Archive

Solutions ACROSS 1 Two-score. TWO+SCORE 6 Prince. PRI(N)CE 9 United. UNI+TED 10 Rosaline. RO+SALINE (or rev.) 11 Turnpike. TURN+PIKE 12 Send-up. S+END UP 13 Pull together. PULL+TOGETHER 15 Second person. SECOND+PER+SON 19 Hecuba

Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 2 and 20 and 40 (3-5) 6 Vincent perhaps frames northern king's son (6) 9 Married Ted after university (6) 10 Girl brought back alternative to salt (8) 11 Send weapon by road in America (8) 12 Make fun of singer's opening

POLICE say they have no plans to re-open the investigation into the murder of a teacher - more than two months after the man jailed for shooting him had his conviction quashed. Former aircraft engineer Andrew Adams, from Newcastle, walked free after

QUESTION My dog has been in season for quite a while now and is bleeding as per usual. However, she is bleeding rather heavily (much more than usual) and also the blood is at times quite dark and thick. Do you think this is anything to worry about?

QUESTION My 15 month old Staffy has always had problems with her back leg, unfortunatly it has got much worse in the last few weeks. After X-rays my vet wants to operate on her knee joint. He says she has torn the ligment and damaged her cartlage and

Perhaps this is a world first. The words Barnard Castle' and blogs' don't really go hand in hand. ("Did ya say logs? You want logs d'ya lad? Get yerself down to Deepdale Woods if ya want logs!") I sometimes get the impression that Barnard Castle hasn't

QUESTION My dog keeps getting an abscess between her toes, she was operated on to see if there was a foreign body stuck inside her foot but it was clear and so was her xray. She is taking Antirobe antibiotics which she finishes on Monday, she has been

QUESTION My 13 week old puppy has been diagnosed with possible panosteitis. The first vet I saw told me this was not serious or permanent condition and he would grow out of it by a year of age. Another vet at the same practice has now prescribed synoquin

QUESTION Heidi had intermittent lameness last September, following major tests over a few months and finally a mri scan she was found to have a ruptured cruciate ligament and her menisci was not to healthy. My vet does not want to operate because she

QUESTION Have you any idea what is wrong with our dog Bella? Our vets are uncertain, as she has had high temperature for two months, she has had xrays and blood cultures but these have not shown anything. Previously had three strokes 2 years ago and

QUESTION Can dogs suffer from hay fever? Over the last few days after taking her for a walk and more remcently while we are out walking she experiences sneezing fits and has a white discharge from her noses not unlike a child with a runny nose. She

QUESTION My dog has been panting, breathless and drinking lots of water. I took him to the vets who did a ECG. When the result came back and I found that my dog has boarderline heart diease. In english the results said that there was not enough evidence

QUESTION For 12 months my dog has lost his big black nose. All the pigment has gone and it seems constantly sore. The vet adviced aloe vera/vaseline but this has not worked. I wonder if there could be any other cause for it other than the sun as my

POLICE have asked for help in identifying a woman whose body was found on a beach on Wednesday morning. The discovery was made at Battery Parade, Whitby, at 8.15am and the body was taken to Scarborough Hospital. Police say the woman was in her 50s or

QUESTION On two ocassions my yorkshire terrier has had temporaray loss of use in his front left paw, his head has hung on the side with his tongue out. He recovers in minutes but has had several bouts of vomiting, but is generally fit and well.

