POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a 15-year-old girl was the victim of a sex attack as she walked to a friend's house. A man - sporting a distinctive bulldog tattoo on one arm - pulled up in a car in Barnard Castle, County Durham, and began talking
A TEENAGER was today arrested following a raid by armed police on an address in Middlesbrough. Streets surrounding the Victoria Road house were cordoned off in the swoop by Cleveland Police. A 17-year-old youth was arrested and taken into police custody
A planned strike by thousands of railway signal workers during England's World Cup game with Sweden next week, which would have caused travel chaos for North-East football fans has been called off. The Rail Maritime and Transport union took the decision
A POLICE chief has blasted as "fools" motorists who fail to wear seatbelts and use mobile phones while driving. Cleveland Police today revealed the results of an operation which has netted hundreds of irresponsible drivers; resulting in 468 prosecutions
Specialist police officers in Durham are to use camcorders to capture evidence of domestic violence after force bosses warned they expect an increase in drink-fuelled incidents as England continue their World Cup campaign. The force fears highly-strung
More than 50 anglers in the region have been hit with fines and court costs totalling nearly 6,000 after being caught in a blitz on licence dodgers. The Environment Agency prosecuted 53 anglers in May for fishing without a valid rod licence, with fines
THE partner of a man found dead on the stairs of his home is to be appear in court charged with his murder. Postman Philip Hewitt, 32, a father of three, was found at his rented house on the Sherburn Road Estate, in Durham, on Tuesday. Teresa Milburn
DOGS' DAY: A dog agility class, fly ball, dog races, classes and games will be held at a family fun day organised by Greyhounds Galore and Save Our Strays, at the Cheshire home, Redcar Road, Marske, on Saturday, from 11am until 4pm. Greyhounds Galore
ANYONE who travelled regularly on trains along a rural track before it was shut by then British Rail chief Dr Richard Beeching, is being asked record their memories about it for future generations. A project has been launched to tell the 103-year history
A FLOWER and music festival is being held this weekend to celebrate the re-building of a church that was gutted by fire eight years ago St Brandon's Church, in Brancepeth, reopened last October, following the blaze in 1998 that severly damaged the grade
A TEACHER is raising funds to enable colleagues to travel to Sri Lanka to teach children orphaned in the 2004 tsunami. Sedgefield Primary School teacher Helena Teasdale, 26, from Ingleton, near Darlington, needs to raise £1,400 to cover costs for travel
TEDDY bears are encouraging their young owners to love books through activities at a Bishop Auckland library. A group of under-fives took their bears along to Woodhouse Close library this week for stories and activities organised by staff and Sure Start
YOUNGSTERS were cooking up a storm this week as they took part in a culinary competition at their school. Pupils from King James I Community Arts College, in Bishop Auckland, put their skills to the test in On Your Marks... Get Set, Cook!, which was held
SPORTY Max Robson has proved he's got real pedal power - at the age of nine. The youngster completed a 50-mile bicycle ride to raise money for the children's unit at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton. Along with his parents, Jackie and Demitrios
A NURSING assistant has been named student of the year by the college which runs her distance learning course. Jacqueline Anderson received the Network Training distance learning award from East Durham and Houghall Community College. The Sedgefield
USERS of County Durham's network of footpaths are being asked to take part in an Internet survey that could lead to better access of the countryside. Durham County Council is drawing up a management improvement plan which will examine the extent of access
A VILLAGE of two halves is to celebrate the regeneration of the road that once divided it. The Chilton Carnival will take place at Chilton Primary School on July 22, between 10.30am and 5pm. The celebration marks the end of the redevelopment of the road
A PROJECT is hoping to increase schoolchildren's knowledge of Germany through sport. The World Cup will be the focus for primary schools in County Durham as they make links with children in Kreis Wesel, Germany. In the next few months, schools across
A SWINGING 60s dance is being organised as part of a summer gala in Ferryhill. Ferryhill Town Council and Ferryhill 2000 Committee will hold the dance in St Luke's Parish Centre, on Saturday August 12, from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. The event is part of Ferryhill's
THE race to win the coveted Future Business Magnates title is now balanced on a knife-edge after a stunning late surge by Fyndoune College narrowed the gap at the top to just two points. The team of budding entrepreneurs from St Leonard's school, who
