ENGINEERING group Aker Kvaerner last night announced a solid start to the year. The multi-national, which employs 700 people at its AK Engineering Services headquarters in Stockton, said a steady supply of orders had brought in £600m - although few major
A company has won a multi-million pound deal in the Middle-East. K Home Engineering, of Thornaby, near Stockton, will manage a £225m scheme to build three town centres, a hotel, golf course and 24 luxury villas. The Teesside company, which employs 400
FOOD producer Cranswick announced an increase in turnover of 14 per cent for last year. The group, which announced the closure of sausage factory Lazenby's, in Thornaby, near Stockton, in February, moving production to Hull, said profits before tax rose
Virgin Atlantic last night followed British Airways in imposing a fuel surcharge of £5 for a return flight on tickets bought in the UK. Virgin said it had made the decision reluctantly and in light of the soaring price of oil - which reached new highs
SHIPBUILDER VT Group last night attributed an 11 per cent rise in annual profits to a growth in its support services operation. The company - formerly known as Vosper Thornycroft - said the division more than compensated for a transitional year at its
ONE of the country's last populations of native British crayfish is near extinction after a mystery pollution incident, it emerged yesterday. Tens of thousands of the rare species were wiped out at the weekend in Hart Burn near Morpeth, Northumberland
A PROJECT aimed at preserving a community's rich mining heritage was launched yesterday. Boosted by a £26,000 National Lottery grant, the Seaham Mining Project, in east Durham, got under way with the symbolic lighting of a pitman's lamp. Seaham's Parkside
VETERAN celebrity wildlife campaigner David Bellamy has launched £500,000 schemes to reclaim parts of the north Durham landscape. The television presenter took part in a parade at the weekend with pupils from Burnside School, to mark the start of two
A POLICEMAN was dragged through city streets at up to 60mph as he tried to arrest a suspect PC Neville King feared for his life as he desperately clung to the car as it careered through York yesterday morning. But he still had the presence of mind to
PLANNING applications for disabled access into two commercial premises in Barnard Castle received differing recommendations. Barnard Castle Town Council opposed plan for an access ramp at the NatWest bank in the Market Place, while supporting plans at
SPY cameras fitted to fire engines have led to a fall in violent attacks on crews. A drop of almost 25 per cent in violent incidents has been reported at trouble spots in Middlesbrough, Grangetown and Coulby Newham. Cameras were fitted in a three stage
THIEVES have stolen thousands of pounds worth of girders from a building site. A police spokesman said 240 one-metre stainless steel girders worth more than £29,000 were stolen from a construction site behind Newcastle Crown Court on the Quayside. The
ONE of a market town's best loved beauty spots is about to be given a £237,000 makeover for the summer tourist season. The Fosse, in Richmond, is to undergo a complete overhaul, with new picnic tables and litter bins being installed. One of the major
NEWCASTLE and Gateshead have been ranked top English city-break destination in the latest UK-wide survey of the best places to visit. Newcastle and Gateshead have once again claimed its place as the nation's favourite English city-break destination in
A UNIVERSITY is to offer an honours degree course in public relations. The Institute of Public Relations (IPR), which works to raise standards in the industry, has endorsed plans by the University of Teesside to run a BA (Hons) public relations course
NEWCASTLE United's colours will be blooming in Chelsea next week - and the people behind the garden design will be hoping it travels better than the team this season. The club's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were shattered by a record of
POLICE are hunting arsonists who tried to burn down a bungalow while its elderly resident slept inside. The 87-year-old woman escaped the blaze after the swift intervention of firefighters. The incident happened shortly after 2am on Saturday in St Mary's
A surveyor who saved his town a small fortune thanks to his knowledge of the underground drainage system has died aged 90. Edgar Dixon often surprised councillors with his knowledge of the pipes and gulleys under the streets of Barnard Castle, County
CAMPAIGNERS fear a cocktail of toxic chemicals will be released into the atmosphere if planning permission is granted for a housing development on the site of a former clay pit in Middlesbrough. Hundreds of residents have signed a petition trying to block
