A leading academic has prescribed Prozac instead of prison for sex offenders. Professor Don Grubin has carried out research which he claims proves that the drug suppresses the urges of paedophiles and rapists. Home Office ministers have approved tests
WHEN the United States gathered together the unprecedented coalition of support in the wake of the September 11 atrocities, there were hopes expressed that the spirit of understanding would prompt a breakthrough in the Middle East crisis. This morning
HARTLEPOOL United's players appear determined to go for the play-offs the hard way. Pool are making the task of a top-seven finish a difficult one. And it's because they can't stop going forward, leaving a nail biting end of season in store for fans and
PEOPLE interested in the environment are invited to go to the University of Durham, Stockton campus to find out about activities taking place on nearby Portrack Marsh. The marsh has a rich mix of pools, ponds, reed-beds and grassland and is a haven for
THE capital hoodoo which Newcastle banished when they beat Arsenal at Highbury in December is threatening to come home to roost. Newcastle were the last side to inflict defeat on the Gunners and the 3-1 victory a week before Christmas was their first
GOLFERS itching to get back on the fairways once the weather improves were given the chance to improve their strokeplay while undercover at Tyneside's MetroCentre. The malls of the indoor retail complex provided a makeshift driving range for golf enthusiasts
Defender Aaron Hughes has admitted that Wednesday's visit to Liverpool will determine whether Newcastle can maintain their championship challenge. Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Arsenal was a crushing blow to the Magpies' hopes of landing their first top-flight
HOSPITAL bosses from the region will have the first pick of German consultants who want to work in the UK, The Northern Echo can reveal. With 110 empty consultant posts, one of the highest rates in the country, the Northern and Yorkshire health region
ANGEL of the North creator Antony Gormley is urging local artists to join a schools campaign. The sculptor is helping to promote The Big Arts Week, a national campaign aimed at getting artists into schools, taking place in June. Newcastle Theatre Royal
COUNCILLORS who refused planning permission for a gipsy caravan site less than a year ago will be advised to allow the scheme to go ahead tomorrow. Darlington Borough Council has received an identical proposal to that turned down last July - backed by
Celebration of racial diversity An annual event to celebrate racial diversity is being held in Darlington on Saturday. The Darlington and Durham County Racial Equality Council is staging its third diversity day at the town's Dolphin Centre from noon to
THE cloud of fear hanging over the region's farming industry was lifted yesterday with confirmation that foot-and-mouth has not returned. After almost five days of continuous testing, scientists from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
A TOP level team of business, voluntary and civic leaders has been set up at Scarborough, to devise plans for the long-term future of the town. Leading planning consultant John Thompson said: "It is not enough to say that millions should be spent on every
A FORMER Durham schoolboy is celebrating after passing what is said to be the among hardest military training in the world. Steven Kitching, 19, who used to go to Framwellgate Moor School, has been given the coveted Green Beret after 30 weeks of training
Homes scheme wins go-ahead COUNCILLORS have given final clearance for five town houses, two semi-detached homes and a detached property to be built at the junction of Horsefair and St Helena, Boroughbridge. The development, by Village Restorations Ltd
Warning after drugs stolen Drugs stolen by thieves could kill, police warned last night. Hundreds of tablets, including painkillers, heart and sleeping pills and vitamins, were stolen from a pharmaceutical supplies van in Middlesbrough. The green Citroen
PRIOR Pursglove College in Guisborough is holding an open evening for prospective students and their parents to view the facilities. There have been a number of building developments at the college recently, including a new resource centre, drama studio
STAFF and students from Stockton Sixth Form College will make a poignant trip to New York next week. During last year's annual college trip, students visited the World Trade Centre, where geography teacher Stephen Rickerby recalls meeting a helpful receptionist
A CHILDREN'S toy library is celebrating its tenth year of keeping youngsters amused. When it was first established a decade ago this week, Newton Hall Toy Library, within the main library branch, was run by volunteers. It has since been taken over by
A BOTANICAL centre has received a cash boost towards its efforts to help special needs groups with their confidence building and employment skills. The Abbey National Community Partnership Group has presented Middlesbrough's Nature's World with a cheque
CRAIG Bellamy is taking some shifting from top spot in the race to be The Northern Echo Player of the Year. But whether the Welshman is still in the same lofty position by the end of March is another thing entirely. Bellamy, whose rating has decreased
