THE sort of rain break which gets cricket a bad name did Durham no favours yesterday as it seemed to galvanise a previously becalmed Warwickshire side. The visitors had crawled to 185 for six in the 81st over when the merest shower had their batsmen scurrying
THE dazzling face and figure of Diana, Princess of Wales graces the large screen on the wall. She looks past the camera and flashes a smile to a sea of gawping admirers. I stand and stare at her too, captivated by her screen charisma, her sensational
A COMPANY has been granted permission to stop monitoring radiation emissions from one of its telecommunications masts. Crown Castle was granted permission by Sedgefield Borough Council's development control committee last August for the erection of the
A DALES swimming pool project is under threat because of a lack of council cash. Harrogate Borough Council is keen to support the building of a £1.18m swimming pool, at Pateley Bridge, to end journeys for a dip by Nidderdale residents to either the spa
YOUNGSTERS received a special visitor to an exhibition of their artwork last night. Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, attended the exhibition of art and technology produced by more than 90 year 11 GCSE art and technology students
SEAFRONT ice cream parlours have given the cold shoulder to a new flavour - crab. It was created by Good Food Guide chef Heston Blumenthal, but any hopes of it being on sale in the North Yorkshire resort of Scarborough have been frozen out. Dennis Jaconelli
FORMER Newcastle United star and racehorse trainer Mick Quinn has announced he will appeal against a two-and-a-half year ban by the Jockey Club. The ex-Magpies striker had his training licence withdrawn on Thursday after being found guilty of neglecting
A NORTH-EAST Euro MP visited Corus on Teesside yesterday as steelworkers prepared to leave the doomed coil plate mill for good. Conservative Euro MP Martin Callanan toured the works before meeting senior managers and union leaders to discuss the crisis
A campaign is to be launched aimed at raising awareness that domestic violence can seriously damage women and children's health. The campaign, by Redcar and Cleveland Domestic Violence Forum, has been organised in conjunction with the Women's Aid Federation
A MINI-EUROPEAN football championship for youngsters is coming to north Durham. Four teenage football teams from Europe will be coming to Consett, in July, to take part in the second international competition. Last year, the first tournament took place
THREE boys were rescued by a lifeboat after they were found hanging on to the legs of a seaside pier. The incident began just after 7.30pm on Thursday, when the Redcar relief Atlantic lifeboat was launched, after it received a report that a small boat
Chester-le-Street complete the first half of the season today firm favourites to take another step towards the championship. They meet bottom-of-the-table Gateshead Fell at Ropery Lane and despite their opponents producing an improved batting performance
POLICE have warned the public that people collecting clothes "for the needy" are doing it for profit. Detective constable John Beresford of Consett police has issued the warning after becoming concerned that people in the Blackhill area of Consett thought
TOP-RANKED under-17 pole vaulter Mark Christie, who has targeted an English Schools record next month, will take on older rivals in his toughest competition of the season in the Norwich AAA Under-20 Championships at Bedford this weekend. The 16-year-old
THE region's first cemetery allowing people to buried next to their pets looks likely to become a reality. Ebchester farmer Alan Willey was given permission by Derwentside District Council yesterday to convert a meadow into a cemetery near Consett, in
A TEENAGE boy was arrested last night by detectives investigating a sex attack on a mother as she walked with her two children. The 15-year-old boy was being held in Darlington police station, where he was questioned by officers in connection with what
LOCAL firms are lending their support to a charity opera evening. Cleveland Accredited Training Centre (CATC) and the Teesside Federation of Small Businesses are sponsoring an American Evening with Opera Nova, taking place tomorrow at Middlesbrough Theatre
THE North-East electronics industry has suffered a major blow with news that Sanyo could be set to close its two factories in the Tees Valley, with the loss of more than 300 jobs. The majority of those jobs will go on Tony Blair's doorstep at Newton Aycliffe