ANGRY residents will tonight meet bus operators and public transport representatives to discuss plans to cut services to part of Durham. People who rely on buses running to Newton Hall have submitted a 500-name petition to Durham County Council. The authority
A MAN is in hospital with suspected stab wounds after two men broke into his house at 6am yesterday. The man, who is in his 40s, was attacked at his home in Whincup Grove, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Property was stolen during the incident. He suffered
A MAN who took his sister's car after a drinking binge and crashed it into a house was ordered to join a drink impaired drivers' programme yesterday. Gavin Mannion, 20, drank six pints of lager before he grabbed the keys to the Volkswagen Polo from his
A MAN had part of his ear bitten off in an attack by a group of people leaving a nightclub. The 20-year-old man, who was making his way home from Spennymoor's Cube club, was the innocent victim of the assault, in June last year, Durham Crown Court heard
TENANTS of Coast and Country Housing have been assured that the company's move to £2.5m headquarters will not affect them. Staff at the firm, which manages the housing register for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, will be moved into temporary accommodation
A NORTH-EAST bakery chain has won an award for its sandwiches. Greggs staff in Darlington and Durham are celebrating after the British Sandwich Association voted its range of sandwiches one of the best available. Greggs was named Bakery Sandwich Maker
A BLAZE last night gutted the kitchen and dining room of a popular Darlington pub. At its height, flames from the Old Farmhouse on Yarm Road turned the night sky orange, while a pall of smoke, several hundred feet high, drifted towards Teesside. The fire
DARLINGTON striker Barry Conlon will today complete a move to Second Division Barnsley. The 25-year-old, available on a free transfer, completed a medical at Oakwell yesterday and is set to put pen to paper on a two-year deal. Boss David Hodgson has been
PROBABLY nicked from the Internet and thus in breach of at least two dozen of the ten commandments, a quite splendid riposte to biblical traditionalists appears in the parish magazine of Holy Trinity, Stockton. The evangelicals' stance against homosexuality
A WOMAN had to be rescued by lifeboat after becoming trapped on rocks by the incoming tide. It is unclear why the woman, believed to be in her twenties, was on the rocks at the Headland, Hartlepool. Police, the Hartlepool inshore lifeboat and coastguard
A crackdown on problem drinking in public areas has come into effect with the introduction of a ban on boozing. Three areas pinpointed as problem areas by the police have been designated as public spaces by the local authority in Hambleton. The new orders
ANTONY Sweeney admits he is playing out a football story beyond his dreams. The Hartlepool United midfielder has become a mainstay in Neale Cooper's play-off team. And, with it all to play for tonight as Pool go to Bristol City in the second-leg of the
VISITOR attractions across the region are planning a range of fun days this Bank Holiday weekend. From Saturday, May 29, to Monday, May 31, visitors to Bede's World, in Jarrow, South Tyneside, will be entertained by living history group Theod, which will
ONE of The Northern Echo's most prolific poetry writers has died at the age of 77. Fran Vincent, from Skeeby, near Richmond, North Yorkshire sent in more than 70 poems over the past ten years. One of her last poems to be published, The Eyes of Spring,
THE case of Richard Neale, the incompetent gynaecologist who was able to practise in Britain despite having been struck off in Canada after the death of two patients, exposed an alarming loophole. It showed how easy it was for doctors to be banned from
THE disgraced GP who filmed himself sexually assaulting his patients faces a ban in his home country after The Northern Echo alerted authorities to fears he planned to practise abroad. Officials at the Pakistan High Commission, in London, have pledged
Holby City (BBC1) The Mighty Boosh (BBC3) IT'S business as usual at Holby hospital. "Okay, I'm cutting the skin at the back. The organs may slip so stand by with some large wet swabs," says surgeon Tom Campbell-Gore (with the accent on the gore). This
The prospect of a UK interest rate of 4.5% was discussed by the Bank of England's rate-setting body earlier this month, minutes have shown. They reveal the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) debated lifting rates to 4.5% from 4% at its May meeting, before
