Police will be out in force over the Bank Holiday in their continuing effort to keep death and destruction off North Yorkshire's roads. They will be operating extra patrols and speed checks, round-the-clock, as part of Operation Halter - the hard-line
TWO men who have admitted the murder of 36-year-old Keith Philpott face inevitable life sentences, a judge has warned. Relatives of Mr Philpott, who suffered from learning difficulties, wept as Sean Swindon arrived in the dock at Teesside Crown Court
A YOUNG Darlington man narrowly avoided being sent to prison after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified. Robert Thompson, of Portland Place, already had numerous convictions for driving while banned from the roads and has never passed his driving
A DARLINGTON woman died from a drug and alcohol overdose, a court was told. The post mortem examination carried out on Claire Jackson, of Hickstead Court, showed she had injected so much heroin into her system that her body would have shut down immediately
CHILDREN and their teddy bears joined in a storytelling session to promote a new event. The teddy bears' picnic at Geneva Wood, in Darlington, was part of the Tees Forest Storytelling Festival. Youngsters were encouraged to cycle to the wood with members
EULOGIES were paid to a popular pitman and writer at an event staged to celebrate his life and work. Tributes to County Durham author Sid Chaplin were led by his son, Michael, who has followed in his father's footsteps, earning many writing credits to
A MAN caught with a stolen motor scooter when police raided his home has been spared jail. Officers recovered the £2,000 machine at Lee Gibson's address last November. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the bike had been stolen from outside the owner's home
A MAN died suddenly from a fall when he was out walking his dogs, a court was told. The inquest into the death of John Bell, of Lister Terrace, Wolsingham, was held yesterday. The court heard, the 62-year-old was walking his two dogs in the village when
A NETWORK of woodland cycle paths has been sabotaged by a vandal in its opening month. Within weeks of Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman launching the £185,000 track in Hamsterley Forest parts of the route were targeted. A series of incidents of criminal
COUNCILLORS yesterday refused a farmer planning permission to convert a field into a caravan park. George Barker wanted to create a park with space for 40 touring caravans on his land at Kiplin, near Scorton. The proposed site is 300 metres to the south-east
A TRAVELLING community of gipsies was evicted from wasteland by council officials yesterday after a court order was granted. About 20 caravans and vehicles set up home illegally on the council-owned land, close to the Newport Bridge, Stockton. Mike Batty
TEENAGE sailor Sam Henderson returned from the trip of a lifetime in the Tall Ships Race to find a new mode of transport. The 16-year-old arrived home at Kelloe, near Durham City, to find he was getting a 1997 Volkswagen Polo car from his mother, Diane
AN advance warning has been issued to motorists telling them of roadworks that are to be carried out on a busy stretch of road. The westbound section of the A689 between the two roundabouts which lead to Wynyard, near Billingham, will be closed from 8pm
WORK on a £30,000 children's play park has been stopped after complaints from elderly residents. People who live in sheltered accommodation in Leadgate, near Consett, have had problems with crime and anti-social behaviour for the past two years. It had
A THIRD man has appeared in court accused of involvement in the fire death of schoolboy Dean Pike. Trevor Gordon, 21, is charged with the murder of 11-year-old Dean, who died in an alleged arson attack at the home he shared with his mother, Janine Dodds
BARNARD CASTLE SCHOOL: A*-C passes: Abraham, Barnie 10, Ackroyd, Rebecca 7.5, Almond, Catherine 10, Atkins, Charlene 10, Barnett, Kyle 10, Bartlett, Georgina 9, Batchelor, Rebecca 8 Boston, Thomas 10, Bramley, Sarah 10, Brice, Adam 7, Brown, Adam 10,
BARNARD CASTLE SCHOOL: A*-C passes: Abraham, Barnie 10, Ackroyd, Rebecca 7.5, Almond, Catherine 10, Atkins, Charlene 10, Barnett, Kyle 10, Bartlett, Georgina 9, Batchelor, Rebecca 8 Boston, Thomas 10, Bramley, Sarah 10, Brice, Adam 7, Brown, Adam 10,
TOTAL A*-G: S Beecroft 10; H Blenkinsop 8; O Bourke 9; S Bowe 10; M Bowers 10; G Boyers 9; J Bradbury 10; K Bradbury 5; C Britton 8; J Canwell 10; A Cheele 10; E Cojocaru 10; L Collier 9; L Conroy 8; D Coppard 10; D Corbett 10; T Coxon 10; T Craig 11;
A CHAIR used by Admiral Nelson on board HMS Victory has been loaned to a County Durham museum for an exhibition. Kiplin Hall, near Scorton, in North Yorkshire, has lent Nelson's library chair to Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, for display in its forthcoming
