Archive

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Bench joiner, Consett, 40hrs pw 8.30am to 5pm Mon-Fri, must be time served with at least one year's experience, driving licence an advantage. Ref: CON 18759. Laboratory technician, Consett, 37.5hrs pw 8am to 5pm Mon-Fri, must be educated to GCSE level

  • Hayley snaps a winner

    A TEN-year-old girl has beaten thousands of youngsters in a worldwide competition to find the next generation of photographers. Hayley Bradley, of Escomb Road, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, is one of 40 winners chosen from 32,000 entrants across 170

  • House prices approach last year's peak

    ASKING prices for homes increased by an average of 0.6 per cent during the past four weeks and are nearly back to the record levels of last summer. Average prices increased by £1,132 during the past month on top of the previous month's sharp rise of £4,321

  • Riggott attempts to reassure Boro fans

    CHRIS RIGGOTT has moved to reassure disgruntled supporters that the Middlesbrough squad are as hungry as ever to claim a place in next season's UEFA Cup. Boro hit a new 2005 low on Sunday when they dropped to ninth in the Premiership following an embarrassing

  • Construction boom increases start-ups

    HARTLEPOOL has been named as the fastest-growing area in the North-East with a 35 per cent increase in business start-ups in the past year. The North-East has seen record numbers of new businesses, according to Barclays Bank. The number of start-ups last

  • History books cool on Didcot's heritage

    From the same school of journalism as "Small earthquake, not many dead", it is possible to report that no bombs fell on Didcot. It says as much in one of the town's histories. Nothing much else happened, either, though one of the Gunpowder Plotters had

  • Silverware puts winning record firmly in the shade

    ANDY O'Brien wants to be remembered on Tyneside as part of a United team that ended the 36-year wait for silverware, rather than a side that broke the Magpies record for consecutive wins. The hard-fought 1-1 draw at Portsmouth may have ended Newcastle's

  • GNER pays £1bn for East Coast Mainline service

    Train operator GNER will pay about £1bn to run rail services from London to Edinburgh in the next 10 years. The Strategic Rail Authority said the firm beat stiff competition to continue operating the intercity East Coast Mainline service. There are fears

  • Quorn maker offered for sale

    QUORN maker Marlow Foods is being offered for sale, it emerged yesterday. Marlow, in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, could be worth up to £250m if sold by owners Montagu Private Equity. Quorn products include a range of chilled and frozen vegetarian foods

  • Breen won't worry after Caldwell snub

    SUNDERLAND skipper Gary Breen has described Steve Caldwell's international loss as Sunderland's gain in the club's quest for a return to the Premiership. Despite an impressive first season with the Black Cats, since his move from Newcastle United last

  • A tasty little bit of Italy

    The column accepts an invitation to visit Pepe's place, and finds it anything but heavy going. IMAGINE, gentle reader, the early evening scene. I am staggering the 1,000 yards from this office to Darlington railway station, bearing a large cardboard box

  • Chainsaw artist creates seasonal Sculptures

    A CHAINSAW sculptor put on a show of a different kind for Easter at a Darlington church. Tree trunks were carved into Easter shapes, including a variety of crosses at Elm Ridge Methodist Church on Saturday, and children and adults took part in the sculpture

  • Boro revived by a change of heart

    WHEN the Middlesbrough Town Centre Company hired the man responsible for redeveloping New York's Central Park area to cast a critical eye over the Teesside town, they were surprised by the result. Dan Biederman said there was nothing wrong with the fabric

  • 'How I battled the baby blues'

    Having a baby should be a joyous occasion, but for the one in ten women who suffer from post natal depression, it can trigger a downward spiral of despair and isolation. Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings reports on the 'silent epidemic'. AT the age of 11

  • Woollies bidder in Hit buyout

    BOB The Builder will soon be working for a new boss after the company behind the children's characters agreed to a £489m takeover. Hit Entertainment, which also owns Thomas The Tank Engine, Barney the dinosaur and Guinness World Records, is being bought

  • Wade into success at busy Wetherby with Ryminster

    RYMINSTER (3.30) rates one of the best bets of the afternoon on a busy seven-race card at Wetherby. John Wade's six-year-old trotted up by 20 lengths on his penultimate start at Musselburgh, a massively impressive victory that persuaded punters to promote

  • £100m is price for mainline franchise

    IT IS expected to be announced today that train company GNER will continue to run East Coast mainline services after agreeing to pay the Government more than £100m a year. The Strategic Rail Authority is tipped to announce that the company, based in York

