WORK has started on a £5m office development that could bring 1,000 jobs to the region. The next phase of the Lingfield Point business park, on the outskirts of Darlington, has begun, with 100,000 sq feet of office space being created on a single floor
An 'armed' robber who tried to escape four armed police units by jumping on a rural bus has been jailed. Simon Andrew North, 38, botched his attempt to rob a Halifax Bank and decided to escape - by running on a bus. Police officers simply checked the
MORE than £50m-worth of clothing from China has been prevented from entering the UK, a trade body has warned. As a result, some shops could run out of some items in the coming months, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said. The clothing has been prevented
TAKEOVER target Somerfield was yesterday urged by shareholders not to accept a cut-price offer. The comments in the Financial Times came as hopes began to fade that the supermarket group would be the subject of a two-way bidding war. The Bristol-based
The mystery surrounding the so-called "Piano Man" seemed to be solved yesterday after it was revealed that he was a 20-year-old German and that his condition had suddenly improved markedly. The man was found wandering near a beach on the Isle of Sheppey
A little girl was close to death after being bitten by a poisonous snake bite at an idyllic North-East beauty spot. Corinne Kerr's dad Billy didn't believe his eight-year-old had been bitten by a snake until she started to vomit and her foot swelled up
Taxidermy: Stuff The World (BBC2) God's Rottweiler? (C4) JEANNETTE showed us the contents of her fridge in Taxidermy: Stuff The World. "Okay, we got some testicles. Elk testicles. They are some big boys. These are deer testicles, antelope testicles. People
MORE than half of all anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) are breached in part of the region -with some being broken up to 15 times. However, only a third of the breaches have ended in jail terms, leaving yobs to roam free and menace neighbours. Figures
GUY Wilks is hoping to use his experience of the Rally Deutschland to maintain his lead in the Junior World Rally Championship. Darlington's Wilks is one of the few drivers taking part who have previously driven the course, and wants to make sure that
TOTTENHAM are ready to test troubled Newcastle United's resolve by making a renewed £8m bid for unsettled midfielder Jermaine Jenas this week. Having already tried to tempt Newcastle earlier this summer with a £6m offer for the 22-year-old, Spurs remain
THE deadline is fast approaching for young people across the Darlington area to be nominated for awards. Entries have been flooding in for the Vibe Awards 2005, a scheme which celebrates the achievements of local youngsters. A ceremony takes place at
TOP-WEIGHT may not be enough to prevent La Persiana (4.15) landing the richest race of the day, Yarmouth's £28,000 totesport Virginia Handicap. For followers of the record books, La Persiana is bidding to go one better having finished runner-up in the
A month after the shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes and, far from showing signs of abating, the controversy is growing. Nick Morrison looks at the calls for prosecutions and resignations - and how they could hamper the fight against terrorism. AT first
A LIFEBELT that could have saved the lives of a mother and her two children was taken by "mindless" vandals days before they drowned in a stormy sea. Kim Barrett, 33, died after jumping into high waves to try to rescue her son, Luke Greenwood, 11, after
A sharp-eyed detective who helped foil a major organised crime syndicate has been praised by Durham's Chief Constable. Det Constable Nigel Crampton was hailed by Chief Constable Paul Garvin after rumbling men trying to steal from a cash machine. The 28
DIAMOND couple Kenneth and Kathleen Watson celebrated 60 years of wedded bliss yesterday. The couple, of Carmel Road South, Darlington, were married at St Luke's Church, in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1945. Darlington-born Mr Watson, 81, married on his
A NORTH Yorkshire woman is in the final of a national cookery competition. Mother-of-four Irene Bell is one of three finalists in the New Covent Garden Food Company's annual Create a Soup competition, run in the BBC Good Food Magazine. Mrs Bell, from
DURHAM are trying to register Jamaican left-arm spinner Ryan Cunningham with a view to having him in the squad for the four-day match against Yorkshire at Scarborough starting tomorrow. Cunningham has been playing club cricket in Essex and is married
BOOKIES are used to taking money from unlucky punters, but a Darlington betting shop is looking to give cash back to the community. Ladbrokes, in Neasham Road, has been running a raffle for the past few weeks and the proceeds will go towards its community
