POLICE looking for a missing 14-year-old girl have extended their search to London. Gail Pooley went missing from her foster home in the Felling area of Gateshead, almost a month ago. Officers came across their best lead yet when Gail phoned a friend
A COUNCILLOR is being sought for the parish council at Middleton St George, near Darlington. The vacancy has arisen following the resignation of Basil Wilkinson due to ill-health. The council meets once a month on Monday evenings, and is non-political
A PENSIONER says he has been waiting more than two years for the council to prune a tree outside his house. Denton Bell, 72, says the tree on a grass verge outside his home in Lakeside, Darlington, is blocking the light to his bedroom and living room.
YOUNGSTERS from Saltburn have said a fond farewell to Cleveland Police's longest-serving horse. Endeavour has been with the force for 15 years and will be sadly missed by his rider, Ian Lumley. He said: "He is one of the most experienced and mild-mannered
SHARES in Whitbread soared yesterday after it revealed plans to sell its 3,000 pubs in order to focus on its core hotels, food and leisure divisions. The group said ''Future Whitbread'' would concentrate on its Marriott and Travel Inn hotels, its Brewers
A SCHOOL threatened with closure could launch a fight to remain open. St Anthony's RC School is one of three comprehensives in east Middlesbrough facing the threat of closure because of falling rolls and poor academic achievement. Two other schools, Keldholme
MORE North-East patients will get the chance to try out new cancer drugs after a £1m charity donation which has left doctors stunned. The donation, which came from a single mystery benefactor, will help transform the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment
PRO-DEMOCRACY campaigner James Mawdsley is to taste freedom tomorrow, after 415 days in solitary confinement in a Burmese prison. Days after it was announced he would be deported, details of his release were revealed by the ruling military regime in Burma
A windmill has finally been restored - thanks to the wind dropping. Over the past three weeks workmen have been trying to fit four new sails to Fulwell Mill, in Sunderland, but the work, which needed a giant crane, had to be postponed twice because high
VILLAGERS on the outskirts of Darlington are celebrating receiving a cash grant to refurbish their village hall. The £57,000 grant to High Coniscliffe from waste management company Cleartop will allow residents to pay for renovation of the building. The
MARKET traders have accused Darlington Borough Council of failing to consult them over the introduction of a farmers' market. The Darlington Retail Market Stallholders' Association is concerned about the effect the market will have on its members' businesses
A MAN whose holiday was ruined when he broke his ankle is still facing a battle for compensation nine months later. Retired engineer Keith Turner, 64, tripped over a drain cover in the street while on holiday in Albufeira, Portugal, with wife, Jean, in
A POLITICAL row has broken out after Darlington's Liberal Democrat group was denied seats on two influential committees. At last week's meeting of Darlington Borough Council, a recommendation was put forward to give Liberal Democrat councillors Ken and
FOR Sale signs are unlikely to be going up at the Bishop of Durham's home, Auckland Castle, despite weekend reports of crackdown on episcopal expenses. The Right Reverend Michael Turnbull is confident his 800-year-old palace and six- acre estate at Bishop
A POPULAR board game came to life yesterday to help teach numeracy to North-East schoolchildren. Actors playing jail keepers, top hats and Scottie dogs took their places on a giant Monopoly board to help launch Newcastle's Maths 2000 Challenge. The giant
CHANGES to a bus route could cause problems for elderly residents in Great Aycliffe. Councillor Bob Fleming, leader of Great Aycliffe Town Council, has expressed concerns about changes to the 92 service between Darlington and Bishop Auckland. The service
RESIDENTS worried about paedophiles staying in a planned bail hostel in the centre of a County Durham town attended a public meeting last night. If built, the 25-bed hostel, planned near Chester-le-Street's Civic Centre, magistrates court and health centre
DARLINGTON winger Richard Hodgson has been rewarded for a string of good recent performances with a new contract. Manager Gary Bennett has ripped up the 21-year-old's current one-year deal and handed him an extension to June, 2002. Hodgson arrived in
A WOMAN whose newborn baby died after disgraced surgeon Richard Neale allegedly refused to carry out an emergency operation is taking legal action against his hospital trust. Solicitor Simon John claims that if the facts were proved, the circumstances
