POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a road crash on Friday evening in which a teenage woman died. The accident happened at 10pm on the A167 around 500 metres north of the Pity Me roundabout near Durham City. A Ford Fiesta, travelling south towards
A DRIVER who killed a father-of-four in a hit-and-run incident was jailed for nine years yesterday. Speeding motorist Darren Vout - who had never taken a driving test - had been ticked off less than an hour earlier by a police officer over his driving
A CATHOLIC priest was last night facing a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of a series of sex crimes against a young boy at a North-East church. Father William Jacks, 49, admitted having a relationship with the boy, but claimed that nothing
THERE are plenty of other decent betting opportunities at Sandown apart from Grandera in the Coral Eclipse, notably Astonished (2.50), sent down from Lynda Ramsden's stable, situated just outside of Thirsk. The five-year-old powerhouse goes for the Porcelanosa
FUNDRAISERS for a fire ravaged school say they fear a great opportunity to provide extra nursery places in the village could be missed. Hardwick Primary School, in Sedgefield, was severely damaged in an arson attack in January. The school is to be rebuilt
NOW is an ideal time to establish a water garden. When planting the pool, remember that a new underwater world is being created in which plants, fish and snails depend upon one another to provide the basic requirements necessary for their happy co-existence
LONGBRIDGE has seen many a wake in its long and, not so glorious, history. But no one, not even the longest time-served spanner man, could remember anything quite like this. As the final car came off the antiquated production line, a deathly hush fell
STEVE HARRISON last night revealed the role played by Manchester United strike duo Dwight Yorke and Teddy Sheringham in his appointment at Middlesbrough. Steve McClaren quit as assistant to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to become a first-time boss
REG VARDY, the Sunderland-based motor retailer, has picked up an award for the performance of its shares. The Pricewaterhouse-Coopers (PwC) award for the Highest Total Shareholder Return for European Automotive Retail Distributors over the last three
LENGTHY delays in compensation payments are hindering farmers' efforts to bounce back from the foot-and-mouth crisis. Government officials admitted last night they were failing to meet targets for paying farmers affected by the epidemic, with waiting
WHEN a Methodist talks of the plan, as Methodists do all the time, it must not be confused with the Grand Plan. The lesser plan appears every quarter, lists the churches in a district and those appointed week by week to lead services there and has more
REVIEWS: Star Trek: Dominion War. Publisher: Pan Interactive. Format: PC CD-ROM. (£29.99) STAR Trek would appear to be the perfect template for a video game. All that exploring strange new worlds stuff, Klingons on the starboard bow and a rich cast of
NEWCASTLE United will face a fight to prise striker Laurent Robert from Paris St. Germain if they firm up their interest in the French international. Sources in France claim United chairman Freddy Shepherd is booked for talks with Robert's agent, Pape
THE Department of Trade and Industry last night stepped in to force the winding up of controversial Internet firm eforyou.com The Darlington company went into liquidation in May owing millions to investors across the country. Pressure had been growing
A DOORMAN was jailed yesterday for a brutal street attack on a man. Mark Dawson's victim outside a Stockton pub was too frightened to give evidence after he suffered a deep cut on his head, said Michael O'Neill. Both men were customers who were ejected
Letters from The Northern Echo BEDALE 750 AS part of the Bedale 750 Celebrations, Bedale Museum mounted a Photographic Exhibition entitled Bedale Past and Present, in Bedale Hall. This exhibition, staged jointly with Simon Reynolds, attracted over 450
PUBMASTER, which last month launched its £453.4m hostile bid for regional brewer Wolverhampton & Dudley (W&DB), has received support from just 3.7 per cent of Wolves' shareholders at the close of the first deadline. The initial deadline for the
SUNDERLAND Player of the Year Don Hutchison, who misses the opening game of the new campaign through a suspension carried over from last season, has pledged to clean up his act. The 30-year-old Scottish international was the Wearsiders' most cautioned
A LIFEBOATMAN, who put his own life on the line to rescue a lone sailor stranded in a terrible storm, is to receive national recognition for his bravery. Helmsman Stephen Iredale has been chosen for the Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award for the outstanding
LIFE insurer Friends Provident's shares will be priced at the low end of expectations - at 225p - when it floats on the London Stock Exchange on Monday. The pricing will mean members' windfalls will be worth between £450 and about £11,000, depending on
A DISTRAUGHT father has spoken of his shock and anger after discovering a hospital secretly kept his dead baby's organs. The father-of-two, who does not want to be named, said it was "scandalous" that Newcastle's Freeman Hospital could take 11 of his
A motorist who was four times over the alcohol limit when she killed her uncle after ploughing into a pedestrian in an early morning smash has been jailed for two years. John Flynn, 88, who died two weeks after receiving severe head injuries in the collision
TWO boys have been charged in connection with an incident at Howdon in North Tyneside in May when five teenagers became ill after taking drugs and alcohol. The pair were among six boys, aged between 13 and 16, who responded to bail at Wallsend Police
ECONOMIC links between the North-East and northern France have had a welcome boost thanks to a new agreement between organisations in the two countries. RTC North, based in Sunderland, is the lead partner in the Innovation Relay Centre for the North of
THE Stewards at Doncaster on Sunday looked to have made a major mistake again when demoting Nashaab, winner of the Mail on Sunday Handicap by a head from Unshaken. The stewards were very slow to announce an enquiry and some bookmakers and the Tote had
A BABYSITTER squeezed an 18-month-old baby's throat so tight he burst his blood vessels, a court heard yesterday. John Cummings, 23, attacked the child at his home while the baby's mother went out for the night with friends. Newcastle Crown Court heard
ELECTRICAL service specialist Team Rewinds has won a series of major contracts, including work for Nissan and Scottish & Newcastle. The company's latest win is a contract to repair a 16-tonne electrical pump for South Staffordshire Water (SSW). The
Venus Williams has retained her Wimbledon title, beating Justine Henin 6-1 3-6 6-0 on centre court today. Appearing in her first Grand Slam final, Henin failed to get to grips with Williams' sheer strength on court and it looked like being a whitewash
IT WILL be a quiet one on the results front next week, with just a handful of firms reporting. Aside from that, the City will be on tenterhooks for any further profit warnings following Marconi's dramatic announcement. Investors will be hoping for some
A WOMAN who has been confined to a wheelchair for eight years has defied her disability to make the grade as an exponent of a martial art. Susan van Dijk, 36, only joined the Chung Do Kwan tae kwon do club, in Darlington, two months ago. But despite initially
IN-DEMAND Hartlepool United midfielder Tommy Miller last night arrived back on home turf. Miller landed back at Newcastle Airport after spending time training with Brann Bergen. His Hartlepool United teammates started their pre-season campaign on Thursday
QI have the chance to take my mineworkers' pension early. But will it affect my Disability Living Allowance, Industrial Injuries or Incapacity Benefit? AOnly Incapacity Benefit could be affected. Half of any pension over £85 will be deducted from benefit
TIM Henman stands on the brink of sporting immortality. The rain which lashed down on Wimbledon's emerald lawns last night were so untimely as to be cruel to a nation, praying for a hero to make its dreams come true. But this Wimbledon has seen a change
