beckfield ward, also backed the scheme, saying: "I believe in empowerment of people and communities."  more...

Rocket woman enters Dragons' Den

A CHINESE entrepreneur who created a storm by advertising her company on a missile launcher has entered the Dragons' Den. Ling Valentine, who set up car website lingscars. com, will appear on the BBC2 television series tomorrow night.Ms Valentine attracted wide publicity with her Chinese People's Liberation Army nuclear missile launcher, complete with rocket, parked by the A1(M) near Sedgefield, County Durham. She moved the vehicle after she was threatened with legal action if it was not removed. Ms Valentine, whose appearance on television will coincide with Valentine's Day, tells the Dragons: "I have been in the country for about eight years. I came with nothing apart from perfect Chinglish."Ms Valentine, who runs her contract-hire car business from an office in Gateshead, said last night: "They approached me. They saw I had won the Entrepreneur of Year and they contacted me. "They pestered me to go. In the end, they even filled in the application form for me and asked me to sign it."They filmed me for three-and-a-half hours. The Dragons are all very nice off camera. I was very relaxed, the BBC guys were very sweet to me. They even went to get me Chinese takeaway for lunch and brought me chopsticks."Some of the Dragons' questions were very tough. At times, it felt like I was being questioned by the Chinese secret police."  more...

Car crash tragedy of father and son

A TALENTED rugby player who was described as the "heart and soul of his team" has died along with his father as they travelled to a training session.Andrew Austen, 14, was travelling with his father, Paul, to Darlington Mowden Park Rugby Football Club, where he played for the under-15s, when the tragedy occurred.The deaths came only a week after Mr Austen's elder daughter gained international honours in the same sport.Team-mates, school friends and teachers were yesterday in shock following the news of the deaths, which came despite the efforts of an off-duty air ambulanceman and other rescuers.The accident happened at 10.50am on Sunday, in Burtree Lane, to the north of Darlington.The pair, from Falmouth Drive, Harrowgate Farm, Darlington, were driving from town towards the junction with the A68.Their Mercedes Benz SLK230 clipped the kerb as it went around a right hand bend.The car skidded across the road, collided with a barrier, and the back crashed into a concrete support on the A1(M) overpass.Firefighters from Darlington freed the pair from the wreckage and they were taken to The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, by air ambulance. Neither regained consciousness.Mr Austen was certified dead at about midnight on Sunday. Further tests were conducted before Andrew was pronounced dead yesterday morning.Burtree Lane was shut until 3pm on Sunday.Mr Austen, 42, was a self-employed computer programmer who had recently been working for Powergen in Nottingham.Keith Cotgrave, headteacher at Longfield School, where Andrew was a pupil, said: "We are all absolutely devastated by this. Andrew was a very popular student here and we are all shocked by what has happened."We would like to express our deepest sympathy to his family at this time."We have informed students at a special assembly and the school will offer its full support to them as we come to terms with this."Andrew's coach, Steve Errington, said he was nearly in tears when he heard the news about the accident.He said: "He is a very, very special boy."He was a great talent and a special athlete."It was a total shock to find out."Andrew, who was known as Jacko to his team-mates, played wing forward.Mr Errington said the pair had been going to training at the club's ground in Yiewsley Drive, Mowden.He said: "He was the heart and soul of the team. He was a strong player and would have played for the first team in the future."We will all miss him."Andrew's elder sister, Sally, who also plays at the club, played for England Colleges against Wales the weekend before.Mowden Park club chairman John Parkinson said: "Paul's daughter had just had international recognition and they were all euphoric about rugby."Life has this unfortunate habit. It is so tragic."Out heartfelt thoughts go out to the family."Any witnesses to the accident are asked to contact Darlington police on 0845-60-60-365.   more...

