A NORTH-EAST MP brought the shortcomings of a planning blueprint, which threatens thousands of jobs, to the attention of Tony Blair yesterday. Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods used Prime Minister's Questions to highlight the flaws with the revised Regional
A burglar who stole thousands of pounds worth of property during a daylight raid has been jailed. The family home had been empty for just over an hour, during which time Michael Johnston got in, removed the family's possessions and made good his
The first qualifying session for the 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours has given a hint what spectators can expect weekend in the 75th running of the French endurance classic: a thrilling battle between the diesel-powered sportscars from Audi and Peugeot. Two
With just two points separating VX Racing's Fabrizio Giovanardi from current Drivers Championship leader, Jason Plato, the arrival of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Oulton Park next weekend is set to be a thriller. The Cheshire
JOEY BARTON has today completed his controversial transfer to Newcastle United, after the Magpies agreed to pay extra for the midfielder. Barton was on Tyneside last week to complete contract negotiations after the St James' Park outfit had agreed to
MORE than half of eggs produced in Britain will be free-range within five years, experts predict. The increase from the current 33 per cent will follow new EU restrictions on the use of hen cages. Growing demand from UK retailers is another factor
QUESTIONS have been raised over the safety of wagons travelling from farm to farm to collect dead animals. The practice is part of the national Fallen Stock Scheme (FSS) which was introduced following a ban on farmers burying or burning dead stock.
THE threat of UK sheep having to be "double tagged" has moved a step closer. The European Commission has told officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that they are unlikely to extend the UK's derogation (permission
RARE black grouse are on the increase and nowhere more so than in the Yorkshire Dales where numbers have trebled. Recent spring counts recorded 170 males compared to only 55 in 1998 and in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the
Thousands of sheep farmers from the UK and abroad made North Sheep 2007 at North Hanging Wells, Eastgate, in Weardale, a huge success last week. Rural affairs editor Mike Bridgen reports. SHEEP producers must work together to win a fair price for their
FARMER John Walton is through to the finals of a major wildlife conservation award. Mr Walton farms 200 acres at Park Farm, Little Newsham, between Darlington and Barnard Castle, in County Durham, and has been named Tyne Tees area winner of the Tye
THE first Fantastic Four film didn't really live up to its name - not so much fantastic as not too bad. The Marvel Comics adventure with not one, not two, not even three, but four superheroes was fun in a cheesy B-movie kind of way. The second,
A POLICE van was involved in a road accident near Barnard Castle today. An officer based in Staindrop was responding to reports of a break in at the old Richardson Hospital in Barnard Castle when he hit a car travelling in the opposite direction just
A HAVE-A-GO hero was slashed across the hand with a craft knife after coming to the aid of a young woman who had been punched in a nightclub. Stewart Burns needed stitches in the wound after trying to tackle suspected attacker George Jeffries in Hartlepool
POLICE found more than £11,000 worth of amphetamine when they raided two houses, a court heard. Michael Hall was said to be "minding" some of the drugs for a friend and keeping the rest to give his addict partner Janet Barrie. Teesside Crown Court was
POLICE have said it was only luck that prevented a catastrophic accident after a train hit a wooden sleeper that had been deliberately placed on tracks by vandals. The driver of the train, a rush-hour Newcastle to Middlesbrough Northern Rail service,
TOURISM chiefs were celebrating today after York was named as the best city to visit in Europe. It was crowned as Europe's top city destination, beating off competition from other finalists Valencia and Gothenburg. The first ever European Cities Tourism
Steve Pratt talks to music boss Spender Baldwin about the truth behind the ficton of new DVD release Music & Lyrics HUGH Grant the is epitome of the British romantic comedy leading man but he could have made it as a pop star, according to one music industry
Sir Trevor Nunn talks to Viv Hardwick about his sell-out versions of King Lear and The Seagull which play Newcastle's Theatre Royal, as part of the RSC revamped season, from June 29th. HAVING persuaded Sir Ian McKellen to make his debut as King Lear for
Comic book heroes, The Fantastic Four, have returned in style and Steve Pratt hears from the stars of the movie, loan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis about how they've come to terms with the character's super powers and blue screen
WELSH actor Ioan Gruffudd admits to having two left feet on the dance floor, which made his spectacular dancing scene in the new Fantastic Four movie all the more thrilling. He's like a bendy, stretchy version of John Travolta's disco dancer in Saturday
WATCH out Bob the Builder, there's a new workman in Soapland who could put you out of business. Demonic David Platt gets his job back at the builder's yard in Coronation Street (ITV1) thanks to his mother Gail the hamster's pleas to owner Bill the Builder