The British and Irish Lions today stunned world champions Australia with a sensational 29-13 victory in Brisbane. In a thrilling First Test the tourists were made to hang on to the death but were worthy winners after a devastating performance. Jason Robinson
THOUSANDS of North-East holidaymakers face an airport delays nightmare this weekend - victims of a coach drivers' strike on the sunshine Balearic Islands. As three-hour taxi queues built up to ferry tourists out of the airports at Majorca, Minorca and
A COMPROMISE aimed at improving road safety in a North Yorkshire village will be tabled for the first time at a meeting next week. Residents at Skeeby, near Richmond, have been pressing for action to reduce the speed of traffic passing through on the
VISITORS will today receive a brief glimpse of a grand old civic hall as it is brought back to its former glory in a £3.5m restoration. The Exchange Buildings, dating from 1814, served among other things as Sunderland's first town hall at the time Queen
A HOST of schools and businesses turned yellow yesterday in a massive cross-town effort to raise cash for a hospice. St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, is set to benefit from the Wear Yellow Day, when hundreds of people marked the end of the Sunflower Appeal
AGRICULTURE chiefs have defended culling methods used at a Wensleydale farm this week. The spectre of foot-and-mouth returned to the dale this week with an outbreak in Bishopdale. But one neighbour of an affected farmer said he was appalled to see a rifleman
GLAXO. Corus. Plaxton. Cammell Laird. Redundancies at Black and Decker. Real fears for Philips and Filtronic. Now Sanyo. All in the last couple of months. To make matters worse, these are all real jobs for real people with real skills making real things
POLICE in Newton Aycliffe are planning a crackdown on the nuisance of off-road motorbiking. Youths who ride bikes on open spaces in the town are being warned that their behaviour will not be tolerated. Durham Constabulary has launched an operation involving
BIRD-loving pub landlord Francis O'Neil is praying the sun shines this weekend when he holds a falconry display at his pub. The owner of the Foresters Arms, at Coatham Mundeville, near Darlington, is a life-long fan of birds of prey and the event will
STUDENTS risking burn-out from the pressure of studying for dozens of exams; farmers stretched to breaking point watching their livelihoods wiped out in the foot-and-mouth crisis; a nurse left a nervous wreck from the strain of trying to run two hospital
POPULAR bus services, bringing day-trippers from West Yorkshire into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, have been re-established with the help of the Countryside Agency. The Yorkshire Dales Public Transport User Group has persuaded the organisation to
A DRUGS factory containing cannabis with a street value of £89,000 has been discovered by police in a house. Officers recovered the drugs following a routine call to a house in Hartlepool at 1.42am yesterday. They had to force a door to gain entry to
TWELVE people will be ordained into the Church of England over the weekend. Matthew Ineson, 33, of Owton Manor, Hartlepool, will be ordained at St James Church, Hartlepool, tonight. The other eleven will be ordained at Durham Cathedral tomorrow Being
THE launch of an unemployment forum will give fresh hope to hundreds of people searching for jobs and training in Darlington. The Darlington Unemployed Forum will be the first of its kind in the town. It will offer advice and information on job vacancies
Sanyo has dealt a shattering blow to hundreds of workers by announcing that its two North-East plants are facing closure. The Newton Aycliffe factory in County Durham, which makes microwave ovens, and its sister plant at Thornaby, Teesside, are both set
WHEN it comes to telling whoppers, youngsters at Cheveley Park School, in Durham, are among the best. Following an invitation from Durham Literature Festival organisers to celebrate Billy Liar author Keith Waterhouse's inclusion in the event, a competition
A HIGH Court judge called on the Government to rethink the law governing taxi operators after a North-East test case. Paul Shanks, Ian Shanks, and Jane Bell run Blue Line Taxis, controlling more than 150 vehicles in Wallsend, licensed by North Tyneside
PLANS for a new library costing tens of thousands of pounds have been unveiled for Stanley. Durham County Council wants to build a library at the old Stanley Board School, now a county council social security office, on Stanley Front Street. The current
A couple pottering about in their vegetable patch have dug up what is believed to be a relic from the English Civil War. The rarity is a 4lb cannonball, which experts say could have been fired during the siege of Witton Castle, near Bishop Auckland, County
