EUROPE'S largest British Army garrison seems certain to become even bigger. Richmondshire District Council is among those who have been consulted on the construction of a barrack block at Catterick Garrison - and its seems unlikely to protest. The two-storey
ACTION is to be taken to tackle the problem of drunken youths congregating in a town's parks. A meeting of interested groups, including councillors, police, schools and neighbourhood watch representatives, is to be held before Christmas to discuss how
A POPULAR male voice choir is preparing for three Christmas concerts in Darlington and Richmond. The Carol Andrew International Male Voice Choir, from Darlington, will start the mini series of shows on Wednesday. That show, at Aske Hall, Richmond, will
JON Bass's first goal of the season extended Hartlepool United's Third Division unbeaten run to five games against Rochdale last night. The right-back popped up at the back post to head in the Pool equaliser after former Darlington midfielder Michael
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night fired down suggestions that he might sell his "jewel in the crown" - ace striker Kevin Phillips. The £11m transfer of England striker Robbie Fowler to Leeds United sparked speculation that Liverpool might turn
SELECTING a Christmas tree is not the simple matter it once was. Until recently there was only a choice between a straightforward Norway spruce and an artificial tinsel tree. Nowadays there are a number of different conifers which masquerade as Christmas
WITH Darlington's new multi-million pound stadium now watertight, work is proceeding apace on the installation of miles of cabling needed to service the complex. For weeks, teams of electricians and plumbers have been busy erecting the casings needed
A PREDICTED boom in County Durham's ageing population has prompted a mini-revolution in Meals on Wheels. In response to the expected rise in the number of pensioners in the county, the Women's Royal Voluntary Service has launched a new frozen meal service
NEW bins will be appearing in east Cleveland after a parish council decided the time had come to take action against litter louts and people who let their dogs foul the area. The issue has been of concern to Saltburn, Marske and New Marske Parish Council
The man accused of causing the deaths of ten people in the Selby rail crash saw the faces of the passengers on the express train as it ploughed into his stranded Land Rover, a court heard yesterday. Gary Hart, 37, was just 20ft away when the GNER train
IN A fairly busy week for corporate results, the spotlight will be on the advertising downturn, and the effect of September 11 on tourism, as the City analyses figures from big media and leisure players. The disruption faced by transport group Stagecoach's
AN AFGHAN warlord was last night preparing to attack a suspected mountain hideout where he thinks Osama bin Laden is in hiding with 600 Taliban and al-Qaida fighters. Hazrat Ali, the security chief for eastern Nangarhar province, said a final decision
A CIVIL engineer attacked a pizza shop worker after being taunted by his former partner who was with another man, a court heard yesterday. Drunken Paul Palayam, 32, repeatedly punched Goad Badel after getting a take-away from Pizza King, Market Square
GEORGE HARRISON - one of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century, whose years with The Beatles defined an era and changed the world - was hailed by a host of leading figures yesterday after he lost his battle with cancer. As thousands of weeping fans
A REDCAR photographer has been made the second honorary life member of an 80-year-old east Cleveland photographic society. Philip Chisholm, of Studio Tristan, was given the honour at Saltburn Photographic Society's annual portrait competition, which was
A COURT handed a man a bill for £525 yesterday after he forced his way into another person's house and punched him on the nose. Geoffrey Lund, 43, who has waste recycling contracts with North Yorkshire County Council, pleaded guilty at Harrogate to assault
Brewer Wolverhampton & Dudley said it would be returning £100m to shareholders next month, as it toasted a 17 per cent jump in profits. The group, which made a profit of £76.1m in the year to September 29, plans to buy back 21.5 per cent of its share
WAR ON TERRORISM STOP the bombing campaigners seem to forget one date - September 11 - when 5,000 innocent people lost their lives, with relatives of the victims unable to bury their loved ones because of the horrendous density of such a perverted deed
MICK Mason has proved that when it comes to boxing he's a chip off the old block. The 20-year-old amateur fighter from Craghead, near Stanley, recently beat a national champion in only his 10th contest. It's the kind of form and promise that saw his father
AN ambulance technician has retired after 28 years with the service. Andy Pattinson, 56, of Stockton, swapped a double-decker bus for an ambulance and never looked back. Now, because of ill health, he has to retire. On leaving school he worked as a wagon