Harrogate baritone Adam Green is about to take a starring role in Opera North's tour to Newcastle this week. He talks to Viv Hardwick about his career and how he's found time to notch up impressive batting scores in North Yorkshire. IN addition to training
A YOUTH is due to appear in court after he was charged with setting his dogs on a family pet. The 17-year-old allegedly captured the footage of the attack on a cat on a mobile phone last month during the incident in Acklam Road, Middlesbrough, Teesside
TANTALISING reminders of the day nearly 200 years ago that Locomotion No 1 opened the world's first passenger steam railway have been unearthed by roadbuilders. The original stone sleepers over which the engine ran, on the first day of the
NEW Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce will be making a swift return to former club Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the Premiership season. The Magpies will travel to the Reebok Stadium on August 11, meaning an emotional reunion for Allardyce
NEW Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce will be making a swift return to former club Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the Premiership season. The Magpies will travel to the Reebok Stadium on August 11, meaning an emotional reunion for Allardyce
THE bodies of two people have been found at house. Police have launched an investigation after the bodies of a man and a woman were discovered at a house in North Yorkshire. Officers forced their way into a house in Slingsby Crescent, Harrogate, on
CIVIC minded schoolchildren joined council staff and community leaders this week to clean up Darlington's streets. Armed with pick sticks and black bin bags, 44 children from Cockerton and Alderman Leach primary schools braved the rain to collect
A MUSIC club for children in a Darlington estate may have to close unless a new sponsor is found. The Darlington Harlequins Juvenile Jazz Band is based at Firthmoor but attracts members from as far as North Yorkshire. The marching band enters
A FAMILY are lucky to be alive after escaping a house fire today. Two 15-year-old boys were taken to hospital after breathing in smoke from the blaze on Teesside which came close to tragedy. The two youngsters were sleeping in a loft extension at the
COUNCIL workers have applied anti-vandal paint to a graffiti hotspot in Darlington. It is the first time the paint has been used in Darlington. It has been applied to the end wall of a row of shops in Whitby Way, Branksome, after residents complained
TO give front page status to a fracas between a has-been snooker player and the referee (Echo, June 12) begs many questions as to why? Is our love of celebrity, no matter how small, such that newspaper sales are determined by the antics of these
THE anti-abortion lobby had a field day on this emotive subject (HAS, June 7). Even the term "abortion" is not pleasant, but we must never lose sight of a woman's right to choose. If abortion was made illegal, as it is in Eire, can you imagine the
I AM sure 99 per cent of us agree with Pete Winstanley's claim that he, as an individual, should be free to criticise the UK while remaining here (HAS, June 11). But this isn't the point. The point is that out of the large numbers who advocate
HOW right Tony Kelly is in his comments (HAS, June 2) on farming methods in today's world situation. It was also interesting to read the reply by MT Walton (HAS, June 7). Together, these two correspondents have summed the situation up nicely. It
I LED the opposition to the Iraq war within my local Labour Party. I described previously (HAS, Apr 5, 2006) how my MP, Dr Ashok Kumar, led the support for the war. In November, I challenged Dr Kumar about the disastrous consequences. He answered
TONY Blair's euphoria (Echo, June 8) over the G8 agreement on climate change is due to his conviction that it is human activity that is causing global warming and that world governments must enforce reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 50 per
A TEAM of young journalists has taken over editorial control of their school's newsletter. Three girls from year four of the prep department at Teesside High School, Eaglescliffe, are hard at work producing this week's edition of Miscellany, a publication
A PROMISING teenage golfer's dream of turning professional is in tatters after thieves stole gear worth £1,500. Daniel Moores, 17, started playing three years ago and now has a handicap of five on a par 70 course. He was planning to get expert tuition
Mischief: I Hate My Bald Head (BBC3, 10pm), This World: The Race For The Beach (BBC2, 7.30pm), MY Name Is Earl (C4, 10pm) BY the time they are 30, one in ten men will be on their way to going bald. On the head, that is. The thing about getting older
RESIDENTS of a town are being urged to deliver their verdict on multi-million pound school improvements. Middlesbrough Council has secured £91m from the Government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which will see all the town's community
A SCHOOL once branded as failing has turned itself around. Gillbrook College, in Normanby Road, South Bank, is looking forward to a brighter future after Government inspectors took it out of special measures last month. The secondary school was deemed
THOUSANDS of people are expected to visit a north Durham village for an annual carnival this weekend. Lanchester Lions Carnival is taking place on Saturday and the fun is due to start at 1pm with a procession through the village. People are encouraged