GOVERNMENT money remains the key to a £50,000 flood protection scheme which has been agreed for a vulnerable area of Northallerton. Insurance companies had to pay out thousands of pounds in claims after 21 houses in St John's Close, off Thirsk Road, were
A NEW home has been found for a long-lasting agricultural show left without a permanent venue in recent years. Organisers of the Durham County Show have announced that a reclaimed colliery site in the shadow of the Penshaw Monument will provide the setting
AN elderly farming couple have issued an appeal to dog owners after a second attack on their sheep flock in a month. Norman and Norma Wilson, from Low Doctor Pasture Farm, in Wolsingham, said they have been sickened by the attacks, which left 14 of their
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after vandals attacked a cemetery in south-west Durham. About 20 headstones were pushed to the ground sometime during the weekend of February 23 and 24 at St James Cemetery, in Coundon, near Bishop Auckland. Most of
A NEW home has been found for an agricultural show which has been left without a permanent site in recent years. Organisers of the Durham County Show have announced that a reclaimed colliery site in the shadow of the Penshaw Monument will provide the
Rugby - Blaydon: 29 Darlington Mowden Park:23 IN the battle to be the North-East's second club Blaydon narrowed the gap on Mowden Park to three points in National Division Three North. The balance of power has not shifted totally to the Tyne as Mowden
A MISSPELT road sign in North-East town has forced council officials to admit they have made a blunder. The sign, which is supposed to welcome visitors to Hartlepool's Headland, misspells the name of famous son Adam De Brus, as Adam De Bras. Angry members
UNSIGNED musical talent is being given a chance to gain performing experience in front of a live audience at a concert this summer. talentSTAR.biz: The Show is being organised to help young people take the first steps along the road to music stardom.
LEADING names from the world of opera and operetta gather in Richmond on March 15 for a weekend of music at the King's Head hotel. The line-up includes Thomas Round, a tenor with the Sadler's Wells Opera, D'Oyly Carte Opera and Gilbert and Sullivan for
A CASH boost is helping keep members of a North Yorkshire swimming club financially afloat. Bedale Sharks Amateur Swimming Club has been given £300 towards the cost of a display board and swimming aids by financial service business AMP. They became involved
CARE home staff in Darlington are to benefit from a training and development project, thanks to a £380,000 European Social Fund grant. Darlington Borough Council will use the money to train staff working in private and voluntary sector residential and
Focused Middlesbrough midfielder Jonathan Greening has blasted his critics by insisting: "I'm happy with what I'm doing." After a promising start to his Boro career following his £2m switch from Manchester United in the summer, Greening has been the target
Housebuilder Persimmon has delivered an 80 per cent jump in underlying profits after completing the £559m acquisition of rival Beazer. The York-based business hailed the deal as one of the most important events in its 30 year history and said the benefits
A FAMILY has welcomed a bid to prosecute Greek hospital staff who they believe neglected their son prior to his death after a balcony fall. Three doctors and two nurses have been accused of homicide as a result of negligence in connection with the death
A CALL has gone out for people to get involved in developing a newsletter and website. People of all ages in the New Deal for Communities (NDC) area of Hartlepool are needed to help expand a newsletter, which is sent to everyone living in the NDC area
A MOTORIST who was in a critical condition following a five-vehicle accident in a village street was improving in hospital last night. Firefighters cut the 20-year-old man free from his damaged Ford Escort before he was airlifted by ambulance helicopter
For the children of the Sudan, war is an integral part of their everyday lives. County Durham-born Christian Aid worker Katie Splevins attends a sporting event designed to take their minds off the conflict and bring them together. AS the Antonov aircraft
Rugby - DARLINGTON'S promotion hopes suffered a setback when they drew 22-22 at home to second-placed Hull Ionians in North Division One. Darlington are now dependent on someone else beating the Humbersiders if they are to have any chance of catching
THE last generation of grammar school students from Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton are planning a reunion in the autumn. This year marks twenty-five years since they left in the summer of 1977, the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The students
AMATEUR photographers are invited to enter a competition run by Billingham Beck Valley Country Park. The park will run the competition on March 24 and is looking for entries that say something about the local environment and wildlife. Countryside warden
A PILOT scheme giving aid to teenage mothers is to be set up in North Yorkshire as part of a national initiative. The county is one of the first areas in Britain to adopt the Young Mums To Be project, which will provide a support network for young mothers
STORM PICTURE TONY Bartholomew's picture (Echo, Feb 25) of waves crashing over Scarborough's Marine Drive was excellent and one of the best I have ever seen. Well done! - Geoffrey Gregg, Ferryhill. COUNCIL FINANCES I VOTED against an elected mayor for