VILLAGERS in Sedgefield can put an end to a lengthy debate over the future of their community facilities by voting in an official referendum. All residents are being urged to share their views on proposals for two of the village's community buildings
BUDDING David Beckhams from north Durham have beaten off competition from all over the country to reach the finals of the Under-11s Sainsbury's England Schools FA (ESFA) Cup. The footballers from the Chester-le-Street District Schools' Football Association
A CHARITY that provides counselling for Durham people who get into trouble with debt has been given a boost by a local church. An auction organised by members of Emmanuel Church Durham, at Framwellgate Moor Community Centre, on Saturday night, raised
A TOWN'S connection with one of Britain's best known composers is celebrated at the weekend with a series of musical events. Bishop Auckland Music Society, in County Durham, has arranged five concerts celebrating the work of Sir Edward Elgar, who was
YOUNGSTERS are helping teaching assistants to hone their skills at creative workshops on Teesside. Stockton visual arts centre Spark is hosting a number of teaching assistants at a series of free, practical development days, organised by Creative Partnerships
A MAYOR has made an unusual request in a bid to get people drinking more sensibly. Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond has asked bars and clubs in the town to slash the prices of soft drinks as part of a campaign to encourage people to drink less alcohol
COMMUNICATION links to Stockton Borough Council, Tees Active and Tristar Homes are up and running again following technical problems. E-mail and computer systems were lost for much of Monday and Tuesday after an electrical fault led to an air conditioning
ANOTHER North Yorkshire town is to take part in a mass clean-up campaign. Stokesley will next week become the venue for the third Operation Enable in Hambleton. Led by the Community Safety Partnership, rubbish will be cleared, signs repaired, home safety
A BREATH of fresh air is making its way into hundreds of taxis with one of the country's first smoke-free initiatives. From this month, the majority of hackney carriage and private-hire vehicles in Stockton have pledged to keep their vehicles smoke-free
PARENTS have expressed fears for their children's safety after two pupils were knocked down in a school car park.Two children were involved in a collision with a reversing car at Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Northallerton, at 8.45am on Tuesday. One
YOUNG footballers from north Durham representing England in an international soccer tournament coinciding with the World Cup, will kick off their campaign tomorrow. Consett YMCA Juniors under-17s is one of 21 teams that will take part in the competition
Controversial plans for a mountain biking centre have been narrowly approved. Members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's planning committee voted in favour of the development at Field Barn, in Fremington, near Reeth, by just one vote. Dales
PEOPLE who use County Durham's network of footpaths are being asked to take part in an Internet survey that could lead to better access of the countryside. Durham County Council is drawing up a management improvement plan to examine the extent of access
OLDER people interested in tracing their family tree are invited to learn how to use the Internet. Classes will be held at Stanley Library on the third Friday of the month, from 10am to noon, at Consett Library on the last Friday in the month, from
A FREE environmentally-friendly festival for all the family is to take place in north Durham this weekend. The Action-Packed Futures 2006 event will be on King's Head playing fields in Stanley, from 11am to 5pm, on Sunday. One of the attractions is a
YOUNGSTERS are being given the chance to travel back in time and explore the history of the Yorkshire Dales. The Yorkshire Dales Young Archaeologists' Club is inviting children and their families to see what the club is all about and meet leader Keith
CHILDREN from nine primary schools around Northallerton have produced banners depicting Bible stories with water as their theme. They will be displayed outside the town hall during a week-long summer celebration called Water is Life, which is organised
TODDLERS from a North Yorkshire village are putting their best foot forward to support a children's charity. Today's Barnardo's Big Toddle, supported by Timberland, is in its tenth year and each year thousands of under fives take part. Borrowby Playgroup
A LORD of the manor has backed controversial plans for five soccer pitches and an extra cricket pitch to be created on land he owns. Sir Thomas Ingilby, of Ripley Castle, between Harrogate and Ripon, has written to planners urging them to approve the
A MANCHESTER United football shirt signed by World Cup star Wayne Rooney is up for grabs in Richmond this weekend. The signed shirt is just one of the lots in a silent auction being held at Richmond CE Primary School's Summer Fair on Saturday, from 2pm