MP Alan Milburn met people with learning difficulties yesterday, to discover what difficulties they face in modern society. The Secretary of State for Health visited United Response, in Darlington, and talked to them about their views on the challenges
CHRISTMAS has come early for a remote dales village with a £300,000 National Lottery grant aimed at making its town hall the heart of the community. The money, from the Lottery's Community Fund, will be spent on refurbishing the hall at St John's Chapel
DEVELOPERS behind a scheme to turn Ripon into one of the major commercial centres of the North will learn next week whether the £50m plan can go ahead. Highstone Estates bought the city's former university campus site earlier this year - and is now seeking
Spennymoor caretaker manager Jason Ainsley reckons today's FA Trophy tie at North Ferriby is Moors' biggest game of the season so far. Ainsley, who has been in charge of the team since Peter Quigley was sacked a fortnight ago, knows that victory today
RICHARD GUEST has been gifted one of the spare rides of a lifetime when he replaces the injured Jim Culloty aboard Lord Noelie (2.20) in this afternoon's £100,000 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury. Culloty, one of the most popular jockeys in the weighing
THE BP-operated Central Area Transmission System (Cats) Terminal, at Seal Sands, Middlesbrough, brought home its fourth safety award from the British Safety Council's annual safety awards held in London yesterday. The terminal has been awarded the council's
DETECTIVES in Darlington are investigating two robberies in the North Road area of town. The first incident happened at about 8.45pm on Wednesday, in Zetland Street, when a 22-year-old woman was approached by two young men in their late teens. One of
A farmer who opened a shop to sell his own produce has pledged to fight for the survival of agriculture in his new role as a union leader. Brian Hodgson, 49, who farms with his wife, Sheila, 46, spoke as he was appointed the National Farmers' Union chairman
FIREFIGHTERS past and present joined the family and friends of a leading firefighter to give an emotional farewell to their colleague yesterday. Assistant Divisional Officer Iain Davison, the 45-year-old commander at Darlington fire station, died of a
THE Bishop of Worcester, the Right Reverend Peter Selby, was among a party of Church Commissioners who visited County Durham's biggest limestone quarry. The Rt Rev Selby said he was "staggered" by the landscaping work that had been carried out to restrict
PARALYMPIAN Tanni Grey-Thompson showed support for others with mobility problems at the launch of a new centre yesterday. Ms Grey-Thompson, who lives in Redcar, east Cleveland, officially launched and became patron of Middlesbrough's Shop Mobility, on
RAY Mallon wishes he was a criminal. The policeman, who is known as "Robocop" because of his strict adherence to the law, wishes he had done something wrong. "I have now been suspended for four years and I was cleared of perverting the course of justice
AN independent company has been launched in Consett to help communities tackle social and economic problems. Community Enterprise Direct is a charity set up to encourage co-operative working and community businesses in deprived areas. The staff have been
IT was not just his age which marked him out as a junior partner in The Beatles. Just 17 when he joined the band, for some time George Harrison was overshadowed by the talents of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. But, by the time the world's greatest rock
A RUNDOWN area is to be given top priority for a town's spending, creating the possibility of a regeneration showcase. In response to problems of derelict housing, vandalism, drug-taking and drinking on the Trinity Estate, in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough
OPERATION Lancet becomes more intractable and more protracted by the day. The latest development - although development is too grand a word for a process that often appears to be going backwards - is that Ray Mallon's preliminary hearings have been adjourned
THE loss of engineers from the collapsed company Railtrack is adding to delays on the region's railways, a passenger group claimed last night. The North-East Rail Passengers Committee said many track and signal workers had left the company since it went
A factory accident left a worker impaled on a 7ft spike yesterday morning. Karl Wallace, 42, was left with a meat hook embedded in his back after an accident at Malton Bacon Factory, North Yorkshire. Firefighters were called to work alongside paramedics
BARTON'S education in the art of handling fences continues at Newcastle where victory in the Stanley Racing Novices' Chase appears to be a mere formality. Owned by racecourse chairman, Sir Stanley Clarke, former Cheltenham Festival hurdles winner, Barton
Julia Roberts has done it with orangutans. Goldie Hawn did it with Asian elephants. And Bob Hoskins did it with tigers. Now EastEnders actress Tamsin Outhwaite, more used to mixing with the wild life in Albert Square, is going swimming with dolphins.
