TELEVISION presenter Richard Hammond was discharged from Leeds General Infirmary today. Doctors said they were optimistic that Mr Hammond, 36, could be back to full health within six months. The Top Gear presenter left the Leeds hospital by a Yorkshire
HARTLEPOOL United's much-improved away form has brought an additional reward for manager Danny Wilson. The League Managers Association five-man Performance of the Week panel (Howard Wilkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Dave Bassett and Barry Fry)
With a cornocopia of sounds embracing everything from reggae, punk, ska and gypsy lilts, the intriguingly named Larrikin Love can at worst be described as interesting, at best a bloody revelation. Exponents of the so-called Thamesbeat, Larrikin Love
DESCRIBING any war as average is perhaps a bit of a contradiction in terms. But, that apart, there is nothing average about this fascinating memoir from author Mike Peyton. Mike, who was born in Houghton-leSpring, has set out to tell what teenagers
RISING in the North York Moors at Fylingdales, the River Derwent comes to within two and a half miles of the sea near Scarborough. Then, obstructed by a glacial moraine, it swings south, on a 90-mile detour that takes it to the sea via the Humber.
JUNIE B is almost five and about to get her first taste of school. But this mininovel for new readers isn't just another reassuring 'settling into school' story. For Junie B is very American - and very anarchic. She's got clear opinions about what
IN this delightful short novel we meet Polly, who lives in Nursery Rhyme Land and whose mother is the Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe. Polly is fed up with looking after her countless brothers and sisters and doing all the household chores for her harassed
DEEP in an Indian forest, Kuma the tigress is struggling to raise her cubs in a wild and beautiful world where danger lurks round every corner. Meanwhile, on the edge of the forest two children, Anji and Himal, are eagerly helping their father who
TEENAGER Jazmin's mum is a secret agent - which means that Jazmin herself often gets caught up in her intriguing and dangerous assignments. That's the basis of this new, fast moving series of thriller-mystery adventures. In this one Jazmin meets
A PENSIONER suffered horrific injuries this morning after falling under the wheels of a Metro train as he waited on the platform. The 70-year-old man fell from Platform Two of North Shields Metro Station onto the line at around 11am, where a train ran
One of the most innovative artists out there, Beck is at times so out there that I find it hard to get my head around him. On other occasions, he mines a seam of pure musical gold. This is one of those occasions. A blend of pop, hip-hop and funk
You can hear the influence of fellow Aussie rockers AC/DC from a mile away. Add to that strains akin to the Stones and Aerosmith and you know that Jet aren't exactly breaking new ground here. But, hey, who cares. Taken from the forthcoming album
REFRESHINGLY different, this song is the musical equivalent of a long, hot, rosescented bath after a three-hour gym session with the personal trainer from hell. Sweet, soulful and uplifting, the key to this track lies in its simplicity, with the Canadian
LYRICALLY challenged is perhaps the kindest way to describe this disappointing debut from Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie. As well as a chorus which doesn't make sense, unnecessary use of the F-word and terrible diction, Fergie's rapping style makes
THIS film surprised Hollywood observers by doing so well at the US box office as a low budget - a mere $15 million - computeranimated project challenging the supremacy of the big boys like Pixar and Dreamworks. There is, as the poster tag line says
THIS 9/11 film drama from director Oliver Stone comes as a surprise. A director who has, in the past, outraged and exasperated with movies such as JFK, Natural Born Killers and even the historical drama Alexander plays it straight down the line without
RYANAIR today announced two new services from the North-East to Barcelona. The airline will soon fly from Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley to Barcelona Girona, 58 miles north-east of the city. The service from Durham Tees Valley, three times a week,
Inzamam-ul-Haq has been found not guilty of ball tampering following an International Cricket Council hearing in London. But the Pakistan captain has been banned for four one-day internationals after being found guilty of a second charge of bringing
THE Huntsman Corporation is announcing this afternoon a $700m deal to sell its European Chemicals and Polymers Division on Teesside to the Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). The sale, which will see 840 jobs transfer to SABIC, includes
FOR all his detractors, Tony Blair has this week reminded the Labour Party how hard it will be to replace him.After a difficult period dominated by speculation about his departure date, he has rediscovered his spark and charisma with his widely-acclaimed