BEER and food will be the order of the week as brewery group Scottish & Newcastle and supermarkets, including frozen food retailer Iceland, announce results. It has been a big year for Scottish & Newcastle, which underwent a massive restructuring
MORE than 1,000 jobs are to be cut from collapsed insurer Independent Insurance. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), provisional liquidators for the firm, said the 1,044 jobs, more than half the group's total staff, go immediately. The areas affected are mainly
THE River Tyne has seen some impressive sights in recent months, but yesterday's arrival of the biggest passenger ship on the North Sea might just top them all. The Queen of Scandinavia - if not quite a floating city, certainly a sea-borne suburb - spent
YOUNGSTERS in east Cleveland have been taking part in a special event celebrating the area's mining history. The hot metal event, which ran on Thursday, yesterday and will be held again today at the Tom Leonard Mining Museum, Skinningrove, is to celebrate
Ian Collinson, a well known North-East businessman and sporting enthusiast, has died of cancer, aged 66. Mr Collinson, who lived at Ripon, North Yorkshire, helped his late father, Fred, establish the family-run business of Collinson shops in Ripon, Malton
A MAN was jailed for life yesterday after admitting raping a teenage girl on waste ground in the middle of the night. David Bamborough, 38, of Crawford Avenue, Peterlee, County Durham, was given the life sentence, with a minimum of eight years, as he
Andre Agassi made his way into the last 16, beating beleagured Nicolas Massu 6-1 6-3 6-1 on court one today. Chilean Massu was a mere spectator as Agassi steamrolled his way to a straight sets victory with a devastating display of no-nonsense tennis.
A NURSERY has been given a grant of £28,000 to develop an out-of-school facility. The Government has awarded Chaloner Hall Day Nursery, in Guisborough, the grant from its New Opportunities Fund, which focuses Lottery money on health, the environment and
HEALTH officials have refuted claims that Bishop Auckland's new £67m hospital will be downgraded in favour of Darlington Memorial Hospital. Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster held talks with officials yesterday over mounting fears that services could be
ONE of the North-East's highest profile dotcom companies is to close after failing to convince businesses to use its websites. Just2Clicks promised to create 250 jobs by providing a virtual link for businesses, helping them work together via the Internet
THE closure of residential care facilities at a home for the elderly has been described as scandalous by the sister of one resident. Sixty elderly residents will be affected by the closure of three residential care lodges at Trees Park Healthcare, near
REGULARS celebrated in time-honoured fashion after their local officially became one of the best in Britain. The Grade II-listed Phoenix in George Street, York, won top accolade in the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) Pub Design Awards. The pub, which was
A school has become the first in its town to get its own nurse. Cynthia Alder has been appointed as the dedicated nurse at Brierton School, in Hartlepool, after headteacher Stuart Priestley and community health representatives came up with the idea of
SLOVAKIA striker Szilard Nemeth is ready to land on Teesside next week to launch his Middlesbrough career. The 23-year-old, who agreed to join Boro on a five-year deal in April, today sees his contract run out with Inter Bratislava. Boro, who must pay
YOUNG athletes showed off their prowess yesterday in a competitive sporting event. Children from Reid Street Primary School, Darlington, showed their Olympian spirit in events including the egg-and-spoon race, wheelbarrow race, sprints, and football dribbling
REVIEWS Emperor: Battle For Dune. Publisher: Electronic Arts. Format: PC CD-ROM. (£29.99). Z: Steel Soldiers: Publisher: Eon. Format: PC CD-ROM. (£29.99) Westwood is a company widely credited with starting the whole real-time strategy genre with its landmark
RECYCLING firm Hanrattys is urging groups and individuals to register with it for a new campaign that will improve the local environment. The Darlington business wants people to get involved in the Make Things Happen campaign that could win them up to
MOST people objecting to Hartlepool's new local plan are only concerned about development on a handful of sites, according to a councillor. The plan, which is due to be renewed, earmarks areas of the borough for future development and suggests places