THE first permanent gallery devoted to the history of Newcastle opens at the city's Discovery Museum this weekend. Newcastle Story, part of the first phase of the museum's £12.2m redevelopment, is a walk through the reconstructed streets of Newcastle
A MAN who rescued three children from their burning home was honoured yesterday for his actions - 30 years after the event. Builder Brian Tumilty, of Hartlepool, saved the youngsters from the fire in their Plevna Street home, in the town, in 1971. Following
WHEN it comes to the body beautiful, muscleman Eddie Edwards is streets ahead of the opposition. The 55-year-old gym owner has just returned home from Italy after taking one of the world's top body-building titles for the second time. Eddie, of Carlton
A SIX-MONTH project to recruit more ordained ministers to the Church of England will be launched at a cathedral service next week. The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Right Reverend John Packer, will tell clergy and lay people on Monday that, despite a
Father Christmas will be joined by a fire eater when they are guests of honour at a fun day next weekend. Preston Park, in Eaglescliffe, Teesside, will be holding its Christmas fun-day next Saturday, with activities including pudding hunt, storytelling
DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a man who was found lying on a quiet country road claim their efforts are being thwarted by a lack of public help. They have been disappointed by the response to an appeal for villagers to undergo DNA tests, as part
SUSPENDED police chief Ray Mallon's attempts to become Middlesbrough's first directly-elected mayor could be scuppered as his disciplinary proceedings have been adjourned until the New Year. The news comes exactly four years to the day that Detective
THERE were no tears among shop floor workers for the demise of a North-East factory which closed yesterday. Sanyo announced earlier this year it was closing its microwave oven operations at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, and Thornaby, on Teesside, with
WHEN US President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub tethered to a tree in 1902, he had no idea where it would lead. Nearly 100 years on and his act of kindness, which inspired the naming of the teddy bear, has helped fill a Durham City hotel
A SENIOR figure in magistrates' courts administration came before the bench, charged with possession of "a very offensive tie". Bob Whitehouse was convicted on Wednesday by a magistrates' panel made up of primary school pupils from Peterlee, County Durham
THE fairytale Sleeping Beauty has been chosen as a village's first ever pantomime. It will be staged in a marquee at Meadowfield Leisure centre, near Durham City, on Sunday, December 9, from 2pm to 4pm. The centre's leisure officer, Ned Tobin, said: "
IT'S not easy to be hated intensely by football fans on both Tyneside and Wearside. The occasional Middlesbrough player has incurred the wrath of Fulwell and Leazes ends in years gone by, but in the main the hatred has come from either the black and whites
A MAJOR operation to push home the message that speeding doesn't pay is being launched by emergency services in North Yorkshire. Operation Siren is a joint exercise between the police, the fire and rescue service and paramedics from the ambulance trust
A TEENAGER walked free from court yesterday despite the near fatal consequences of a single blow delivered during a fight. Apprentice bricklayer Gary Norman landed one punch to the face of 17-year-old Alex Harker during a disturbance between rival groups
Tom Wright celebrated his 99th birthday yesterday - but he has no plans to give up his driving career. Mr Wright, from Yarm, near Stockton,has been driving for 76 years without a blemish on his licence. He began driving when he went to work for an electric
BUSINESS leaders in Malton say the town is experiencing a retail boom - and predict that the local economy will continue to improve. The claims are being made amid news that the town has one of the highest rates of occupancy for retail premises in five
PENSIONERS are being urged to invest part of their winter fuel payment in extra insulation. According to Government figures, 346,000 households in the North-East come under fuel poverty and most are occupied by the elderly. The winter fuel payment scheme
DAVID Walder is fit; Jonny Wilkinson is not. That's the mixed news for Newcastle Falcons, who feared both their England fly halves might be ruled out of tomorrow's home match against Northampton. Wilkinson has not recovered from the hip injury he suffered