A SECRET weapon to help in the fight against crime is being unveiled in Redcar. Hundreds of tiny dots are being used as part of an innovative "beat the burglar" pack, which has been distributed to homes in the west Redcar area. The property marking kit
A WAYWARD owl which went missing twice in two years has been found dead. Elsie the barn owl flew the nest last month when a gust of wind blew her off course, leaving her brother, Burt, home alone. Owner Frank Gill, of Gainford, near Darlington, had appealed
BUSINESS leaders from across the Tees Valley will gather today at the opening of England's biggest hydrogen plant. The £30m facility at Huntsman's North Tees site, will be opened by Peter Huntsman, the corporation's president and chief executive, Rob
A GOVERNMENT minister was in North Yorkshire yesterday announcing some good news for the farming industry, shaken by another foot-and-mouth scare near Thirsk last week. Animal health minister, Elliot Morley, visited Thirsk and Hawes yesterday to announce
MORE than £1.3m of public money was lost in deals over a North-East shipyard by the Teesside Development Corporation, it emerged last night. The TDC, severely criticised in a recent Government report, has been accused of a "serious dereliction of public
TWO teenage recruits are facing the wrath of some of the Army's finest training officers after deciding they'd had enough of a night exercise in the rain. The duo were part of a unit from the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick Garrison which marched
Workers at electronic components firm SMK are anxiously awaiting the outcome of a global review of operations. The Japanese business, which manufactures remote control units for television and hi-fi equipment, as well as control panels for photocopiers
A COUNCILLOR plans to follow in the footsteps of a North-East Labour and union hero. Miners' leader Peter Lee - the County Durham new town was named after him - was the first Labour leader of Durham County Council, whose involvement with the miners' union
GOAL-ACE Kevin Phillips must dramatically shoot Sunderland to Premiership safety to win his place in England's World Cup squad. The odds now looked stacked against the 28-year-old striker after he flopped in front of England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
MORE than 120 North-East arts organisations will gain cash help from £25m of Northern Arts funding in the next two years. Thousands of other groups will also benefit from the Newcastle charity's ability to raise money from the National Lottery and other
A £20,000 pledge has given a big boost to a school's hopes of achieving specialist maths and computing status. Hurworth Comprehensive School's bid for the status would provide huge benefits to rural areas around the Darlington village. The school is preparing
AN investigation is under way after two men escaped serious injury when their light aircraft was blown into a pylon as they landed at a small country airfield. The two had set off from Rufforth, near York, on a leisure trip to Sandtoft, in north Lincolnshire
UTILITY companies digging up roads are to be charged a daily rate in a bid to speed them up. From today, companies will have to pay Middlesbrough Council up to £300 a day while they are carrying out work on roads in the town. The "lane rental" scheme,
Two of the country's best known faces are more than happy to return to the North-East theatre where they first met, they tell Viv Hardwick. ONE of Britain's favourite former topless models, Linda Lusardi, and soap star turned musical headliner Sam Kane
A major crime-busting initiative designed to tackle "vermin" drug dealers has been launched in Darlington. The Rat on a Rat campaign will encourage residents to spill the beans on dealers in the town by calling a crime-fighting hotline. By ringing the
COUNCILLORS who refused planning permission for a gipsy caravan site less than a year ago will be advised to allow the scheme to go ahead tomorrow. Darlington Borough Council has received an identical proposal to that turned down last July, backed by
A BID for National Lottery cash to turn a railway museum into the hub of a World Heritage Site is being resubmitted in an effort to ensure success. After talks with heritage experts, Darlington Borough Council has reviewed its Heritage Lottery Fund bid
OUTSTANDING goals are often described as good enough to win matches, cups or championships on their own. If that is the case, then surely Frank Sinclair's bizarre own goal for Leicester is just as worthy as securing the Foxes' place in the Nationwide
LIBRARIES across North Yorkshire want to see everyone going to bed this month, with a good book. A new chapter of national Bedtime Reading Week opens next Monday with a range of activities. These will include bedtime displays with a quiz, a design-a-duvet
A SOLDIER is due to appear in court tomorrow charged with breaking into a railway signal box and changing trackside lights to green. Paul Jarvis, 18, of Barnaby Close, New Marske, east Cleveland, was arrested by British Transport Police on Friday in Norwich
BIG in Hawick and now becoming big in Durham, a jazz trio is helping visitors to wind down at the weekend at the city's recently-opened theatre complex. Jazz Girl have taken up a weekly residency playing in the glass-fronted caf bar at the Gala Theatre