A SERIES of fun events is being lined up for the summer by The Clock youth group. For the third year, the Thirsk youth group has organised events from next month until September to cater for all tastes and ages. They include a trip to Alton Towers, white
A DRIVER was jailed after he tried to outrun a police helicopter and failed. Stephen Swainson, 21, abandoned his Vauxhall Corsa after a 70mph police chase through Middlesbrough and Thornaby, but the helicopter's heat-seeking camera found him hiding on
SNAILS from Thirsk helped raise £120 for a rehabilitation charity in the North-West. Hambleton Snail Race was held during Herriot Happenings, a week-long celebration of Herriot Country, at Thirsk Races, earlier this month. The money was made from the
YOUNGSTERS at a Teesside school have been serving up their new-found skills as part of a technology week. The pupils from Bydales School, Marske, have been developing their knowledge through a wide variety of projects, including Hell's Kitchen, crime
DADS are being encouraged to raise the skull and crossbones for a fun pirate-themed day. The Sure Start Middlesbrough Father's Day event will include pirate acts and storytellers, sea-faring tunes from folk musician Richard Grainger, a performance from
YOUNG Craig Harris has had a difficult time since his sister - you remember, the wench with the wrench - killed his father, and his mother went to prison. Just as everything is coming up Rosie (that's his girlfriend), grandad Keith decides to leave Coronation
THE class war's over. What we're facing now, as the 'baby boomers' reach pension age, is the generation war. Or that's what some commentators are predicting. The argument goes that today's pensioners have never had it so good. They've retired on comfortable
SITTING in the media centre at Nuremberg's Frankenstadion yesterday, it was impossible not to be reminded of the city's brutal past. Because there, not 50 yards across the street, were the crumbling remains of one of the most notorious buildings in the
EMPLOYMENT levels are hitting record highs in the North-East at 1,156,000, figures showed yesterday. Despite a rise in unemployment nationally, the jobless rate dropped in the North-East by 4,000 to 78,000 - an unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent - in
GREEN fuels company D1 Oils has signed supply agreements in India and Africa to grow almost 200,000 hectares of its oil-bearing crop. Middlesbrough-based D1 has already signed a number of deals in Asia and Africa for plantations of the jatropha plant,
THE death of another motorcyclist in the Yorkshire Dales has prompted fresh calls for bikers to take care on country roads to prevent a repeat of last year's horrendous fatality figures. A 55-year-old biker killed on the A684 near Bainbridge, in Wensleydale
SHOWER manufacturer Roman is looking to create up to 40 jobs at its Newton Aycliffe factory as it gears up for product launches. After a year of expansion and investment in factory facilities, Roman is launching a series of products in September and
FUTURE assault and rape victims could find it easier to sue attackers with the Government moving to change the law. The move, announced by Redcar MP Vera Baird QC, would affect cases similar to that of "Lotto rapist" Iorworth Hoare. Hoare bought a Lottery
More than 300 British soldiers were executed by firing squad for battlefield offences during the First World War. But with Tony Blair's pledge following a hard-fought campaign by relatives, posthumous pardons could finally be granted. Lindsay Jennings
Northern Broadsides kicks off with the last of the trilogy chronologically, probably because it's the best-known of the three. The play is a hatchet job, a PR exercise for the House of Tudor who put the bread on Shakespeare's table. Who can forget Olivier's
YOU could say this was just like watching Brazil, seeing the yellow-shirted gods of football were playing at the same time in Germany, but this was the World Cup from the England (pronounced Ing-ger-lund) point of view. The baffling plot is wife Monica
Sex In The 80s: The Story Of Club 18-30 (C4); The Secret Life Of Elizabeth I: Revealed (five) : NO evidence exists to show that Queen Elizabeth I ever went on a Club 18-30 sun, sea, sand, sangria and sex holiday in the sun. On the other hand, historical
Ken Snowdon meetsmthe avid collector who's always hot on the trail of a new aquisition. THE last time I met Barry Hutchinson, he scared me. No, not scared, that's not the right word. He absolutely terrified me. I was 100 feet in the air at the time,
Facing the re-creation of his father's funeral for the film Wah-Wah, actor Richard E Grant almost lost his nerve, he tells Steve Pratt. And the incredible true-life scene of a young priest jumping into the grave to raise the dead from his coffin had
Steve Pratt discovers that writer/director Ol Parker surprised himself by writing a romantic movie with the twist of the bride running off with another woman. NORMALLY Ol Parker shows his actress wife Thandie Newton what he's written as he goes along.