HUNTING: I SEE the hunt extremists are trying to bring in their cruel sport of hunting our wildlife by the back door. The National Trust has agreed that in some cases, when an injured or sick deer is found on adjacent property and then crosses onto trust
KNOCK, knock. Whos there? If youre a pensioner these days the answer may be enough to make you choke on your dentures. In towns, cities and suburbs all over Britain, the invasion of the teenager has firmly taken hold. Peace has been shattered. Bus shelters
ELECTIONS to fill resident representative vacancies on Hartlepool Borough Council's neighbourhood consultative forums are being held this week. The forums, which meet every eight weeks, give local people a chance to raise issues affecting their communities
A WOMAN is appealing for the return of her stolen rabbit. Council administrator Sarah Jay says she has been devastated by the theft of Bramble, a miniature lop-eared rabbit, from an allotment at Saltburn. Thieves snatched Bramble, a black rabbit with
FANS of silent films can enjoy a free ten-week course looking at the golden age of movies. Explorations in Silent Cinema will be held at Durham County Council's Clayport Library, in Durham City, from 7pm to 9pm every Tuesday, starting next week. The
THE chairman of Easington District Council will be getting into the swing of a charity golf match when he tees the event off next week. Councillor Charles Walker will launch the annual tournament between council staff and officers from Durham Police at
THE Stanley chapter of Aglow International, a Christian women's organisation, will welcome new members at its next monthly meeting, on Monday. Meetings are held in the Derwent Suite at the Lamplight Arts Centre, Stanley, on the first Monday of each month
THOUSANDS of pounds worth of power tools have been stolen from a construction site, the latest in a series of thefts from building compounds in the area. Equipment worth about £2,500 was stolen on Tuesday afternoon from the site at Medomsley, near Consett
COUNCIL cash can be saved if residents send back their electoral registration forms. More than 40,000 forms have been sent out in Hartlepool, and by law a council representative will have to visit every household that fails to register. Christine Armstrong
ARTISTS in Teesside are getting ready for this year's Big Draw. The annual event aims to show people there is much more to drawing than a pencil and piece of paper. The Big Draw exhibition will run from October 7 until November 25 at Billingham Art Gallery
ALMOST one in four shopkeepers were prepared to sell age-restricted products to underage children during a six-month exercise. Children were sold drink, cigarettes, video games and aerosol paint during the investigation by Durham County Council's trading
A BIG band will take to the stage in Guisborough next month to raise funds for a community project. Guisborough Big Band will perform on Friday, October 6, at Guisborough Rugby Club, at a concert in aid of the Gisborough Priory Project. The project aims
DURHAM'S MP is backing a call for a freeze on building expensive executive flats in the city centre until the city's true housing needs have been assessed. Labour MP Roberta Blackman-Woods held a public meeting to gauge opinion on the 2020 Vision wish-list
A TODDLER group is inviting people to call in for a cuppa tomorrow. Kidz Group, at Durham Gilesgate Primary School, Kepier Crescent, Gilesgate, Durham, is taking part in the World's Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan Cancer Support between 9.30am and
ALMOST three-quarters of Crook traders believe plans for pay and display car parks in the town centre would seriously damage businesses. The reaction to the Wear Valley District Council's plans to introduce charges in car parks in Market Place and off
THOUSANDS of babies and toddlers are being encouraged to get their teeth into a good book. From next week, County Durham Bookstart will be giving away 30,000 books to youngsters. Free packs, each worth £20, will be distributed through health visitors
PROTESTORS are determined to protect their small piece of paradise from the hands of developers. A long-running battle to save a small wood appears to be coming to an end as Middlesbrough Council looks for a buyer for the land, off Stainton Way, Coulby
A CROOK school has been moving to an African beat this week, with pupils learning traditional drumming techniques. Children from Hartside Primary School were introduced to the skills by Congolese musician Robert Maseko, who spent three days in the school
A WOMAN has organised a walk to raise money for a cancer unit where her nephew is being treated. Sam Douthwaite's nephew, James Douthwaite, is undergoing treatment at the children's unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. In May, James, 18,
A NORTH-EAST orchestra has secured a grant for a project highlighting the life and work of one of England's most famous composers. The Heritage Lottery fund (HLF) has awarded £50,000 to the Newcastle-based Avison Ensemble, in support of its 2007 to 2008
SHOPPERS may have thought they had seen a ghost yesterday, when they saw Florence Nightingale chatting to people in a town centre. However, the lady with the lamp was really a health visitor in costume doing a survey. Along with other nurses from North