Andrew Flintoff faces a tough career choice after failing to provide England with the necessary fitness guarantees and being ruled out of the equation for next month's Test series in Pakistan. The 22-year-old all-rounder's selection for the first-class
A RECORD 50,000 entrants will ensure the 20th Great North Run marks a milestone as Britain's biggest mass participation event. The landmark will be set once the 31,649th runner crosses the line after Olympic triple jump gold medallist Jonathan Edwards
NATIONAL park bosses are backing the owners of a stud who are still waiting for compensation - more than two years after their land was hit by a diesel spill. Since 1,500 gallons of diesel poured from an overturned tank above Carlton Bank Stud, in North
RICHARD NEALE AS a former patient of the disgraced doctor Richard Neale, together with Sheila Wright-Hogeland, I founded the Action and Support Group for former damaged patients. Following the GMC hearing, which concluded in July, there has been a feeling
EDUCATION chiefs in a North-East borough have received top marks from Government inspectors. A glowing 50-page report was published today by Chris Woodhead, chief inspector of Ofsted, who said Hartlepool Local Education Authority "has made significant
THE North-East's newest department store is due to open in December, creating 229 jobs at one of the region's prime shopping sites. The Primark store will take over revamped premises formerly occupied by C&A in Northumberland Street, Newcastle, with
Butterwick Hospice Care, Stockton, will be formally presented with an Investors in People award tonight. The award recognises the work by nurses, doctors and support staff at the hospice, and the training they do. The MP for Stockton South, Dari Taylor
BRITAIN'S most notorious prisoner, Charles Bronson, has been asked by his manager to stop advertising a video of his exploits in jail on his official fan club website, London's High Court was told. Bronson's Gateshead-based manager, Steve Richards, is
STUDENTS on a health and social care course visited the region's only children's hospice yesterday. Members of the Darlington College GNVQ course made a tour of Butterwick Children's Hospice, in Stockton. They also had a question and answer session with
Police are to take no action against North-East comedian Chubby Brown after an incident in which fans of the funnyman were showered with shards of glass, it emerged last night. West Midlands Police said the comic would not face charges after he threw
JACKIE Milburn's prized football medals and memorabilia are to be given a new and fitting home by Newcastle United. Just weeks before the Tyneside legend's collection, including the three FA Cup medals he won during the 1950s, were due to be auctioned
A NORTH-EAST hospice has been given permission to host a charity film premiere. NATL Amusements Ltd and Showcase Cinemas have given the Teesside Hospice the opportunity to hold a special screening of The Little Vampire tonight and the audience are being
THE waiting continued yesterday for a team of people trying to restore a classic sailing ship. Members of the HMS Trincomalee Trust were expecting to hear if they would receive a National Lottery grant to continue renovating the ship, and to help build
A FEAST of family fun is promised when Hartlepool's Town Hall Theatre hosts a children's half-term festival. Performances of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Jack and Jill's Nursery Rhyme Adventure, will be held next Monday and Thursday respectively
The future trial of three Leeds United footballers charged with assaulting a student was transferred from Sheffield to Hull Crown Court yesterday, by order of a top judge. After a short hearing at London's High Court, Mr Justice Henriques directed that
NORTHUMBRIA Police are looking for four-legged recruits and are urging people to donate unwanted dogs. The force is seeking male German shepherds aged one to two years that are fully vaccinated. Potential recruits will undergo suitability tests and, if
A PUBLIC meeting and a petition to fight the demolition of a Victorian building are being organised by people in the West End of Darlington. They have voiced their concern over Darlington Building Society's plans for the block in Stanhope Road, featuring
IT was a pretty good weekend on the road. We dominated Bracknell on Saturday and beat them 5-3 despite questionable calls from the referee and we showed a lot of character. It was my birthday on that day and it was nice to score. I also fought their tough
THE North-East's answer to Celine Dion will appear in the winner's final of a hit talent TV show on Saturday. Karen McManus, 27, of Peterlee, County Durham, who started singing at karaoke nights, made a big impact when she won BBC1's Star For A Night