  • It's a laughing matter

    Bruce Forsyth's Comedy Heroes (five); WHAT makes one person laugh, makes another sit looking like someone has died. The secret of a good joke is just that - a secret. No-one has discovered it, otherwise we'd all be laughing overselves silly. You'd think

  • Allotment holders reluctant about alternative garden

    ALLOTMENT holders whose plots could be swallowed up by a housing development may be offered an alternative site. Land on the edge of Howden-le-Wear has been earmarked for new gardens, replacing a three-acre site in the village centre where generations

  • Woman suffers head injuries in road accident

    A WOMAN suffered head injuries when she was hit by a bus yesterday morning. Police say the 35-year-old, from Brandon, County Durham, apparently stepped into the path of the vehicle from between a line of parked cars in North Road, Durham. She was struck

  • Army career saved despite town brawl

    THE career prospects of a young soldier were put in doubt by "45 seconds of madness", a court heard. Martin Daniel Shuttleworth, 18, intervened after seeing two brothers pushing and shoving each other as they made their way home from a night out in Darlington

  • Egg swap will help save lives

    AN MP joined fire crews last week to spread the message of fire safety to residents on Teesside. Shoppers at Asda in Thornaby town centre were greeted by Stockton South MP Dari Taylor. The MP was helping firefighters from Cleveland Fire Brigade to encourage

  • Delay in fire inquiry

    THE cause of a fire that left a castle with millions of pounds of damage may not be known until the end of this month at the earliest. Firefighters have been unable to investigate the badly damaged seat of the blaze, at Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough

  • Tributes to museum's stalwart

    TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to a popular man who went beyond the call of duty to make visitors feel welcome at a major museum. Stan Ireland, who has died at the age of 81, was head attendant for more than 25 years at the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle

  • Steam engines enthusiast unveils miniature marvel creation

    A STEAM locomotive fan has unveiled some of the miniature engines he has painstakingly built over the years. John Dobson, 81, of Easington Village, County Durham, began his hobby as a child when he set up his Hornby train set in the loft of his family

  • Plenty of time for chit chat at communication sessions

    PARENTS have been learning how to help their young children learn to talk. SureStart Brandon and Deerness Valley ran a ten-week programme called Early Start to give mothers and fathers advice on how they can help their offspring develop communication

  • Thief locked up for -mean' crime

    A JUDGE rejected a barrister's plea to spare his client from jail and told him: "The best I can do is limit the amount of time in custody." Paul Power was locked up for a year after he admitted sneaking into a house and stealing cash from a coffee table

  • Hodgson poised for transfers

    David Hodgson last night stressed the importance of adding a striker to his Darlington ranks before Thursday's transfer deadline. With eight games remaining Quakers hold a slender three-point cushion inside the League Two play-off zone after Saturday's

  • Student chefs are top crust

    YOUNG cooks have been rewarded for their efforts after getting their teeth stuck into their studies. Twenty awards were handed out at a ceremony at Darlington College of Technology to celebrate the achievements of school pupils. More than 400 pupils from

  • Latest weapon in war on crime

    DRUNKEN yobs and trouble-makers on Darlington estates are being warned there will be nowhere to hide as the police get a new weapon in their crackdown on anti-social behaviour. From April, the town's police will have closed circuit television (CCTV) in

  • Chainsaw artist creates seasonal sculptures

    A CHAINSAW sculptor put on a show of a different kind for Easter at a Darlington church. Tree trunks were carved into Easter shapes, including a variety of crosses at Elm Ridge Methodist Church on Saturday, and children and adults took part in the sculpture

  • Demand for compensation over lengthy roadworks

    A BUSINESSMAN has called for a council to compensate shop owners who have lost trade because of lengthy roadworks. Jason Hadlow, of specialist furniture store Simply Dutch, in Leeming Bar, says he has lost £27,000 over a three-month period because of

  • Graffiti busting couple from Oz

    THE growing menace of graffiti is under attack with an ingredient imported from Down Under. Andrew Spedding and his wife, Jayne, run Graffiti Removal (Yorkshire) from the graffiti-free village of Sawley, close to Fountains Abbey, near Ripon. They set

  • All teapots great and small . . .