THE sails are turning again at a long disused windmill which is about to become a major visitor attraction. Fulwell Mill, in Sunderland, reopened yesterday after an £810,000 restoration, which has seen a visitor centre and shop added to the 180-year-old
ELLENS ACADEMY, agonisingly beaten by a whisker in the fiercely-competitive Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot, has an outstanding chance of gaining deserved compensation on a truly superb supporting card for Newcastle's Northumberland Plate day. Punters
REVIEWS - Emperor: Battle For Dune. Publisher: Electronic Arts. Format: PC CD-ROM. (£29.99). Z: Steel Soldiers: Publisher: Eon. Format: PC CD-ROM. (£29.99) WESTWOOD is a company widely credited with starting the whole real-time strategy genre with its
STAFF at regional bus operator Go North-East are celebrating winning the national Investors in People (IIP) standard. The company gained the recognition for its Gateshead head office and support functions, including training and engineering departments
The Sir William Turner Hospital at Kirkleatham overflowed to mark the completion of a £2.3m modernisation scheme WHATEVER it was that paved the streets of London, the scrivening old city paid high interest for William Turner - Redcar lad made very good
The Sir William Turner Hospital at Kirkleatham overflowed to mark the completion of a £2.3m modernisation scheme WHATEVER it was that paved the streets of London, the scrivening old city paid high interest for William Turner - Redcar lad made very good
A WOMAN who is expecting more than 3,000 tonnes of ash from foot-and-mouth carcasses to be temporarily stored next to her farm claims her animals are being put at risk of contracting the disease. Janice Bullock farms 100 head of cattle at Old Hall Farm
Letters from The Northern Echo DOREEN KETT WHAT a moving article on Doreen Kett and her efforts to bring her community on the Woodhouse Close estate in Bishop Auckland back to life (Echo, June 26). I sincerely hope she and her co-workers succeed. In any
A TEENAGER who stole a child's bike, and then head-butted a police officer who tried to arrest him, avoided a jail sentence yesterday. Andrew Moore, 19, of Chipchase Road, Middlesbrough, was ordered to carry out a 100-hour community punishment order and
Darlington have failed in another attempt to sign Sunderland midfielder Neil Wainwright. The winger, who had a successful loan spell at Feethams two seasons ago, is out of the reckoning at the Stadium of Light. Quakers enquired about his availability
ROCK gardens are traditionally spring features, but, with careful planning, colour and interest can be spread right across the seasons. At this time of the year, continuing value can be obtained by carefully selecting choice flower and foliage plants.
A YOUNG man was so tormented by a skin disease he took his own life, an inquest heard yesterday. Jason Sneddon, 25, of Linden Court, Spennymoor suffered from psoriasis for two years which caused him to become depressed, the inquest at Bishop Auckland
BUDDING chef Mark Graham won The Northern Echo Junior Cook of the Year title yesterday - with a little help from opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. Mark, 13, of Friars Pardon, Hurworth, near Darlington, chose an Italian theme for his menu in the competition
AFTER 60 years, a North-East man has just returned from the spot in the seas around Greece where his father, and 723 of his crewmates, died during the Second World War. HMS Gloucester - or Fighting G, as she was known, because of her ability to get caught
TENANTS in Hartlepool are waiting less time to have vital repairs in their homes completed. An appointment scheme has been introduced by the borough council's work team after consultation with residents. Instead of reporting a job and simply waiting for
IPSWICH Town are ready to step up their hunt for Hartlepool United hot-shot Tommy Miller. The 22-year-old, currently in Norway training with Brann Bergen, is attracting fresh interest from Portman Road - the club who rejected him as a schoolboy. It is
CHILDREN are digging in to help an expert create a small green haven for wildlife alongside their village primary school. Landscape gardener Keith Jackson has given up his time and money to help to regenerate the wildlife garden at Esh Winning Primary
TWO teenage friends have set off on a marathon bike ride to raise cash to fund research into Rett's syndrome. Matthew Benning's six-year-old sister, Victoria, suffers from the genetic condition, which causes neurological problems, limiting speech and