Thierry Henry airport row leads to formal complaint

ARSENAL Football Club have sent a complaint to a North-East airport after star player Thierry Henry was involved in a row with a fan.The Gunners, currently fourth in the Premiership, said they were disappointed with the security measures at Durham Tees Valley Airport when the team arrived for a flight to London after they played Middlesbrough on February 3.In the altercation, Gunners captain Henry, who scored in the 1-1 draw at the Riverside, was warned by police after an outburst aimed at a security guard near the departure lounge.The Frenchman subsequently apologised for his behaviour, but the club said the situation could have been avoided with better security arrangements.Henry was one of a number of players who stopped to sign autographs for a group of Arsenal fans in the main hall.But things turned nasty when Henry stopped signing autographs to take a call on his mobile phone from his father in the West Indies.A source said: "Thierry kindly said to one man 'Can you give me a minute, please, I'm on the phone to my dad?', but the fan was quite rude."Thierry said, 'don't disrespect me'."A disgruntled Henry then accompanied the team to check-in, but proceeded to vent his anger at the security guard working on the baggage x-ray machines. The guard called police, and an officer arrived and told the 29-year- old striker to calm down.An Arsenal spokesman said: "The situation was not Thierry's fault."He was being pestered, and when he explained to a man that he was on the phone to his dad, the man said something strong back to him, which was unnecessary."Thierry signed an autograph for the man and went through the airport."We have already written a letter of complaint to Durham Tees Valley Airport concerning their security arrangements. We were disappoin- ted with security."A spokesman for Durham Police said: "One man was spoken to by an officer in plain clothes and warned about his conduct. He subsequently apologised to everyone involved."A spokeswoman for the airport said she understood there was a verbal exchange, but said: "To date, we have not received a formal complaint from Arsenal FC."As it is standard procedure, if one is received, then the nature of such a complaint will be fully investigated."  more...

Fire union attacks call-handling capability

Union bosses say regional fire control centres in the North-East and Yorkshire would handle a "disastrously low" number of 999 calls at busy times - putting lives at risk.The Government is spending £1bn in replacing the 46 existing control rooms across the UK with nine regional centres.A North-East centre at Belmont, near Durham, is expected to go live towards the end of next year, replacing control rooms in Durham, Hartlepool, Newcastle and Morpeth.Meanwhile, calls to the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will be handled from a centre being built in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.Matt Wrack, general secretaryof the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), has called on the Government to halt the plans immediately after a Parliamentary written answer showed that the maximum number of calls handled by the North-East facility was expected to vary from 105 to 150 per hour, dependent on the time of the day.In a 24-hour period, it could deal with 2,910 calls - the lowest figure in the country.Mr Wrack said: "The Government has got it disastrously wrong and on these figures only one major incident could swamp a regional control room in minutes."Pete Wilcox, a regional officer with the FBU, said that one of the four control rooms in the North-East had recently dealt with 3,000 calls in a two-hour period."Ultimately, people could end up dying because of this. If you are in a burning building, you need to be able to summon the assistance of the fire service immediately and not have to wait a lot longer to be answered," said Mr Wilcox.A Communities and Local Government spokesman said the FBU claims were unfounded.He said: "The centres are specifically designed to deal with unexpected and sharp increases in calls and would, for the first time, provide automatic back-up and transfer of calls to another centre should one fail."  more...

Air Ambulance £500 better off, thanks to fundraisers' icy dip

COUNCIL workers who braved the icy North Sea at a traditional Boxing Day Dip raised £525 for the Great North Air Ambulance.Members of Redcar and Cleveland Council's waste services team were among the hundreds of who took to the waters to raise charity cash.Organiser Trevor Maguire was joined by fellow drivers Ian Robinson and Darren Meadows and loaders Wayne Clemence, Dave Smith, Buster Carter and Billy Wilde, whose son James, 13, and daughter Claire, 15, also took part.Mr Maguire said: "We choose a different charity every year, and I was chuffed to bits that we got over £500. It was fantastic."He added: "It was freezing. You can't really describe it - it's an experience."Every year we say we're not going to do it, but we end up going in. It's better than bungee jumping."Sarah Booth, the Great North Air Ambulance's public relations officer, said: "We have so much admiration for the Redcar and Cleveland waste services team, and are delighted they chose to do this dip for the Great North Air Ambulance Service. "A big thank you must go to all those who have taken part in this fundraising event, which has helped to keep this vital life-saving service flying."Councillor Bob Stanway, Redcar and Cleveland Council's cabinet member for environmental improvement, said: "I'm full of admiration for everyone who takes part."The fact they're doing it for a good cause is even more praiseworthy - just don't ask me to join them."  more...