A SERIES of drop-in question and answer sessions is to be held for residents to find out more about a recycling initiative. Ten events are to be held at nine different locations ahead of a further expansion of Hartlepool Borough Council's collection scheme
STANDARDS committee members have backed disciplinary action taken against the chairman and vice-chairman of a parish council. Wear Valley District Council's standards committee, which includes lay members as well as councillors, endorsed a decision taken
CONCERNS have been raised about the proposed closure of public toilets. A report compiled by councillors at Richmondshire District Council recommends that conveniences in Catterick Village, Colburn and Scotton should be shut. The report claims the toilets
A NEW newspaper will roll off the presses this week. NY Times will be published every month by North Yorkshire County Council. The first issue looks at the challenge of dealing with household waste. The first of the paper's competitions invites readers
THE show season closed in traditional style at Pateley Bridge, where the Nidderdale Show committee celebrated the 80th anniversary of the acquisition of Bewerley Park as a permanent site. Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh, who takes a special interest in
A restaurant has been praised by mystery diners from a national guidebook. Vennell's Restaurant, in Masham, received five points - meaning good to very good cooking - in the 2007 Which? Good Food Guide. Owner Jon Vennell said: "We're really proud to
A POLISH holidaymaker was probably too drunk to escape from the smoke-filled room in which he died, an inquest heard yesterday. Mariusz Sobczak was two-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit for driving after sharing two litres of vodka with three
AN experienced motorcyclist died when he lost control of his high-powered sports machine at more than 100mph. Mark Young's Yamaha R1 motorbike skidded almost 100 yards before smashing into a car and bursting into flames. An inquest heard yesterday that
MORE than 100 children were served the best of British food for lunch yesterday. Local primary school pupils were invited to the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate, by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. As well as receiving lunch, children took
SENIOR councillors have tak-en a step nearer having their proceedings broadcast by an online local radio station. Radio Ryedale, a non-profit company run by volunteers at Hovingham, near Malton, wants to make sound recordings of North Yorkshire Coun-ty
A TAXI driver was assaulted yesterday after he answered a call to an address in York. The man was called to Tos-tig Avenue, Acomb, at about 3.15am, but when he got out of his car a youth hit him in the face with what the victim believed was a snooker
A TALENTED young musician from Hambleton won the district's annual battle of the bands contest. Tom Rollins, from Appleton Wiske, beat off competition from 12 local groups to take the title at the Hambleton Forum. The solo folk singer wowed the audience
SOME of the region's most skilful raconteurs will have dozens of gripping yarns to relate at an annual North-East event. The three-day North Pennines Storytelling Festival starts on Friday, October 13. Tyneside favourites A Bit of Crack, featuring Chris
DEVELOPERS have submitted new designs for a housing estate and business park at Wolsingham steelworks. A shop unit the size of a convenience store is also included in Banks Developments' revised scheme for the 5.7ha Weardale Steel site at the eastern
A TEENAGER who made it through to the last 40 in BBC show "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" is to star in a new production. Sara Boomsma, 17, from Romanby, Northallerton, has discarded her nun's head-dress to play the part of Guenevere in Northallerton
A POPULAR priest received more than 200 personal farewells when he said goodbye to pupils in a Durham school yesterday. Father Adrian Tuckwell has been parish priest at St Godric's Church in the city for the past six years. During his stay he has played
DURHAM City Council has signed a £2m deal with the company that will run a fitness centre in the city's new £11m swimming pool. Surrey-based Competition Line has pledged that its facilities will be "affordable and accessible for everyone'', with membership
A COUNTY Durham museum will undergo an impressive transformation after receiving a £3.3m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, initially bid for £3.23m, but will also receive an additional £138,500 in development
THE hot news in Soapland is that chip shop entrepreneur Ian Beale needs an MoT in EastEnders (BBC1). Long-suffering partner Jane has told him many times that his spark plugs are dirty and his exhaust emissions are poisonous. So she takes the car to the
'I'M worried," said my friend over coffee. Her son's best mate has become an Emo and she's concerned her boy will turn into one too. For those who don't have teenage children, Emos make Goths - those gloomy, pale-faced, self-obsessed youngsters who dress
