THIEVES almost ruined preparations for the rail festival by stripping lead from the railway centre and museum at Darlington's North Road station. About 50 metres worth of lead flashing was taken from the roof overnight on Thursday/Friday causing £10,000
Tributes were paid tonight to a dinner lady knocked down and killed by a hit-and-run driver. A manhunt is under way to find the unnamed driver who fled the accident site in St Lukes Road, Sunderland, after the Cherokee Jeep he was driving mounted the
A NORTH-EAST artist held in custody after being accused of insulting the Turkish prime minister was released on Friday. The Foreign Office said that Durham-born Michael Dickinson was freed in the afternoon. Mr Dickinson, who has lived in the country
A MOTORCYCLIST died in hospital this morning after suffering serious injuries when his bike skidded 20 metres into a County Durham field yesterday. Darren Tyler Edwards, 36, of Park Lane, Darlington, died in hospital in the early hours of this morning
Europe have a two-point overnight lead in the Ryder Cup, after a thrilling conclusion to the opening day. Armed with a one-point lead after the morning session, the advangtage was doubled. Seven of the day's eight games went as far as the 18th green
Tuesday night's bruising trip to Reading has proven costly to Darlington who must make do without three players for tomorrow's return to league action at Shrewsbury Town. David Duke is suspended having been sent off in the midweek Carling Cup defeat
A MANHUNT is underway for the hit-and-run driver who killed a North-East mother and seriously injured two young girls as he tried to escape from the police. The speeding 4x4 mounted the pavement and hit 32-year-old Paula Stead, her daughter Bridie, 11
THIRSK Hockey Club started their season on Saturday with a friendly game away at Scarborough. This was a mixed team of mostly the first team with a couple of second team players having a run out. The first half started well for Thirsk with the first
THE Bays achieved back-to-back victories against Sittingbourne and Weymouth in the Conference Shield at the South Tees Motorsport Park in South Bank last weekend - and in doing so lifted themselves off the foot of the table. Following four straight defeats
THE new boxing season gets under way later this month with two of Darlington's finest out to prove a point. Argie Ward steps in to the ring for the first time in four months looking to put behind the disappointment of his failure to become the first
BILLINGHAM Forum played host to the Billingham Lifesaving Classic recently as teams from Blyth, Rawmarsh, Heanor, Edlington, Sheffield and Billingham were put to the test in a variety of challenging events. The Classic has become a regular fixture over
The Northern Echo Darlington Sunday Invitation League; Division One Cup - LAST Sunday saw three cup ties played in each of the divisional cups to decide who will compete in the quarter-finals. The first saw a clash of the titans between Haughton Grey
In the languid little village of Lands - hope and glory - two of the great annual celebrations clashed last Sunday afternoon. The Methodist chapel marked Harvest Festival in much the same way as it may have done for each of its 130 years. Safely gathered
Oxbridge Darlington and District League: Division A champions, Middleton St George lost by nine wickets to second top Barton. Middleton were all out for 47. Peter Frankland took 5-13. Rockcliffe Park are third and they had eight wickets in hand over
A year ago the rapid rise of Darlington RA was recognised at the Local Heroes Awards with a gong in the team category and since then their ascent has continued yet further. For the last eight years the football club has been enjoying something of a regeneration
A CATHEDRAL service takes place tomorrow to celebrate the 900th anniversary of one of Britain's best-known charities. Hundreds of volunteers from St John Ambulance will attend Saturday's service at Durham Cathedral to mark the Visitation of the Order
WORK is under way on a £4m retail parade in Redcar. The development, in Roseberry Road, will replace the 1960s Roseberry Court Shopping Centre and create The Courts. The 11,760sq ft development will feature six ground-floor retail units with a seventh
YOUNG people are getting the chance to learn about road safety on two wheels. The Richmondshire Area Motorcycle Project (Ramp) launched a five-week motorcycle safety course at Risedale College, in Hipswell, on Saturday. Bike instructors from North Yorkshire
MOTORISTS in Northallerton will be asked to take part in a traffic survey on Monday. Workers from Jacobs UK will question drivers in the lay-by outside the former Somerfield supermarket on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council. The authority wants
A TOURING theatre season launches with a children's play in a former Thirsk court. Acclaimed children's writer Mike Kenny's play Whose Shoes visits Thirsk's Rural Arts venue. It will be performed by the Ratatat group at 6pm on Wednesday, October 4. Jane
A DRUNKEN man attacked his ex-partner armed with a 6in kitchen knife in a row over access to their two children, a court was told. In the struggle, Nik Wright, 22, slapped Samantha Mason in the face. She also suffered a stab wound to her hand as she
