TOP Gear presenter Richard Hammond was critically injured tonight after crashing a jet powered car at 280mph at Elvington Airfield near York. The 36-year-old, who often drives high-performance cars as part of presenting the show, was rushed to hospital
An 83-year-old driver collapsed and died today after a row with another motorist over a minor collision. The two men began arguing on the road side after the smash between a pale blue Reliant Robin and a Seat car. Police are seeking witnesses to the
LABOUR tonight issued an explanation as to why the Party suspended all its councillors on Durham City Council. The Northern Echo reported this morning how all 17 Labour opposition councillors on the Liberal Democrat controlled authority are suspended
THE family of a North East woman killed by a bomb blast in Turkey found comfort and strength at a national memorial service yesterday. Helyn Bennett, from Spennymoor, County Durham, was one of 13 British victims of foreign bomb attacks remembered at
Solutions ACROSS 1 Matched. M+AT+C+HE+D 5 Macabre. MAC+ABRE (bear anag.) 9 Tenor. (hidden) 10 Maidstone. MAIDS+TON+E (not rev.) 11 Horse-race. HORSE+RA+CE 12 Patti. PAT+TI (it rev.) 13 Model. MODE+L 15 On thin ice. ON+THIN+ICE
Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 Equalled many at the start of competition before he died (7) 5 Grim Scotsman stands in front of angry bear (7) 9 Some petite Norwegian singer (5) 10 Girls not going back to eastern town (9) 11 Animal artist extemely cliche
Nestle has announced 645 redundancies at its chocolate factory in York as part of a shake-up that will see the Smarties brand moved to Germany. The confectionery company claimed its historic plant could not match the efficiency of more modern factories
RURAL ambulance stations in Weardale and Teesdale have been reprieved by health bosses. Protestors had feared that Durham Dales Primary Care Trust would approve proposals from the North East Ambulance Service to close stations at St Johns Chapel in upper
Why is it always the already rich and famous who draw the short straw and the onerous task of sailing the South Seas (all expenses paid) in the wake of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson? Yeah, it's a tough job all right and somebody has to do it, and
If TV guru Ray Mears recommends a book on the great outdoors, you know it just has to be a good 'un. This is an A-Z to animal tracking for both the initiated and the complete beginner, and it will make any visit to the countryside that much more informative
Humphrey and Ailsa, who met as children on the North-East coast, and briefly - disastrously - later married, are on their way back again after a gap of 30 years, this time as distinguished guests to receive honours from the local university. Their impending
OnAugust 15, 1997, two tiny Korean baby girls are delivered to Baltimore to two families - one brash and all-American, the other reserved Iranian-Americans - who have no more in common than this. Their differences are highlighted every year on the anniversary
The year is 1858 and an 18-year-old Scottish entrepreneur is caught between the old and new worlds in Japan, between the samurai who are rushing to slice off heads to protect the old ways, and the reformers, who want to open up their country to foreign
Father-of-two Pel Dalton lives with his German girlfriend, Ursula, and spends his days bluffing his way through an IT job in the university library. But things get seriously out of hand when he is thrust into his boss's job and somehow gets involved
For George Hall, contentment can only be gained by "ignoring many things completely", things which include his wife's affair with a for mer colleague, his son's homosexuality and the spot on his thigh which he insists in believing is cancerous and is
Fans of Thomas the Tank Engine and his ilk will love this classic picture book. A little blue car sets off from his home in the factory for the seaside. He has a fun day on the beach - but then he feels cold, scared and lost. Luckily help is on hand
Here's a busy picture book that must have been as much fun to create as it is to look at. It features ten cartoon-style insects who are all great fans of cars, trains, planes and other vehicles. Each doublepage shows the bug friends having a whale of
A greedy old wolf is daydreaming about gobbling down a lamb hotpot. Then who should come innocently knocking at his door? A tasty little lamb. The wolf welcomes him in and eagerly looks up a recipe to cook him. But through a variety of innocent tricks