SEARCH and rescue teams have scoured two reservoirs in the hunt for a missing former prisoner-of-war who disappeared six days ago. Volunteers from Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue team carried out shore searches of Balderhead and Grassholme reservoirs
VANDALS destroyed Christmas lights and decorations put up in Thornaby and Billingham town centres, on Teesside. Hundreds of bulbs have been smashed, threatening festive displays in both towns - not long after they were switched on. Staff from Stockton
ORGANISERS behind Darlington's Neighbourhood Wardens scheme are looking to expand the project to eventually cover as much of the borough as possible. Darlington Borough Council's scheme, which works in partnership with the police, has grown from one warden
THE family of a British soldier, kicked to death outside a night club in Innsbruck, have confirmed they are investigating the possibility of an appeal against the sentences handed to his killers. Five men were given jail terms ranging from three-and-a-half
EXPANDING childcare group, Northumbrian Trust Day Nurseries Ltd, has acquired a nursery on Teesside for £250,000. The Rainbow Day Nursery in Norton takes the number of day nurseries owned by the Newcastle group to four. Rainbow was established 15 years
A PHOTOGENIC puppy has shown that rescue dogs are not just scruffy rejects, by winning a handsome hound competition. Diana Jackson bought whippet cross Oscar on November 29 last year, at ten weeks old, and it was almost a year to the day that she found
Former Darlington manager Gary Bennett will make his debut today for Durham City at home to Ashington. Former Sunderland star Bennett quit as Quakers boss a month ago, and since then has revived his playing career, turning out for Worksop and Scarborough
PUPILS are marking World Aids Day by joining a procession that will cross the new Millennium bridge over the Tyne today. Teenagers from Joseph Swan School, in Gateshead, and Boldon Comprehensive School will join health promotion workers for the procession
A TEENAGER was cleared yesterday of raping a girl when he was 14 and she was nine. The jury at Teesside Crown Court took less than half an hour to find the Stockton youngster not guilty of rape and indecent assault between November 1998 and November 1999
SHOCKED bus driver John Chapman was held at gunpoint in a highway robbery by two ten-year-old boys wearing masks. When Mr Chapman, 60, refused to hand over his takings, one of the thugs fired a shot. The pellet, from a high-powered air pistol, cracked
COUNCILLORS are being asked to approve plans for landscaping work at Manor College and Brierton Secondary School in Hartlepool. Part of the Owton Rossmere Single Regeneration Budget programme, the project involves a landscape architect working with seven
WOMEN bowlers will be able to wear trousers in EWBA matches from next season. Delegates voted in favour of the new dress code at the Association's annual meeting, and the relaxation follows hard on the heels of the introduction of coloured tops and the
FIRE safety officers are warning people to check their electric blankets as winter sets in. Dave Bennett, head of community safety at Cleveland Fire Brigade, said yesterday: "The winter weather is now upon us. "People may be tempted to use an electric
BOBBY ROBSON has rejected John Beresford's capital idea to send the Newcastle players out on the town in an attempt to beat their London hoodoo. Former United full-back Beresford revealed it worked at Barnsley, when then-manager Allan Clarke took the
CLUB CAPTAIN Niall Quinn last night appealed to his Sunderland teammates: "Let's show we still believe in ourselves and make sure we go forward." The Republic of Ireland striker believes that the visit of West Ham to the Stadium of Light provides the
NEWCASTLE United have rallied round controversial star Kieron Dyer in a bid to keep his career on track. Manager Bobby Robson yesterday revealed how the whole staff offered Dyer a shoulder to cry on to help him pull through his nine-month injury ordeal
A shopkeeper who sold potentially dangerous furniture was ordered to pay £8,000 by a court yesterday. Mahabat Hussain, 31, of Middlesbrough, was told that he deserved to go to jail for selling three-piece suites that burst into flames within 45 seconds
ENGLAND striker Kevin Phillips grabbed his eighth goal of the season to snatch the points for Sunderland against West Ham United at the Stadium of Light. A drab game looked destined to end goalless when Argentinian winger Julio Arca regained possession
CHOCOHOLICS in Durham City are in for a yummy Yuletide treat this weekend. Combining Belgian chocolate and Scottish whisky, Lucas Story's chocolate stall has had visitors to the town hall drooling. Part of an exhibition hosted by Eurocrafts Northumbria