Battler Jessica back home after beating the odds

TINY Jessica Ridley looks like any other baby girl, but she has already beaten the odds three times.She was born on Boxing Day and allowed home with proud parents Scott Ridley and Emily Brown.But when Jessica was 11 days old, the couple, of Wellford Road, The Grove, Consett, realised she was seriously ill because she would not feed and was crying all the time.Miss Brown, a 23-year-old legal secretary, said: "By the time we got to casualty, her breathing was funny and she turned blue."She had no pulse in the lower part of her body."The blood was not getting to anything below her heart and she was having organ failure. We thought she was going to die there and then. It was terrifying."She needed an operation to combat narrowing of her aorta, a main artery in her heart, and doctors found she had a large hole in her heart.Ms Brown said: "She had had all of the tests, but the aorta did not start to narrow until she was ten days old, so they could not have picked that up."Jessica was transferred from the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham, where she had been born, to the care of specialists at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, and the operation was a success. When she was taken from intensive care and put into a normal ward, she contracted meningitis and had to have antibodies fed into her system on a drip.Jessica's condition has now improved and she is now home with four-year-old sister Lauren. Ms Brown said: "We would like to thank all of our family and friends for all of their support. They have really been there for us."  more...

Bull escapes mart and leaves trail of destruction in couple's garden

A RAMPAGING bull failed in a last-ditch bid for freedom after it leapt out of its pen. The animal was due to be sold for beef at a sale at Darlington Mart, in Clifton Road, yesterday, but escaped the pen at about 8am by jumping a 5ft 6in gate. The bull set off on a path of destruction, chased by six men in vehicles.It smashed through two gates before it stopped to graze on the lawn of Pam and Terry Smith's home in nearby Park Lane. The couple did not realise the bull was in their garden until their eight-year-old grand-daughter, Yasmin, spotted it out of a bedroom window.Mrs Smith said: "Yasmin was crying out because she was frightened. She told me there was a cow in the garden, but I told her not to be so silly."Mr Smith said the bull became so distressed that it tried to jump a 6ft wall to escape the garden, injuring itself in the process. He said: "The lawn was completely messed up and it smashed some flower pots as well." Mrs Smith called the police and within ten minutes, experts from the mart had arrived with one of the bull's herd in the back of a trailer to lure the animal in. The year-old black limousin steer was returned to the pen where it was declared fit for sale, and was sold for £485. Mart chairman John Walton said the incident was further proof that the proposed new £14m auction mart at Humbleton Farm, near the A1(M), should be given the go-ahead as soon as possible.He said: "Although incidents such as this are rare, it is just another reason why it is not practical to have an auction mart in a town centre."Mart bosses said they will pay the Smiths for damage caused by the bull.* Did you see the bull or capture its rampage on mobile phone video? If so, call the Echo on 01325-505022  more...

Carving on show after 130 years

A PIECE of carving by a French master craftsman, which has not been seen in public since the 1878 Paris Exhibition, is being restored at a museum.The intricate work features on a group of oak cases used for storage at Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, since they were bought by museum founder John Bowes after the exhibition.He paid the maker, Haret, £1,600 for them. Some were put in storerooms, but now they are being installed in three new ground-floor galleries to open at the end of next month.They will be filled with textiles, ceramics, small furniture and paintings, many of which were bought by Bowes, and which have also been in storage because of a lack of exhibition space.Exhibitions manager Vivien Reid said: "The three new galleries will enable us to show some items which have been packed away out of sight for over 100 years."Chris Dauber, a partner in Barnard Castle furniture-making company Anthony Nixon, has spent weeks with his staff removing varnish from the showcases, cleaning the carved features and fitting fibre-optic lighting.He said: "There is wonderful craftsmanship in the timber. It is good that there is now space to clean it up and use it as an ideal way to display many exhibits."  more...

Psychiatric patient was released despite promising to attack knifed social worker

A psychiatric patient left a social worker with a knife embeded in her back just hours after warning doctors he would attack her if he was released.   more...

Suspicious death in Darlington

A MAJOR police investigation is underway after the suspicious death of a woman at her home in Darlington.   more...