An everyday setting turns out to be the source of wonderful and believable magic in this attractively written book. Young Oliver Pie is thrilled to find an ancient stone griffin in an overgrown part of his garden. He's even more excited when the griffin
Eleven-year old Martine, orphaned by a fire, is sent to South Africa to be brought up by a sour-faced grandmother she has never even heard of before, let alone met. At first it seems she is in for a miserable time - but once she arrives she finds herself
Teenagers Martin and Louise, each on holiday in a remote Caribbean island with their respective parents, find themselves and their families taken hostage. The next 27 days turn out to be life-shattering as they are moved from place to place through
THE interiors of our homes tell us a lot about our personalities, so what do the interiors of some of history's most alarming men and women tell us about them? Described as "a special edition of Hello magazine as it might be published in Hell", this
THERE is an hilariously sordid anecdote in this book involving Osama bin Laden and the BBC's foreign editor, the ample John Simpson: "A figure dressed in white appeared with a Kalashnikov and expensive calfskin boots. He told the Mujaheddin to shoot
BASED on Armistead Maupin's bestseller inspired by true events, The Night Listener features Robin Williams in subdued, non-comic mood as writer and late night radio show presenter Gabriel Noone, whose phone friendship with a youngster (Culkin) takes an
WILL Ferrell is one of those former Saturday Night Live funny men you either love or hate. So far we Brits seem to fall more in the latter category when it comes to his big screen efforts. Anchorman, though, was a genuinely funny, crazy comedy which
JAMES Ellroy's novel weaves a fictional tale around the real life murder of a starlet in 1940s Hollywood. The story has everything you could wish for - sex, violence, corruption and something nasty in the closet of one of the city's most prominent
DIRECTOR Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan follow their TV film The Deal, about Blair, Brown and New Labour, with something much more ambitious - a look at how the monarchy moved into the modern world, a transition sparked by the death of Diana.
GUS Van Sant's shot-by-shot remake of Psycho is beginning to look like a masterpiece next to unnecessary, inferior makeovers such as the one writer-director Neil LaBute gives 1973 British horror classic The Wicker Man. Everything about it is dreadful
THIS directorial debut from Jeremy Brock, co-creator of TV's Casualty and screenwriter of Mrs Brown, is an oddity that gives Julie Walters the chance to scene-steal as a quirky Dame and Harry Potter's Ron Weasley, Rupert Grint, the chance to lose his
THIS is a film that didn't disappoint. I expected it to be awful and it was. Truly awful. I expected it to be awful and it was. Truly awful. The giveaway was that it's the latest movie from a Canadian comedy outfit called Broken Lizard who were responsible
MOVIES about dysfunctional families are two a penny. But this one is special, a big hit at the Sundance Film Festival and a film that will hopefully break out to find a wide audience. Music video directors often carry over their flash, in-yourface
Both Durham and Yorkshire retained their Division One status after a comfortable draw in their Liverpool Victoria County Championship clash. Although a record stand of 315 between Dale Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson could not prevent them from following
Our family holidays invariably consisted of a two week camping holiday in Scotland. We would set out at about 5 in the morning (missing much of the rush hour traffic) and make our way up the country. Loch Rannoch was one of our favorite. It was a lovely
A TWO-DAY harvest festival takes place this weekend to raise money for an international charity. St Cuthbert's Church, at Shadforth, near Durham City, hosts the event starting on Sunday. It begins with Holy Communion at 9am and at 6pm, there will be a
ORGANISERS of an award-winning project which aims to cut the toll of injuries among young drivers are appealing for sponsorship to help it expand. More than 600 teenagers are taking part in the three-day Wise Drive - Drive For Life event, which got under
THE husband and brother of a young teacher who died from cancer have raised £18,000 in her memory by trekking to the Mount Everest base camp. Maxine Foster died in March at the age of 32, just six weeks after being diagnosed with secondary liver cancer
THE Children's Society will be holding a ball at the Hallgarth Manor Hotel, Pittington, Durham, on Friday night. About 100 people are expected to attend the event where they will be entertained by the youth string quartet GSQ and actors from Cap-a-Pie