AN agency set up to seize the assets of underworld criminals at an annual cost of £18m recovered only £209,000 in the region last year. A Conservative MP has condemned the "failure" of the flagship Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to take back ill-gotten
A MARKET has been moved to a temporary location while work is carried out on Darlington's controversial Pedestrian Heart project. Darlington Farmers' Market has been moved to Bondgate while work takes place in Tubwell Row, where the market is usually
SVEN-GORAN Eriksson will decide today if fit-again Wayne Rooney is to make his World Cup debut against Trinidad and Tobago. The England manager last night said his top striker was match-fit after being out for six weeks with a broken foot. Rooney looks
TECHNOLOGY has never been my strong point - and that's where having children comes in useful. If ever I need something sorting out on the computer, I ask the kids.Anything I find mind-boggling, they solve with a few mouse-clicks and a deep sigh as if
FOOTBALL fans have the chance to step into the boots of Uefa Cup finalist James Morrison.The Middlesbrough player, from Darlington, has donated boots he wore last season to raise money for the Brittle Bone Society.Chelsea and England star Frank Lampard
CYCLISTS are being encouraged to get pedalling by taking part in a variety of events during Darlington Bike Week. Events begin on Sunday with a women-only ride, meeting in Darlington Market Square, at 10am. The ride will be for two hours and includes
A MOTHER last night appealed for the public's help to catch a pervert who tried to abduct her daughter.The nine-year-old ran off when approached by the man, who said her mother had sent him to collect her from school.Her mother, Michelle Mohan, 33, is
DANNY WILSON insists there will be no big changes to his Hartlepool United squad after he was appointed manager at Victoria Park. Wilson signed his contract on Tuesday night before going on holiday - and on his return he is looking forward to the task
A CHURCH rector is planning to erect a permanent memorial for a 16-year-old who died after he was knocked over by a car. The Reverend Dr David Bryan, rector of St Andrew's Church, Haughton, wants to add a reminder to Sam Spence at the church. His idea
THE parents of a football fan who was stabbed to death revealed their anguish at the loss of their son as a trial over his death began in Holland. Middlesbrough supporter Brendan O'Connor, 36, died in November last year after an altercation outside a
KENT appear to think the Stockton pitch is like the cobbled streets of Canterbury, but once they decided to go for their shots yesterday they found the streets paved with gold. They promoted James Tredwell in the role of game-breaker and the 24-year-old
ALMOST 15 years to the day that Bob Murray secured the victory in the High Court that left him free to continue in his role as chairman at Sunderland, the Jersey-based businessman must today be wondering if it was all worthwhile. Having replaced motor
FAMILIES fighting to clear the names of soldiers shot as cowards during the First World War were celebrating last night after Tony Blair pledged to look again at a pardon. The Prime Minister said he would be happy to re-examine calls for more than 300
AS part of Graeme Storm's preparations for his first US open this week he ventured down to the driving range on Tuesday. Nothing startling there, as he tries to do exactly that wherever he is playing. The difference this time was that Storm suddenly had
FOUR students have become the first student-governors in Darlington. Travis Bacon, Keeley Barkley, Michael Blueman and Jacob Pattison, of Longfield School, now have important roles to play in ensuring that students' views on the running of the school
FAMILIES are being invited to join in the fun at a summer open day held in the first new parkland created in Darlington for more than a century. Amusements will be on offer in West Park, Faverdale, on Sunday, from 1pm to 5pm. Activities will run throughout
ONE of Darlington's newest headteachers has shared her vision for her school's future - a family atmosphere where children thrive. Sarah Skinner, newly appointed headteacher of Raventhorpe Preparatory School, in Carmel Road North, said she wanted to advance
A SCHOOL given the worst possible ranking by Government inspectors more than a year ago is still not hitting its targets, although some improvements have been made. Branksome School, in Darlington, has made progress since being placed in special measures
YOUNGSTERS are making a creative contribution to this year's Darlington Community Carnival - by producing a series of giant insects. Pupils at Dodmire Junior School are working alongside community artists Josie Stewart and Darren Bradshaw on the project
HISTORY cannot be rewritten and the lives of the 306 men shot for desertion during the First World War can never be replaced. But a symbolic message can be sent about how far society has moved on since those dark days when boys - terrified, confused and