A POPULAR market town is in line for a buoyant future if a planning blueprint becomes a reality. Town councillors in Pickering have backed a scheme which outlines ideas for its future as part of the Ryedale Local Development Framework. Clerk Andrew Husband
A CONSTRUCTION company is tackling the industry's skills shortage by recruiting a record number of apprentices. The MMP Group, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, has taken on ten apprentices this year through its Construction Industry Training Board (
GRAFFITI art, skateboarding and film-making are being used to tempt youngsters to explore museums through art. The Urban Art project is taking place across Teesside until October. Workshops and sessions will end with the Urban Art Festival at the R-kade
PLANS to create the first Business Improvement District (BID) in the North-East have moved a step closer. Businesses on the Cowpen Industrial Estate, at Billingham, were sent a questionnaire by the Cowpen Industrial Association, in conjunction with Stockton
NEWCASTLE'S supporters were faced with a difficult dilemma when the final whistle blew at Bolton's Reebok Stadium on Wednesday night - they didn't know who they wanted out of the club first. With the Magpies having slumped to their second defeat of the
RESIDENTS in a seaside town are being urged to give their views on guidelines to help redevelop part of the seafront. Drop-in consultation sessions are being held next week so that residents in Seaton Carew can comment on proposed guidelines for developing
DEVELOPING workforce skills and a multi-million pound local enterprise fund are just two of the topics on the agenda at the Stockton-on-Tees Business Forum. It will meet on Tuesday, September 13, at 4.30pm, in the Swallow Hotel, John Walker Square, Stockton
FIVE food and drink producers and retailers from North Yorkshire have won gold medals in one of the industry's biggest competitions. The firms triumphed at the Great Taste Awards, dubbed the Oscars of the fine food and drink world. Among the companies
St Peter's School, York: Total A*-G GCSEs: N Adams 10; H Armstrong 10; T Atkinson 10; M Baker 10; H Batchelor 10; J Beadnall 10; E Bennett 10; W Bickford Smith 10; S Blackman 10; A Bowler 10; E Buckley 10; H Buss 10; C Coffin 9; D Collingridge 10; C Cronin
TWO cars were racing at speeds up to 80mph when one ploughed head-on into an oncoming car, critically injuring its driver, a court heard yesterday. Teenage drivers David Harrison and Dominic Mitton, both of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, each admitted dangerous
More than two thousand cases of a dangerous new hospital bug have been reported at hospitals across the region. The first set of national statistics on clostridium difficile cases published yesterday suggests that this new hospital health problem is far
While eveything else seems to be going up in price, school uniforms are cheaper than they have been for years. And it all adds up to a much happier start to the new school year for mum and dad. YES, I know it's bank holiday, but have you bought the school
A WARNING was issued over the suitability of some cot side frames applied to beds to prevent people falling out after a fatal accident at a County Durham care home, a court was told yesterday. The Medical Devices Agency (MDA) issued the advice following
THOUSANDS of teenagers across the region have collected record-breaking GCSE results. Provisional scores showed many North-East education authorities achieved significantly better results than last year. The percentage of students achieving at least five
A COLLECTION of 900-year-old bones is helping to shed new light on the struggle for life in medieval England. Twelfth-century attitudes to death have been revealed with evidence of the struggle to save an unborn infant. Experts from English Heritage have
THE most dramatic changes to an historic town centre in more than a century edged closer yesterday as council bosses revealed a massive revamp of traffic systems. Shoppers will see the first major signs of the £6.5m "pedestrian heart" project in Darlington
A mother who admitted killing her 18-month-old daughter through gross negligence walked free from court today. Fiona Milson, 33, of Malton, North Yorkshire, was given a two year community rehabilitation order after the court heard the baby girl had ingested
THE owner of SCA Packaging last night warned that its UK workforce could bear the brunt of a restructuring that will cost 3,600 jobs across Europe. Swedish company Svenska Cellulose employs 7,000 staff across the UK - including hundreds at its SCA Packaging
HUNDREDS of youngsters tried out activities as a summer roadshow rolled into a North-East town. More than 600 children and teenagers took part in a host of sporting and fun activities during day one of the two-day No Messin' event, in Darlington. No Messin
Talking is increasingly difficult for Jackie Thompson, walking impossible. But few people have heard of the degenerative disease which has affected this formerly athletic woman. Now her sister wants to do something about that, she tells Health Editor