A MAN with a drug habit may escape a prison sentence if he proves he is suitable for strict probation regime to overcome his addiction, a court heard. James Etheridge breached a previously-imposed community rehabilitation order by altering a doctor's
CLOSER collaboration between the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to bring a swifter delivery of justice in County Durham and Darlington. The two agencies have been working together as part of a national initiative to increase the number
AN education and exercise programme to help diabetics enjoy a better quality of life got under way yesterday. The ten-week project, run by Derwentside Primary Care Trust, is aimed at people suffering from type two diabetes mellitus in the district. Patients
A NEW competition at this year's Peterlee Show has been organised to test the skills of BMX riders. The first Peterlee BMX Cup championship is to be staged on Sunday, September 4. Competitors will be given three minutes to impress the judges with a freestyle
SIX disabled riders from Teesside have been placed in national horse riding championships. In 2000, only one rider representing the Disabled Association's Unicorn Centre at Hemlington, Middlesbrough, qualified. But this year, six have successfully competed
PLANS for a £1.2m training centre were announced yesterday. It will provide courses in building trades, such as bricklaying and plumbing, as well as gardening, computing and music for young people in Barnard Castle. It will be run by Teesdale Community
THE headquarters of Durham County Council is seeking a drinks licence until 2am. County Hall, at Aykley Heads, Durham, has a bar and also stages functions, including weddings. Its current licence runs from 11am to 11pm but, as part of its application
POLICE and trading standards officials have warned that underage alcohol sales will not be tolerated following the successful prosecution of a shop worker. James Pailor, 19, of St Luke's Court, Hartlepool, was fined £100 with £100 costs when he appeared
TEESSIDE will have a definite French flavour over the bank holiday weekend when traders from across the Channel set up their stalls. For two days, 25 stalls will be in Stockton's Dovecot Street selling a variety of home grown French produce, including
A PERSISTENT offender has been locked up for two years after tearing across a children's play area in a stolen van. Disqualified driver David Joynes was arrested after a police pursuit that ended when the vehicle got stuck in a play area at Kenilworth
YOUNG people from Darlington are reaching new heights this week as a trampolining course is being staged at Hummersknott Comprehensive School. The classes are running until Friday from 2pm and 5pm, with three one-hour sessions each day. The first hour
A GROUP of four girls have been questioned after several cars were damaged in a Teesdale village. Three 12-year-old girls and one 13-year-old girl from the Sunderland area were detained after a number of motor vehicles parked in the main street at Cotherstone
WORK on parks and gardens in a North Yorkshire district cost £1,826,721 last year. Harrogate Borough Council's parks section spent the money -amounting to 28 per cent of the leisure department's total costs. The department's total spend was £6,541,503
ENVIRONMENTALLY friendly holidays are now available to visitors to the county. This week, seven holidaymakers are staying in an eco-friendly youth hostel, eating local produce and travelling by bio-diesel powered vehicles. During their stay at Lockton
A TRAINEE priest is taking time out from his studies to work with street children in Ethiopia. Mike Fitzsimons, who is training for the priesthood at Ushaw College, the seminary near Durham City, is spending two months in Mekele, in the Tigray region
THE legal firm which is heading the UK's claims against the makers of Vioxx painkillers has been contacted by North-East patients. People from the region are among the hundreds of British patients who are hoping to make claims against drug company Merck
Though Albert Gillett was only half of G&B, the chocolate and cream bus company which for 50 years ran steady away around the pit communities of Co Durham, he was wholly devoted to Sunderland FC. Albert was so indelibly red and white, in fact, that
MICK McCarthy is desperate to avoid racking up his own 'dirty dozen' this evening, but the Sunderland boss has insisted the club's run of 11 consecutive Premiership defeats is a poor reflection of reality. Prior to the start of this season, McCarthy's
A father and son have made history by being the first to officiate together a professional game of football. Referee Clive Oliver, 43, and son Michael, 19, are thought to be the first father and son to take charge of a professional British game - in last
