POLICE are hunting a hit and run motorist who deliberately knocked a cyclist from his bike in Middlesbrough. The 16-yer-old rider suffered a broken foot and broken toe when the car, believed to be a green Mercedes, hit him from behind. The incident
TOP Gear presenter Richard Hammond is today in a serious but stable condition after a 280mph crash involving a jet powered dragster. It was reported that the 36-year-old was critically injured trying to break the British land speed record at Elvington
THE scene is set for a nerve-shredding final championship match of the season with relegation rivals Yorkshire and Durham separated by half a point. There is an outside chance that both might survive as they could take a maximum of 12 points each
THUGS left a teenager with a broken nose and chipped teeth after robbing him of just sweets and twenty five pence in cash. Police are hunting two young men who approached the teenager and his friend from behind, as they walked home from school. The
A WOMAN motorist involved in an argument with an 83-year-old man who later died has been spoken to by police. The row was triggered by a minor car accident in Yarm and the pensioner collapsed and died a short time later. Cleveland Police are investigating
Say romantic comedy and you probably think of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan or Doris Day and Rock Hudson in something light, fluffy and funny that leaves you with a nice warm glow inside you. Writer-director Bart Freundlich is aiming for something sharper,
The name P D James usually guarantees a mystery story but this film, taken from her novel, strays into science fiction territory. Director Alfonso Cuaron, of And Your Mother Too and Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban fame, has turned it into an
The first track to be taken from October's Signature album, and its exactly what you would expect from the voice of Clannad. Classy, ethereal, but not one of her most memorable songs.
Duckel is one half of Air and this is his first outing. It combines all the lightness and beauty that makes Air so beguiling, but every now and then there's an amazing twist. TV Destroy, for example, has the tempo and attitude of a Ramones track and
This is a dream. Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy) provide the lyrics and Air the beautiful music for the wispy voice of Charlotte - the daughter of Serge Gainsborough and Jane Birkin.
In a music world erupting between rap and rock, this is a unique effort by the former Cosmic Rough Riders frontman and songwriter, who has blended together acoustic guitar, Hammond organ and 1960s-style Flower Power sound to create 12 tracks of fascinating
TEES VALLEY ARTS' You Are Here project, in collaboration with the African Arts Association, will feature work produced through the Home Office Purposeful Activities for Asylum Seekers Fund. The event is to be held at Liberty's In Town, Linthorpe Road,
BEDALE FC has announced the continuation of what is believed to be the longest-running sponsorship deal in local football with Hall's fish and chip shop. Shop owner Stephen Hall has been involved as kit sponsor since 1988 and the new strip for the current
A PUBLIC meeting will be held on Monday to discuss the future of Ripon Community Hospital. Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust (PCT) is proposing to reduce the number of beds at the hospital from 20 to ten. Members of North Yorkshire
STAFF from a North Yorkshire primary care trust (PCT) are holding an event to mark the work they have done to improve local healthcare services. The Recognising Success event takes place on Tuesday at Hambleton Forum as part of a day that includes a staff
A VILLAGE is turning to the public for help in transforming its image. People living in Lingdale, near Guisborough, are celebrating the village's recent success in this year's Northumbria in Bloom Awards. The area receive a bronze award in the village
AN annual appeal to send Christmas aid to Romania will be launched on Sunday. Organisers of the 2006 New Life for Romania Appeal will once again be asking for donations of food, household goods, medical supplies, school resources, winter clothing and
TWO former classmates have been reunited as college tutors - more than 40 years after they first met. Electrical installation tutor Anthony Grimston and electrical technician Don Deighton are teaching the same course they enrolled on together four decades
RESIDENTS are playing a leading role in the drive to breathe new life into their communities. They are helping to determine how Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) money, provided by the Government, is spent in Hartlepool. The Dyke House, Stranton and Grange
NORTH Yorkshire has swept the board in this year's White Rose tourism awards. The county won 11 of the 15 categories at the ceremony, run by the Yorkshire Tourist Board. Nearly 600 people attended the champagne reception and black tie gala dinner held
BUILDERS working on a former bingo hall reached new heights with fitting of a three-storey staircase. Traffic was halted in Thirsk centre as a crane lowered the staircase into the former Regent Bingo Hall. The former hall, in Castlegate, is being turned
A BOOK featuring Yorkshire Dales servicemen who lost their lives in the two world wars has been published. Author Keith Taylor says Swaledale and Wharfedale Remembered has been a labour of love. It includes details of all 340 servicemen from the two dales