Peter's Cathedral Bakers is set to resume production and reopen its chain of shops next week, a month after its bakery headquarters was hit by a major fire. A new temporary bakery production site, being rapidly fitted out at Peterlee, should be ready
SIDING with Simlet (6.45) in the Tolwood Novices' Chase looks a sensible choice on Mecca Bingo Night at Sedgefield this evening. Edwin Tuer's nine-year-old, who can normally be relied upon to put in a clear round, signalled his turn was near when finishing
Investors overcame fears of rising oil prices and higher interest rates yesterday, keeping the market in positive territory. The FTSE 100 Index posted some modest gains during the afternoon to end the day up 11.4 at 4414.4. Analysts said further oil price
LISTENING to Arsenal's French players giving their comments after their historic record breaking match on Saturday, I was struck by the fluency and grace of their comments. Intelligent thoughts, elegantly expressed in impeccable English. And I wondered
TWO universities in the region have been ranked in the top ten in this year's Times Good University Guide. York was ranked seven and Durham eight out of the 100 universities in the guide. It rates York first for teaching quality after almost half of subjects
AN INVESTIGATION was under way last night after an apparently healthy 11-year-old boy died after collapsing during a maths exam at a North-East primary school. Leslie Elkington was sitting a Standard Assessment Test (Sat) at Shield Row Primary School,
BELEAGUERED Darlington Football Club faces the biggest date in its 121-year history today as creditors prepare to vote on the only rescue package on the table for the Quakers. But administrators conceded last night that the outlook was grim for the battle
ELEVEN North-East schools are to benefit from a £3.6m lottery handout to modernise sports facilities and boost activity within the local communities. Schools in Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Saltburn, Newcastle, South Shields, Washington and
ALMOST 50 years after she was crowned Miss Crimdon, grandmother Louise Allen yesterday returned to the scene of her triumph to meet three other former title holders. Joining Louise, who won the Crimdon Beauty Pageant in 1955, were the 1964 winner, Pat
THE disgraced GP who filmed himself sexually assaulting his patients faces a ban in his home country after The Northern Echo alerted authorities to fears he planned to practice abroad. Officials at the Pakistan High Commission, in London, have pledged
Yorkshire today begin their first home Championship match in six years with Nottinghamshire, who will be making their first visit to Headingley since 1991. The corresponding fixture in 1998 took place at Scarborough and also ended in stalemate after Tim
CHAIRMAN Steve Gibson last night insisted that Middlesbrough are "serious bidders'' for Alan Smith - after Leeds accused Manchester United of trying to sign him on the cheap. Crisis club Leeds revealed they had rejected two offers from Old Trafford for
JASON McAteer last night warned Sunderland's board that the club are in danger of becoming "the new Sheffield Wednesday" unless they provide the necessary financial backing this summer. The Black Cats are facing a second successive season in Division
UP to eight jobs are to be created at Homeware Heating Supplies, in Darlington, with the expansion of its main building in Valley Street. Work has begun on the three storey extension, which will house bathroom and fireplace showrooms, a cafe, offices
EURO MP Stephen Hughes was shown around an 86-acre site being transformed into a business park yesterday. Councillor David Lyonette, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for regeneration, showed Mr Hughes the work under way to create the Faverdale
A SEARCH is under way for land which could be put to use for housing, recreation or employment developments. Landowners and developers are among those being asked for suggestions for potential sites across the Hambleton district. Land needs to be allocated
ONE of a market town's best loved beauty spots is about to be given a £237,000 makeover for the summer tourist season. The Fosse, in Richmond, is to undergo a complete overhaul, with new picnic tables and litter bins being installed. One of the major
PROBABLY nicked from the Internet and thus in breach of at least two dozen of the ten commandments, a quite splendid riposte to biblical traditionalists appears in the parish magazine of Holy Trinity, Stockton. The evangelicals' stance against homosexuality
AN optician who practised illegally on hundreds of patients was yesterday cleared of serious professional misconduct. Stuart Maxwell denied five allegations when he appeared before the General Optical Council's (GOC) disciplinary committee. He was said