Car crash tragedy of father and son

A TALENTED rugby player who was described as the "heart and soul of his team" has died along with his father as they travelled to a training session.Andrew Austen, 14, was travelling with his father, Paul, to Darlington Mowden Park Rugby Football Club, where he played for the under-15s, when the tragedy occurred.The deaths came only a week after Mr Austen's elder daughter gained international honours in the same sport.Team-mates, school friends and teachers were yesterday in shock following the news of the deaths, which came despite the efforts of an off-duty air ambulanceman and other rescuers.The accident happened at 10.50am on Sunday, in Burtree Lane, to the north of Darlington.The pair, from Falmouth Drive, Harrowgate Farm, Darlington, were driving from town towards the junction with the A68.Their Mercedes Benz SLK230 clipped the kerb as it went around a right hand bend.The car skidded across the road, collided with a barrier, and the back crashed into a concrete support on the A1(M) overpass.Firefighters from Darlington freed the pair from the wreckage and they were taken to The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, by air ambulance. Neither regained consciousness.Mr Austen was certified dead at about midnight on Sunday. Further tests were conducted before Andrew was pronounced dead yesterday morning.Burtree Lane was shut until 3pm on Sunday.Mr Austen, 42, was a self-employed computer programmer who had recently been working for Powergen in Nottingham.Keith Cotgrave, headteacher at Longfield School, where Andrew was a pupil, said: "We are all absolutely devastated by this. Andrew was a very popular student here and we are all shocked by what has happened."We would like to express our deepest sympathy to his family at this time."We have informed students at a special assembly and the school will offer its full support to them as we come to terms with this."Andrew's coach, Steve Errington, said he was nearly in tears when he heard the news about the accident.He said: "He is a very, very special boy."He was a great talent and a special athlete."It was a total shock to find out."Andrew, who was known as Jacko to his team-mates, played wing forward.Mr Errington said the pair had been going to training at the club's ground in Yiewsley Drive, Mowden.He said: "He was the heart and soul of the team. He was a strong player and would have played for the first team in the future."We will all miss him."Andrew's elder sister, Sally, who also plays at the club, played for England Colleges against Wales the weekend before.Mowden Park club chairman John Parkinson said: "Paul's daughter had just had international recognition and they were all euphoric about rugby."Life has this unfortunate habit. It is so tragic."Out heartfelt thoughts go out to the family."Any witnesses to the accident are asked to contact Darlington police on 0845-60-60-365.  more...

Gas main leak hits 10,000 homes

THOUSANDS of North-East homes were without gas last night as engineers battled to fix a major leak.The supply to about 10,000 County Durham homes had to be cut to allow workers to repair a hole in a mains pipe in Spennymoor.Huge volumes of gas gushed from the ground for several hours after a contractor, digging up a stretch of road in Middlestone Moor, fractured the mains pipe shortly before noon.Police and fire and rescue crews were scrambled to the scene and families were immediately evacuated from 30 homes in nearby Westerton Close, amid fears the leak could lead to an explosion.Last night, those families were expected to stay with friends or relatives.Operations Inspector Ian Butler said: "This was a major gas leak. High volumes of gas were shooting out at high pressure on a main road. Surrounding houses had to be evacuated because there was a danger of a gas explosion if a light was used."The leak caused a fall in pressure over a wide area, causing interruptions to the supply in Crook, Willington and surrounding villages.The A689 bypass around the town was closed throughout the operation, causing heavy traffic on country roads and in the town centre.Several sets of temporary traffic lights that had been in place for roadworks in the town were removed to ease the congestion.Residents of Westerton Close, who attempted to reach their homes after school or work, unaware of what had happened, discovered a police blockade at the end of the street.They were directed to an evacuee station at Spennymoor Leisure Centre.The council-led County Durham and Darlington Civil Contingencies Unit (CCU) drafted in staff and volunteers to support displaced families.Last night, police said most families had arranged to stay with friends or relatives overnight and the area would remain closed until this morning. But the CCU had a room set aside in the leisure centre for anyone who needed shelter.Volunteers from the WRVS (formerly the Women's Royal Voluntary Service) were on hand to serve food and hot drinks for displaced residents.  more...

Up to 6,000 may be without gas for a week

MORE than 6,000 homes could be without gas for up to a week following a major emergency in the south of County Durham.   more...

Coroner slams family

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Mother-of-one found dead in her home is named by police

A MOTHER-of-one, found dead in her home, was named by police this morning, as investigations continued.   more...

Gas supplies being restored

A BROKEN gas pipe which caused a major leak has been repaired and the gas supply is gradually being restored to thousands of homes.   more...