A FORMER gardener has set up an unusual business, tending graves. In his 20 years as a council gardener in the cemetery and parks department, Alfie Gibson, 43, identified a gap in the market for tending graves. So two years ago, he left his job and decided
FOURTEEN people were arrested and a quantity of cannabis and Ecstasy seized as part of a two-night anti-drugs operation targeting pubs and clubs in a North-East town. Uniformed officers from Darlington police station were joined by special constables
REOPENING a long-disused railway line in North Yorkshire could generate up to 100,000 journeys a year, a report has revealed. The move would significantly reduce road congestion and create a fare income of more than £1m for the rail industry, claims the
Spotlight on health issues A HEALTH initiative promoting a range of complementary therapies is due to benefit residents of Hartlepool's New Deal for Communities (NDC) area. Hartlepool Mind, with financial backing from NDC officials, plans to offer people
COUNCIL staff said their final farewells after notching up almost 30 years of service between them. Peter Bartley and Alan Hays retired from Easington District Council after reaching 65. To mark their departure, council chairman Councillor Audrey Laing
THE number of house fires caused by careless smokers in the region is on the increase. A television and radio campaign is launched today to highlight the extent of the problem in the North-East and North Yorkshire. Across the region, 259 house fires were
CHEFS at a Teesside hospital are celebrating after scooping two awards in a national competition. Craig Floate and Simon Lloyd, at the University Hospital of Hartlepool, won the silver medal and the hygiene award for the most outstanding team at the NHS
TWO dramatic late goals sent Durham and Whitley Bay into the semi finals of the FA Carlsberg Vase - and now both teams are hoping to avoid each other in today's draw. Durham overcame Wroxham with a penalty in the third minute of stoppage time from Micky
MAVERICK North-East artist Richard Sowa was never one to settle for a nine-to-five existence. The 48-year-old father-of-four, from Hemlington, Middlesbrough, travelled the world before finally deciding to put down roots three years ago - on a self-built
A CONTROVERSIAL housing plan on the site of Billingham's annual carnival and flower show was rejected by councillors at the weekend. Stockton Borough Council's planning committee visited the area known as the Bulgarth, in old Billingham, on Saturday morning
CHURCHGOERS are trying to shed new light on the problems facing the countryside. A "plough light" has been placed in the porch of the Masham Methodist Church, and will remain lit until September's harvest festival. The idea is that it will act as a constant
LIFE in a remote former mining village will be portrayed in a millennium exhibition in Bishop Auckland. People in Nenthead, in the North Pennines, put together a selection of photographs for their Millennium Community Exhibition. Now the pictures, which
MP Peter Mandelson has said he does not wish to return to front line politics. The news comes after documents were found which exonerate the Hartlepool MP and former Northern Ireland Secretary from the Hinduja passport scandal. Satisfied that his name
A MAN was left lying in the road with head injuries after his vehicle was stolen. Police are trying to piece together how the man was injured and abandoned on the road between Coundon and Leasingthorne, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, at about 2pm
PRIMARY school children are being encouraged to talk about books through a new venture in Bishop Auckland. Children from Cockton Hill Junior School, in the town, enjoyed an afternoon with Durham County Council's poet-in-residence, Kevin Cadwallender,
ONE of national television's flagship programmes is coming to North Yorkshire. Question Time, the BBC's political discussion show, is to be broadcast from the Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate. Hall Two, which opened
Missing man is safe and well AN 82-year-old dementia sufferer who wandered off from his wife's parked car as she went into a shop, turned up safe and at the weekend. Concern grew after Charles Plunkett went missing from Safeway car park in Fulwell, Sunderland
WOMEN have been sampling free fitness sessions at the opening of a new gym. To celebrate its launch, Healthlands, Finchale Road, Framwellgate Moor, offered a range of taster exercise classes for all levels. Those attending the open day at the gym, which
JUSTICE has been seen in action by scores of young observers who filled the public galleries at a crown court building. The 160-strong year group from Chester-le-Street's Hermitage School visited Durham Crown Court after teachers made a special arrangement
CHILDREN from four North-East schools were up in court this weekend - taking part in a mock trial to learn more about the legal system. Year eight and nine pupils from Coulby Newham School, Middlesbrough, Branksome School, Darlington, and Stokesley School
AN elderly farming couple have issued an appeal to dog owners after a second attack on their sheep flock in a month. Norman and Norma Wilson, from Low Doctor Pasture Farm, in Wolsingham, said they have been sickened by the attacks, which left 14 of their
LARGER than life paintings by a North-East artist which celebrate cellulite and feminine curves are going on display. Sarah Jane Szikora takes her inspiration for the bountiful bosoms, rounded thighs and ample bottoms from the people in the region. The