    A LIMITED edition teapot has been produced in the style of James Herriot's famous desk. The exclusive design, which was created by The Teapottery in Leyburn, features the wooden desk complete with a calendar marking the date of Alf and Joan Wight's Bonfire

  • Bike aces will pass on tips at training day

    A MOTOCROSS training day is being held on Good Friday. Young people will be able to get expert advice on scramblers and quad-bike racing from professionals. Bike aces Christian Burnam and Brad Anderson will be at Knitsey Mill Practice Track off the A693

  • Curfew is set for shoplifting mum battling addiction

    A SHOPLIFTER who arrived at a Harrogate supermarket by taxi was arrested when the cabbie refused to leave the car park with her £180 haul of food and drink, the town's magistrates were told yesterday. Prosecutor Chloe Fairley said Becky Jayne Joyce, who

  • Holiday home plan for castle

    A VANDALISED ancient castle could be in line for a new lease of life as a holiday home. The plan for the 12th Century Whorlton Castle, which has been approved by the North York Moors National Park Authority, was one of several options put forward by archaeologist

  • 24-hour counselling service to help stressed-out workers

    A 24-HOUR counselling service for stressed employees is being launched in Derwentside next month. It will be run by No1 Priority Health at the Business Centre, in Consett. Health officials have noticed an increasing number of employees on long-term sickness

  • Red hair day raises £1,850

    Pupils have raised a record amount for Comic Relief. Children from Wheatlands Primary School, in Redcar, raised £1,850. The school's 450 pupils dyed their hair and dressed in red as well as taking part in song and dance routines at an assembly. The day

  • 'War' over cuts in out-of-hours service

    AN MP says doctors and National Health Service officials are "at war" over cuts to an out-of-hours GP service. David Curry, MP for Skipton and Ripon, met 11 concerned doctors from Ripon and the wider area who are deeply concerned about the cutbacks. Mr

  • More injury woe for Robertson

    NO sooner had Hugh Robertson returned to the Hartlepool United side, the left-back is facing up to another injury worry. After being troubled a long-standing foot complaint, Robertson was back in the Pool side for the weekend's win at Bradford City. But

  • Police try to trace driver who damaged a bridge

    POLICE are trying to trace a motorist who drove off after damaging a bridge. The incident happened at Gilmonby Bridge, near Bowes, in Teesdale, on Wednesday, March 16. Sergeant Bill Dutton, of Barnard Castle Police, said: "We had a report of damage to

  • Marathon effort to help colleague out of hospital

    A TEAM of workers are planning a half marathon in aid of a friend who cannot be released from hospital until he has a stairlift installed in his home. Staff from TKA Tallent Engineering, in Newton Aycliffe, are choosing to walk the 13-and-a-half miles

  • Brewers ready for the cask

    A BEER festival featuring more than 40 real ales begins on Friday. The North-East and Cumbria Beer Festival is taking place at the Washington Arts Centre until Easter Monday. It features a range of cask ales from the finest micro-breweries in the region

  • £2m vision for future

    AN OPEN forum to discuss the £2m restoration of Thornaby Town Hall will take place this week. Heritage specialist Vision Sense wants to hear people's views on the plans. Stockton Borough Council is compiling a funding package for the restoration which

  • Pitch in to save a grand piano

    A SUCCESSION of international pianists have played the same Steinway when giving classical recitals. The grand piano has featured in 40 concerts at the Sir William Turner's Almshouses at Kirkleatham, near Redcar. But the piano's owners have put the £8,000

  • Was there ever a golden age of rail?

    TALES OF THE OLD RAILWAYMEN by Tom Quinn (David & Charles, £12.99) AN attractive book of reminiscences by 13 steam-age veterans, illustrated with high quality photographs and charming drawings in colour and black and white. But North-East readers

  • Boro revived by a change of heart

    WHEN the Middlesbrough Town Centre Company hired the man responsible for redeveloping New York's Central Park area to cast a critical eye over the Teesside town, they were surprised by the result. Dan Biederman said there was nothing wrong with the fabric

  • Meter thief told 'pay £20,000 or go to jail'

    A BUSINESSMAN who stole thousands of pounds of electricity by bypassing his meter for almost ten years has been warned he faces jail. Guest house boss Stephen Hodgin was told by a judge to find almost £20,000 in a month to pay his debts - or return to

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Opportunism is not enough

    IT is impossible to argue that Conservative leader Michael Howard does not have a point. He is right: everyone should abide by the same planning laws; everyone should pay the same taxes. That is fair. Of course he is being "opportunistic", as Labour says

