RUGBY star Jonny Wilkinson's bad luck with injuries appeared to have struck again tonight when he injured ribs playing for Newcastle Falcons. The fly-half left the field clutching his injured ribs and in obvious pain during the club's Guinness Premiership
A disgraced gynaecologist who was struck off after botching operations will not face any criminal charges, police said today. North Yorkshire Police have been conducting a long-running inquiry into the activities of Richard Neale. He was struck off
THREE men arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder after a gun was fired at a house on Teesside have been released on police bail. Shots were fired outside the house in Harlech Close, Grangetown, Middlesbrough, on Monday night. A Cleveland Police
WENSLEYDALE trainer Ferdy Murphy grabbed his first winner of the National Festival at Aintree, with Aces Four justifying 5-2 favouritism in the John Smiths Mildmay Novices Chase. Jockey Graham Lee grabbed the lead just before the final fence down the
A SEXUAL predator was today jailed indefinitely for molesting a nine-year-old girl he had stalked from a bus and lured to dark woodland. Kevin Toner, 20, was told he will only ever be released from prison when he is no longer considered a danger by
WITH the new season just around the corner Hetton Lyons Cricket Club has received a timely boost after it was announced they will be one of the first clubs to benefit from the Government's £9.4m Community Club Development Programme - monies which have
Teesside Athletic THE Under-8s, 10s, 11s and 13s took strong squads to play against teams from around the country. The Under-8s entered the Under-9s category, playing six Under-9s teams in a league format. After losing the opening game to Phoenix 2-0,
SPENNYMOOR Town chairman Alan Murray says that the club's next aim is the UniBond League after clinching the Second Division title. The old Moors were part of the UniBond League when it folded two seasons ago, and now Murray has targeted a return. The
WILLINGTON Youth Under-13s arrived in Blackpool for their third successive year, and this time to defend the trophy they won last year. This year they faced opposition from Consett's Blackfyne, Cramlington, Burradon from Northumberland, Leven from Yarm
KATY Davison made the long journey to Warwickshire College and it paid dividends when she finished in the line up at a National show jumping championship. The 14-year-old had won a hard earned place at the Dengie Pony Club Winter league Show Jumping Championships
Newton Aycliffe, Rugby Club, Sunderland 3rd XV 29 , Newton Aycliffe 12 NEWTON Aycliffe Rugby Club visited Durham Junior League leaders Sunderland on a bright sunny day for their latest match. A number of the first choice forwards were missing, but Aycliffe
Stewart Clarke is celebrating both 50 years' devotion to his hometown cricket club and 50 years of happy marriage to Nancy, perhaps the ultimate example of what they say about opposites attracting. So what comes first? "Oh cricket, definitely," says Nancy
Newton Aycliffe AC ON Good Friday the Mermaid 10K was held at New Marske. Carl Mustill continued his current, great form finishing 8th in 34:47 David White finished 90th in 45:16. David is currently on the comeback trail after a 2006 that was dogged with
SHAMED house trash teenager Rachael Bell has come out of hiding to declare: "I'm sorry - it wasn't my fault." The seventeen-year-old admitted that she is still too scared to face her parents after 200 teens wrecked their £230,000 luxury home when she
IT is refreshing to learn that, for the first time since who knows when, there will be a real election and choice of delegates for seats on Ferryhill Town Council. Past experience has shown the councillors have been appointed by Labour Party branches
WITH the approach of the May local elections, I expect we will have the usual exhortations from the church and the media not to vote for the British National Party. Who then are patriotic people who do not support multiculturism which has been
WHY has The Northern Echo given such prominence to this sad story, from which I suspect neither the school nor the Baker family will emerge with significant credit. What is the ulterior motive? Schools provide an "educational package". Hurworth
A FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD boy is being questioned by police today following a triple car crash escapade in a village street. Three people needed hospital treatment, with two detained overnight, while two cars were badly damaged in the spree in Quarrington Hill
CANDIDATES standing for election to Stockton Borough Council are as follows: BILLINGHAM CENTRAL (2 seats): William Terence Bean (Billingham Ind); Catherine Britton (Billingham Ind); Elizabeth Croot (Con); Ann May McCoy (Lab); James Sherris (Con); Barry