A CRACKDOWN on thefts from vehicles across Middlesbrough has been launched in the wake of rising crime statistics. Operation Hassocks is in response to figures that show Middlesbrough accounts for 45 per cent of all incidents across the Cleveland force
STAFF and customers at three North-East car dealerships have spent the summer months raising much-needed funds for the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) - by eating ice cream. Throughout the summer, staff at Simon Bailes Peugeot offered customers ice creams
THE ongoing repairs to a leading North-East museum have received a boost with a £250,000 grant. The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham, received the money from the Foyle Foundation, with £175,000 allocated to the roof restoration work and
A FRESH appeal has been issued by road safety chiefs to recruit more school-crossing patrollers. They hope to build up a bigger pool of casual staff to provide cover for Hartlepool's lollipop men and women. Paul Watson, Hartlepool Borough Council's road
Two servicemen who were killed in the First World War are baffling an amateur historian who has gathered details about 43 others from his community who gave their lives. All 45 are named on a series of village war memorials in the Gaunless Valley, around
FAMILIES believing they were buying homes on a tranquil new residential development are furious over proposals to include a modern office block on the site. Last night, people living in Sheraton Park, the site of the former Neville's Cross College, in
A NEW audiology booth has opened at a hospital. The unit at the Friary Hospital, in Richmond, will provide a quiet environment for accurate testing of people with hearing problems. The booth was funded with £90,000 from Action on ENT (ear, nose and
A North-East Labour MP has announced he will retire at the next election. John Cummings, who has represented the Easington constituency, in east Durham, since 1987, made the announcement at a meeting of his local constituency party. He revealed that he
PLANS to build 12 houses in a busy town centre road suffered a further setback yesterday. Members of Hambleton's planning committee strongly criticised the application to build the terrace homes in Quaker Lane, Northallerton. A previous bid to build 14
A FIGHTING-FIT family is celebrating after all four members achieved black belt status in karate. The Harrison family, from Newton Aycliffe, achieved first dan black belt with the Zanshin Kai Karate Club, in Woodham. Bradley, 14, got his belt in June,
HEALTH chiefs plan to plough £300,000 into dentistry in South-West Durham after receiving 170 calls from patients unable to obtain NHS dental care. Members of the Durham Dales Primary Care Trust (PCT) board have backed an action plan to increase NHS
THE summer carnivals of 2006 may still be fresh in the memory, but one town has already started planning for next year. Crook's carnival committee will hold its annual meeting next month, with members encouraged by the success of this year's event, which
A CLUB is celebrating its silver anniversary by inviting more people to dive in and try their sport. Sedgefield Divers is offering trial sessions to anyone interested in taking up the sport of scuba diving. The group, formerly known as Newton Aycliffe
A 60-YEAR-OLD man was seriously injured during an unprovoked attack following a night out. He was walking along Garnett Street, in Middlesbrough, at about 11pm on Tuesday when he was punched to the ground, banging his head against a parked car, just past
A DROP-IN centre in West Auckland has started a series of weekly events for young people. The Village Centre, which recently underwent a £20,000 renovation by the West Auckland Community Partnership, is now open for children of all ages. New facilities
A MAYOR is going back to school next week, in company with a number of councillors. Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon and Middlesbrough Council's principal decision-making body, the executive, will be in session at St Augustine's Primary School, Gunnergate
A HOTEL opened its doors for a community fun day which raised £1,255 to help find a cure for the UK's most common genetic disease. Staff at the Manor House Country House Hotel, at West Auckland organised the day with the help of customers and village
THREE Bishop Auckland schools which are to merge have submitted their building plans for council approval. Parents, teachers and governors had called for the three schools, all of which are in Woodhouse Close, be replaced with a newly-built facility.
A CONSERVATION group in Teesdale is on the lookout for a worker after receiving a grant to train and employ a new staff member. Barnard Castle-based Teesdale Conservation has received a £27,000 grant from CRED (Community Recycling and Economic Development
ARC, in Stockton, is offering two tickets for the price of one for two shows this weekend. Tickets for Tiiwa Tiiwa (It's Ours) by the Sokoba Dance Company, are £10 for two, or £8 for concessions, today and tomorrow at 7.30pm. Performances of Boston
NEW members are invited to join Thirsk Squash Club for the season starting next week. The 2006-7 season fees must be in by Sunday, October 1, with a single membership costing £55 or £20 for young members. The joining fee for new members is £5. The
Newcastle United star Shola Ameobi will open the YMCA centre in Galgate, Barnard Castle, Teesdale, in County Durham, today. The centre opens to the public tomorrow, between 10am and 3pm.