It was a bit of a Spanish affair, when the column indulged in a meal, cafe style, on the sunny streets of Darlington. There are problems with the Caf Society, and not just that folk suppose al fresco either to be Sunderland's new left back or the supermarket
MIDDLESBROUGH have warned clubs interested in signing Mark Viduka to stay away - as manager Steve McClaren aims to help the Aussie become one of the best strikers in the Premiership again. There have been repeated suggestions that Viduka could be allowed
NEW PUB: I read that Darlington councillors are set to agree to plans for the new public house at West Park (Echo, Aug 18) despite many letters of objection. The pub is to be built next to the newly-opened Alderman Leach School. As a parent of two young
Bums on seats don't tell the whole story, but nearly a million youngsters turning out to welcome the Pope in Germany must be a healthy sign for the Catholic church in Europe. This was not a sort of Glastonbury on the Rhine - a mess of druggies and noise
A MOTHER'S desperate attempt to save her son's life as he choked to death on a kebab was captured in a 999 call. As Michelle Curtis fought to save ten-year-old son Christopher's life, she pleaded to an emergency operator: "Please, he's dying. His pulse
A RAIL company has apologised to scores of passengers forced to stand for large parts of their journey in soaring temperatures because of a shortage of train carriages. First TransPennine Express said one of its trains overheated and broke down in the
Which market town is the best in England? Experts have whittled dozens down to the last 15 - and Mayor John Yarker believes his North-East "gem" should take the crown. He said yesterday that Barnard Castle, County Durham, which was built around a fortress
PAULINE James, in hard hat, cap lamp and wellies, is standing up to her ankles in water in a tunnel in the dark, explaining how lead mines work. Outside in the sunshine, Ruth Lax has been feeding the hens and collecting eggs. Later they might dig the
Patients could be forced to wait 18 months for life saving cancer drugs in an NHS postcode lottery. Hospitals have withdrawn a new drug for bowel cancer, leaving sufferers panic-stricken. Cancer charities said today that patients "did not have the time
Councillors in Darlington are to discuss the use of new powers to curb anti-social tenants. At present, all council tenants in the borough have a secure tenancy agreement or, if it is their first tenancy with the authority, an introductory tenancy. This
AN estate agency has seen turnover rise above £2m within six months of opening. Homes and Finance, in Yarm, Teesside, is planning to grow across the Tees Valley over the next two years. Property hotspots such as Yarm, Ingleby Barwick and Eaglescliffe,
A FOOD distribution company that has a centre in Durham has been bought by its management team and yesterday announced plans to expand. Woodward Foodservice, which supplies food to pubs, restaurants, hotels and schools, was formerly part of the Big Food
IT solutions company Technology Services Group (TSG), based in Newcastle, has upgraded its computer systems with help from communications company Executel. Executel, based in Gateshead, replaced outdated technology at TSG's Edinburgh office as part of
A POLICE officer who swapped his North-East beat for the heat and danger of post-war Iraq is finding it a life changing experience. PC Kevin Woodcock's last job in Bishop Auckland police station, County Durham, was behind a desk as part of a communications
MARTIN Scott tonight gets his first taste of North-East derby action in ten years, vowing to make the experience a far happier occasion. Back in September 1996, Sunderland defender Scott put his side ahead against Newcastle United at Roker Park, before
A LIFEBELT that could have saved a mother and her two children was taken by "mindless" vandals days before they drowned in a stormy sea. An emotional inquest yesterday heard how Kim Barrett, 33, died after jumping into high waves to try to rescue her
IF The Northern Echo were to advocate a statue to commemorate the life and works of every member of the New Labour Government to have been returned by a North-East constituency, the region would quickly become cluttered. The Blair obelisk, the Milburn
A STRANGER who allegedly beat and raped a young woman in a car park stairwell appeared in court yesterday almost 16 years after the attack. Andrew Russell, now 31, is alleged to have grabbed his victim by her hair, repeatedly punched her, and raped her
OWNERS of a butcher's shop in a North-East market town have been fined after an accident in which an employee lost three fingers. Public health watchdogs in Teesdale have warned traders and employers to take their health and safety obligations seriously
THE North-East public are being asked for their views on a lasting tribute to Mo Mowlam and what form it should take. Dr Mowlam was MP for Redcar, east Cleveland, between 1987 and 2001 and her death on Friday produced a wealth of tributes. Redcar MP Vera
