AN inmate at a North-East jail was found hanging in his cell the day after he was believed to be involved in an attack on another prisoner. The alleged attack was reported to an officer at Holme House Prison, Stockton, at 7pm last Monday, by an inmate
MENTAL health services users are being invited to have their say at a conference next week. The event, organised by the County Durham and Darlington Forum for Users of Mental Health Services, will enable people to participate in the planning of services
A TEXTILES exhibition will visit communities in the Dales next month. It will be the sixth year that the Designed for the Dales tours visit the Teesdale and Weardale areas. Textile artists Rachael Howard and Colette Gilmartin will each be displaying their
A TWO-DAY crackdown on dangerous caravans proved that many motorists do not know how to keep their vehicles within the law. Police, highways officials and other agencies took part in a series of checks on the busy A64 holiday route from York to Scarborough
IT'S a result to send shockwaves through Millbank Tower and strike fear into the hearts of Government spin doctors. Labour trounced by the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives in an election vote. But thankfully for Prime Minister Tony Blair, this
HAVING already enjoyed massive worldwide export success in the US and Europe, Canada's number one safety footwear brand, Terra, has arrived in the UK. The Toronto firm has a major UK expansion plan in place, in which Arco stores in Stockton and Blaydon
THE seaside community of Easington Colliery will today mark an anniversary which has cast a sad cloud over the former mining community for half a century. Fifty years ago, just before daylight on May 29, 1951, a pit explosion wiped out the lives of 81
A NEATLY-TENDED garden left a green-fingered guru scratching his head. Garden designer Nicholas Roeber conceded he will find it difficult to improve Gerry Cox's prized "patch", after running the rule over the carefully manicured lawns, hedges and borders
A WEEK of workshops and free demonstrations is being held to celebrate 20 years of community arts in Darlington. Darlington Media Group kicked-off a week long party on Saturday at its re-equipped media workshop. The group provides access to media and
THE University of Sunderland has received a cash boost for its plans to build an international centre of excellence for the arts on the banks of the River Wear. The Garfield Weston Foundation, based in London, has donated £500,000 to the project. The
A ROCK group was at the centre of angry exchanges at the end of a battle of the bands contest. The competition, at Newcastle Arts Centre, involved four North-East bands who were picked from demo tapes to contest the final, with two days in a recording
YOUNGSTERS enticed by a pile of smouldering ash are playing with fire, warn police. Police in Durham are telling children to stay away from an underground fire near Coxhoe, which has already left one boy needing treatment for burns. The ten-year-old was
THE body of legendary speed ace Donald Campbell may finally have been recovered after human remains were found near the spot where his powerboat Bluebird crashed during an attempt on the world speed record. His daughter was present at Coniston Water in
A HUSBAND and wife team with Cleveland Police are to collect long-service medals. Mark and Kay Braithwaite met at training school as young constables. Although Mr Braithwaite was based in West Yorkshire, he soon transferred to Cleveland, and they married
HUGE crowds gathered over the weekend for Europe's biggest free music festival. The Fish Quay, North Shields, Tyneside, burst into life for the Orange Window on the World (Wow) festival. Singers, dancers and musicians from around the world joined local
THE secretary of a local branch of the Christian Union seems to have gone off his rocker. Simon Carpenter makes the front page of this week's Church Times with his suggestion that offices and factories should receive the laying on of hands. Now, blessing
THE plague which has devastated large parts of the countryside refused to disappear yesterday as another eight cases of foot-and-mouth disease were confirmed across Britain. Hopes were high that the disease, knocked off the headlines by the General Election
A SECOND group of unwanted homes on a run-down Newton Aycliffe estate are being recommended for demolition. Sedgefield Borough Council announced previously that 59 properties and 66 garages, many of them in Aycliffe, were to be pulled down this year,
FRANKIE Dettori's appearances at Redcar are few and far between, so when Godolphin's number one jockey makes the journey to the North-East a winner or two is normally in the offing. This afternoon the effervescent Italian gets the leg up on Infinite Spirit
TELEVISION viewers around the globe will have a chance to see the Gateshead Millennium Bridge this week. The BBC science programme Tomorrow's World, which is screened in 24 countries, will feature the "blinking eye" bridge in the programme which goes
POP sensations Hear'Say brought chaos to the region yesterday as thousands crammed on to a festival site to see the group make their North-East debut. More than 10,000 people crowded in to the main stage area to watch the Popstars celebrities perform