FOUR youngsters will ceremoniously name the region's latest lifeboat on Saturday. The new Atlantic 75 boat will be named at The Piazza, in Hartlepool Marina, by 11-year-old triplets Lucy, Katy and Jack Madden and eight-year-old Sophie Madden. The children
BUSINESS leaders have hit out at new proposals for further concessions to be granted to charity shops. Traders in Thirsk and Northallerton, who have already voiced fears about the number of charity shops emerging in their towns, are furious about European
RESIDENTS fighting plans for housing on land at Esh Winning, near Durham, are set to step up the pressure on the city council. The protestors have already gathered a 500-signature petition objecting to an application for outline planning permission with
A RARE piece of wartime history will be demonstrated in the North-East next month. One of the few surviving original German Enigma encoding machines will be the centrepiece of a lecture in Middlesbrough. Dr Mark Baldwin will be giving the talk on one
THE search is on to find the owner of an unusual clock recovered during a police raid on Teesside. The Victorian clock was seized by police at a house in Ragworth, Stockton but attempts to find its owner have drawn a blank. The clock, which is made of
AN investigation is continuing after a worker was seriously injured in an accident at a Teesside steel plant. The 54-year-old engineer, who has not been named, sustained serious head, chest and foot injuries on Tuesday evening, when he was crushed between
FOUR unruly youngsters have become the first in Hartlepool to sign official police promises to change their behaviour. The young people, who can not be named for legal reasons, signed the Acceptable Behaviour Contracts yesterday. The contracts, which
INTERPRISE 2001, organised by County Durham Development Company (CDDC), promises to be next year's biggest business-to-business event in the region, offering a unique opportunity to establish new contacts and explore new markets in Europe and beyond.
WITH a flick of the wheel and a grab of the handbrake, 21-year-old Paul Swift can put the rest of us to shame. He can slot his Mini into a parking space with only a foot or so to spare while, to the average motorist, it can mean minutes of shuffling backwards
A DAY at the cemetery may not be the most obvious of pastimes, but one local authority is promoting one of its burial grounds as the perfect family facility. Middlesbrough Council hopes to attract those with an interest in the town's history to a series
A DECISION on a controversial bid to extend the use of a quarry will not be made until the new year. Yorwaste is seeking North Yorkshire County Council's backing for a waste management and recycling centre at Tancred Quarry, near Scorton. The company
THE A174 Redcar to Whitby road is to be temporarily closed - only weeks after it re-opened. Last month Loftus Bank was re-opened after a nine-week closure for work to stabilise the bank after landslips and flooding 18 months ago. Now Saltburn Bank and
AN east Durham school election has brought power to the pupils. Staff at Yohden primary, Horden, decided that it was only right that pupils should have a say in the running of their school, so a school council has been elected. Candidates were selected
HISTORY goes under the hammer at Europe's biggest Army base this weekend as the force hosts its first-ever auction of military memorabilia. More than 300 lots will be offered for sale at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, on Sunday, including uniforms
Schoolchildren were treated to a performance by a group of French actors yesterday. About 70 children, aged three to six, watched Pointure 23 perform A Warm Wet Welcome, at Ushaw Moor Infants School, County Durham. The group has been taking part in a
FERRYHILL will soon have an information technology drop-in centre, thanks to a £75,000 grant. The money from the New Opportunities Fund will be used to staff the community room at Ferryhill Comprehensive School. Headteacher Steve Gater said: "It will
PEOPLE interested in courses in psychology or counselling can take part in free courses on offer at South Bank Women's Centre, in Middlesbrough. The child psychology course lasts 20 weeks and provides an opportunity to understand and explore theories
AN old tradition in a County Durham village could soon be revived. An annual village gala used to be held in Middleton St George, near Darlington, including a procession of floats, jazz bands, fancy dress parades and sporting competitions. The Middleton