A CHARITY that helps people with Alzheimer's disease has been given a boost thanks to a council chairman. Councillor Carl Richardson, of Hartlepool Borough Council, presented Hartlepool and East Durham Alzheimer's Trust with a cheque for £1,231, as one
A PHARMACIST is to offer free diabetes and blood pressure checks. Stewart Cant, pharmacist at the M and M Chemist in Meadowfield, Durham City, has introduced the screening service. The check is carried out with a quick and painless pin-prick test, carried
PARENTS concerned about the weight and health of their children have been invited to join an active, fun-based course. Children from the Durham and Chester-le-Street areas can take up free places on the Mind, Exercise, Nutrition...Do it (Mend) programme
ALTHOUGH Sheriff Hutton-based Mick Easterby launches a six-strong raiding party to Yarmouth, Soto (4.35) is the only one of his runners to make significant appeal. Easterby's septuagenarian status means he's one of the senior members of the training ranks
Stuart Pearce will renew rivalries with Italy and Pierluigi Casiraghi when England Under-21s look to kick-start their European Championship finals campaign in Holland today. Pearce's youngsters opened their tournament with a goalless draw against Czech
IT is widely assumed that the loneliest walk in Test cricket is the one undertaken by a batsman who has just been dismissed for a duck. Yet while a sense of failure seems to grow with every step towards the edge of the field, the sanctity of the dressing
A COUNCIL planning department, which once missed Government targets, is back on track. A backlog of applications, a manpower shortage and recruitment difficulties meant Stockton Borough Council was missing Government performance targets. The goals require
British number one Andy Murray may leave it until the weekend before Wimbledon starts to decide whether to take part in the championships. The 20-year-old, ranked ninth in the world, is recovering from a wrist injury suffered at the Hamburg Masters last
LIVE at the London Palladium - that could be the future billing for a headteacher. Barbara Bell, from Skelton Primary School, has been shortlisted for the title of Primary School Headteacher of the Year. She is taking part in the Teaching Awards' North-East
THOUSANDS of local people live with heart ailments, but now a support group has been formed to help those suffering chronic heart failure. Heart failure nurse Annette Johnson said last night: "We are focusing on heart failure, because up to two or three
Only Tiger Woods can have a pair of US Open titles to his credit and still have to defend his lack of success in the event. Of his 12 major titles, just two have come from this particular championship and the most recent was at Bethpage five years ago
TONY Blair this week invited cries of "hypocrisy" by accusing the media of behaving like a "feral beast" that tears people apart in pursuit of sensation. In the light of that speech, we wonder what the Prime Minister has made of the case of Sir Stephen
WITH Parliament gearing up for another clash on the emotive issue of abortion, it was interesting to get a glimpse of where our MPs stand. It is 17 years since the last full Commons battle on abortion rights, when MPs voted to reduce the legal limit -
WITH England due to take on Italy in their second game of the European Under-21 Championships tonight, Sam Allardyce has backed Steven Taylor and James Milner to form the "backbone" of Newcastle's team next season. The Magpies duo are both expected to
AN engineering manager from the North-East has been named one of the UK's "trailblazing" businesswomen after winning a national award which recognises female achievement in industry. Jane Atkinson, who works for SembCorp Utilities on Teesside, won the
A FIRM at the centre of a legal row with the two key players behind the Middlesbrough Middlehaven project has asked for more time to find the £54,000 required to take its case to court. Chilli Developments was told in April that it had to
UNEMPLOYMENT in the North-East has increased by 6,000 in the quarter, figures showed yesterday. The region's jobless count climbed to 84,000 in the three months to April, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics. The North-East's
FILM studio business Pinewood Shepperton warned yesterday that delays to the start of some of its major productions would lead to "broadly flat" revenues this year. Shares slumped seven per cent as the Buckinghamshire-based company said that although
Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt admitted he felt powerless to prevent Jo-Wilfred Tsonga from ending his reign at Queen's Club. Hewitt, a four-times winner at the Artois Championships, was stunned 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-2) by the French qualifier in the biggest
PLANS to develop two international hotels on a business park in the North-East, and create up to 100 jobs, have taken a significant step forward. Wynyard Park, the consortium behind the development at Wynyard, near Billingham, Teesside, said it was close
A DRINKS wholesale company has revealed it plans to close part of its North-East site, with the possible loss of 63 jobs. Waverley TBS said the decision to close its packaging operation in Felling, Gateshead, comes after a nine-month review of the business
STOKESLY Methodist Church choir will present a concert at the church on Wednesday, from 7.30pm. Admission costs £4, including refreshments.