QUESTION Sam has been diagnosed as having a lesion in his neck which means that he can no longer stand/walk etc. Do you feel that it is time to say goodbye or is the option of an operation to correct really feasable? Mike ANSWER

QUESTION Sheba is a rescue dog that we've had for 7 months and she weighed 17.5 kilos then. She had been speyed and undergone dental treatment and was simply wasting away. She developed conjunctivitis and almost went blind but recovered well and now

TWO teenagers have been arrested by police investigating a blaze at comic Stan Laurel's old school in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. The youths were questioned at the town's police station hours after Tuesday's fire at the boarded-up Laurel Building

A SEARCH was launched for two campers after a tent with a pair of sleeping bags inside was found on remote moorland during a wintry storm. But police called off the hunt today after deciding the missing people may have just abandoned their gear near

A DRUNK driver who was twice over the limit when she killed two pensioners in a smash has been jailed for five years. Former council boss Charles Crane, 80, and his wife Sandra, 69, died instantly when Brenda Emerson ploughed into their car. Preston

FIVE people arrested this morning in connection with thefts of satellite navigation systems have now been charged. A 16-year-old has been charged with attempted theft from a motor vehicle, along with two breaches of his CRASBO(Criminal Anti-Social Behaviour

A GRIEVING man's heartache for his late mother turned to fury after a council blunder left him tending a stranger's grave. Following the death of his mum, Sylvia, in June last year, Paul Scott was given an incorrect number for her plot in Durham Road

QUESTION My dog is more than 10 years old and suddenly about 2 weeks ago started to pant badly for no apparent reason. I took her to the vet who said that at her age they were apprehensive about doing exploratory on her heart but assumed that she had

QUESTION My dog started making noises that sounded like she was clearing her nose/throat. Soon afterwards she started producing mucus from her nose (all over our carpets!) We have taken her to 3 vets, all of whom prescribed antibiotics which haven't

QUESTION Were receiveing Metacam for arthritic back legs but this has been discontinued for a month on the recommendation of the vet. They are now on Glucosamine and a teaspoon of cod liver oil as the vet suggested. They currently are on a mixture

THE fundraising Bilsdale Hunt Ball has collected more than £5,000 to help cover the hunt's running costs. The annual ball is used by the hunt as a means to collect funds it then spends on its hounds. The dogs are kennelled with the Hurworth Hunt's hounds

RESIDENTS who put their bins out on the wrong day could find themselves targeted in a clamp-down on anti-social behaviour. A new drive across Redcar and Cleveland has been launched. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has joined forces with officers

FARMER'S daughter Carol Craddock has won a national award. A senior broker with Henderson's, of Barkers Business Park, near Ripon, she has been named FarmWeb Member of the Year. FarmWeb is a network of 80 specialist UK agricultural insurance brokers

A BID is to be made for National Lottery funding towards the refurbishment and extension of the public library in Harrogate. The executive of North Yorkshire County Council was told yesterday that investment in the Grade II-listed building, in Victoria

THE second phase of a multi-million pound scheme to reduce flooding in the Newton Hall area of Durham will be bigger than planned. Northumbrian Water will spend £2m on upgrading and increasing the capacity of the area's sewage network. This second phase

A SPORTING champion met young hopefuls to inspire them to take up the sport. Heather Munro, bronze medalist at the 2005 World Orienteering Championships, was guest speaker at the Step into Sport conference held at Soccarena, in Durham City, on Friday.

LOCAL environmental health workers are joining forces with specialists across North Yorkshire to support the 100-day countdown to Smokefree England. This Friday will see the clock start clicking towards new legislation to make workplaces and public places

PLANS could be brought in to clamp down on alcohol-fuelled nuisance and disorder. Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond has backed proposals to designate all of the town's shopping parades under the Local Authority (Alcohol Consumption in Designated Public

NOMINATIONS are being sought for awards which recognise kind-hearted council staff. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council hopes to repeat the success of last year's Pride awards - Positive Results in Delivering Excellence - with 11 awards presented to

A £10M hospital in Teesdale has welcomed its first visitors. Friends of The Richardson Community Hospital, in Barnard Castle, got a guided tour of the hospital, which is due to open in May. Dave Anderson, modern matron, said: "Most of the new equipment

A PUBLICITY campaign is being launched to tackle hate crimes such as racism and homophobia. It will be conducted in the Chester-le-Street and Durham City districts, and will include bus adverts, talks, dramatic productions, leaflets and information packs