STUDENTS have welcomed a university's dropping of proposals to ban them from keeping cars. The ban was a proposal Durham University had been looking at to solve parking problems in and around the centre city, particularly in areas of student rented housing
A NORTH-EAST police chief who was forced to resign in disgrace has lodged an appeal in Lithuania where he was convicted of urinating on a presidential palace. The Northern Echo can reveal that a solicitor working for former Chief Superintendent Kevin
TELECOMS group BT last night announced plans to launch the first phone service that combines mobile and fixed-line networks with a single handset. The group has teamed up with mobile operator Vodafone to launch Project Bluephone, which will enable customers
DIRECTORY group Yell said rising demand from advertisers on both sides of the Atlantic had helped it to post annual results ahead of expectations. The company, which floated on the London Stock Exchange in July, said the rapid growth of internet business
UNCORK the mystery bottle and drink deeply of a fascinating little story from Darlington's past. The bottle, dug up recently in Gainford and featured a fortnight ago on this page, has proved to be the source of a story that dates from about 1828. In those
A university company is celebrating 20 years working with the biggest names in information technology. University of Sunderland spin-off company MTC has been providing IT training for companies such as Microsoft since 1984. It is the only accredited IT
DURHAM'S injury crisis mounted yesterday with the news that Shoaib Akhtar will not be fit for the four-day game against Glamorgan starting at Riverside today. The world's fastest bowler has aggravated an old rib injury and the aim is to have him fit for
A CORONER blamed excessive speed and drinking for a crash that left two friends dead. John Robson was celebrating his 18th birthday when Lee Craggs, 17, crashed his Citroen ZX Advantage at high speed. He lost control of the car, which skidded, hit a wall
A NEW jobs team aims to equip Wear Valley people with a growing number of opportunities for work. The Government-backed Action Team for Jobs project moved into the district three weeks ago and already has 34 people on its books, with the first successful
HEALTH bosses are launching consultation next week to help shape local urology services. The NHS is looking at plans to base a new specialist in-patient unit in Sunderland. That will be among the issues under discussion at the event in the University
VIOLENCE erupted on the streets of a North Yorkshire city after a man went into a pub looking for those responsible for damaging his stepfather's car, magistrates were told yesterday. Harrogate magistrates heard that Ian Butler and a friend were in the
HUNDREDS of protestors are expected to turn up at a council meeting on Saturday as the future of a North-East theatre is discussed. Members of Stockton Borough Council's planning committee will meet to hear the outline planning application for a supermarket
WORKERS made redundant from a North-East electronics plant are being offered help to find jobs. Cookson Fakuda, which makes copper foil for printed circuit boards, announced last week it was cutting 74 jobs at its plant in Shiremoor, North Tyneside. The
AN engineering fair that attracted 200 students from seven secondary schools has been hailed a success by organisers. The students aged 14 to 16 from York, Hambleton, Richmond and Scarborough spent the day at the first Science, Technology, Engineering
A policeman has been praised for diving into the River Wear to save a drowning teenager. Traffic policeman David Morgan, 32, a former international polo player, braved the water to rescue a 19-year-old who had fallen 30ft from Framwelgate Bridge in Durham
UP to eight jobs are to be created at Homeware Heating Supplies, in Darlington, with the expansion of its main building in Valley Street. Work has begun on the three storey extension, which will house bathroom and fireplace showrooms, a cafe, offices
HEALTH chiefs are taking a new approach to human resources (HR) and have appointed an associate director. Stephen Dean has been appointed by the Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust. The trust, which employs about 800 staff, used to
A CYCLIST heading home from a New Year's Day drinking session was killed on a country road, an inquest heard. Window cleaner Kevin Frater, 38, of Whitehouse Court, Ushaw Moor, near Durham, was in collision with a car near Ushaw College. He died of severe
