OFFICERS from the National Crime Squad have seized £35m worth of drugs and almost £2.5m worth of counterfeit currency in raids across the North of England. The figures are revealed in the squad's second annual report, which shows the North-East to be
Darlington missed a chance to go third in the table with a 1-1 draw at Moss Rose in front of the Sky Sports cameras last night. Quakers' second-half performance was much better than their first half display and they deserved at least a point after dominating
THE Government has been accused of snubbing a conference organised by North families whose lives have been devastated by murder. Members of the North of England Victims' Association (Neva) will gather on South Tyneside this weekend where speakers will
MORE people may be affected by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning than official figures suggest, say organisers of a confer-ence in the region next month. The Council of Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring (CoGDEM) is to highlight the life-threatening
CORUS, the former British Steel, which has seen its business battered by the effects of the weak euro, said it had no good news to report regarding the exchange rate, which it said remained a "major concern". The comments came just weeks after the group
CHEMICAL giant Huntsman Corporation is to build a £50m titanium dioxide pigment plant near Hartlepool. The new plant, at Greatham, is part of the commitment made by the corporation when it arrived on Teesside last year, promising to lead a revival of
INCREASED demand for farm cheeses produced by Shepherds Purse, of Newsham, near Thirsk, means growth has increased by 28 per cent. The firm has introduced a seven-day working week to keep up to speed with the production of cheese, and anticipates further
A GREAT institution of the North-East brewing industry comes to an end tonight - just as another is revived. Time is called for good at the Brewery Tap, believed to be the oldest surviving pub in Sunderland city centre, after last orders tonight. Manager
TWO people were lucky to escape with just minor injuries after a piece of timber which fell from a moving vehicle speared their car windscreen, narrowly missing the driver. The flying debris came from the roof of a portable hut, which blew off and shattered
A ROBBER chose the wrong target when he tried to steal from a Falklands War veteran. Newsagent Steve Baxter was alerted via the shop intercom that a raid was taking place at his shop in Chester-le-Street, County Durham. When 25-year-old masked robber
A WOMAN was seriously ill in hospital last night after a motorway pile-up on the A1(M) which caused traffic chaos. The three-vehicle crash, near Sedgefield, County Durham, involved a prison van. The northbound carriageway was closed for about four hours
A PROPOSED European directive will threaten the survival of charity shops and car boot sales in the UK, an MEP has warned. The General Directive on Product Safety would require retail outlets to provide full traceability on all products sold, and to help
FIFTEEN years ago Bilbao was a city dying on its feet. Shipbuilding, its commercial backbone, had fallen prey to global recession and its once-elegant streets began to take on an air of decay. But now, thanks to an unusual lifeline, the northern Spanish
BUS company bosses hope to avert next Friday's threatened strike by drivers. Managers at Go North-East will meet officials of the Transport and General Workers' Union on Monday and Tuesday for further negotiations. Six hundred staff at the company's Go
A CHEEKY prankster has left his own mark on the Darlington football stadium debate. The mystery signwriter has put up a notice at the site of the club's proposed new ground in Neasham Road, with the message: George Reynolds 1 Marcus Nimmo 0. He is referring
MIDDLESBROUGH go in search of their first Premiership home win of the season today, with manager Bryan Robson insisting: "I don't feel under pressure.'' Robson, who faced calls to quit last season, is already coming under fire from disgruntled fans this
A HOUSEHOLDER doing some building work in his back garden unearthed more than a blocked drain - he came across artefacts thousands of years old. Anthony Lloyd-Wallis, of Yarm, who studied archaeology at university, was amazed to find the prehistoric and
NEWCASTLE United's new striking hot-shot Lomana LuaLua will lift St James' Park to new levels of excitement. That's the view of Steve Wignall, the man who gave the talented frontman his first taste of Football League action at the age of 18. Wignall was
FIRST Division Wimbledon look set to sign versatile Sunderland defender Darren Holloway in a £1m deal. The Londoners, desperate to battle their way back into the Premiership at the first attempt, are desperate to sign a top class central defender and
ENGLAND rivals Kevin Phillips and Michael Owen will be trying to out-gun one another in this afternoon's clash between Liverpool and Sunderland at Anfield. Owen goes into the game ahead of his Wearside counterpart in the international pecking order after
THOUSANDS of people in the region enjoyed free bus travel yesterday - but European Car Free Day proved a little tricky for some. Claims were made that Newcastle city councillor Kevan Jones, in charge of development and transport, was the victim of a dirty
THE Government's "heart tsar" has been struck by tragedy after the woman who shared his home was discovered hanging from the banisters. Annette Aston, 45, was found at the couple's home in Copmanthorpe near York on Thursday evening. A spokesman for North
RARELY, if ever, has a government unravelled so quickly and so spectacularly before the electorate's eyes. Less than two weeks ago, Tony Blair was basking in the reassuring glow of anything up to a 15 point lead over the Conservatives in the opinion polls
Former Scottish international footballer Frank McAvennie admitted that he used cocaine when interviewed by police, a court heard yesterday. The former Celtic and West Ham striker, who is on trial for an alleged £110,000 drugs conspiracy, admitted having
NO one would envy the decision he had to make, but many will applaud the humanity displayed by Lord Justice Alan Ward yesterday. The legal debate which has raged over Siamese twins Jodie and Mary has raised many moral questions. It has also been afflicted
A WOMAN was being questioned by detectives last night following the discovery of a man's body on Teesside. The grisly discovery was made at a house in the secluded, terraced village of Charltons, near Guisborough. Police said they were called at 10.30am
HARTLEPOOL United front-runner Kevin Henderson last night backed his partnership with Tony Lormor to flourish - kicking-off this afternoon at Mansfield. Pool go to Field Mill with Lormor making a quick-fire return to his old club after his summer move
BETTER 150 years late than never, but a town is poised to salute its founding father. Darlington unveiled a statue to Quaker Joseph Pease - just off High Row, in the town centre - to commemorate the jubilee of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington
THE HARVEST, or most of it, had been sold at auction a few days earlier - 36,200 sheep, two day sale, still bidding and buying as the clock turned 10 at night. Now the folk of Hawes, in Wensleydale, were back at the spit and sawdust auction mart for their
LAST week's events demonstrated the perils of being stuck in a traffic jam. Although petrol is now flowing smoothly again, there's nothing more frustrating than coming to a standstill. Until recently the best weapon a motorist had was the humble radio