A PRIMARY school has been rated outstanding in every area of its Ofsted assessment. Dishforth CE Primary School is one of three schools in the area, with Otley Street Nursery, Skipton, and Marwood Primary School, in Great Ayton, to be rated as outstanding
STAFF and pupils at two schools are celebrating after winning an award for the quality of their arts programmes. Framwellgate Moor and Neville's Cross primary schools, both in Durham City, have been presented with the Artsmark award by Arts Council England
OBSERVANT staff at the regional passport office nipped in the bud a fraudulent application by a man living illegally in this country. A Jamaican national submitted a stolen birth certificate as part of an application for a UK passport, Durham Crown Court
PLANS have been drawn up to limit disruption and offer incentives for people to continue visiting Ripon during work on a £15m redevelopment scheme. The work, to reclaim derelict land west of the market place, is due to start on June 25 and expected to
PUPILS from five schools have taken part in a construction challenge. The event was staged in workshops at New College Durham's Framwellgate Moor campus, in partnership with Durham Education Business Partnership. Year ten pupils from Shotton Hall School
TEENAGERS have been asked to design a logo for a youth forum. Richmondshire District Youth Council, which gives young people the chance to air their views to council members and officers, launched a design competition open to 12 to 19-year-olds. The winning
AN MP is backing a campaign seeking a fair deal for diabetes sufferers. Phil Willis, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, is among those calling for an end to a postcode lottery for insulin pump therapy, during Diabetes Week. He said: "The National
A CHARITY walker was joined by his family and friends as he hiked through North Yorkshire during his solo trek from Land's End to John O'Groats. David Penn, 43, of Dacre Banks, Nidderdale, is aiming to raise £10,000 by completing the 1,142-mile trip.
TEENAGERS caught drinking in a police operation have been sent to information sessions rather than punished in court. Police in Darlington handed out more than 60 requests for under-age drinkers to attend the lessons following a week-long crackdown. Nearly
DRIVERS will be fined if they litter newly-cleared grass verges, council officials have warned. Darlington Borough Council's Street Scene teams are working in rural parts of the borough, picking up litter and clearing fly- tips from roadside verges before
SCHOOLS are planning to make outdoor learning a year-round affair after scooping funding for new play areas. Several schools in North Yorkshire made bids for cash from a Sure Start scheme for outdoor facilities, made available through The Four Seasons
ONE of the key figures in the revival of Bishop Auckland's commercial fortunes is stepping down later this year. Town centre manager Derek Toon retires at the end of August after four years in the post. He wants to travel and spend more time with his
A PUB in a Teesdale town is hoping to extend its opening hours to allow late-night drinking, despite protests from residents. The White Swan, in Swan Street, Evenwood, wants to serve alcohol until 1.20am on Fridays and Saturdays, closing at 2am. Its current
AN award-winning independent charity that helps thousands of disabled people each year is shutting down because it has been refused Lottery cash. Disability Access, in Crook, will close in September after failing to win funding from the National Lottery's
A RECRUITMENT and training event is to help match up employers with potential employees. Sure Start County Durham Recruitment and Information event takes places at Spennymoor Leisure Centre tomorrow. It will feature 27 different organisations offering
A WOMEN'S cricket match will be held at Sacriston Cricket Club at noon on Sunday. The game will be between Durham County Ladies and Scotland Ladies. The considerable work on the club's changing rooms by the company AMR, as part of the English Cricket
PUPILS from Willington sang their hearts out to produce a CD to raise funds for their school. The children, aged between three and 11, from Willington Primary School produced and recorded songs and live music for the CD, which is being produced by record
THE manager of an animal sanctuary fears it could close bcause of a dispute over planning permission. Kayshill animal sanctuary at Bildershaw, near West Auckland, has been open a year, but manager Kevin Plummer says he faces the prospect of trying to
STUDENTS from Bishop Auckland hit the airwaves with more than a song this week. King James I Community College students took part in a project with Creative Partnerships Durham Sunderland, bringing history and English lessons to life with raps, songs
We tend to think of it as safe, yet recent murders in Japan including that of Lindsay Ann Hawker, have cast a shadow on the country. Women's Editor Sarah Foster meets a woman who was attacked there and feels we souldn't underestimate its dangers.THE picture
SUPERHERO Spiderman is walking tall in the region.Only eight life-sized models of the red and blue costumed superhero have been made, to coincide with the launch of the film Spider-Man 3 and associated merchandise.And the only one shipped to the UK, has