TWO Bedale High School students have come out top on a course for young sports leaders. Year eight pupils from across the county were chosen by the North Yorkshire Step Into Sport programme, which hosted the course at Bewerley Park, Pateley Bridge, to
A COUNCIL is clamping down on graffiti-covered bus shelters and phone boxes in a partnership launched yesterday. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is teaming up with ntl:Telewest to combat the problem across the borough. The authority can now serve
INSTRUCTOR pilots at RAF Linton-on-Ouse have taken part in an annual navigation competition to support a children's charity. Funds raised from this year's Ace of Base competition will go to Childline, a telephone counselling service for children and young
THE councillor at the centre of the row over the suspension of the entire Labour team on a North-East council has accused party chiefs of "Big Brother'' tactics. David Cummings, 46, Durham City councillor for Deerness, which includes the former pit village
AN amateur promoter has pulled off a showbusiness coup by attracting a second star performer to a dales village hall. After bringing folk singer Julie Felix to Frosterley Village Hall in April, Keith Hutchinson has signed Kate Bush's cousin Beck Sian
A POLICE authority is advertising for up to five people to join its ranks. Durham Police Authority has advertised for ordinary members of the public to become independent members. The move is part of a nationwide recruitment drive launched yesterday.
A CONSERVATION group in Teesdale is on the lookout for a worker after receiving a grant to train and employ a new staff member. Barnard Castle-based Teesdale Conservation has received a 27,000 grant from CRED (Community Recycling and Economic Development
FIRE fighters held a fruit-smashing extravaganza to hammer home a serious road safety message. Road safety officers climbed a 30ft fire service ladder to drop dozens of melons in Whitby. The fruit hit the ground with a force similar to that at which an
A CLAIM that a district councillor made defamatory comments about colleagues has been rejected. Richmondshire district councillor, Paul Cullen, was accused of making the statements about council leader John Blackie and other senior councillors in a
COUNCIL officers in North Yorkshire are trying to resolve a legal dispute centred on a move to have a piece of land registered as village green. The parish council at Newby, near Stokesley, has applied to the county council to register the land at the
POLICE have released a photograph of four smiling faces - recovered from a digital camera found near a Teesside road, hoping hope to trace the owners.The camera was handed into Coulby Newham police office after being found near The Ridge, in Coulby
This co-production between Ensemble and the Theatre Royal has much going for it. So why, I kept asking myself - and as the piece lingers around for nearly two-and-a-half hours I had a lot of time to ask - isn't it working for me? I can forgive a production
THIS will be a good day for burying bad news in the sports world, which means the Odessa files will be limited. The Ryder Cup is said to have become the biggest sporting event on the planet, although the organisers of the Welsh Bog Snorkelling Championships
IAN ELLIOTT has revealed the Football Association have dropped two of the three charges issued to him for allegedly breaching rules while looking after Sunderland midfielder Grant Leadbitter, writes Paul Fraser. The charges, issued on July 6, were in
Two Tyneside lads have created a little piece of football heaven where fans can snap up all manner of 'beautiful game' memorabilia. IT must be a football fan's idea of heaven. And if you're a Magpies fan, it's even better. The Back Page is a shop with
STEPHEN WRIGHT is facing a further 12 weeks on the sidelines after surgery but manager Roy Keane believes Sunderland already have sufficient talent within the existing squad to cope without the former Liverpool right-back. Wright has played just four
PUBLIC services often bear the brunt when people are looking to apportion blame. Instead of individuals accepting responsibility for their own actions or appreciating that accidents can happen, the finger of blame is pointed at the police, health service
DANNY Wilson believes his Hartlepool United players won back some much-needed pride on Tuesday - now he wants them to maintain the momentum tomorrow. Pools head off to Peterborough United today, on the back of Tuesday's Carling Cup exit at Hull City.