Robbie Coltrane reckons's he's disillusioned with movies and preferes the challenge of TV, which is why the return of hit character Cracker may lead to another run of the crime-cracking drama. Steve Pratt reports. AFTER a decade away Robbie Coltrane didn't
SOARING through the clouds at 100 knots, 2,000ft above rolling green countryside, a little boy realised a dream. Four-year-old Bradley Young has a passion for planes and helicopters, but will never fly because of a rare heart condition. But this week
Ballet Changed My Life: Ballet Hoo! (C4): 'CAN art really change lives?," asked the narrator as 200 teenagers from the most disadvantaged parts of the West Midlands clomped around with all the finesse of a herd of elephants on acid. The question has
As foraging for food undergoes something of a revival, the column offers a culinary challenge - and something of a free puff - to the Good Pub Guide's North-East Dining Pub of the Year. HIS email neatly headed Puffball Wizard, and in time for harvest
A WOMAN was lucky to escape with her life after petrol thieves cut her brake lines by mistake. As she set off from home, the unsuspecting victim discovered to her horror that her brakes were not working. It was only through good fortune that she was able
YORKSHIRE Air Ambulance staff revealed yesterday how they thought the call telling them of the high-speed crash involving Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond was a joke. Mr Hammond, 36, was seriously injured last Wednesday when the jet-powered car he was
RECORD-BREAKING mountaineer Alan Hinkes is hoping for better luck than last year when he lines up for the Great North Run on Sunday. Twelve months ago, he tore his right Achilles tendon and his left calf muscle after setting off at a sprint. Mr Hinkes
THREE people from the North-East have helped create the UK's first dating website for people living with sexually transmitted diseases. The idea for the website - www.datepositive.net - came from a Tyneside woman who feared she would find it difficult
HEAVY ground at Ayr holds no fears for Michael Hammond's mud-loving mare, Charlotte Vale (4.20). Charlotte Vale, who never shirks the issue even in the heat of battle, is ideally equipped to cope with the testing underfoot conditions. Hammond's stable
Police rushed to the scene after receiving reports of a sword-wielding maniac threatening a group of children in a park. But they found themselves being booed by the kids they went to save after the culprit turned out to be a juggler staging an outdoor
A GRANDMOTHER who urinated next to a man's grave in front of his horrified family has been banned from entering the cemetery. Annette Slight, 54, admitted dropping her trousers and squatting next to the freshly-laid grave of Henry Tutty while his widow
ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY fuels company D1 Oils confirmed yesterday that talks were continuing with a company interested in a takeover or merger. The unnamed suitor - which The Northern Echo understands to be BP - could accelerate D1's expansion. The
THE company behind the UK's largest biodiesel plant saw its share price plummet last night as it admitted it was experiencing futher production problems. The Biofuels Corporation, based in Billingham, Teesside, detected small traces of contamination in
INDUSTRIAL services group Chieftain revealed last night that it was planning to significantly expand its operations in the region after the acquisition of a machinery repair business. Chieftain, which is based in Newcastle and floated on the stock market
WORLD-FAMOUS cartoon character Andy Capp will finally be commemorated in his creator's home town after support from a public vote. Plans for a 5ft statue of the character are pressing ahead after the idea was backed by almost four to one in a poll of
SUGAR beet growers in the region must act quickly if they intend to stop growing the crop and claim compensation from British Sugar. The deadline for contacting the company is Friday, October 6, but the National Farmers' Union (NFU) last night warned
LEADING police officers have described Middlesbrough as the hub of crack cocaine dealing in the North-East. A three-day clampdown on street dealers and crack houses was started yesterday to nip the problem in the bud before organised crime gets a stranglehold
A CONSTRUCTION company in the region is about to start work on a £5m office development that has the potential to create up to 250 jobs. Redworth Construction will begin work on the two-acre Manor Park development, near Malton, North Yorkshire, within
A MAN was left fighting for his life after being shocked by an electric stun gun and subjected to an horrific attack, it was revealed yesterday. The unnamed victim needed brain surgery after being knocked unconscious by the device, which is usually used
PROPERTY company Gladman Developments has started work on a £6.2m office park in the region that is expected to create more than 500 jobs. The UK's largest speculative office developer has begun construction of the first phase of the complex, on the
HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Developments last night reported a record order book of £1.1bn as it beat market forecasts with a 3.4 per cent rise in pre-tax profits. The Newcastle company, which is the UK's second largest housebuilder by market value, revealed