A RESOURCE centre which is helping tackle unemployment in a former east Durham mining village has been praised by planners. The Community Enterprise and Resource Centre at Murton is one of two winners in the 2000 Awards Scheme run by the northern branch
ON the grounds that she undoubtedly knows, y'know, we are particularly grateful to Audrey Thompson for a call on the back of last week's John North. Primarily the column concerned Charles Simon, the former Darlington repertory company manager who later
PRISON officers are planning a jail break at the weekend by mingling into the mass of 50,000 competitors pounding the course of the Great North Run. A team of 14 officers has been putting in dedicated hours, often during their lunch breaks, on the roads
VOLUNTEERS from the Prince's Trust got to work with paint and brushes to bring some colour to a drop-in centre for young people. Nine volunteers on the team challenge programme, have been busy decorating the games room at the Top Deck centre, Darlington
A FITNESS club has been judged among the best in the country, despite being only a year old. The Energy Club, based at Eston Sports Academy, Normanby, has come second - winning a silver award - in a national competition sponsored by Leisure Finance. The
HOMELESS people in Darlington have been given a harvest lift, thanks to the efforts of a group of school pupils. Students at Carmel RC Technology College, in Darlington, presented gifts and money to a charity that helps homeless people in the town, during
A COUNCIL is being asked to step into the row over racing at a controversial North-East motor circuit. The noise emitted from Croft Circuit, near Darlington, has long been a source of contention with people living in the village of Croft and neighbouring
TEENAGE poet Chris Thompson proved he has a way with words after penning a prize-winning piece of verse. The talented 15-year-old, who attends Teesdale Comprehensive School, Barnard Castle, won first prize in the 13 to 16-years category of the Ottakers
TENSION between a school and its neighbours may have been diffused after councillors voted for a compromise. The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic School, Broomfield Avenue, Northallerton, wanted Hambleton District Council's blessing for an entertainments licence
A second train was derailed last night - just as rail chiefs were disclosing the locations of known danger spots on Britain's railways. Railtrack revealed 81 locations on railways where the track featured "similar characteristics" to the one suspected
FAMILY and friends have been paying tribute to a North Yorkshire pilot, killed in a plane crash in America. Ian Robertson, 41, died when his aircraft hit a mountain in New Mexico. He was flying alone, carrying cargo from a base in Durango, Colorado. Yesterday
THE drinks will be on Red Lion (3.00) at Doncaster this afternoon provided he wins the Westwoodside Handicap. Brian Meehan's ex-French gelding has taken time to acclimatise to British conditions, in fact he looked a real slow coach when first seen out
Ugo Ehiogu is set to complete his record £8m signing for Middlesbrough today in time to play for his new club at Charlton. The Aston Villa defender was on Teesside yesterday and joined in with the Boro squad at their Hurworth base. Agent Steve Kutner,
WHEN we travel on the railways we expect to do so in the knowledge that safety is paramount. Three multiple death accidents in as many years obviously cast doubt over the priority attached to safety. In the aftermath of the Hatfield tragedy, Railtrack
TOBACCO workers, who this week took their fight against EU legislation on tar levels to Brussels, have gained significant support from a European colleague. Union members from the Rothmans factory in Darlington, now owned by British American Tobacco (
Madcap rock star Robbie Williams has demanded an ape and a pair of women's knickers be sent to his dressing room for a bizarre post-gig party. Robbie's baffling list of must-haves also includes a silver-framed picture of quiz host Bob Holness and plastic
SUNDERLAND Football Club put one over archrival Newcastle yesterday with a thumping victory on the balance sheets - scoring a 225 per cent increase in full-year pre-tax profits. Sunderland may no longer be known as the Bank of England club, but a successful
Lucky lady lobsters caught off the North East coast will be rescued from the boiling pot in a bid to boost stocks, Under a new three-year scheme 3,000 female lobsters will be bought back from wholesalers after being caught by fishermen - and then returned
POLICE in Darlington were last night still hunting the man who raped a young woman in one of the town's parks. Despite several appeals, including one from the victim, the attacker, believed to be in his early 20s, has yet to be caught. Detectives in the