SUPERMARKET company Tesco has paid out a £25,000 "golden handcuffs" deal to a bus company to prevent anyone else buying its land. Critics of Tesco's plan in Darlington say the deal, which will last for two years, is preventing competition in the town
BACK in 2002, plans were approved for a redevelopment of Newton Aycliffe town centre - with a Tesco store at the heart of it. The £25m scheme should have rejuvenated the ailing town, linking it with the supermarket and funding a £5m pedestrian-friendly
A RENEWED effort to have the priceless Lindisfarne Gospels returned to the North-East - albeit briefly - will be launched today. For decades, campaigners have fought for the magnificent illuminated manuscripts to make a permanent return to the region,
A FURIOUS Terry McDermott has branded Craig Bellamy a "little upstart" after the former Newcastle striker instigated the post-match bust-up that blighted Wednesday night's Premiership clash at Anfield. McDermott, currently in his second spell on the United
SIR Menzies Campbell yesterday urged voters to accept higher taxes on cars and flights to save the planet, as a stormy Liberal Democrat conference closed in Brighton. In his first conference speech as party leader, Sir Menzies insisted the Lib Dems were
A WOMAN involved in a minor car accident with a pensioner who later died has been spoken to by police. Former Royal Navy serviceman Harry Linton, 83, fell ill shortly after a collision in his Reliant Robin with the woman's Seat. The grandfather was taken
A POLISH student was listening to music through headphones when the car he was driving was involved in a collision - killing his childhood friend, a court heard. Konrad Dziekonski, 22, who admitted careless driving, came to England for a year with Kamil
THE parents of a premature baby who defied all the odds to win her battle for life last night criticised advice from leading medical experts that babies born before 25 weeks gestation should not receive medical treatment. Erin McMenamin defied medical
A FORMER pit village that made the headlines when police sealed it off to arrest drug dealers is looking forward to a £278,000 environmental makeover. Grange Villa, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, was sealed off in March 2004 by 250
PENSIONERS who thought they would be moving out of sheltered accommodation for a week while it is repaired have learned they will not be able to return for at least a year - and some will not be able to return at all. The 27 pensioners believed they were
THE fiancee of a North-East woman killed by a terrorist bomb during their first holiday abroad has spoken of his need to move on from the tragedy. Stephen Stables, of Spennymoor, County Durham, had expected to be married to first love, Helyn Bennett,
The news that international paedophile campaigner Thomas O'Carroll had been living in their midst left many residents of the small County Durham town of Shildon shocked and disturbed. Catherine Jewitt spoke to them as he faces ten years behind bars.
THE North-East's tourism slogan, Passionate People. Passionate Places, has won a top award for the second year running. The slogan, which features on press and television advertising, was named the world's leading regional marketing campaign at the World
YOUNG offenders are being given the chance to turn their lives around after a successful pilot project has been rolled out across the region. The project, called It's Going To Work, helps 16 to 19-year-old offenders in the Tees Valley area get life skills
A CHINESE woman alleged to have waged a campaign of threats against the company that sacked her has lost an industrial tribunal for race discrimination. The tribunal judgement found Susan Chen's claims of race discrimination against her former employers
A SACKED British Transport Police officer claimed he lost his job because he blew the whistle on a colleague he says kept part of a human skull. Former transport police constable Tom Lake claimed Sergeant Mick Haggart had picked up part of the skull
HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds have been clawed back from crooks who siphoned off donations destined to make the dying wishes come true for children. Deborah Oram, the lawyer appointed by the Charity Commission to sort out the financial fall-out of
A CATHEDRAL service takes place tomorrow to celebrate the 900th anniversary of one of Britain's best-known charities. Hundreds of volunteers from St John Ambulance will attend Saturday's service at Durham Cathedral to mark the Visitation of the Order
A TOP blues band is to play at a North-East school. Carmel RC College, in Darlington, is to play host to Otis Grand and his ten- piece rhythm and blues band tomorrow. The concert has been organised by Carmel Rhythm Club, which was set up two years ago
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS: WHAT a pathetic performance by Home Secretary John Reid when he spoke to what looked like a political fringe meeting on Wednesday about religious intolerance. He was heckled and barracked by placard-waving intolerants and he stood
BBC presenter Richard Hammond was still critically ill in hospital last night following his high-speed crash. Lindsay Jennings looks at what makes people risk their lives for a challenge. HIS on-screen image is that of 'one of the lads'. Richard Hammond
Ancient Rome: The Rise And Fall Of An Empire (BBC1); I Smack And I'm Proud (ITV1): I always thought that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Apparently not, according to this first in a new series about the Roman Empire. He wasn't exactly running around
VOODOO MOON is in pole position to hit the jackpot and claim the prodigious £136,570 first prize for Ascot's Watership Down Stud Sales. Rather like a Formula 1 car lining up at the head of the starting grid, Voodoo Moon (3.10) has been allotted the best