THE cafe in Durham Indoor Market has been given a new look as part of a major overhaul. The Balcony Bistro has re-emerged as Cafe Cenno, following an extension of the balcony at the back of the historic building on which the business is based. The Durham

PUB and shop owners could unite in an attempt to cut retail crime. Police in Northallerton are working with traders to upgrade the shopwatch scheme to the Government's Retailers Against Crime standard. The project would see businesses joining forces to

DURHAM County Council plans to take over the policing of on-street parking in Durham City. It already enforces its own pay-and-display parking system in the city centre, through contractor NCP, but is now looking to assume responsibility for other parking

PRIZES and vouchers are being offered to get children jumping about sport. Stockton Borough Council's sports development team, in partnership with Billingham Campus School, has developed the initiative to increase pupils' physical activity. The programme

A TOWN council's search for cash to improve security at a Victorian park has gone full circle as it has decided to fund the scheme itself. Shildon Town Council will use money from its reserves fund to install security cameras in Hackworth Park. The town

A FATHER has apologised for the actions of his son who died when he crashed his car at 70mph in a 30mph zone after drinking at least six pints of strong lager. Alexander Brian Hayes, 36, of Hundens Lane, Darlington, was two-and-half-times over the drink

A MAN who was only six months away from the end of a three-year driving ban admitted to driving while disqualified, a court heard yesterday. Michael Wayne Green, 35, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and driving without insurance at Darlington

PLANS to reduce teenage pregnancies in Darlington by more than half have been announced. Darlington Primary Care Trust wants to decrease the number of 15 to 17-year-old girls becoming pregnant by 55 per cent before 2010. Figures show that 4.8 per cent

VILLAGERS have only two more days to object to whether a parish council should offer land to a resident who is threatening legal action. A public meeting, referendum or parish poll could be held in Hurworth if enough objections are raised with the parish

A COMMUNITY safety warden has been congratulated for her work with youngsters. Carolyn Bircham was recognised at the annual North-East Regional Wardens Awards for helping set up football for youngsters and giving them the chance to help design a new play

BUDDING young actors are preparing to give their audience a thrilling ride with a performance of the musical Carousel. More than 50 students at Barnard Castle School will perform the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical. Starring sixth-form pupils

NINE people appeared in court yesterday charged with affray. The group is alleged to have attacked the house and car of an Asian man in Thornton Street, Darlington, on November 3 last year. Serena Mary Baker, 18, of Belgrave Street, Daniel Davison, 19

PRINTERS are celebrating after they won an industry award. Hillprint Media, which has more than 50 staff at its offices at Heighington Lane Business Park, in Newton Aycliffe, took the Chairman's Special Award at the Howard Smith Paper Graphic Design and

A ROADSHOW designed to give support and advice to livestock farmers will be in Barnard Castle today. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affair's livestock markets roadshow will communicate messages about biosecurity, diseases, and animal health

A TEENAGER went on a drinking binge with his cousin after learning that the baby his partner was carrying was not his. Frances Livingstone later started an alcohol-fuelled row in a take-away and dragged his cousin, Kyle, into the fracas. A court heard

A RECORD amount of money will be spent in the region this year to build the first mainline steam locomotive in Britain in 47 years. As well as drawing on suppliers from as far away as the US, South Africa and Macedonia, the A1 Steam Locomotive

I AGREE with J Craggs' remarks about aerosol pollution (HAS, Mar 15), but an even more insidious form of pollution are the so-called "air fresheners". They can contain a harmful cocktail of chemicals which are linked to depression, asthma and

RE your front page headline, "The law that could save 135,000 lives", about the smoking ban that is coming into force on July 1 (Echo, Mar 14). What you will be reporting at the end of the year is record numbers of jobs lost due to this law causing

TONY Blair's contribution to last Friday's Comic Relief was absolutely typical of his chronic, shambolic attempt at governing. His Catherine Tate sketch, while in the ego-fuelling spirit of this selfgratifying ordeal, was fundamentally insulting