Warwickshire v Durham (Friends Provident Trophy) ESSEX will be the visitors to Riverside in next Wednesday's Friends Provident Trophy semi-final, when Durham will hope to be back on top of their game after being put to the sword by Tim Ambrose at Edgbaston
A CHOCOLATE Stout from a North Yorkshire Brewery will make its UK debut this weekend.Daleside Brewery introduced its unusual ale after a buyer in Finland approached them last year. It was delivered in October for the Christmas trade but all 10,000 bottles
A VICAR has pulled the first pint of an ale created to raise money to save a stained glass window.Christopher Wray, rector of All Saint's Church, in Knaresborough, near Harrogate, wants to get the church's east window repaired.His plight was overheard
VOLUNTEERS are preparing for a fundraising fashion show.Staff from Herriot Hospice Homecare, which supports patients with life-limiting illness in their own homes, are getting ready for the show next Thursday. Hamiltons Ladieswear is providing outfits
A NORTH-EAST MP brought the shortcomings of a planning blueprint, which threatens thousands of jobs, to the attention of Tony Blair yesterday.Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods used Prime Minister's Questions to highlight the flaws with the revised Regional Spatial
A FORMER nursery nurse who gave up work to look after children orphaned by the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 has returned home.Sally Marshall, of Front Street, Craghead, Stanley, has been in Sri Lanka for 15 months.She has been teaching youngsters art, crafts
WEST End hopeful Lewis Bradley has been inundated with offers after making it into the final of BBC's Any Dream Will Do.The North-East teenager, who came third in Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for a new star in his hit musical Joseph and the Technicolour
TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to the Yorkshireman regarded as one of Britain's greatest Polar explorers. Sir Wally Herbert, who was born in York, died in hospital near his home in the Scottish Highlands at the age of 72. He had been suffering from
BUILDING work is expected to begin later this year on a £75m mental hospital in the North-East.The 312-bed centre is to be built on Teesside and will eventually replace the former Victorian-built mental asylum of St Luke's, at Middlesbrough.The new light
THE circus came to town for one Teesside nursery when the youngsters enjoyed a fun afternoon.The children at Rosedene Nurseries, in Yarm, took advantage of the chance to dress up and clown around yesterday.Plate-spinning and hook-a-duck were among the
Yorkshire v Northamptonshire (Friends Provident Trophy) Matthew Hoggard pronounced himself ready for England's final Test against the West Indies at Riverside tomorrow after bowling ten overs in three spells for Yorkshire at Headingley Carnegie yesterday.It
THE sun was shining for the Redcar and East Cleveland Breathe Easy Group's annual gala day.The mayor of Guisborough, Councillor Malcolm Griffiths, opened the events when he was the guest of honour at Sunnyfield House, in the town.There were various stalls
RAILWAY museum bosses are pressing ahead with plans to make it one of the best visitor attractions in the country.Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham, opened in September 2004 and in its first year of operation attracted
A GROUNDSWELL of opposition is mounting against plans to create a unitary authority in North Yorkshire.Harrogate Borough Council will today apply to the High Court for permission to begin legal action against the Government over its unitary proposals
PRIMARY school pupils were transported back to Victorian times during a project yesterday.Twenty of the children, aged between nine and 11, at Sherburn Hill Primary School, along with their teachers, dressed in period costumes to savour the days of Upstairs
AN annual charity tractor run has raised £25,000 in five years for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.Hundreds of spectators turned out to watch this year's Beadlam run, marking the fifth anniversary of the popular event, starting from Beadlam Grange Farm, near
AN 18th Century parchment parish register which was thought to be lost for ever has mysteriously turned up.The volume, which records generations of christenings and burials in the small Wensleydale community of East Witton, near Leyburn, landed on the
STUDENTS from Bishop Auckland took part in a tasty challenge during a Choctastic Enterprise Week. Year nine students from St John's RC Comprehensive School took part in a week-long project, in which they designed and marketed chocolate bars. Students
A MOTHER who allowed her seven-year-old daughter to attend drug parties in their home has admitted a charge of child cruelty.The woman told police that the girl was regularly present when up to eight people were smoking heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.It
A NURSING home blaze that killed an 89-year-woman could have been avoided if the findings of a report published only six months earlier had been heeded.Teesside coroners court heard yesterday that a fire risk assessment report published in February 2004