WHEN the American Ryder Cup team touched down on Irish soil on Monday, their choice of attire could hardly have been more fitting. A Sherlock Holmes style ensemble of heavy tweed blousons and lightweight beige slacks might have made for a fairly incongruous
EARLIER this year, Professor Alan Craft, head of child health at Newcastle University, found himself in the media spotlight over the treatment of very premature babies, writes Barry Nelson. A report on the issue from the Royal College of Obstetricians
For most parents, holding their newborn baby or hearing it cry are things taken for granted. But Ciaran and Anna McMenamin had to wait months to experience such pleasures with daughter Erin. Deborah Johnson meets the family. LOOKING through the album
IT IS exactly a year ago that Colin Montgomerie led a Great Britain & Ireland team out at The Wynyard to take on the rest of Europe in North-East golf's finest hour. For the first time, the region played host to the Seve Trophy and everything that went
IT will be a big night for two former Barnard Castle School boys when Newcastle Falcons entertain London Irish tonight (8pm). Tim Visser makes his first start on the wing and scrum half Lee Dickson will be on the bench after nine months out following
A VILLAGE is in danger of growing into a town if more housing proposals are passed, according to a councillor. Councillor Sheila Brown made the warning at Darlington Borough Council's planning committee, after an application to build five more homes in
THE Lingfield Community Partnership is holding a family litter pick today. The event, which is open to all families in the area, will begin at Heathfield Primary School, in The Broadway, Darlington, at 3.30pm. It is expected to last for an hour. Volunteer
NO SOONER had Nottinghamshire handed them a lifeline yesterday than Durham lost three wickets in four balls half an hour from the close of an enthralling day's play at Headingley. With the Trent Bridge men dismissed for 165 and destined to take one point
ROY and Hayley Cropper travelled all the way from the cobbles of Weatherfield to Darlington - but still found themselves in a cafe. Coronation Street stars David Neilson and Julie Hesmondhalgh - whose characters run Roy's Rolls in the television soap
PEDESTRIAN HEART: NOW that the people of Darlington are being told the facts about the true costs of the half-finished town centre (Echo, Sept 21), is it not about time that someone should be held responsible? We cannot really blame the councillors as
PLANS to convert a disused barn have finally been given the go-ahead, despite another call for the application to be deferred. Darlington Borough Council's planning committee approved the final part of the plans to convert Manor Farm, in Bishopton, into
TWO family history workshops are to be held in Darlington in the coming weeks. The sessions, at the Crown Street library, will take place on Monday, October 30, from 2pm to 4pm, and on Friday, November 3, from 10am to noon. Places need to be booked by
SIGNS are being erected at Darlington's household waste recycling centre to make it quicker and easier for residents to use. The signs, which will be put up today, will show what kind of rubbish can be put in each skip and will be clearly visible to people
AN exhibition exploring how we look at the home has gone on show at a Darlington gallery. Homescapes, by lens-based artist Lindsay Duncanson, opens at the Myles Meehan gallery at the Arts Centre today. The exhibition was developed through a body of work
THE Lindisfarne Gospels belong in the North-East. They are a priceless part of our heritage, a source of great pride for the people of the region, and they should be seen and appreciated in their rightful historic context. Decades of attempts to have
RYANAIR last night said it was in discussions with Durham Tees Valley airport with a view to expanding its presence there, following the exit of low-cost rival bmibaby. The no-frills airline, which operates flights from Teesside to Dublin, may look at
A SUPPORT group has been formed to help hundreds of workers facing redundancy in the wake of job cuts at Nestle and Norwich Union. City of York Council yesterday said it would work with partners, including Business Link and regional development agency
AN employer in one of the region's most rural locations has been the subject of a management buyout which will help secure 230 jobs. William Cook Defence, based in Stanhope, in County Durham, manufactures tracks for tanks and other components. The company
PAY rises for workers in retail firms are at their lowest for three years, while their working week has increased by 30 minutes, according to a report today. Average increases are 2.5 per cent, about 0.5 per cent lower than in other sectors of industry
Chinese business leaders will today meet their counterparts in the region to forge closer economic ties. The Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce (SFIC) will meet the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) to build on a memorandum of understanding
MARK VIDUKA is still reeling from the way Middlesbrough were embarrassed in the Caring Cup and feels a failure to find consistency is down to life under a new manager. Viduka has been one of the most frustrated members of the squad in the last couple
A PERVERT who led an international child sex ring from his North-East home was last night facing jail.Residents of Shildon, County Durham, have spoken of their disgust after learning that the prominent pro-paedophilia campaigner was living in their midst.Thomas
ONE of Darlington's busiest roads was closed off last night after reports a teenager had been knocked down by a car while speaking to the emergency services. Mystery surrounds just exactly what happened on Haughton Road just after 10pm. Officers cordoned
A WOMAN was killed and two children injured when they were hit by a car which was being followed by police. The Jeep had been abandoned by the driver who had disappeared from the scene in Sunderland, Northumbria Police said. It appeared the group was