PETER Mullen's article about Trident, "For God's sake, keep the bomb" (Echo, Mar 14), was curiously interesting. I just wonder how many rectors and chaplains there still might be who openly profess like him. At least Mr Mullen is consistent and

CONGRATULATIONS to the Duchess of Cornwall, whose son Tom and his wife, pictured below, expect to make her a granny in the summer. Well, that'll make a lot of middle-aged mums jealous. What is it with fiftysomethings? You'd think, wouldn't you, that having

FAMILY recipes handed down from generation to generation could soon be on the menu at an award-winning delicatessen. Lewis and Cooper, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, has launched a search for unique recipes and dishes that have never been published

A CITY'S mayor got on his bike yesterday to launch what is hoped will grow into the North-East's biggest annual cycle ride.More than 1,000 cyclists are expected to take part in the first Durham Big Ride on September 16, around a 25-mile loop through the

Paul Collingwood has admitted he ''would like to be given the responsibility'' of taking over from Andrew Flintoff as England's vice-captain. Although the Durham batsman said England do not usually appoint an official understudy to Michael Vaughan, coach

MARK JOHNSTON'S horses usually improve as they are stepped up in distance and Zar Solitario (2.00) is fully expected to uphold that trend by taking the opener at Kempton. The Jumeirah Racing-owned son of Singspiel cost a cool 260,00 euros, cash which

A NORTH-EAST firm could still get its wish to scrap at least part of a rusting fleet of so-called "ghost ships". The US Maritime Administration (Marad) is to review its £11m deal with Hartlepool firm Able to dismantle 13 former US Navy ships after suspending

PRISON reformers said jails were at risk of becoming "high-security nursing homes" after the death of an 82-year-old remand prisoner. George King, a former miner from Esh Winning, Durham, had been on remand at Holme House Prison, Stockton, for less than

Steve Harmison insisted Andrew Flintoff will respond to being stripped of the England vice-captaincy by becoming a stronger character and a better player. Flintoff was also fined and suspended for the victory over Canada after a late-night drinking session

UP to half of North-East homes would enjoy lower council tax bills under a shake-up of town hall finance to be proposed today. Their bills would fall because their homes would be placed in a new band for the cheapest properties, a move to be recommended

HOPES that a buyer may be found for microchip manufacturer Atmel's £450m North-East plant were raised last night after it was revealed that a potential investor has already visited the site - with another expected as early as tomorrow. The development

EASTER school holidays are to be renamed, and in some parts of the region will fall two weeks after the religious festival. Under guidelines issued by the Local Government Association (LGA), the Easter school holidays - to be renamed "spring break" -

THE region's oil and gas industry is expected to thrive on the back of a £900,000 investment in NOF Energy, the development body for the renewables sector. NOF Energy, of Washington, Wearside, has been given the three-year grant by regional development

REACTION to Darlington Football Club's plans have been mixed. Fans and residents have given their initial thoughts about proposals that could revolutionise the future of sport in Darlington. An exhibition will be staged from tomorrow for supporters and

ANYONE who was at Darlington's home game against Hereford last Saturday will not need to have it spelled out that the club cannot survive on football alone. The Quakers are doing well. They are on a 13-match unbeaten run, closing in on a place in the

Darlington have found goals difficult to come by in recent weeks and today the squad will be given extra shooting practice today - but it's not the type of activity shot-shy strikers usually take part in. The play-off chasing squad, having taken note

A SHIPPING management firm has opened its Northern European office in the region and expects to create 20 jobs over the next three years. Hanseatic Shipping Company Limited has moved into premises on the Orion Business Park, in North Shields, North Tyneside

A PSYCHIATRIST has told a jury that an alcoholic who strangled a friend was not suffering from a mental illness at the time of the killing. Dr Mark Turner said Alan Taylor, 41, may have had a condition known as adjustment disorder after his girlfriend

A MIDWIFE left an inexperienced student in charge of a complicated birth while on a break, a misconduct hearing was told. Julia Ways, 45, also let student Gemma McPhillips carry out an internal examination at a critical stage in labour despite having