THE owner of the Waterstone's chain of bookshops confirmed yesterday that it was in takeover talks with rival Ottakar's. Music, book and DVD retailer HMV Group said it was in the early stages of discussing a bid that could scupper the plans of the founder
Stewart Downing reckons he has the perfect solution to Steve McClaren's striker conundrum - play them all together in a three-pronged attack. Ever since Portsmouth's Aiyegbeni Yakubu was added to Middlesbrough's multi-talented squad - for the tidy sum
A VICIOUS sex attacker is facing a lengthy prison sentence after police cracked a case dating back almost 16 years. Andrew Russell was yesterday found guilty of rape and an attempted serious sexual assault on a woman in Stockton, in December 1989. Last
STEEL group Corus last night reported half-year operating profits of £483m, but warned of tougher conditions ahead due to falling steel prices. The rise, from £195m last year, has been attributed to the group's Restoring Success restructuring plan, which
IT'S summer. Rain has stopped play in the cricket. Critics are belittling the examinations system. It's quite predictable. It is worth repeating that this regular criticism must be demoralising for both pupils and teachers. Any improvements that teachers
THE detective took a deep breath and steeled herself for one of the most difficult phone calls she had ever had to make. She punched in the number and waited for an answer, not knowing what sort of reaction she was going to get. But the long-serving and
RESIDENT EVIL OUTBREAK FILE # 2 Format: PS2 Publisher: Capcom Price: £39.99 Family friendly? Hey, we're talking about reanimated corpses that eat people here. THIS year is a great time to be a zombie. After the unexpected success of 28 Days Later and
THE Ashes are still hot yet already there is talk of Graeme Souness becoming the first managerial casualty of the football season. Given that he was widely considered an unwise appointment in the first place, surely Freddie Shepherd will be too pig-headed
CHRISTIAN BASSILA has been hailed as the man to make Sunderland a tougher proposition after the defensive midfielder was persuaded to reject the chance to play in Italy and France in favour of a move to Wearside. Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy personally
STEEL group Corus last night reported half-year operating profits of £483m, but warned of tougher conditions ahead due to falling steel prices. The rise, from £195m last year, has been attributed to the group's Restoring Success restructuring plan, which
We've heard a lot about the dangers of fast food recently, but there's another development which is every bit as hazardous as fat-filled burgers and fries. Fast justice. Maybe some of you remember the days when the arrest of a suspect - note that word
Team captains Colin Montgomerie (Great Britain & Ireland) and Jos Maria Olazbal (Continental Europe) have agreed to change the format for naming the players competing in the singles matches at next month's Seve Trophy in line with the method used
YES, I know it's bank holiday, but have you bought the school uniforms? Given the way children grow - so inconsiderate of them - it makes sense to leave buying a new uniform until the last possible minute. But that minute is almost upon you... And the
BOB Hamlett is living proof that you are never too old to learn. As a nine-year-old boy he watched the future King Edward VIII arrive in Middlesbrough to officially open Constantine College, the forerunner of the University of Teesside. Now, at the age
PROTESTORS last night vowed to continue objecting to a nightclub's extended opening hours, after it was given permission to open until 6am two nights a week. Escapade, in Gladstone Street, Darlington, yesterday had its opening hours extended to 6am on
TEENAGE sailor Sam Henderson returned from the trip of a lifetime in the Tall Ships Race to find a new mode of transport. The 16-year-old arrived home at Kelloe, near Durham City, to find he was getting a 1997 Volkswagen Polo car from his mother, Diane
TWO men yesterday pleaded guilty to drunkenly vandalising a community sculpture carved by children. Jonathon Champion, 19, of Rowlands, in Gayle, near Hawes, North Yorkshire, and Henry Parkin, 20, of Field Gate Farm, Bainbridge, near Leyburn, admitted
A MAN and a woman from Hartlepool have been charged following alleged thefts from businesses in Barnard Castle. Steven Holtom, aged 25, of Derwent Road, appeared before South Durham magistrates yesterday charged with stealing jewellery worth £4,000 from
THE torrential rain that has drenched parts of the region recently may have been fine weather for ducks. But not for one special bird, which has waddled into the hamlet of Cowshill, in Upper Weardale, County Durham. The Shooting Duck, winner of the scarecrow