REVELLERS can enjoy circus skills while boosting charity funds at the Galtres Festival. Leading the fun is Professor Fiddlesticks of York, the alter-ego of circus skills performer John Cossham. The former environmental health student opted for a life
SCHOOLS in Hambleton blighted by crime are getting help to deter those responsible targeting them. Over the past year, secondary schools in the district reported 49 incidents of damage. This means vital school funds are being spent on repairs to property
TRAFFIC-CALMING measures outside a primary school will stay, despite criticism they do not slow drivers. Motorists passing Easingwold Primary School, in Thirsk Road, in the village, are subject to a 20mph limit. They also face speed bumps outside the
AN aspiring pop star is to launch her recording career in Middlesbrough. Teessiders wanting to catch HarmonyB's act at the opening of the town's multi-million-pound Civic Square could find themselves featured in her promotional video, which is being filmed
SHOP owners have complained to the Competition Commission over fears the Co-op is creating a monopoly in their home town. The Co-op already has one store in Pickering, and is now planning to take over the Costcutter shop in Eastgate. More than 2,500 people
A KEEN gardener's green-fingered efforts were continued by his family and friends following his death. Encouraged by a third place finish in Chester-le-Street District Council's annual garden competition last year, Joe Tasker had ambitious plans for the
AN event to find work for people is being staged. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's Community Partnerships Team will welcome businesses at the Bellamy Pavilion, opposite Redcar's Kirkleatham Museum, from 10.30am to 2.30am. The team's co-ordinator
A TOWN could lose some of its public toilets as part of a review being presented to councillors next week. Hartlepool Borough Council's neighbourhood services scrutiny committee has put together the final report which will be discussed by the cabinet
SPORTS centre assistant manager Tricia Farrow has proved she will go the distance for a good cause. The enthusiastic biker has just clocked up 1,000 miles on a ride across the UK, to raise money for breast cancer research. The 39-year-old, who works at
STUDENTS in a university town are being put in the picture about why they are a target for criminals. Working with Cleveland Police, graphic design students from the Cleveland College of Art and Design have produced a calendar, each month showing a different
PEOPLE who have survived serious strokes are being offered a new rehabilitation service based at two centres in Wear Valley and Teesdale. Patients can attend four weekly exercise classes, two each at the Butterwick Hospice, in Bishop Auckland, and Teesdale
A BUS company is increasing fares on some of its routes - but dogs will get a better deal. Dog owners had complained their pets were getting a raw deal. While owners travelled at discount rates on Harrogate and District buses, they have to pay 50p for
A PUBLIC inquiry is to be held into controversial plans to build houses on greenfield land on the outskirts of Spennymoor. Barratt Homes was granted planning permission last April for 100 homes on land known as Whitworth Park, off Whitworth Road. But
RADIO links have been purchased to link firefighters with enforcement officers to eliminate fire hazards. The brigade enforcement liaison link (Bell) will allow Cleveland Fire Brigade to work more closely through a direct two-way radio link to Stockton
PARENTS whose children receive outside care for their disabilities are concerned about the future of the service. Two parents of children with Down's Syndrome say they are willing to campaign for the Special Needs Practitioners' Team to be carried on.
RESIDENTS of Chilton are urged to attend two meetings next week about proposals for their community. The regular monthly meeting of Chilton West Residents Association will be given over to Ian Brown and Graham Wood, from Sedgefield Borough Council. Mr
A MAN was within a "hair's breadth" of going to jail after failing to report a collision he was involved in. Simon Jackson, 20, of McCullagh Gardens, in Bishop Auckland, admitted crashing a Seat Toledo into a fence in West Cornforth on August 17, and
ST Margaret's Church, in Brotton, hosts a flower festival from Friday to Sunday. It will include a wine and cheese evening on Friday, from 7pm, with tickets costing £4. On Saturday, there will be choir concert at 7pm. Tickets are £3, including supper.