  • The last of an exotic tribe

    The BBC announced its services for the week before Easter and said: "This is a week of special importance for Christians" - with the intonation "those Christians over there", as if there were no such thing as English Christianity. The announcement was

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Play leader, Northallerton, £6-£7ph, 9 hpw Mon-Fri 8-9am & 3-6pm term time only. Must have DPP, NVQ3 or working towards equivalent and to have had previous experience working with children. Job share is available. Extra hours may be available if required

  • N-E man held in Argentine prison

    TWO Britons being held in Argentina on charges of desecrating the South American country's national flag could face up to four years in jail. Investment banker Darren Redden, 28, of Darlington, and fellow holidaymaker David Fleming, 20, of Manchester,

  • Hospice supporters scoop top prize

    A COUPLE are celebrating a £2,000 windfall from a lottery that helps hospice patients. Cyril and Ann Weightman, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, won the top prize in a weekly draw organised by One Wish for four North- East hospices - The Butterwick

  • New bus service for dales visitors

    RAMBLERS and countryside lovers are being encouraged to make use of the new Dalesbus services, which come into operation on Easter Sunday. Service 830 from Darlington and Richmond to Swaledale and Hawes will also operate on May 1 and every Sunday from

  • Police tackle thugs problem

    POLICE have urged residents being terrorised by teenage thugs to stand up to their young tormentors and provide evidence. A catalogue of complaints has been made by people living on an estate in Brompton on Swale. Incidents include cars, houses and trees

  • Public sector unions call off pensions strike

    A STRIKE that threatened to cripple public services tomorrow has been called off. Union leaders of more than 1.5 million council workers and civil servants decided against taking industrial action over pensions. Members were angry about moves to increase

  • Deepcut officers will be forced to give evidence

    SOLDIERS at Deepcut Barracks will be forced to give evidence to a fresh inquiry starting today into the deaths of four recruits from gunshot wounds. The Ministry of Defence said no serving officer - of any rank - would be allowed to refuse to take part

  • McCoy Tyner Trio Plus John Surman, The Sage Gateshead

    THE first ever Gateshead International Jazz Festival kicked off in spectacular style providing the audience with music that had pulses racing from the outset. Warm-up act John Surman played a short set before the main show and gave a West Country take

  • School says bye to Rhoda

    AFTER more than two decades of feeding hungry children, dinner lady Rhoda Dawson has finally hung up her apron. For the past 22 years, she has been serving up the lunchtime grub for youngsters at Broomfield School in Northallerton. And as she carried

  • Why it's time to bin the burgers

    With children's nutrition currently a hot election topic, a new book steers parents through the minefield of mealtimes. Lisa Salmon reports. LL parents want to give their children the very best start in life - and healthy food is a huge part of that.

  • Union wants job-loss talks

    Unions are seeking talks with executives at car maker Peugeot following the company's announcement it is to shed 850 jobs at its main UK factory under plans to end a production shift. Peugeot said it would do everything it could to minimise the impact

  • The right track for museum prize

    THE North-East's first national museum has made it to the shortlist for Britain's biggest art awards. Staff at Locomotion: National Railway Museum, in County Durham, were told today that they have reached the final four for the Gulbenkian Museum of the

  • Riggott reassures Boro fans

    CHRIS RIGGOTT has moved to reassure disgruntled supporters that the Middlesbrough squad are as hungry as ever to claim a place in next season's UEFA Cup. Boro hit a new 2005 low on Sunday when they dropped to ninth in the Premiership following an embarrassing

  • The master and commander

    Ever since he was four years old, all Ian McNaught wanted to do was go to sea, and now he's in charge of the most famous ship in the world. Nick Morrison meets the man who calls the QE2 his second home. WHAT do you say to the man who can boast his job

  • Battle won in blood supply appeal

    ONE year after The Northern Echo urged people to give blood to stop hospitals running dry officials say the battle has been won. Exactly a year ago, we highlighted fears that blood supplies for the region's hospitals could be put at risk because of new

  • Birthday milestone for George the 'bubble baby'

    A TODDLER who was the first baby in the UK to have a blood cord transplant has celebrated his second birthday. George Young was born with a rare syndrome affecting his immune system and had been given only months to live when he had the transplant last

  • GP cover under scrutiny

    THE county's under-fire out-of-hours GP service will be examined by councillors this week. North Yorkshire County Council's scrutiny of health committee will look at the arrangements for evening and weekend doctors' cover tomorrow. The inspection by councillors