A NEW beauty salon is Coxhoe is a family affair, with four sisters involved in the business. Tropicana, in Front Street, opened early last month and offers beauty treatments, tanning and alternative therapies. The Smith sisters - Lisa Hall, a mortgage
A HEALTH boss says an NHS trust's forthcoming annual meeting is not only a chance to review the past year, but an opportunity to plan for the future. Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust is holding a joint meeting in Darlington, later this month, presenting
SHOPPERS and residents have welcomed a Bishop Auckland supermarket's plans to stay open 24 hours a day. A public inquiry had to be held before Asda was allowed to relocate from the Newgate Centre to South Church, in 2002. Councillors and traders feared
A CAMPAIGN to collect unwanted mobile phones for victims of domestic violence has been hailed a success. The initiative was led by North Tees Women's Aid, with support from Asdawhich set up a collection point within its Hartlepool store for phones, chargers
YOUNGTERS' achievements at a series of summer schools have been celebrated by parents and teachers. The Bishop Auckland Excellence Cluster held an event in recognition of children who attended the schools. Established in September 2002, the Cluster is
COMMUNITY groups and councils in Teesdale and Weardale have been urged to apply for grants of up to £1,000 available for arts and mental health projects. Good for the Soul, a Government-funded arts group which works with people with mental health problems
YOUNGSTERS have been delving into the past to unearth evidence of Iron Age life during an archaeological dig in Redcar. The fifth annual Foxrush Farm archaeological excavation started this week in what is now community woodland. Children from Skelton
NEW sport sessions aimed at young and old have been launched in Ferryhill. New Age Kurling, an indoor adaptation of Winter Olympics sport ice curling, is held weekly at Ferryhill and Mainsforth Institute, in Ferryhill Station. Mike
FORMER Howden-le-Wear and Crook Town footballer Hall Johnson was the overall points winner in the Australian Leek Club Show, in Howden-le-Wear. He won first prize for: Garden News Top Tray, three shallots, two blanched leeks, intermediate leeks, best
Frank Hudson has saved prison staff £400 by lending them a Transit van to take supplies of clothes, toiletries and toys to disabled children in Romania. They will drive it along with three other vans, all fully loaded, when they set off this weekend
A SHILDON student who never missed a day at school has had her achievement recognised. Jen Jennings, who left Sunnydale School in July, was ever-present throughout her time at primary and secondary school. The 16-year-old was among 16 County Durham young
APPLICATIONS are being invited from people in Teesdale to take advantage of a skills training fund. Teesdale Marketing's Skills Development Fund has proved successful in previous years, and to date the scheme has supported training programmes in excess
MORE than £1m-worth of emergency alarm equipment installed in Durham pensioners' homes could be made redundant under a shake-up of services. Labour-run Durham County Council is seeking tenders from companies or other organisations to run the community
A GRANDFATHER clock which ticked away in a North-East bank for decades sold yesterday for £10,000 to a man who admired it for years in the manager's office. A spokesman for Newcastle auctioneers Anderson and Garland said: "The successful bidder told
A NORTH Durham veterans' bowls team is celebrating after beating all the other clubs in their district. The Pelton Fell Veterans Bowling Section scooped the Pelton Fell and District League Cup for the first time since the competition's inception 20 years
DURHAM MP Roberta Blackman-Woods is urging people to attend a public meeting about the city's 2020 Vision project. The scheme, which involved what was said to be the city's biggest consultation, was launched to draw up a wishlist for improving the city
COMMUNITIES that may neighbour a wind farm hope to cash in on the ten turbine scheme. Developers behind the project in Butterwick, near Sedgefield, say it could boost the regional economy by £7m. Project manager E.ON UK, which runs energy company Powergen
A course which will train people to become dyslexia tutors will start in Bishop Auckland next month. The 12-month course will give people a certificate in teaching learners with specific learning difficulties. The course starts on October 5 and will be
STAFF at Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust (PCT) were yesterday recognised for their long service and educational achievements. Presentations took place at the PCT's final annual meeting at Durham University Science Park. The PCT is to be
LABOUR last night issued an explanation as to why it suspended all of its councillors on Durham City Council. All 17 councillors on the Liberal Democrat-controlled council are suspended amid claims they breached party rules. "Any organisation has to work
ONE of the North-East's biggest collections of valuable birds of prey will go on display when a country park opens this weekend. Eagles, vultures and buzzards worth thousands of pounds will be among the rare breeds shown by Tracy Gibbons at Thorpe Farm
MORE than 1,000 photo-graphs of Green Howards soldiers stretching across 150 years of history have been brought together in a new book. The Green Howards - A History in Photographs is the first complete pictorial record of a British infantry regiment.