A GROUP of wayward youngsters have been rewarded for their gardening skills and acting abilities. Youngsters involved in the Chester-le-Street Impact Project are described as at risk of being expelled from their schools. But, with the help of Community
REGENERATION news about an area of Redcar is now available on the worldwide web. The Dormanstown Regeneration News website includes pictures, local news and events. Regeneration News chairman Stuart Haines said: "I believe the launch of the Dormanstown
AN athletics training ground in east Cleveland will be late out of the starting blocks because of a funding hitch. The scheme is the brainchild of the East Cleveland Athletic Track Association and involves a six-lane track for 110m and 110m hurdles, a
PRISON service boss Martin Narey has run the rule over a North-East jail, which is expanding to meet the growing number of female prisoners. Low Newton, on the outskirts of Durham, is a former remand centre which previously housed mostly young male inmates
ROWDY drinkers plaguing residents and tourists in one of Harrogate's most popular parks could find themselves in trouble with the law from early next year A ban on drinking outdoors in Valley Gardens, where anti-social behaviour is increasing, will be
WHEN football chairman George Reynolds found an African team had taken on his club's name he pledged to put the boot in. Not just one boot but 200 of them because, while the young Kenyan Quakers were deeply grateful when the big-hearted soccer boss sent
THE firms responsible for a tragedy which cost the lives of four bridge workers now face a massive claim for compensation from bereaved relatives. Families of the dead men last night pledged to take legal action to pursue claims against Darlington engineering
REGENERATION leaders last night welcomed the start of work on a multi-million pound business park. It is hoped that a number of major investors will fill the site at Morton Palms, on the southern outskirts of Darlington, and create 2,000 jobs. The £1.5m
BUILDING society turned bank Alliance & Leicester is cutting 500 staff. But the North-East is likely to avoid the worst of the cuts, with just a handful of backroom staff losing their jobs. The group, which employs 9,000 staff in total, said it would
FIVE Durham schools are celebrating after winning computers in a council-run competition. Durham City Council asked schools to design an environmental improvement project in a competition to promote its Lifestyle roadshows. The judges decided that the
A LEISURE group has cleared the latest hurdle in its bid to develop a pub and restaurant in a disused cinema. Luminar Leisure was granted an entertainment licence yesterday for the proposed Chicago Rock Cafe, earmarked for the Palladium, a former cinema
ENGLAND international Gavin McCann rocked Sunderland last night by asking for a transfer. The 23-year-old midfielder, who has missed only one Premiership game this season, made his request to Wearside boss Peter Reid, the man who gave the Blackpool-born
AS a kitten, Alfred was used as bait by youths who wanted to feed him to their dogs. Now aged three-and-a-half, the tabby and white pet is basking in the glory of becoming a champion at the Supreme Cat Show, in Birmingham. His Spennymoor owner, Pat Kidd
HAMILTON RICARD is facing make-or-break at Middlesbrough as German side Wolfsburg wait in the wings to resurrect the Colombian striker's career. The Bundesliga outfit are keeping tabs on 27-year-old Ricard, who is recalled to the Boro squad for today's
HIGHWAYS chiefs are to experiment with a new type of thoroughfare - which could be described as a cross between a road and a footpath. Work could start early next year on the creation of the first of a possible network of quiet lanes which walkers, cyclists
A Trans-Atlantic romance blossomed when two people met via the Internet - and yesterday they were married. Robert Pawass, from Thornaby, Teesside, and American Christina Hernandez chatted daily after meeting last year in an Internet chatroom. Robert,
A CHILDREN'S hospice can look forward to a cash boost in time for Christmas, thanks to youngsters from Bedale Primary School. Pupils were asked to search for old toys they don't play with any more and would be happy to give to a good cause. And, such
A PREDICTED boom in County Durham's ageing population has prompted a mini-revolution in Meals on Wheels. In response to the expected rise in the number of pensioners in the county, the Women's Royal Voluntary Service has launched a new frozen meal service
LOCAL companies are being invited to sponsor Christmas tree lights at a Darlington country club. Mary Butterwick, founder of the Butterwick Children's Hospice, in Stockton, will switch on the lights on the tree at the Hall Garth Golf and Country Club,