As the BBC's Panorama last night exposed financial malpractice at the heart of football, the seamier side of the beautiful game is under the microscope yet again. But, as Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson explains, that does not mean that anything is about
Stephen Fry: The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive (BBC2): THIS two-parter presented by Stephen Fry could hardly be further away from the usually frivolous and throwaway celebrity show. He's attempting to throw light on an illness that affects many
Ahem... Dare I mention British Gas? Not that I'm shy of putting my name to bad publicity for the mammoth one-time public utility. Give me a megaphone and I'm more than willing to shout the words "British Gas"in a mounting crescendo. "BRITISH GAS, BRITISH
A RETURN train ticket from Darlington to Wick - it is physically impossible to make it a day return - costs just £108. It's 525 miles each way, the last 175 miles northward from Inverness. The clerk in Darlington travel centre takes the Friday morning
PARENTS who receive outside help to care for children with disabilities are concerned about the future of the service. Two parents of children with Down's Syndrome say they would be willing to lead a campaign to demand the special needs practitioners
A CONTROVERSIAL barn conversion scheme is expected to be ratified today, despite objections from residents and preservation groups. The owners of Manor Farm, Bishopton, have applied to convert the listed building into three homes and build an additional
ORGANISERS of an award-winning project which aims to cut the toll of injuries among young drivers on the roads are appealing for sponsorship to help it expand. More than 600 teenagers are taking part in the three-day Wise Drive - Drive For Life event,
THE patter of tiny feet has caused the closure of a North-East primary school. Pest controllers have been called to deal with a suspected mice infestation at Coatham CE Primary, in Redcar, east Cleveland. Pupils have been told to stay at home for two
DARLINGTON Borough Council has been accused of deterring debate by scheduling a Tesco public consultation event outdoors. Hurworth's consultation will be held on the village green on Friday, September 29. But Julie Jones, a Hurworth parish councillor,
HISTORY turned full circle for hair stylist Carrie Rutter, when she opened her new business in Darlington. Mrs Rutter has opened Carrie Hairdressing, at the top end of North Road, not far from the White Horse hotel, in the old post office where she used
NEW courses in holistic therapies could give students at Darlington College the chance to follow their dream to work in the beauty industry. Massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and Reiki are among subjects being offered. The part-time courses range from
A MAJOR scientific study into the treatment of hyperactive children in the North-East has had to be shelved because of funding problems. The Cactus Clinic at Teesside University was due to begin a study involving 60 hyperactive children at a Middlesbrough
GARETH Southgate last night urged England boss Steve McClaren not to pick Jonathan Woodgate for next month's European Championship qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia. Despite only playing twice since making a loan move to Middlesbrough at the end
THE grieving family of a murder victim are appealing to his close circle of friends to help bring his killer to justice. Jason Embleton, 31, died on Sunday, the morning after he was found with head injuries on waste ground in Cambridge Avenue, Willington
COALPARK (3.45) will almost certainly be top of many punters' short-lists at Redcar this afternoon. Mark Johnston's filly has won two of her last three outings, most recently on Kempton's all-weather track where she battled bravely to deny the 100-30
SPENNYMOOR: I WELCOME the Spennymoor High Street improvements. After years of economic decline, Spennymoor is becoming a more attractive town for retailers to invest in. However, the thousands of manufacturing jobs lost in Spennymoor and the effect
PUBLISHING house Bloomsbury had Harry Potter to thank yesterday for working his magic on group sales figures. Bloomsbury said the launch of the paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince helped lift first-half revenues 6.5 per cent, to
THE owner of Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station saw its shares plummet yesterday as it revealed a fresh blow in its battle to improve output. Shares in British Energy fell eight per cent as investors reacted to a warning that delays in returning units to
MARTYN Moxon did not want it to come down to this. After 20 years as player and coach with Yorkshire, he returns to Headingley today at the end of his sixth season with Durham knowing that one of the sides will be relegated. It is one of the most important
Yorkshire will be virtually at full strength, with the prolific Anthony McGrath fit to replace Andrew Gale. Matthew Hoggard is again forced to rest but making a return is paceman Tim Bresnan, who has recovered from the back problem which kept him out