WHEN England's stars of tomorrow play at Hartlepool United's Victoria Park tonight there will be a young Geordie midfielder already well on his way to success. Josh Walker, another product of the exceptional Middlesbrough Academy, will be captaining England
IF you think the stakes are high for Europe's golfers this weekend as they look to win the Ryder Cup for the third tournament in succession, spare a thought for their American opponents. Not only is the US team trying to erase the memory of 2004's disastrous
VILLAGERS have generated a wealth of ideas for a proposed heritage trail along a former railway track in the region. The suggestions for the South West Durham Heritage Corridor were heard in a public consultation this week. The pathway will link West
ONE of the North-East's biggest collections of valuable birds of prey will go on display when a country park opens this weekend. Eagles, vultures and buzzards worth thousands of pounds will be among the rare breeds shown by Tracy Gibbons at Thorpe Farm
MAGISTRATES have refused to deal with one of the worst phone pests in the country - because of the seriousness of his offences. David Attwood, 32, has admitted making more than 1,300 nuisance calls to emergency services and members of the public over
BUSINESS services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said it had turned over £2bn in the UK in its financial year to the end of June. The company, which has offices in Newcastle covering the North-East region, reported an 11 per cent growth in turnover year-on-year
CODEWORKS, the region's centre of excellence established to encourage growth in digital technology, is relocating its headquarters. The organisation is moving from Newcastle's Centre for Life to St Peter's Gate, in Sunderland. Codeworks said the move
THE opposition to Tesco's plans for Darlington town centre shows no sign of abating. At a town hall meeting on Tuesday night, the Darlington Association of Parish Councils and Parish Meetings was asked to comment on the scheme - and the vast majority
LOSSES at struggling Woolworths widened yesterday after sales tumbled as it faced continued pressure from supermarkets, specialist shops and the internet. The high street retailer posted pre-tax losses of £66.8m in the first half of the year compared
VETERAN nine-year-old Paddywack (3.30) bids for his 19th career win from 147 starts in Pontefract's S B Honda Handicap this afternoon. David Chapman, who both owns and trains the evergreen sprinter, has done a brilliant job keeping the gelding sweet and
PARENTS were yesterday given the first glimpse of the future for a crumbling school, which had previously been judged too successful to deserve investment for repairs. Designs for the long-awaited redevelopment of Durham Johnston, one of
The assault of Tesco on the market share of rival supermarkets showed no signs of abating yesterday. The supermarket saw its share of the market increase to 31.4 per cent during the 12 weeks to September 10 compared to 30.1 per cent during the same period
SIR Menzies Campbell was facing damaging claims of a rift with Charles Kennedy - his predecessor as leader - ahead of today's close of the Liberal Democrat conference. It was revealed that Mr Kennedy, who quit in January admitting to a drink problem,
STAFF at Darlington Building Society have raised more than £1,000 for charity by taking part in an endurance walk. The five walkers completed the 40-mile Lyke Wake Walk to raise money for the Unicorn Centre at Hemlington, near Middlesbrough. They walked
TESCO: THIS would have made a good tool for my business studies students had I still been teaching. They would have been asked to produce a business plan through researching a number of questions. Are there enough people who currently do not use supermarkets
SIX students were honoured for their outstanding achievements at a Darlington sixth form college yesterday. The students, who took A-level and AS-level exams over the summer, received prizes for their results in science and maths at Queen Elizabeth Sixth
A FORMER engineering works is to be converted into an apartment building. The former Thecla Buildings, in Allan Street, Darlington, will be turned into 36 two-bedroomed apartments after the scheme was passed by Darlington Borough Council. The factory
DARREN Lehmann has clearly resolved that his final match for Yorkshire will not see them relegated. And when the Australian left-hander allies determination to his awesome talent there is little an average county side can do about it. Durham were above