TOURISM organisation york-england.com has named a local businessman as its new chairman, as it steps up its efforts to attract inward investment to York and North Yorkshire. JOHN YEOMANS, a solicitor and senior partner of law firm Harrowell Shaftoe,

MEDIA regulator Ofcom announced yesterday that it is to launch an investigation into the pay-TV market in the wake of the public row between BSkyB and Virgin Media. The Office of Communications said it would look into competition issues in the pay-TV

A BLAZE yesterday lunch-time threatened the future of comic Stan Laurel's former school.Young arsonists may have started the fire, which destroyed the Laurel Building, at the former Bishop Auckland Grammar School, where Laurel was a pupil in 1902.The

A MARRIED former car plant worker led a bizarre double life, showering his lover with lavish gifts, a court was told.Kevin Wilson told teacher Deborah Irwin he was a single father and a leading butterfly expert.Taken in by his lies, the couple got engaged

Many worthwhile campaigns never attract headlines - or much media attention at all. Did you read last month of a petition being handed in at Downing Street by the Brown Hare Preservation Society? Me neither. Nor did I catch it on TV, though I usually

Graham Redman, tax partner, and Katherine Bullock, private client tax director from Newcastle PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP give their analysis of today's Budget. LIVE ANALYSIS 12.33 Chancellor Gordon Brown started his budget by announcing that it was

FURNITURE importer Mike Keen intended to make his fivebedroomed home at Tindale Crescent, Bishop Auckland, completely eco-friendly, but dropped some environmentally efficient measures because of the cost and the practical difficulties he encountered

THE death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer is being treated as suspicious, according to a Jamaican police spokesman, Woolmer, 58, died on Sunday after collapsing at his hotel hours after Pakistan's World Cup loss to Ireland. Deputy commissioner

CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown was last night engulfed in a storm over his "Stalinist" Treasury style as he prepared to deliver what is expected to be his final Budget. The jibe was included in a scathing attack from Mr Brown's former top civil servant

DARREN Ward believes Sunderland will be well equipped to handle the pressure of the play-offs should they fail to gain automatic promotion. The Black Cats are just a point behind second-placed Birmingham City, but face a crucial period with fixtures against

NEWCASTLE UNITED are at loggerheads with the Nigeria Football Association over the withdrawal of injured full-back Celestine Babayaro from the Super Eagles squad. Babayaro was called up by new Nigeria manager Berti Vogts for the African Nations Cup qualifier

A DOG-WALKER was punched to the ground and kicked by the ringleader of a gang as his teenage friends watched. Stuart Richardson, 33, still has a scar above his eye from plastic surgery carried out after the attack a year ago. Ryan Jefferson appeared in

A WITNESS to an armed robbery has come forward with a description of a suspect. Police yesterday released an image of a man they are looking for in connection with the robbery at the Tesco Express store, in Norton, near Stockton. A female security guard

JONATHAN WOODGATE has thrown a spanner in England's plans for the vital European Championships qualifier in Israel by revealing he has been carrying an injury for weeks. The Middlesbrough defender met up with the international party, despite having a

INFLATION and growth are more stable today than they have been in the previous three decades - that was the message from Bank of England policy maker Kate Barker. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member was in the region last night to speak at the

Apart from the unfortunate incident with the severed lawn mower cable - how was I to know you weren't supposed to pick up the live end? - the closest I've come to death was eating a plate of woof and chips in Scarborough. It was accompanied by a pint

MULTI-MILLION pound plans for a sports academy of excellence to nurture a new generation of North-East stars will be unveiled today.Darlington Football Club believes the proposals to create a sports academy will secure its financial future.The academy

As councillors in Darlington meet tonight to decide whether to have a referendum for an elected mayor, Olivia Richwald looks at the pros and cons of putting so much power in the hands of one person. IT'S hard to pinpoint exactly when the campaign for