A DIY store which created 40 jobs opened in Sunderland yesterday. The Homebase store, in Silksworth Lane, celebrated by offering customers a ten per cent discount. Opening in time for Christmas, the store offers a range of festive gifts and decorations
CONSUMER watchdogs are warning people not to get involved in a chain letter which is being circulated. The letter asks the recipient to send a £1 coin to a list of five people named in the letter, then add their own name to the list and send out the updated
AN abandoned dog is in need of a good home. Lovable Lennon, a terrier-labrador cross, was taken in by the National Animal Sanctuary Support League, near Darlington. The four-year-old is being cared for by a foster family in Bishop Auckland, County Durham
ONE of five men arrested during a pub raid in Bishop Auckland last weekend has been charged with a serious drugs offence. The man, who is in his twenties, and lives in the town, had been held overnight at Bishop Auckland police station after 80 police
CHILDREN from one of Darlington's primary schools have a special reason to surf the net this Christmas. Year six pupils at Reid Street primary school entered a competition in November to write an international Christmas story. They were selected to write
A FAMOUS food critic once said that you can judge a restaurant by its crme brule. If that is the case, then the Ryedale Country Lodge, at Nunnington, near Helmsley, must be very, very good. Not only was the brule the perfect point of crunchiness and the
AN internationally famous artist, who overcame dyslexia as a youngster, is campaigning for greater recognition for the disorder. Mackenzie Thorpe, who grew up in Middlesbrough, has become a celebrated painter on both sides of the Atlantic. Famed for his
DOGS owners whose pets love to be pampered are being encouraged to take them to see Katherine Jackson. The 32-year-old, from Stockton, has something for every dog, whether they have long, short, straight or curly hair. The canine make-overs can also include
An arsonist caused a £180,000 blaze at a garage after "showing off" to a group of girls with his lighter. Andrew Shepherd, 20, set fire to a pile of dry grass. The fire quickly spread, causing petrol, tyres and oil to spark. Newcastle Crown Court heard
A VOLUNTEER project has set up a new branch of its drama group in a Newton Aycliffe school. The Biosphere Theatre Company, which was established by the Millennium Volunteers group, has moved into Greenfield Community and Arts College. The company has
MORE than 1,000 British workers are to lose their jobs at crippled US energy giant Enron, administrators confirmed last night. But the group's 900 employees on Teesside looked to be safe after it emerged that the majority of jobs would go at Enron's energy
A GANG of raiders brought work on two new windfarms to a standstill yesterday by stealing specialist equipment from a contractor's compound. The theft should not affect the progress of the developments, in Tow Law and East Hedleyhope, County Durham, which
A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy who was involved in a car crash a week ago died in hospital yesterday. Dylan Taylor, of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, had been in a critical condition in Middlesbrough General Hospital since Monday night. He was in a Peugeot car involved
YOUNGSTERS at a Newton Aycliffe primary school have been raising money for the homeless at Christmas. More than 100 parents joined pupils at Woodham Burn Infants School for its Christingle family service yesterday. They were joined by Duncan Robertson
TWO online learning centres will be officially opened in Darlington, on Monday, with a third to follow soon. The centres have been set up by the Darlington Partnership, UK Online and New Opportunities Fund Training to provide flexible learning and easy
AS our luxury cruise ship glided into the heart of Russia's second city, manoeuvered onto its mooring and lowered its gangway, the small brass band on the quayside struck up a patriotic tune. It may have swelled the chests of many of the passengers, but
Tommy Taylor believes today's match with York City marks the beginning of a new start for Darlington as they look to banish last week's mauling from the memory. Thanks to the refereeing of Paul Alcock, Quakers were forced to compete against Scunthorpe
BLUE bag roadshows are to be held at a series of markets to help promote a recycling scheme for paper. The roadshows are the latest stage in Stockton Borough Council's blue bag recycling scheme for waste paper, which is run in partnership with Roseberry