AN elderly cyclist who was knocked from his bike on a south Durham road was yesterday said to be improving. Police confirmed yesterday that the 74-year-old man's condition had picked up and said he was in a serious but stable condition at James Cook University
A MAN died suddenly from a fall when he was out walking his dogs, a court was told. The inquest into the death of John Bell, of Lister Terrace, Wolsingham, was held yesterday. The court heard, the 62-year-old was walking his two dogs in the village when
A FOUR-YEAR project to modernise a village hall will come to an end next week when it is officially re-opened. The chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, Della Cannings, will perform the ceremony on Friday at Thornton-le-Street and North Kilvington
COUNCILLORS adjourned a meeting about a village pub's application to extend its opening hours yesterday. Landlord Peter Hamilton wants The Hardwick Arms, in Sedgefield, to open longer. The pub's licence enables it to serve alcohol between 11am and 11pm
A FORMER councillor who twice served as a town's mayor has died. Marjorie Carr was a member of Peterlee Town Council, in County Durham, for more than 20 years. She first served as a councillor for the Eden Hill area of the town and then became the representative
PEOPLE who want to take up a new activity can find out at a town's library what courses are available. Chester-le-Street Library, in Station Road, will host an exhibition on local adult education courses next week, from Tuesday to Saturday. As well as
A SURVEY is being undertaken to count Teesside's bat population, thanks to a grant. Besides discovering how many of the flying mammals there are, members of the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust are to encourage residents to grow plants in their garden to attract
A MAN will celebrate his 21st birthday in style when he jumps from a plane in aid of charity. Dean Watts, from Redcar, will perform the sky dive in Sunderland on Thursday to raise money for the Ian Bowen Memorial Fund, a regional branch of Cardiac Risk
NEWCASTLE finally captured one of their leading summer targets last night when Deportivo La Coruna agreed to accept an offer of around £10m for striker Albert Luque. But, while chairman Freddy Shepherd spent yesterday frantically trying to tie up a deal
A BUSINESSMAN travelled the world selling jewellery using fake passports, a court was told. George McCormack, 51, had jewellery from Asia copied in Columbia and sold it on in South America and Europe. But Newcastle Crown Court heard yesterday how the
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a giant hen house on a hillside won council backing yesterday, despite objections from local people. The unit at Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton, will be more than five metres high, 18 metres wide and nearly 120 metres long
Jonjo Dickman reckons new team-mate Anthony Peacock has been like a 'breath of fresh air' since he joined him in the side. The former Sunderland midfielder has been in sparkling form himself since Peacock was brought in to play alongside him at Grimsby
POPULAR butcher Dirk Pittaway is handing over the reins of his family business after 27 years. The 58-year-old took charge at the Pittaway Butchers Shop, in Borough Road, Darlington, in 1978. But now, after years of dividing his time between the shop
MARIE Curie Cancer Care is looking for runners to take part in this year's Great North Run. The charity is inviting people who have a place in this year's event to join the Marie Curie Cancer Care team and help to raise funds. The charity provides free
ONE woman was so moved by a visit to Winkies Castle that she burst into tears. The emotional visitor is one of hundreds who have toured the tiny terraced cottage. Once home to cobbler Jack Anderson, it has now been transformed into a community folk museum
A NETWORK of woodland cycle paths has been sabotaged by a vandal in its opening month. Within weeks of Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman launching the £185,000 track in Hamsterley Forest parts of the route were targeted. A series of incidents of criminal
A NEWLY-OPENED martial arts club is looking for members to learn Brazilian jujitsu. Shaun Matthews, from The Redcar Martial Arts Club, is one of a handful of UK teachers of this method of self-defence, which relies on manipulating the opponent to obtain
THOUSANDS of homes and businesses lost their electricity supply yesterday because of a fault in overhead power lines. The power cut hit 3,600 customers in villages near Durham City, including Bowburn, Coxhoe, Croxdale, Shincliffe and Tursdale at 6.15am
WATERCOLOUR artist Janet Outhwaite showed children how to experiment and enjoy colouring in the landscape with watercolours at Kirkleatham Museum this week. The free event, from 10am to 4pm on Tuesday, included the Puffins, Paddling and Piers exhibition