ONE of Darlington's oldest car dealers Williamson Motors has gone into receivership with the loss of 85 jobs, The Northern Echo has learnt. Darlington-based Williamson called in the receivers on Monday, and its sister company Parsons Truck Centre in Hartlepool
RENEWABLE energy company Helius Energy is planning expansion and a stock market float by the end of the year as it signed a deal to develop combined heat and power plants across the UK. The Middlesbrough company, which employs about 40 people, and was
THE Darlington Association of Parish Councils has changed its name after a change in its constitution. It will now be known as the Darlington Association of Parish Councils and Parish Meetings. Parish meetings take place in villages too small to have
A RESPECTED bridge player who helped to set up a club for players in the region has died after a short illness. Margaret Watts, of Barton, near Darlington, died aged 61 after being recently diagnosed with cancer. Just a week before tests revealed the
SUNDERLAND'S striker crisis deepened last night as Chris Brown became the fifth member of Roy Keane's forward line to suffer an injury. Brown, who has forced his way into Keane's plans with a series of committed recent displays, has suffered an ankle
WORK on multi-million pound transformation of the banks of the River Tyne will start next year after delays. Construction of The Point, a £28m mixed-use development expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, was due to start this year but has been pushed
The reputation of football agents has been further sullied buy the BBC's Panorama. Chief Football Writer Paul Fraser speaks to Ian Elliott, a North-East agent who, despite protesting his innocence, almost featured in Tuesday's programme. IN March, Ian
A GOVERNMENT minister will visit the region today to talk about skills shortages facing the chemicals sector. Bill Rammell, minister of state for lifelong learning, further and higher education, will visit the Wilton site, near Middlesbrough, to meet
As the fall-out from the BBC Panorama investigation grows, Tony Kearney profiles the young North-East player at the centre of "'tapping up" allegations. LESS than a week ago, Nathan Porritt could only dream of achieving the fame enjoyed by the likes
GLASS maker Romag has signed a supply deal with a company in Taiwan as it looks to triple production of its PowerGlaz range. The County Durham company is increasing capacity of its PowerGlaz division, which manufactures glass panels that turn the sun's
SINCE the pedestrianisation of Darlington town centre was started in October last year, controversy has not been far away. Hailed as "great news" for the town by council bosses, they saw the modernisation as a way for Darlington to compete for tourism
A FORMER police constable who stabbed his wife to death in a frenzied attack has failed in a bid to be moved to a semi-open prison. Graham "Ivor" Jones, who stabbed his wife, Maria, 96 times with a kitchen knife at the couple's home in Ingleby Barwick
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 London's
TOP Gear presenter Richard Hammond was in a critical condition last night after crashing a jet powered car at 280mph. The 36-year-old was injured trying to break a land speed record at Elvington Airfield, near York. Hammond, who often drives high-performance
SIXTH-form students yesterday got the chance to talk to two Holocaust survivors as part of an initiative aimed at combating bigotry and exclusion. The visit had been organised by Durham City and Durham North MPs Roberta Blackman-Woods and Kevan Jones,
Middlesbrough 0, Notts County 1. ONE passage back into European football vanished into the Teesside air last night as Middlesbrough crashed humiliatingly out of the Carling Cup to a League Two reserves side. Notts County proved that teamwork counts for
GOALKEEPING hero Jim Platt believes the health of youngsters in the region is in safe hands after opening a community fitness suite yesterday. Mr Platt, who played almost 500 games for Middlesbrough and featured in two World Cups with Northern Ireland
Liverpool 2, Newcastle United 0. PRIOR to last night's kick-off at Anfield, the public address announcer played "For the benefit of Mr Kite" by The Beatles. By the time the final whistle blew at the end of the home side's 2-0 win over Newcastle, the benefit