A £56m airport redevelopment and thousands of jobs are under threat in a planning dispute. The multi-million pound expansion of Durham Tees Valley Airport, which could create up to 6,000 jobs, has been delayed by more than a year by owner Peel Airports
THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) was condemned yesterday for rejecting a report's recommendation to prevent a repeat of the deaths at Deepcut barracks. Nicholas Blake QC, the lawyer who investigated the tragedies, criticised the MoD's insistence that under
Last night, detectives revealed that Philip Hewitt died from a loss of blood after being hit over the head. A post-mortem examination on the 32-year-old, of Bede Avenue, on the Sherburn Road Estate, Durham City, revealed the wound was caused by a blunt
AT Blackhall Cricket Club tonight, among the hundreds of England fans, there will stand one hopeful supporter decked from head to toe in Trinidad & Tobago colours. Imran Jan, the Mainsforth all-rounder in the Readers Durham County League, is rightly proud
SVEN-GORAN Eriksson will not make a decision on Wayne Rooney's possible participation in this afternoon's game with Trinidad & Tobago until he arrives at Nuremberg's Frankenstadion, but the England coach is already resigned to being without right-back
BOB MURRAY will end his 20-year reign as chairman of Sunderland Football Club at the end of the month to "remove himself as an issue" ahead of a proposed takeover of the club. Fans who have been demanding his removal have revealed their satisfaction at
BRICKIES across the North-East are not saying Auf Wiedersehen Pet but G'day Sheila. Builders from the region are the biggest group answering the call from Australia to make up its shortage of skilled workers. It follows research showing that people from
SHAKA Hislop will play in the biggest game of his footballing life this afternoon, less than 12 months after he was ready to give up the game for good. Despite picking up a hamstring injury as he kept a clean sheet in Trinidad & Tobago's opening game
A BUSINESSMAN burdened with debts who was chased along the A1 by a man he tried to dupe received a suspended prison sentence. Nicholas Pszczola, 28, tried to buy a caravan from a Darlington man using a fake cheque, Newton Aycliffe magistrates were told
APPARENTLY he is fit and apparently he is hungry - so it is high time the real Michael Owen stood up to be counted. Five days after he produced yet another anonymous display against Paraguay, the Newcastle striker will seek to rediscover his scoring touch
A FIRE brigade chief has criticised his firefighters, saying it is appalling they would consider going on strike. Ian Hayton, executive director of Cleveland Fire Brigade, launched the scathing attack after it was revealed that members of the Fire Brigades
THE global success of accounting software group Sage was yesterday highlighted at the region's largest business technology show for companies looking to expand overseas. Developing international business was among issues, including marketing technology
MICHAEL Owen last night attempted to silence the doubters who have questioned his fitness levels by insisting he would still finish the World Cup as the tournament's leading scorer. The England and Newcastle striker will enter this afternoon's game against
ANNA PAVLOVA (3.55) has been found an ideal opportunity to make the successful transition from handicapper to pattern race performer in Newbury's Listed Lord Weinstock Memorial Stakes. Richard Fahey's filly won one of the most valuable handicaps run so
LAW firm Ward Hadaway said yesterday that turnover in the past year had risen by six per cent to £21.6m. The Newcastle firm, which has clients across the region, said profit per partner had remained stable at £370,000. In the past year, the firm's 18th
SUNDERLAND City Council has been named the best council in the North-East for helping businesses. The council beat competition from local authorities across the region to clinch the North East Chamber of Commerce's (NECC) Best for Business award. The
He grew up with The Beatles in Liverpool and forged a career at the famous Cavern Club, but Ozzie Yue finally switched from music to acting in the 1980s and has never looked back. Viv Hardwick hears how he landed the title role in Kensuke's Kingdom and
Delegates from the world of arts and culture are in the North-East this week. Viv Hardwick reports on the region's most important event of its kind so far. IT'S taken two years and around £400,000 to bring the biggest ever World Summit on Arts and Culture
A TRADITIONAL fish supper is expected to reach £5 as chippies across the region increase prices to meet soaring overheads.The rise is the combined result of a shortage of white fish, such as cod, and a 50 per cent rise in potato prices in the past two
TECHNOLOGY has never been my strong point - and that's where having children comes in useful. If ever I need something sorting out on the computer, I ask the kids. Anything I find mind-boggling, they solve with a few mouse-clicks and a deep sigh as if