DEVELOPERS have revealed revised plans of a proposed housing scheme on the site of a town centre auction mart.Linlathen Developments hopes to put the amended plans for a proposed housing development on the site of Darlington Farmers' Auction Mart before
PORTSMOUTH last night tabled a £12m bid for Middlesbrough striker Ayegbeni Yakubu - just hours after the Teessiders completed the capture of Turkey international Tuncay Sanli. Despite having had a £10m bid for Yakubu's services turned down last summer
IAN Bell will return to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs tomorrow determined to make history by becoming the first player to score two Test centuries at Riverside. Bell was England's match-winner when the North-East venue last staged Test cricket
ENGINEERING company The Tanfield Group could be set to secure another major contract after agreeing a trial period to supply its vehicles to Royal Mail. The deal will see Tanfield's Smith Electric Vehicles' division supplying one of
ONE of the founder members of Oasis will appear at a North-East nightclub tomorrow. Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs played guitar in the band for eight years, experiencing their rise to become the biggest band in the UK in the mid-Nineties. He performed on hit
SOMEONE, somewhere is about to become a member of a very exclusive club - and has absolutely no idea of their good fortune. His or her life is about to be utterly transformed - but only if they still have a National Lottery ticket, which was bought less
A NEW business centre to encourage the growth of small companies is being opened in the Tees Valley today, leading to the creation of up to 225 jobs. The £3m development in Darlington, by workspace provider Evans Easyspace, has been hailed as having
TWO factories on the outskirts of Durham have been damaged by fire. The factory units, in Langley Moor, were damaged by separate blazes only hours apart. A small factory on the Towngate Business Centre was the first to be damaged. Fire crews were called
Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards is relishing the prospect of Sunderland manager Roy Keane locking horns with his old charge Sir Alex Ferguson and Chelsea's volatile boss Jose Mourinho next season. Richards was talking ahead of this morning's
BEING offered a choice of NHS hospital depends on where you live in the region, according to a new survey.The Department of Health is keen to see more patients being given the choice of where they want to go when they are referred by their GP for their
LIBERAL Democrats have forced a meeting of Durham County Council in a row over an appointment to the county's police authority.In what has been described as a "procedural impasse", the joint committee, the body which makes appointments to Durham Police
WHEN we were kids, monsters were scary. They took their jobs seriously. Days out to Redcar or Whitby meant a trip to the funfair and the ghost trains always had a credible spook, Frankenstein's monster, or Dracula waiting to appear out of the darkness.In
A BONE-MARROW match has been found for a seriously ill boy who inspired hundreds of people to register as donors. Only three months after he was diagnosed with a genetic condition that requires a bone marrow transplant, a donor has been found for four-year-old
A MINERS' union accused of plundering compensation paid to sick ex-pitmen performed a humiliating climbdown yesterday and offered to pay all the money back.The Durham branch of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is writing to 10,000 members from
Through the centuries Brignall has inspired poets and painters. Today it still is a place of glorious tranquility Oh, Brignall banks are fresh and fair, And Greta woods are green And you may gather garlands there Would grace a summer's queen.SO Sir
THE families and colleagues of two soldiers killed in Iraq have come together to pay tribute to the pair. Corporal Kris O'Neill and Private Eleanor Dlugosz, from 3 Close Support Medical Regiment, the Royal Army Medical Corps, died when their armoured
A CONTROVERSIAL lap-dancing club is due to open in a County Durham town at the end of next month. Businessman Sukhdev Singh Gill hopes to open Red Velvet in Front Street, Consett, on July 27. More than 1,000 people objected to the club where men will
INSTRUMENTS from a North-East music store that traded for nearly 100 years came under the hammer at an auction yesterday. About 300 musicians, collectors and dealers gathered at Lithgow Sons and Partners' auction house in Stokesley, North Yorkshire,
A NURSING home blaze that killed an 89-year-woman could have been avoided if the findings of a report published only six months earlier had been heeded, an inquest heard yesterday. Teesside coroners court was told that a fire risk assessment report published
Profits warning from telecoms company TELECOMS company BNS Telecom Group has warned that its full-year operating profit in one of its key divisions is likely to be £1.3m lower than the company's expectations. The Northumberland company said it is