LOCAL people are being asked to contribute to the revamp of their 27-year-old leisure centre by giving it a new name. A £400,000 overhaul of the Hambleton Leisure Centre, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, will begin in the summer, turning it into a major
CAPTAIN James Cook would have noticed something familiar had he been in his old port of Whitby at the weekend, the launching of his famous ship Endeavour. But the new version of the explorer's vessel is only two-fifths the size of the original, and is
HANNAH Maxwell-Jones, the little girl whose plight touched thousands of people in the region, has had a second major operation to reshape her face. The toddler successfully came through a two-and-a-half hour operation at the world-famous Arkansas Children's
A billion-pound investment target has been set for a new chief executive post in the Tees Valley. Bringing in the money over the next decade is the challenge facing candidates to become head of the area's recently-established Urban Regeneration Company
YOUNGSTERS from across the country are being invited to nominate their fathers for an award. The Top Dad competition - won last year by North-East father-of-two Tony Dixon - asks children to write a letter explaining why their father is so special. Keep-fit
ARE Holland and the Netherlands the same country, and why are the people called Dutch? - B Dobson, Woodland, County Durham. The Netherlands is often called Holland but they are quite different. The Netherlands is made up of eleven provinces and only two
A GRANDMOTHER grabbed the limelight yesterday by becoming the first member of the public to operate a new North-East landmark. Ann Porter of Low Fell, Gateshead, was given the honour of tilting the showpiece Millennium Bridge, over the River Tyne. She
Health workers waving placards will be picketing hospitals tomorrow, in the first strike the region's Health Service has seen for 12 years. More than 130 medical secretaries on Wearside have started a three day strike for more pay. It is believed to be
Youngsters who saved their siblings from a fire, raised money for fellow-sufferers of a disease and educated hundreds of their peers were among those recognised with awards today. The sixth annual Shrievalty Awards were presented by the High Sheriff of
ARE Holland and the Netherlands the same country, and why are the people called Dutch? - B Dobson, Woodland, County Durham. The Netherlands is often called Holland but they are quite different. The Netherlands is made up of eleven provinces and only two
PARENTS in a part of Hartlepool are being urged to make the most of a career-boosting grants initiative. A cash pool, funded by the town's New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme, is available to help people pay for childcare so they can take up work
A GROUP of 20 teachers from schools across the borough of Stockton will be taking a trip to Rialto, in California, to share good practice. The trip has been organised through the Teachers International Professional Development (TIPD) Scheme. This has
STAFF and pupils at a Middlesbrough school, including those above, celebrated after picking up a national sports award. Newport Primary School, St Paul's Road, is one of 57 schools in the country to receive an Activemark award from Sport England for its
SHOPPERS were greeted by pyjama-wearing workers serving marmalade on toast when they visited their local supermarket. Staff at Asda, in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, also raffled three breakfast hampers as they celebrated National Marmalade Day by
Despite another defeat, nobody can accuse Darlington of throwing Saturday's game at Exeter. Quakers put in a determined display, especially in the first half, and were unfortunate not to return from the West Country with a draw. A point would have been
A LEAFLET on events in the countryside around Darlington has been launched. The quarterly Countryside Events publication is available from the Town Hall reception, Information Darlington, the Crown Street library and the Arts Centre, or by telephoning
One of the North-East's all time football heroes has backed a Northern Echo campaign to remember those who died in the northern coalfields. Former Newcastle manager and player Kevin Keegan has lent his name to the campaign to mark the mass burial trenches
A cheeky woman who failed to turn up a court sent a postcard from Benidorm instead - saying she would much rather have sex on the beach. Victoria Ford was due to appear at Teesside Crown Court yesterday today to stand trial on charges of assault occasioning
FIREFIGHTERS say they are worried that an unoccupied pub which was set alight on Saturday night will become a target for young vandals. Three fire engines and a hydraulic platform were called to a blaze at The Fleece, Feversham Street, St Hilda's, Middlesbrough
A COIN struck to mark the Queen's golden jubilee will be presented to all Richmond schoolchildren later this year. It combines elements of the town's traditional audit money and the national jubilee coin produced by the Royal Mint. One side shows the
A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl who won the hearts of the region last year with her brave battle against cancer has died. Emily Guiney seemed to be on the mend after her parents gambled on surgery. In a risky operation just before Christmas, doctors removed 95 per