BILL CLINTON left Labour's foot-soldiers scratching their heads yesterday when he revealed the secret of keeping the voters happy - more ubuntu. The smooth-talking former US president won a predictably ecstatic reaction from conference delegates as their
A SKINCARE company set up by a County Durham GP yesterday reported a half-year loss of £1.03m, but said the outlook was very positive. Dermasalve Sciences said expansion in the Far East and Europe, with products including a hand gel that kills the bird
Yorkshire confirmed last night that they will not be renewing the playing contract of long-serving wicket-keeper/batsman Richard Blakey, who made his debut in 1985. Blakey last played for the first team in 2003 and after that captained the Second XI for
MIGRANT workers are crucial to the future prosperity of the North-East economy, the head of the regional development agency said last night. As One NorthEast launched its regional economic strategy (RES) yesterday, the blueprint for the region for the
A DEVASTATED family is grieving the loss of a father killed when his car collided with a high speed train. John Anthony Power, 54, of York, died when a Virgin train smashed into his Vauxhall Astra, near York, at 100mph. Friends of Mr Power, of St George's
FEARLESS Emanuel Pogatetz has warned £6m signing Robert Huth he faces a tough fight to dislodge the Austria international from the Middlesbrough defence. Huth played the full 90 minutes last night in the reserves' 2-1 win against Manchester United's
Darlington's hectic schedule continues tomorrow night at home to Grimsby Town - their seventh game in 21 days. Manager David Hodgson will undoubtedly change the side which lost on Tuesday night at Mansfield, with one change enforced. The defeat at Field
FORMER US President Bill Clinton and Tony Blair are likely to become two regular guys hanging out together, judging from comments from the former. Mr Clinton, who addressed the Labour Party's conference in Manchester yesterday, was asked if he would miss
PRIOR to last weekend, the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award had looked like becoming a particularly bad joke. When a gong that is supposed to mark the pinnacle of sporting achievement is destined for either a comedian who has swum the channel
THE future of a 35-year-old boxing club which has produced more than 90 British champions has been cast into doubt. Darlington Amateur Boxing Club has recently lost its base after it was knocked down to make way for flats. Boxers, aged from as young as
AFTER watching his side smash nine goals in two games away from home, Danny Wilson couldn't be happier with his strikers. In-form Jon Daly has scored four of the nine and Joel Porter rounded off Tuesday's win at Grimsby with a 20-yard effort. The pair
North-East film director Sir Ridley Scott explains to Steve Pratt how he's managed to salvage a four-disc epic version of his movie Kingdom Of Heaven after thinking that a two-hour version was the answer. UNLIKE some directors who take umbrage if the
BACK in 1999, wrestling with a £20mon bid to buy Everton Football Club, theatre impresario Bill Kenwright arrived in Newcastle declaring he was on the point of retirement from risking his money on shows for the West End and touring the regions. He never
Former star of The Likely Lads Rodney Bewes tells Viv Hardwick why he hates the book he penned himself and how he blames himself for a one-man tour which has him dashing all over the country until December. THE talkative Rodney Bewes manages to express
POLICE are becoming increasingly anxious about a schoolgirl who has been missing from home for a week.Charlotte Louise Lord, 15, was dropped off by taxi at a school in Darlington last Thursday, after travelling from her home in Hartlepool. She is understood
A Northern Echo reporter who spent seven months working as a volunteer in Africa is to talk about his experiences.Mark Tallentire, of Ramshaw, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, spent seven months teaching in Zambia, as part of the Methodist Church's
POLICE chiefs pledged no let-up in the fight against crack cocaine last night after launching the biggest drug-busting operation the region has ever seen.More than 300 officers are expected to carry out raids across Teesside this morning after the first
SUNDERLAND striker Daryl Murphy last night handed Roy Keane a major selection boost by declaring himself fit for Saturday's Championship clash with Sheffield Wednesday. Murphy injured his hamstring in the recent 1-1 draw against Leicester, but while it
GLENN Roeder last night promised not to abandon Titus Bramble but warned the under-fire centre-half he would have nowhere to hide now that Newcastle had embraced the latest technological invention to have been introduced into football. Despite Sunday's
The pressure for tighter restrictions on dangerous dogs increased yesterday as it emerged that more people had been mauled. Lindsay Jennings speaks to two poeple with opposing views about rottweilers - a father who was savaged by one and a breeder.