A WOMAN is about to have a sex-swap operation so that she can "marry" her partner. Mitch Gardner, 32, was born a girl and grew up as Michelle, but she is to change gender so she can walk Elaine Gardner down the aisle. A priest has agreed to conduct a
A SCHOOLBOY cricketer became a hero after he cracked five sixes and one four in the same over. In a battling performance, Chris Rushworth, 14, racked up an unbeaten 150 in the 20-over cup match to take his school team to victory. And in the penultimate
A COUPLE have opted for a second honeymoon at the same hotel in North Yorkshire where they tied the knot - 57 years ago. The idea for a memory-jogging return trip was sparked when Donald and Marguerite Hildreth found a yellowing bill for their initial
PLANS for a family fun day over the August Bank Holiday have been announced this week. Jubilee Fields, in Shildon, will be a hive of activity with clowns, stiltwalkers, magicians, a falconry display and a bagpipe band providing the entertainment. Classic
THE Bedale 750 Festival got under way at the weekend - with the help of some big names from the world of politics and some military pomp. The festival marks the 750th anniversary of Henry III granting the town a market charter and continues to September
DRUGS MENACE SINCE the death of Leah Betts six years ago, young people are still dabbling in drugs, and with tragic results. This so-called drug culture by peddlers and pushers target the most vulnerable youths in today's society, which slowly but surely
THE first CCTV cameras to be installed on a Darlington estate are now operational. The cameras, on Helmsley Moor Way and Holgate Moor Green, are the first of 13 for Firthmoor. The rest will be installed over the next ten days and will provide 24-hour
A 19-YEAR-old man was killed when his car was involved in a collision on the outskirts of Durham City shortly before 4pm, on Saturday. Michael Rivett, of Robin Lane, in West Rainton, was driving south-west on the A690, opposite the entrance to Ramside
A NORTH-EAST ambulanceman has received the Queen's long service and good conduct medal after more than 20 years' service. Ambulance technician Keith Holroyd, 51, who was born and brought up in Hartlepool, was presented with the medal by the Lord Lieutenant
A GROUP of car fanatics used people power to raise money for two charities over the weekend. Members of the North-East VW Owners' Club pushed a Volkswagen Beetle for two hours yesterday, as part of the American Car Show taking place at Preston Park, Eaglescliffe
ONE of the country's leading military charities has launched a search for a volunteer treasurer to support its work in south Durham. The treasurer of the Newton Aycliffe and Sedgefield branch of the Soldiers', Sailors' and Air Force Families' Association
CRICKET fans had an opportunity to break one of sport's oldest records yesterday. The Northern Echo and Durham County Cricket Club issued a challenge to break the venerable record for throwing a cricket ball. The first heat of the Greatest Throw on Earth
COMMUNITIES across North Yorkshire are to benefit from a new initiative that will be given a royal launch tomorrow. The Duke of York will be the guest of honour at the inaugural meeting of the new York and North Yorkshire Community Foundation. The aim
POLICE are appealing for information about an incident in which a man was beaten up and bundled into the boot of a car. At about 8.15pm on Saturday witnesses saw a red or burgundy-coloured saloon car pull up in Tunstall Terrace, Sunderland. Two men got
VISITORS to the National Glass Centre have been picking up bargains this weekend. The Sunderland museum is hosting the National Glass Fair, with work by some of Britain's leading glassmakers. Exhibitors include Phoenix Hot Glass, Wearside Glass Sculptures
ANGRY residents are demanding that stringent safety measures are introduced on a village road before a major housing development goes ahead. Darlington Borough Council has approved outline planning permission for 233 houses to be built on the former Aycliffe
THE memories of 11 years aboard the Sir James Knott lifeboat came flooding back again for former lifeboatman Dave Phillipson. For the boat, which went out of service in 1989, has been restored and reopened for public viewing at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar
FAMILIES will have a chance to beat the foot-and-mouth restrictions and get some outdoor exercise next month during National Bike Week. Six North-East councils are joining forces to hold a series of rides with a free visit to the Washington Wildfowl Trust
TWENTY-ONE people were stranded 30ft above the ground when a roller coaster broke down at the weekend. The passengers, who were mostly children, were left hanging on as the ride at MetroLand in Gateshead stopped in its tracks at an angle of 45 degrees
A SCHOOLBOY has fought back from injury to represent his country in the world BMX championship in the US. Nine-year-old Danny Hart, from Redcar, east Cleveland, is one of the UK's rising stars and many in the sport believe he will impress on the international
PARENTS and residents are appalled at what they say are plans to build a facility for young mothers in the grounds of a primary school. Residents say they have been told by the local Sure Start partnership of a joint venture with Sedgefield Borough Council