A couple have been found guilty of cruelty against an adopted son. Both parents were convicted of ill-treating the boy, now aged 14, by locking him in his room for long periods without letting him out to go to the toilet. The father, aged 49, was also
A PEER and former agriculture minister under the Tories, has launched a savage attack on the "vicious, nasty" seals in the North Sea, which he says threaten the livelihood of local salmon fishermen. Lord (Michael) Jopling, who lives near Thirsk, stopped
THE grand opening of a £230,000 North-West Durham leisure facility and tourist attraction takes place this weekend. The South Stanley Green Corridor - a four-mile footpath from Craghead to South Moor - boasts works designed by local schoolchildren. Money
A FAMILY has made an emotional plea to serial killer Rosemary West to tell her where the body of their loved relative is. Mary Bastholm, of South Shields, is believed to have been killed by West, or her husband Fred West, at their home in Gloucester in
A SCHEME to install video links between trading standards offices and citizens advice bureaux has received national recognition. The North Yorkshire project was singled out for praise at the launch of the Government's Consumer Support Network in London
A GROUP of schoolchildren from Thornaby will soon be on the trail of nature. For an educational nature and wildlife walk has been created at Teesdale park with the help of a community dividend grant, courtesy of the North-Eastern Co-op. The £500 award
THE family of a former businessman who collapsed and died after going missing from home, have spoken of his tireless work for his community. Speaking yesterday at the home he shared with his wife, Ruth, in Cotherstone, County Durham, relatives of Sunderland-born
A soldier on home leave from Bosnia slashed a stranger's throat then killed the man's cousin by plunging the weapon into his chest, following a petty argument in a burger bar, a court heard. Soldier David Tillen was in the centre of Sunderland with his
A jazz and ceilidh evening will be held on Friday, Novem-ber 3, at Durham Indoor Bowl-ing Club, Abbey Road, Pity Me, from 8pm to 11.30pm. Music will be provided by Carole Clegg and Speakeasy and The Trimdon Folk Band. There will also be a pie and peas
A WASTE management firm, which in the past three years has helped create 120 schemes to improve the region's environment, has pledged a further £1m toward the project. The cash from Northallerton-based Yorwaste brings the funding for environmental body
AN international development and banking company is about to unveil its plans for a former east Durham colliery site. London and Amsterdam, which was responsible for the regeneration of Liverpool's Albert Dock and the renaissance of Newcastle's Quayside
A RAFT of proposals to improve safety on the notorious A66 across the Pennines have been given a tepid welcome in North Yorkshire. Consultants, Maunsell Transport Planning, has spent much of the year consulting on possible solutions, which would make
A WAR veterans' club is urging Teessiders to show their respect for the war dead by contributing to this year's Poppy Appeal. The appeal is being launched tonight at the Royal British Legion Club in Middlesbrough, where the town's mayor, Councillor Kath
A BISHOP gave his blessing to a new school when it was officially opened yesterday. Parents, staff and children at the St Therese of Lisieux RC Primary School, Ingleby Barwick took part in an opening cere-mony officiated by the Bishop of Middlesbrough
PEOPLE in the Consett area are being urged to support a fundraising night in aid of one of the country's leading cancer charities. The event, at Delves Lane Social Club, Delves Lane, near Consett, next Thursday, will feature live entertainment, including
MORE than anything else, Karen wants to hear Richard Neale say sorry. For 12 years the mother-of-two has been trying - and largely failing - to cope with waves of anger, self-recrimination and grief which followed the death of her first baby. Like many
WHEN I was a policeman in Middlesbrough, we tried to do something about the problems caused by prostitution. Innocent women were complaining to us that they felt embarrassed, angered and defiled when walking through the red light zone and being approached
VILLAGERS in Hamsterley and South Bedburn are being invited to record their names for posterity. A mass signing of a tapestry will take place at Hamsterley Village Hall, near Bishop Auckland, on Saturday, before it is taken away to be embroidered. Heather
RESIDENTS across Stockton borough are being reminded they have until tomorrow to give their views on the future of a council structure. The council has asked residents to consider three possible options, which are: a cabinet with a leader elected by the