NEWCASTLE United assistant manager Kevin Bond is to sue the BBC for libel over allegations of corruption that have rocked football. Bond, who joined the Magpies from Portsmouth in the summer, issued a statement last night through his solicitor in which
NESTLé is to cut 645 jobs at a factory in the region as part of a shake-up that will see half the site sold and production of some products transferred to other factories. The Swiss-owned company said its historic plant, in York, would be divided,
SEVEN people were arrested yesterday as police carried out a series of dawn raids to target suspected drug dealers in a North-East city. More than 30 officers, many wearing riot gear, carried out simultaneous raids at homes in the Durham City area as
CRAIG Bellamy was involved in a fracas with his former Newcastle team-mates in the aftermath of Newcastle's 2-0 defeat at Anfield last night. Bellamy, who left St James' Park under a cloud after publicly rowing with his former manager Graeme Souness,
Ben Hull talks to Viv Hardwick about being bruised and plastered playing Brick in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at Darlington's Civic Theatre. BEN Hull feels more battered than Brick-like as he assumes the southern drawl of one of Tennessee Williams' famous characters
Cruise star Jane McDonald is putting her money where her mouth is and financing her own concert show. The 'down-to-earth diva' talks to Steve Pratt about how she loves the glamour of the stage. Almost a decade after sailing to success on the BBC documentary
A MULTI-MILLION pound revamp of a Darlington school will start later this month. The plans to replace more than half of Carmel RC College were approved by Darlington Borough Council's planning committee. Pupils are being invited to nominate names for
THE cost of controversial plans to pedestrianise Darlington town centre rose further last night as council bosses were forced to admit the scheme had gone at least £1.5m over budget. Traders were warned they face nearly a year of misery before the scheme
GRANDMA is one of those people who never throws anything away. She never got rid of the old cot bearing my baby teeth marks, or the ancient tape recorder with my brothers and I jabbering away as toddlers. And, possibly her finest achievement, she kept
A familiar face strolls back along the Weatherfield cobbles into Soapland and she's carrying a big surprise - a baby. The expectant mum is Shilly-Shallying Shelley, late of the Rovers Return and the bed of Charlie the builder with the big toolbox in
Sheena Marie Ortiz talks to Viv Hardwick about bringing TV's Dora The Explorer to life as a major UK theatre tour reaches Newcastle next week and about what it's like to be a New Yorker five years on from 9/11. SINCE 2000, the TV series Dora The Explorer
Steve Pratt talks to Clive Owen, star of Children Of Men, plus co-stars Pam Ferris and Claire-Hope Ashitey, about what the world might be like in 2027. HIS latest film Children Of Men is set 20 years in the future but actor Clive Owen sees it as being
Wire In The Blood (ITV1); Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1); 'YOU need me. You have no idea what's going on. You have no idea who this missing girl is, who took her or why." Forensic psychologist Dr Tony Hill isn't about to take no for an answer when
ONLY the naïve will have been surprised by the BBC's expose of shady dealings in the world of football. Wherever large amounts of money are involved - and there are ludicrous amounts of money sloshing around in the world of football - a few apples are
SOMETIMES life has a habit of putting things firmly into perspective. It's been interesting recently to hear the word 'sacrifice' used from two very opposite camps. First, in relation to the Nimrod aircraft tragedy, Defence Secretary Des Browne was paying
CHOCOLATE, trains and tourism have long been three of York's most important industries. The 1990s saw the closure of the city's carriageworks with the loss of 750 jobs. Last September, Terry's of York closed its doors for the last time, leaving 300 people
ANIMAL CRUELTY: WHAT the hell is going on in this country? Where is there any sport in shooting swans, cats, horses etc (Echo, Sept 14). What kind of evil morons are we breeding?It is high time the gun laws were changed and people stopped buying their
IN the belief that life is a laughing matter, the Rev Gordon Johnson has published a book of jokes to raise money for church funds. The foreword tells it as might be expected - "Something old, something new, something borrowed but nothing blue" - which