COMMUNITY life will be celebrated at a fun-filled outdoor event later this summer. Aykley Heads estate, alongside Durham Police headquarters and the grounds of County Hall, Durham, is the venue for Action Packed Futures, 2004. The event will be a chance
A THREE-year project looks likely to bring new light to a rundown housing estate. Residents in the Edenhill area of Peterlee were asked what they thought would improve their environment and they expressed the concern that poor street lighting was contributing
AN under-fire coroner should find out this week if he is to be ordered to retire. Teesside coroner Michael Sheffield, whose backlog of unfinished inquests sparked a judicial review, will get a letter from the Lord Chancellor about his future. The Northern
A woman in her early 90s has been conned out of £60,000 by bogus lotteries and competitions run from abroad. Trading standards officers say they are 'staggered' by the case, but have warned that it is not an isolated incident. The woman, who does not
A DOG which savaged an elderly man in the street, leaving him with severe injuries, has not been destroyed. Police confirmed yesterday that the Japanese Akita dog, belonging to a woman in Hurworth, near Darlington, had not been put down but had been moved
CONSETT'S Mark Ridley is aiming for global glory after securing a place in the Jameson Golf World Champion of Champions final. Ridley came second in the third of 12 qualifiers at De Vere Slaley Hall having carded an impressive 70 at the Northumberland
BELEAGUERED Darlington Football Club faces the biggest date in its 121-year history today as creditors prepare to vote on the only rescue package on the table for the Quakers. But administrators conceded last night that the outlook was grim for the battle
A FORMER chairman and chief executive of Yorkshire and Tyne Tees Television has been appointed chairman of a Durham Cricket Club. Clive Leach, 69, played 39 first-class games for Warwickshire from 1955 to 58, then became the professional at Bishop Auckland
SO what about children's rights? In the aftermath of the case of 14-year-old Melissa Smith, who was offered an abortion without her parents' knowledge, we have heard much about her right to confidentiality. Then there was also her mother's right to know
TWO fashion designers are setting out their stall in the region's shopping capital. Embelliss is moving from a workshop and studio in Darlington to Northumberland Street in Newcastle city centre. It was set up three years ago by fashion graduates Anna
A COURTROOM was evacuated and scrubbed clean yesterday after officials discovered a defendant was suffering from the superbug MRSA. Teesside Crown Court, in Middlesbrough, had to call in a specialist cleaning team after staff were told that a man appearing
GOVERNMENT inspectors say one of the region's youth services provides value for money in a report published this week. The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) found that the North Yorkshire service was satisfactory and well supported by the county
MAINTENANCE staff in the prison service are preparing to take strike action in a row over pay after they were offered a one per cent rise while inmates got a 13 per cent. Eight establishments in the region -prisons, young offenders' institutes and remand
MOTORISTS will soon be able to judge whether the region's speed camera are being used as "cash cows" when a study is published next month. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said the research would compare the number of deaths and serious injuries before
MOBILE phone group mmO2 yesterday said it had a winning year in 2003 thanks to sponsorship of the England rugby team and Premiership champions Arsenal, which built awareness of the brand. The group posted maiden full-year profits of £95m. The profits
EIFION Williams is the man who can't lose tonight. Hartlepool United and Williams are at Ashton Gate, with their Second Division play-off semi-final tie with Bristol City delicately balanced at 1-1. And tonight the Welshman, Pool's top scorer with 14
FEARS that the the number of North-East women shunning cancer checks was in freefall have eased with the release of figures. Health officials on Teesside were concerned that falling attendances for cervical cancer screening sessions looked likely to continue
THOUSANDS of North-East patients who take medication are being urged to keep an eye on their prescriptions as new medicine names are phased in. About 100 commonly used medicines, ranging from those to treat heart disease to depression, are now to be known
The Darlington Football Club saga took another twist today as the crucial creditors' meeting was adjourned until next Tuesday. Joint administrator David Field made the decision to delay the meeting to allow for further investigations into the validity