NO one should underestimate the potential for racially-motivated violence in this country. And no one should underestimate the fact that there are plenty of people intent on inciting it. The shameful scenes in Oldham are a reminder of how easily tensions
A CLASS of nursery school children has come top in a national competition for children up to twice their age. Pupils from Witherwack Primary School, Sunderland, were awarded first prize in the Foodlink National Food Safety Week schools poster competition
POLICE are appealing for help in tracing a youth who snatched a social worker's handbag containing her identification card. The incident occurred on Friday at 2.55pm, when the female was walking towards her car parked in Ketton Road, Hardwick, at the
CO-OP CASTS THE 'NET IN BID TO MODERNISE By Jo Willey, PA News The Co-operative Union is to take a massive leap into the 21st Century with the introduction of its .coop an alternative to .com, it announced today. This comes after the movement overwhelmingly
DURHAM County Council is encouraging more people to get out and about this summer by reviving its guided walks programme. The walks were suspended after the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the county, but a specially drawn-up set of walks has been
OUTRAGEOUS comic Viz is moving even further away from its roots after being bought by the ex-boss of Loaded. I Feel Good Holdings (IFG), headed by James Brown, the lads' mag's former editor, bought the cult Newcastle publication for £6.4m. Viz was founded
A TYNESIDE sandwich shop is officially the best in the country after beating hundreds of competitors to scoop the top honour in the prestigious 2001 British Sandwich Association Industry Awards. The family-run Regent Sandwich Company, established in 1991
A COLLEGE has had an upturn in the number of students wanting places on its agricultural courses despite the ongoing foot-and-mouth outbreak. Houghall College, in east Durham, has a nearby 200 hectare farm, and so far it has avoided the disease. College
A COUNCIL is taking legal action against a company to force it to comply with the law. Middlesbrough computer firm Fiche and Chips faces a legal injunction brought by Middlesbrough Borough Council. The firm boasts that it sells revamped computers - "reconditioned
TONY Blair kept up with the news yesterday as his battlebus swept into his Sedgefield constituency. In an exclusive interview with The Northern Echo, the Prime Minister responded to Nissan's claims that 1,000 jobs were at risk in Sunderland if Britain
THREE friends who died in a head-on crash in the North-East were named by police yesterday. Richard Scott, 21, Richard Allen, 19 and Rebecca Grant, 19, all died at the scene of the accident on the A68 near Hexham on Sunday afternoon. Rebecca, who was
PRIME Minister Tony Blair wrote a heartfelt letter to the widow of a victim of the Selby rail crash. The grieving wife of award-winning GNER chef Paul Taylor told how the Prime Minister had been devastated when he learned of her husband's death. The Premier
A HOMEOWNER has vowed to fight to stop a council buying her property by compulsory purchase. Maureen Williamson, of the Pont Head estate, at Leadgate, near Consett, said Derwentside District Council promised she would not lose out financially on the house
ONE of Hollywood's most enduring films will spring to life in a Consett theatre next month. Consett Theatre Workshop's junior group is rehearsing for its version of Singing in the Rain. Some of the players, aged between seven and 17, were trying on their
A SOLDIER, whose career has taken him all over Europe, has returned to his home town of Darlington. Lance Corporal John Harrison has returned home for a week to talk to local youngsters about the opportunities offered by a career in the Army. L Cpl Harrison
THE result was sadly familiar, but Durham City's cricketers still celebrated with champagne after last Thursday's defeat at Eppleton - Gary Hulme had taken his 2,000th first team wicket for the club. "An extraordinary achievement, probably unequalled,
ALAN SHEARER has delivered a ringing endorsement of Newcastle boss Bobby Robson. Skipper Shearer is standing squarely alongside his manager in the wake of stinging criticism from disgruntled fans following a disappointing season. Robson raged at "the
A 16-YEAR-old girl and her friends have raised more than £500 for research into a debilitating disease. Katie Moore and six friends from St Leonard's RC Comprehensive School, in Durham City, took part in a 24-hour fast in aid of Motor Neurone Disease
A partnership has been set up to give people a say in the services they receive from local authorities and other agencies. The East Durham Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) will bring together a wide range of organisation with the communities they serve
VANDALS have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a millennium project unveiled by the Prime Minister. Tony Blair was guest of honour at the opening of the Trimdon Millennium Green, in County Durham, at the end of last year. The project transformed
A NEW weather service that provides a package of information through the Internet and on the telephone has been launched. Hartlepool Marina's weather station provides a snapshot of the weather, especially for seafarers. The data is accessible through