ENGINEERING services group Amec confirmed last night that it is bidding to be project manager on the £1.7bn Olympic games contract. The Government is expected to call in a project manager from the private sector to stop costs spiralling out of control
FIREFIGHTERS handing out safety leaflets at a popular beauty spot saved an eight-year-old girl from drowning. The youngster, from Hartlepool, had got into difficulties ten metres from the bank at Cod Beck Reservoir, near Osmotherley, North Yorkshire,
COUNTERFEITERS who sell fakes at car boot sales will face tougher penalties if a new Bill is approved. The move will give councils greater powers to crack down on sellers and organisers. They will be outlined in a Private Member's Bill to be announced
When Tiger Woods turned professional in 1996 the golf world knew he was good. Then everybody waited to see just how good. Nine years on and there is no doubt we are witnessing one of the greatest careers in sporting history. That's how good. Not 30 until
A COUNCIL is to begin consultations over changes in services for people with learning disabilities that could see up to six day centres being closed. One of the centres which could be closed is the Pontop Centre at Annfield Plain, near Stanley, and Durham
VILLAGERS are being urged to get behind a campaign to restore a pit banner to its former glory and make a replica of it to march at the Durham Miners Gala. The Esh Winning Colliery Banner Group has been set up to raise money for the restoration of the
A PRIMARY school is looking forward to the new season after celebrating cup success in athletics and football. Cockton Hill Junior School's football squad went unbeaten at the end of last term to win the Bishop Auckland Primary Schools Football Association
ENERGETIC people in Stockton are being invited to take part in an exciting regional health and fitness initiative next week. Stockton Borough Council is taking part in the Million Mile Walk as part of the Million Miles Challenge, which is a campaign running
Contractors who were brought in to work on a £680,000 sea defence scheme have completed 75 per cent of the improvements. Skinningrove was badly hit by flooding in July and November 2000 when high tides coincided with heavy rainfall to overwhelm the beck
PLANS to build a caravan park on land near a controversial racetrack have divided a village. Landowner George Barker has applied for permission to convert a grass field at Kiplin, near Scorton, into a caravan park with space for 40 touring caravans. The
CHILDREN tried their hands at juggling, spinning and clowning around yesterday when a circus skills workshop arrived on Teesside. Youngsters had the time of their lives at Preston Park Museum, in Eaglescliffe, where Stockton Borough Council countryside
PLANS for the latest phases of work on the £5m refurbishment of a leisure centre have been submitted to council chiefs. The revamp of the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, includes a new caf and bar with ground floor access, improvements to the reception
CONSULTATION letting people comment on controversial plans to build on a town car park has been called a waste of money. Richmondshire District Council will submit a planning application for housing on Yorke Square Car Park, Richmond. If the authority's
A STALWART of amateur footballer who earned accolades as a player and referee has died at the age of 80. Joe Welsh, from Lanchester, County Durham, collected 40 trophies in his sporting career. Away from the pitch he was a lecturer at Durham Technical
DARLINGTON will this morning learn whether or not goalkeeper Sam Russell will be fit to face Hartlepool United at Victoria Park tonight. Manager David Hodgson yesterday prepared for the worst possible outcome when he recalled Bertrand Bossu from Accrington
Health bosses have banned district nurses from going into shops and commercial buildings in uniform as part of the fight against superbugs. About 300 community nurses across Sunderland, who visit patients in their homes, have been told not to use any
THERE are problems with the Caf Society, and not just that folk suppose al fresco either to be Sunderland's new left back or the supermarket manager in Coronation Street. Another is pests; what might be termed outside interference. Some are what the Palm
OWNERS of a butcher's shop in a North-East market town have been fined after an accident in which an employee lost three fingers. Public health watchdogs in Teesdale have warned traders and employers to take their health and safety obligations seriously
AMBULANCE bosses have rejected claims that lives are being lost due to service changes and cutbacks. Up to three people may have died because some 999 calls made on Teesside are now handled by controllers in York, according to newspaper reports. It is