THE Pope has canonised an Italian doctor who sacrificed herself in childbirth. In 1962 Gianna Beretta Molla refused to have her fourth child aborted even though she knew she had a cancerous tumour in her womb. Clearly a brave and determined woman of principle
WHITBY on Saturday was hot and crowded and full of people stuffing their faces while walking along, generally looking pretty miserable. But down in Grape Lane, the Captain Cook Memorial Museum was an oasis, especially the small courtyard garden overlooking
A former building company boss has admitted stealing £378,000 from his firm. Peter Spoors was the managing director of Miller Homes North East at the time of the thefts, which it is thought he carried out by misusing company cheques. The 51-year-old of
SO what about children's rights? In the aftermath of the case of 14-year-old Melissa Smith, who was offered an abortion without her parents' knowledge, we have heard much about her right to confidentiality. Then there was also her mother's right to know
THREE students from the US have travelled to the North-East to become better qualified in design. Gwen Brice, 49, John Wagoner, 40, and Verneitta Womack, 40, from Cleveland Community College in Tennessee, crossed the Atlantic to study Auto Computer Assisted
SOME of the biggest names in high street fashion are preparing to move to Europe's largest indoor shopping complex. The Red Mall, at the Gateshead MetroCentre, opens on October 6. Alongside the flagship 180,000sq ft Debenhams department store will be
IT has, as Brian Mackenzie is quick to remind me, been a remarkable journey. Growing up a virtual street urchin, dad the driver of a rubbish truck, holidays the occasional day trip to the seaside at Redcar, leaving school at 16 for an apprenticeship in
IRAQ: WE have seen Tony Blair at President Bush's side, acting like a faithful little dog, picking up thoughts instead of sticks. Then the Conservatives ran after him like a pack of attack dogs following the scent of blood as it led to battle. We therefore
Supermarket chain J Sainsbury has unveiled a 2.9% fall in profits and said it is cutting prices in an attempt to win back market share. Underlying profits for the year fell to £675m ($1.2bn) from £695m in 2003 as sales remained disappointing. The company's
SOMEWHERE, probably in England, but it could be anywhere in the English-speaking world, Maxine Carr has now started to try and rebuild her life. The perceived need for her to do so in secret reflects badly on a society that prides itself on its supposed
Holby City (BBC1); The Mighty Boosh (BBC3): IT'S business as usual at Holby hospital. "Okay, I'm cutting the skin at the back. The organs may slip so stand by with some large wet swabs," says surgeon Tom Campbell-Gore (with the accent on the gore). This
YOUNG dancers from all over the North-East showed their talent last night in a performance of Sleeping Beauty at Darlington's Civic Theatre. In a dazzling display of confidence and dancing ability, 106 of the region's aspiring ballet dancers took part
DURHAM'S injury crisis mounted yesterday with the news that Shoaib Akhtar will not be fit for the four-day game against Glamorgan starting at Riverside today. The world's fastest bowler has aggravated an old rib injury and the aim is to have him fit for
upholstery company ScS predicted record full-year results yesterday as it announced interim results to the end of March. The fabric and leather furniture retailer, which has 61 stores throughout the UK, including outlets in South Shields, Darlington,
SIDING with Simlet (6.45) in the Tolwood Novices' Chase looks a sensible choice on Mecca Bingo Night at Sedgefield this evening. Edwin Tuer's nine-year-old, who can normally be relied upon to put in a clear round, signalled his turn was near when finishing
A coroner has blamed excessive speed and drink-driving for a fatal crash that left two friends dead during birthday celebrations. John Robson was marking his 18th birthday when Lee Craggs, 17, crashed his Citroen ZX Advantage at high speed. He lost control
CONTINGENCY plans are being drawn up for the multi-million pound redevelopment of a community hospital. Building work on the £5.5m redevelopment of the Richardson Hospital in Barnard Castle, is to begin at the end of this year. However, safety and financial
YOUTHS on a Darlington estate could get their own games area after residents complained to the borough council about a lack of facilities. People living in Firthmoor protested to Darlington Borough Council after it applied for Lottery funding for a multi-activity