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Electrician, 40hrs pw, must be time served, 16th Edition preferred, current clean driving licence. Ref: SPE 14060. Sales person, £15,000pa, 39hrs pw, good understanding of automation equipment or machinery preferred. Ref: SPE 14061. Welder, £5.27 to £6.25ph

  • 22/03/05

    RAILWAYS: THE proposal by Grand Central Railways (Echo, Mar 14) to operate a rail service to King's Cross from Sunderland, Hartlepool and Stockton is a non-starter and will wisely be turned down by the Rail Regulator. Such a service would simply dilute

  • Pensioner fights for life after blaze

    AN elderly woman was fighting for her life in hospital last night after a neighbour rescued her from her burning home. The woman, in her early 80s, suffered serious burns in the blaze at her home in South View, Northallerton, North Yorkshire. She was

  • The quiet hero with wings

    As the German bombing of London intensified, the docks were hit again and again. In September 1940, following a particularly severe air raid, Churchill inspected the damage by boat. He travelled along the river with his wife Clementine and both were visibly

  • Appeal for help with makeover

    VOLUNTEERS are needed to help give Barnard Castle's Cricket Club a makeover. The volunteers are needed on April 2 and 3 to help with painting and planting. The revamp is part of a national CricketForce initiative. Keith Pont, director of development at

  • Hospice supporters scoop top prize

    A COUPLE are celebrating a £2,000 windfall from a lottery that helps hospice patients. Cyril and Ann Weightman, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, won the top prize in a weekly draw organised by One Wish for four North-East hospices - The Butterwick

  • Car jump game leaves boy injured

    POLICE believe a boy involved in a collision with a car may have been taking part in a game in which youngsters jump out at cars. The 15-year-old was taken to hospital with broken legs after the incident on the A688 at Stainton Grove, near Barnard Castle

  • Incredible fun at open day

    AN open day was held at a new church centre for worshippers and the wider community. All Saints' Church, in Eaglescliffe, recently completed work on a £500,000 centre to replace an outdated timber-frame building. The new single-storey brick building includes

  • Attractions team up to offer better deal

    THREE leading attractions are joining forces this week to attract tourists to the region. Hartlepool Historic Quay, the Museum of Hartlepool and HMS Trincomalee will be brought together under the banner of Hartlepool's Maritime Experience from Good Friday

  • Rail treasure helps golden couple relive happiest day

    GOLDEN couple Gladys and Bernard Hewitt celebrated a golden moment yesterday - reunited with the legend that launched them on 50 years of wedded bliss. Both born in 1934, the couple were married at the Salvation Army Citadel in Gillygate, York, on March

  • Birthday milestone for George the 'bubble baby'

    A TODDLER who was the first baby in the UK to have a blood cord transplant has celebrated his second birthday. George Young was born with a rare syndrome affecting his immune system and had been given only months to live when he had the transplant last

  • Go live with the Forum at Easter

    A LIVE music venue is promising an exciting line-up this weekend. The Forum, in Darlington, will play host to bands from Thursday through to Monday. On Thursday, Browser, Hanky Park and La Haine are playing. Hanky Park have recently released an album

  • For the bench

    CANDIDATES are being sought to join the ranks of North Yorkshire's magistrates. The Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee for North Yorkshire wants to recruit suitable people for possible appointment next year. Those interested should contact Geoff Taylor

  • Colin takes over at Wellington Square

    TEESSIDE shopping centre Wellington Square has appointed COLIN SMITH as its operations manager. He will be responsible for the running of the Stockton centre's maintenance programme, cleaning and security. Mr Smith was previously operating manager at

  • I don't think demons ever go

    STRAIGHT by Boy George with Paul Gorman (Century, £17.99) IT SEEMS that wherever Boy George goes, controversy follows. The former lead singer of 80s gender-bender band Culture Club has always been outspoken and outrageous, but most recently he's been

  • Heroin street dealer jailed

    THE final members of a gang responsible for an £8m-a-year drugs cartel were sentenced yesterday. Heroin street dealer Paul French was the last of the ten to be sentenced by Teesside Crown Court Judge Peter Bowers. French, 24, of Percy Street, Middlesbrough

  • Plea to parents over youth disorder

    LETTERS are being issued to 20,000 parents in the North-East asking them to help tackle the problem of anti-social behaviour. Northumbria Police is sending the letters to the homes of secondary school children in Sunderland asking their families to reinforce

