THE farmer blamed for starting the foot-and-mouth crisis is to quit the industry. Bobby Waugh, 56, says he has lost heart after he was made a scapegoat by Government officials. He has given up the tenancy of Burnside Farm, at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland
FLOOD warnings have been taken out on to the roads as the region once again braces itself for the winter weather. The Environment Agency is using buses across the North-East in a campaign to warn people of the dangers of flooding in the region. From this
A NORTH-EAST rail company has given its conductors mobile phones in a bid to improve customer services and in case of emergencies. Arriva Trains Northern piloted a phones scheme last year and it has now been extended to all of its conductors. Conductors
DURHAM County Cricket star Danny Law revealed last night that he is related to shoe bomber Richard Reid. Law, a 26-year-old all-rounder, has previously played for Essex and Sussex. In a statement issued through the North-East club, he said: "Although
Shoe bomber suspect Richard Reid was back behind bars in America last night after he was remanded in custody during a preliminary court appearance. The 28-year-old Londoner was denied bail while the FBI continued to investigate allegations that he tried
BITTERlY cold weather was forecast for the New Year last night after winter gales brought havoc to parts of northern Britain. Winds gusting up to 85mph brought down power lines and trees while snow and sleet made driving hazardous on many roads in Scotland
DARLINGTON'S hopes of reaching the final stages of the All-England Inter-Club Championship for the Denny Cup to be played on their own green in February were dashed when they went down by 20 shots to Nottingham in the sixth round. Ironically the damage
MMR INJECTION I READ with interest that Darlington MP Alan Milburn is threatening to boycott the BBC Today programme after one of his ministers was asked if her child had been given the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) jab. Mr Milburn's threat puts me
SIX years ago on New Years day, Graeme Lee broke into the Hartlepool United side. On Saturday he made his 150th League start and believes the win over Leyton Orient was the best display he had been part of since making his bow as a 17-year-old. It all
PLANS for a 40-bed hotel on the outskirts of Durham have been welcomed as extending the range of accommodation for visitors. Durham City Council's development control committee has granted planning permission to Whitbread Restaurants to build the Travel
DURING the next week or two, conservatory and pot plants, especially of those varieties which require a long growing season, should be sown indoors. It is mostly the small-seeded kinds like begonia, eustoma, exacum and calceolaria which should be started
THE team at UK Steel Enterprise's office in the region is ending the year on a high note with almost £1m of investment approved in 2001. More than half that investment, aimed at helping to regenerate former steel areas, has already been completed. Simon
NEWCASTLE may have slipped from the Premiership summit, but their lofty position has convinced manager Bobby Robson that they will be a match for champions Manchester United when the sides meet at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. "We've caught up with
A NEW college or sixth-form centre could be built to boost an area's low number of youngsters staying in education. Officials are looking at various ideas to encourage east Durham teenagers to continue with their studies after 16. East Durham's staying-on
AT ANY other time the youngsters at the record deck would have been scolded for messing about. The din blaring out of the sound system would have most of the adults scowling and wondering when they'll wreck the stylus. But it's all okay and so is the
NORTH-EAST pop sensation Zoe Birkett will take to the stage again today in a bid to win the Pop Idol crown and a recording contract. The 16-year-old from Darlington has been wowing the judges on ITV1's Pop Idol programme, as well as audiences, who vote
NEWCASTLE Falcons will be relying on the boot of Jonny Wilkinson, rather than David Walder, to kick them to victory at Gloucester today. Six penalties by Walder gave the Falcons an 18-16 home win against Gloucester last month when Wilkinson was on England
It appears Lady Luck isn't paying too much attention to Darlington at the moment. Before Saturday's match at Bristol Rovers, Tommy Taylor was deprived of nine players, including three long-term casualities, only for Brian Atkinson and Richard Hodgson
Tommy Taylor's depleted Darlington take on buoyant Bristol Rovers today and admits his squads ever-decreasing number is a constant worry. Quakers are without six players today through either suspension or injury, while Rovers are high on confidence having
TWO politicians, planning to head for Amsterdam on New Year's Day in an attempt to be the first to bring the euro back to the UK, vowed to go ahead yesterday even though some of the new currency has already arrived in the north-east. As reported in the
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid was so delighted with his team's performance in the 3-0 victory at Blackburn on Boxing Day he took the uncharacteristic step of announcing that he will be sticking to an unchanged team for the third game in a row at Ipswich