TOTAL A*-G: C Affleck 10; T Alderson 5.5; J Anderson 10; L Armstrong 10; Louise Armstrong 10; N. Armstrong 8.5; D Atkinson 10; L Bainbridge 10; J Baldasera 10; J Balfour 8.5; K Bannister10; M Barry 10; R Beaumont10; D Bedford 8; A Beeson 9; S Bishop 10
PILATES classes are to be launched in Scruton, Romanby and Ainderby Steeple. Instructor Gail Rennison will lead the classes, which strengthen and tone the body through controlled movements. The classes are suitable for all ages and abilities and help
STORIES of local births, deaths and marriages are just one of the attractions during a weekend of activities in Swainby. Swainby History Group has organised the history weekend in aid of the village hall refurbishment fund. The event is launched in the
A NATIONAL sailing competition takes place in the North-East this weekend. Tees and Hartlepool Yacht Club, at Hartlepool Marina, will host one of the Laser International World qualifying rounds. Lasers are single-handed sailing dinghies sailed up to and
THE Ashes are still hot yet already there is talk of Graeme Souness becoming the first managerial casualty of the football season. Given that he was widely considered an unwise appointment in the first place, surely Freddie Shepherd will be too pig-headed
A CROSS-DRESSING farmer is hoping for fame and fortune after stealing the show on national television. Ken Prestidge wowed viewers when he appeared on ITV's The X Factor as a drag queen. The 51-year-old dairy farmer from Redmire, near Leyburn, in North
A THIRD man has appeared in court accused of involvement in the fire death of schoolboy Dean Pike. Trevor Gordon, 21, is charged with the murder of 11-year-old Dean, who died in an alleged arson attack at the home he shared with his mother, Janine Dodds
ON a day when winner finding looks devilishly difficult, Damelza (3.35) may yet come to punters' rescue at Thirsk. Tim Easterby's filly created an extremely favourable impression when finishing in third spot on her Doncaster debut in July. But instead
A VICIOUS sex attacker is facing a lengthy prison sentence after police cracked a case dating back almost 16 years. Andrew Russell was yesterday found guilty of rape and an attempted serious sexual assault on a woman in Stockton, in December 1989. Last
A MAN who repeatedly indulged in sexual activity with a young girl was yesterday sent to prison for eight years. The sentence was imposed on 41-year-old Alan Brown after he was convicted of 11 offences, including four of rape, on the same girl. He will
RESIDENT EVIL OUTBREAK FILE # 2, Format: PS2, Publisher: Capcom, Price: £39.99. Family friendly? Hey, we're talking about reanimated corpses that eat people here. THIS year is a great time to be a zombie. After the unexpected success of 28 Days Later
PRINCESS BEATRICE: Re Sharon Griffiths's comments about the interview with Princess Beatrice (Echo, Aug 10). The interview was conducted by Geordie Greig, who is a well respected gentleman. His family have had connections with the Royal Family since the
A MOTHER last night relived the moment she believed a young thug was going to kill her ten-month-old daughter. Sarah Ali was left battered and bruised by a teenager who tried to snatch her from her pushchair. When he failed to free her straps he launched
A ROYAL Navy veteran, aged 101, has won his battle to have his toenails cut for free on the National Health Service (NHS). Raymond Perrett is believed to be the last surviving crew member of HMS Victory, Nelson's famous flagship, when it was still afloat
In the week that physiotherapists urged students to improve their text life, Health Editor Barry Nelson examines the hidden health hazards in everyday gadgets. TECHNOLOGY plays a vital part in daily life. But are we paying a hidden but dangerous price
Anti-viral drugs are being stockpiled, chickens are being brought inside,and yesterday vetinary experts from across the EU met to consider how they can avert a crisis. Nick Morrison looks at the virus which experts believe could claim millions of lives
THE firecrackers from the mock naval battle on the lake in nearby Peasholm Park were as powerful as ever yesterday, but the cricket at Scarborough was a damp squib. The first of three showers which interrupted play arrived at 12.30, and the third, at
Loose Women (ITV1) Animal Park (BBC2) OLYMPIC rower James Cracknell confessed to being nervous as he took his place between four Loose Women. This may sound like a man's dream position but Cracknell and other male guests tend to break out in a cold sweat
PEOPLE living in parts of the North-East have the same poor quality of health as former Communist countries such as Bulgaria and Hungary, according to researchers. Experts from the North-East Public Health Observatory (PHO) discovered just how far the
A SCHOOL in Darlington was celebrating yesterday after breaking the borough record for GCSE results. This year, 91 per cent of Carmel RC Technology College students gained at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C - the benchmark to continue in education.