  • Borough to salute charity worker

    A CHARITY worker who has raised more than £250,000 for good causes will receive civil recognition today. High street busker Norman Evans MBE will be awarded the Freedom of the Borough by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council during a ceremony in Gisborough

  • Girls' enjoy taste of glory

    A TEAM of young female football enthusiasts got their first taste of big match glory on Saturday. The newly-formed Richmond Town under-12s girls team played Coulby Newham in the North Riding and Tees Valley Girls' League. They lost 6-0, but coach Steve

  • Firefighters battle with 70ft flames

    FLAMES leapt up to 70ft in the air as firefighters last night battled to control a blaze on a North-East industrial estate. The fire, which destroyed several hundred tonnes of waste timber and wooden pallets on the Alliance Industrial Estate, in Albert

  • Roadshow on payments to farmers

    FARMERS in the North-East have been hearing about changes in the European subsidy system. The Single Payment Scheme will involve one lump sum handout, as opposed to various smaller amounts that depend on production. Officials from the Department for Environment

  • Jail for 'mean' double burglary

    A MAN who twice burgled the home of an elderly neighbour while she was in hospital receiving cancer treatment was yesterday jailed for 30 months. Richard Lawson gained access to the premises using a key entrusted to his grandmother, who was checking the

  • Drug gang members sentenced by court

    THE final members of a gang responsible for an £8m-a-year drugs cartel were sentenced yesterday. Jeffrey Brown, 32, of High Croft, Spennymoor, was given a two-year combination order after admitting his part in the conspiracy as well as witness intimidation

  • Police seize travellers cheques

    TRAVELLERS cheques seized by police have been confiscated. Durham Police yesterday successfully applied for the confiscation of £8,800-worth of travellers cheques under the Proceeds of Crime Act. They were seized from Robert Stockton, in a car parked

  • Website row out of proportion, say designers

    THE owners of a website promoting a rural district of County Durham have accused a North-East market town of copying their format. TeesdaleNet, the owners of the new Teesdale gateway website, have said the Alnwick gateway website is identical to the one

  • Dog team goes back to training school

    A TEAM of flyball enthusiasts have gone back into training with their dogs after missing out narrowly on the Crufts final. The Bombers team, from Barnard Castle, were semi-finalists in the flyball competition at Crufts, at the NEC, in Birmingham, this

  • Football gift aids charity

    A FOOTBALL club is helping a grieving family to raise money for a charity. Middlesbrough Football Club has donated a football signed by the first team squad to the family of Darren Baker, who died of a brain tumour in May 2002, aged nine. It will be auctioned

  • Bus station revamp gets under way

    WORK got under way yesterday on the £250,000 revamp of Durham City's bus station. Durham County Council is buying the 1970s-built station from bus operator Arriva. The station, in North Road, has been criticised for its shabby, dirty appearance and for

  • Care homes are up for an award

    SIX County Durham care homes have been shortlisted for a Local Government Achievement award. The homes, which are a partnership between Durham County Council and Hanover Housing Association, are in Barnard Castle, Brandon, Consett, Ouston, Seaham and

  • New police number for non-999 calls

    A POLICE telephone line which could be the oldest number across a force will be replaced. The line at Sedgefield police office has been in existence for at least 80 years but is due to be phased out, along with other local numbers, and replaced with a

  • Sparrow rules the roost in North-East

    HOUSE sparrows are the most common birds in North-East gardens, new figures have revealed. The results of the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, the world's biggest bird survey, showed that the sparrow was top of the bird-watching table in County Durham, Tyne

  • Kevin McStea

    Komatsu UK, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, has appointed KEVIN McSTEA as senior manager of its working gear division. Mr McStea, 48, from South Shields, South Tyneside, started his working life with Swan Hunter, on the Tyne, joining Komatsu UK in

  • Eight months in jail for theft of DVDs

    A HEROIN addict who quit York to escape the city's drugs scene was back in court yesterday in Harrogate. Magistrates heard how Deborah Williams, 28, had been made subject to a drug treatment and testing order before she left York last December, intent

  • Silverware puts winning record firmly in the shade

    ANDY O'Brien wants to be remembered on Tyneside as part of a United team that ended the 36-year wait for silverware, rather than a side that broke the Magpies record for consecutive wins. The hard-fought 1-1 draw at Portsmouth may have ended Newcastle's