FOR someone who has made his name as the master of spin and the manipulation of other people's images, Peter Mandelson has an unhappy knack of overlooking the obvious when it comes to his own career. That's why he had to resign over the Hinduja affair
ONCE AGAIN die-hard travelling Sunderland fans were left red-faced with anger and embarrassment after another humiliating away defeat - the heaviest for two seasons. And the rock-bottom display at Portman Road left the faithful wondering if the Boxing
ALAN SHEARER last night insisted Newcastle's resurgence under Bobby Robson has breathed new life into a Premiership that was dying on its feet after years of domination by Manchester United. Newcastle skipper Shearer believes the next two months will
NEWCASTLE striker Craig Bellamy was last night on Red alert after winning an appeal against his sending-off for violent conduct at Arsenal last week. The fiery Welsh international was set to serve a three-match ban following his clash with Ashley Cole
STRIKER Alen Boksic has cried off from Middlesbrough's critical test at Arsenal today after falling victim to a virus. The Croatia star, who made straight for the tunnel when he was substituted nine minutes from time in the 3-0 Boxing Day defeat at Newcastle
REPUBLIC of Ireland striker Niall Quinn called on his Sunderland team-mates last night to follow the example of arch-rivals Newcastle United and charge up the Premier League. The Tynesiders sit on top of the table after five consecutive victories - and
PAUL Stephenson and Kevin Henderson are set to hand Hartlepool boss Chris Turner a New Year boost. The pair have been out of action for almost two months, midfield playmaker Stephenson undergoing knee surgery, while striker Henderson damaged medial knee
NEW Spennymoor boss Tony Lee has wasted no time in making his first signing and quickly vowed there are more to come. Lee stunned the non-league scene in midweek by quitting Premier Division Bishop Auckland where he had been manager for eight years and
Brandon full back Anth McStea has signed for First Division Wolves for the rest of the season even though he's currently injured. McStea, who was signed by Brandon from Middlesbrough this year, has just finished a trial at Wolves but picked up a hamstring
DON'T panic, says ABTA, if you are travelling in Europe while the 12 countries in the euro-zone switch to the single currency. "Going on holiday during this time just needs a little bit more planning than normal," says Mike Monk, ABTA's head of financial
THIS is why football is such a well-loved game. Before this match the experts were predicting Arsenal to romp to an easy win against Middlesbrough. Arsenal, who now lead the Premiership after the 2-1 win, had been scoring for fun, while Boro had only
HSBC's stake in the Orient BANKING company HSBC is on the brink of becoming the first foreign commercial operation to hold a stake in a Chinese bank. HSBC - otherwise known as the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation - is to acquire an eight per
SUPERMARKET chain Asda increased sales in the weeks leading up to Christmas due largely to non-food items such as televisions and computer games. Although it does not release exact figures because they are "commercially sensitive", Asda said that the
JULY Unemployed loner Barry George was found guilty of the murder of television presenter Jill Dando, after the jury returned a majority verdict. Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in a five-set thriller, making him the only wild card player ever to lift
DEVELOPMENT and construction firm S Harrison is going into the new year with a new name, a promising order book, and plans for further expansion. A revised corporate structure, which comes into force on January 1, will see S Harrison Construction Ltd
SIX people were injured when a car was ripped apart in a head-on collision with a bus. The car driver, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, suffered a broken leg plus head and neck injuries. The driver of the bus suffered a blow to the head and three
HOPES of northern success at Newbury this afternoon rest squarely on the shoulders of Europa (1.15). Thomas Tate's Tadcaster-trained star made a pleasing transition from hurdles to fences by scoring on his debut over the bigger obstacles at Hexham this
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to uncover the truth about the death of North-East man on a Greek island took to the streets with their MEP and MP at the weekend to urge holidaymakers not to go to the country. North-East MEP Stephen Hughes and Durham North MP Kevan
Perhaps best known for giving up the Bible for the Koran during Lent and for his willingness to bless gay partnerships, the retiring Bishop of Jarrow has also demonstrated against the war in Afghanistan and made great strides in the field of interfaith
WHEN Johnathon Potter heard about a course that would help him towards a "lifetime in work", he had no hesitation in enrolling. The prospect of earning a good wage and working for car manufacturer Nissan, convinced him to embark on a training programme
BOOKINGS for diving are here to stay and that is how it should be. The Football Association have ordered a disciplinary clampdown in the New Year and they have demanded that cases of diving continue to be met with a mandatory yellow card. That will lead