A LITTLE more than a year ago, bosses at Ultimate Leisure warned of difficult times ahead and suggested the group halt its expansion plans and concentrate on consolidation. But the words fell on deaf ears and several senior figures resigned as Ultimate
ARRIVA could make a return to running North-East train services after it was confirmed it will battle with Virgin for the Cross Country rail franchise. The Sunderland-based transport group is one of three companies - FirstGroup and National Express being
THE challenge of finding the right balance between the old and the new is one facing town centres across the country. So the intense debate taking place over plans for a multi-million pound Tesco development overlooking Darlington market place has widespread
TWO hotels in the region have been sold, saving dozens of jobs, after their parent group went into administration. Swallow Hotels and London and Edinburgh Inns called in administrators last week after struggling in the face of heavy losses. The group,
A TELECOMS business is moving into new offices and has plans to almost double its staff numbers. AN Solutions, which installs and sells equipment for BT across the North-East, covering Wearside, Darlington, Durham, Teesside and part of Yorkshire, is moving
RED Indians are supposed to be more interested in chasing wagon trains than Virgin Trains. But that's exactly what happened on the wide open plains of Weardale recently as part of a new television advertisement for the train operator. The new commercial
THE former head of a North-East primary school faced a disciplinary hearing over management policies. Jane Patton appeared before the General Teaching Council (GTC), the teaching profession's standards body, yesterday, to hear allegations that she was
THE crew of a Royal Navy warship with links to a North-East village have paid its respects to the dead of her predecessor ship. HMS Hurworth is on a four-month deployment in the Mediterranean - where the first HMS Hurworth sank during the
CHARLES Kennedy vowed to fight his way back to frontline politics in his first public speech since quitting as Liberal Democrat leader because of his alcoholism. Eight months after his dramatic resignation, he told delegates in Brighton he would carry
MILLIONAIRE businessman Duncan Bannatyne is closing his Newcastle casino until bigger premises can be found. As a result, Bannatyne Casinos Ltd has laid off its staff after news that the Newcastle Quayside building is to be redeveloped for offices. "The
LABOUR chiefs have suspended all the party's councillors on a North-East authority amid claims they breached party rules. The entire opposition group on Liberal Democrat-controlled Durham City Council is being investigated by regional party officials
NEWCASTLE'S first-choice goalkeeper might be lying in a London hospital following an operation on his perforated bowel, but Steve Harper will only be ruling Shay Given out of this evening's Premiership clash at Liverpool once the game is underway. Nicknamed
LEAVING a Premier League club to join a team on a slippery slope out of the Championship may be seen by some as a backwards step for a footballer - but not for Graham Kavanagh. His arrival at the Stadium of Light was perhaps the most surprising of all
Hull City 0, Hartlepool United 0. PENALTIES have proved Hartlepool United's nemesis this season, so perhaps it's no surprise they lost a shoot-out last night. After missing four from five in League One this season, they missed three from five last night
Reading 3, Darlington 3. AET, Reading win 4 - 2 on penalties. ON the eve of their last and only other cup trip to Reading, Darlington spent an evening at the theatre and last night there was no shortage of drama as ten-man Quakers bowed out of the Carling
Plans to build a Tesco supermarket in Darlington town centre are on the verge of being rejected after overwhelming public opposition.The leader of Darlington Borough Council yesterday said that if widespread objection to Tesco's plans to build a development
A TEESSIDE schoolboy regarded as one of the brightest prospects in football was last night unwittingly caught up in a television exposé of alleged corruption in the game.The agent of England youth star Nathan Porritt, a 15-year-old on the books of Middlesbrough's
ONE of the country's biggest hotel chains has decided to offer pets their very own beds.Rooms with luxury beds for cats and dogs are being tested by Travelodge and among the first selected for the canine and feline facilities is the company's hotel in
NOSTALGIA, of course, is not what it was. Especially about childhood.Suddenly everyone's getting in a tizz about the way we bring up our children. Psychologists, teachers, child care experts, authors... even an archbishop is saying that children have
THERE was a time when farming was just that - a purely agricultural enterprise. But 25 years ago - before diversification became a byword for the industry - a North-East farm decided to branch out and opened its gates to members of the public. This weekend
A MEMBER of a shooting syndicate has described his horror at discovering dozens of their ducks slaughtered by gunmen. The alarm was raised when a fellow member woke to find several severed ducks' heads on his lawn, 15 miles away from the original incident