  • Man dies in road accident

    A YOUNG man died after he was struck by a bus yesterday morning. The man, who is believed to be 21 years old, was crossing the A693 near the junction with Gray Terrace, New Kyo, near Stanley, County Durham, when the accident happened, shortly before 6.40am

  • School sends pupils home as vandal attacks worsen

    A SCHOOL targeted repeatedly by vandals has been so badly damaged that pupils had to be sent home yesterday. In the past week, attackers have smashed 30 windows at Gurney Pease Primary School, in Albert Hill, Darlington, made six holes in the roof and

  • Joining forces in crime fight

    POLICE are promising to crack down on shoplifters, following the launch of a crime fighting partnership. Three constabularies - Cleveland, Durham and North Yorkshire - have joined forces with shopkeeper members of the North-East Retail Crime Partnership

  • Health at risk for 36% who don't exercise

    more than a third of North Yorkshire people are risking major health problems by not exercising enough. A study by Mori and Sheffield Hallam University found only 26 per cent of people living the county exercise for at least 30 minutes, five or more times

  • Eating Owt: A tasty little bit of Italy

    The column accepts an invitation to visit Pepe's place, and finds it anything but heavy going. IMAGINE, gentle reader, the early evening scene. I am staggering the 1,000 yards from this office to Darlington railway station, bearing a large cardboard box

  • Nicola White

    NICOLA WHITE has been appointed as a machinist at Middlesbrough's Cleveland Cascades. Ms White, 21, has five years' experience as a machinist and helped source suitable machinery from the US for the job. "I have really enjoyed getting this new side of

  • Blue plaque for top tourist attraction

    THE building where the real James Herriot lived and worked for many years has won another kind of recognition. The former surgery and home of the late author Alf Wight is now one of the major tourist attractions in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire

  • Christian Johansson

    North-East telecoms company BNS Telecom has established an in-house training team to help prepare recruits for their new roles. CHRISTIAN JOHANSSON has been appointed to lead the team as training co-ordinator. Mr Johansson has worked for banks and companies

  • Surprise £8.5m package for work at junction blackspot

    VILLAGERS are celebrating after a surprise announcement that £8.5m of Government money is to be spent at an accident blackspot. The cash will go towards building a new interchange at the Long Newton junction of the A66 between Darlington and Stockton.

  • Rock band play at opening of club's new football stand

    THE official opening of Darlington Football Club's new North Stand will be launched by rock band Freefaller on Saturday. The foursome, who reached the top ten with their hit Do This Do That last month, will be performing at the club's home game against

  • Go live with the Forum at Easter

    A LIVE music venue is promising an exciting line-up this weekend. The Forum, in Darlington, will play host to bands from Thursday through to Monday. On Thursday, Browser, Hanky Park and La Haine are playing. Hanky Park have recently released an album

  • Row as Tories target illegal traveller sites

    TRESPASS by travellers would be made a criminal offence under a Tory government, party leader Michael Howard said yesterday. He said the measure - part of a crackdown on illegal encampments - was designed to end the abuse of planning law by a small minority

  • Threatened railway handed to the people

    PEOPLE power will hold the key to success for a historic railway line which faces a potential closure threat. Control of the Darlington to Bishop Auckland branch line is to be handed over to a community rail partnership, which will give local people direct

  • Woman suffers head injuries in road accident

    A WOMAN suffered head injuries when she was hit by a bus yesterday morning. Police say the 35-year-old, from Brandon, County Durham, apparently stepped into the path of the vehicle from between a line of parked cars in North Road, Durham. She was struck

  • Late-night row between neighbours ends in tragedy

    A MAN has died after tensions between warring neighbours on a North-East street erupted at the weekend. The 35-year-old man, who has not been named, suffered a heart attack shortly after a confrontation between families in Hundens Lane, Darlington, on

  • Deepcut officers will be forced to give evidence

    SOLDIERS at Deepcut Barracks will be forced to give evidence to a fresh inquiry starting today into the deaths of four recruits from gunshot wounds. The Ministry of Defence said no serving officer - of any rank - would be allowed to refuse to take part

  • Breen won't worry after Caldwell snub

    SUNDERLAND skipper Gary Breen has described Steve Caldwell's international loss as Sunderland's gain in the club's quest for a return to the Premiership. Despite an impressive first season with the Black Cats, since his move from Newcastle United last