HAMBLETON'S "iron lady" is stepping down as district councillor after 34 years. June Imeson has served since the council's inception in 1973. She is one of only two original members remaining, along with Frank Wade, who is also retiring. As a councillor
Candidates for Harrogate Borough Council in next month's local government elections are: Bilton: (1 seat) Robin Arthur Adderley (Con); Joel Jack Graham Banner (BNP); Andrew Graham Parkes (Lib Dem Focus Team). Granby: (1) Margaret-Ann Corlett De Courcey
JUDGES have been out and about in a village which hopes to win a second gold award in the Yorkshire in Bloom competition. More than 15 locations in Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, were inspected by Michael and Lovaine Irving. Entries included a sensory
Derren Brown: Trick Or Treat (C4, 10pm), Peep Show (C4, 10.30pm), Hijack - Timewatch (BBC2, (pm). Imagine waking up at three in the morning to find Derren Brown and a camera crew by your bed. I don't know about you, but I'd probably freak out. Not 20-
A MAN who launched a revenge attack after having a tooth knocked out has been told he came as close as possible to jail without hearing the clang of prison gates. Christopher Robson was given the maximum number of hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay
THE demolition of old houses is to breathe new life into a Teesside street, thanks to two councillors. Earlier this week, Hartlepool borough councillors Pamela Hargreaves and Robbie Payne helped to remove bricks on the Thornton Street development, where
THE 75th Darlington Festival for Performing Arts was held recently at the town's Eastbourne School and attracted entries from all over the North-East. The Northern Echo has already carried the results of the music categories. Here are the results of the
Stand tall, I tell myself. Shoulders straight. Elbows out. Be strong. Stay alert. Look out for enemies. I am about to engage in battle. I am about to go to the bar on a Friday night. It is packed with at least 50 punters, crammed in like Japanese commuters
THE leader of Teesdale District Council said the proposed changes to local government structure may have persuaded many people to ignore the forthcoming local elections. Councillor Ken Robinson said many people will be "turned off" by the May 3 elections
A BURGLAR who broke into his sister's home has been jailed for two years. Alan David Jemmett stole a Sony PlayStation games console and sold it for £10. After being caught, the 23-year-old led police to the new owner and it was returned to Jemmett's
A WOMAN affectionately known as a council's iron lady is stepping down after 34 years. June Imeson has served since Hambleton District Council's inception in 1973. As a councillor, she has fought passionately for the interests of Hambleton, and in particular
A MIDDLESBROUGH leisure centre is offering weight management courses. Balance Weight Management courses, at the Rainbow Leisure Centre, will show people how to lose weight and keep it off with easy-to-learn eating habits. Organised by Middlesbrough
A THAI cooking class is one of the courses being held in Stockton. Stockton Borough Council's adult education service is giving people of all ages the chance to learn Spanish for beginners, Thai cookery, pilates and Indian head massage. All courses cost
BIKERS are invited to fuel up and hit the road on a fundraising breakfast rally tomorrow. Motorcyclists should meet at the Bay Horse pub, in Middridge, near Newton Aycliffe, at 9.15am for a breakfast bun before a mystery tour of the Durham Dales. The
THE first phase of a £3m council-run fitness suite has opened. The new Lifestyle Fitness suite is on the first and second floors of Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre, in Newton Aycliffe. It features state-of-the-art equipment, including cardiovascular equipment
A MAN told magistrates he was thoroughly ashamed of himself when he pleaded guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend. Warren Oughton, 19, of Tennyson Road, Chilton, yesterday admitted punching Claire Cooke. Magistrates in Newton Aycliffe heard that
ENGLAND Saxons No 8 Phil Dowson will make his first start for five months in Newcastle Falcons' Guinness Premiership clash at home to Gloucester tonight (8pm). Dowson replaces Brent Wilson after completing 20 minutes in Sunday's 16-7 victory over Northampton
A COUNCIL-run leisure centre is finally being handed over to a community group, which has been bidding to run it for two-and-a-half years. Spectrum Leisure Centre, in Willington, will receive an overhaul worth hundreds of thousands of pounds when the
A SOLDIER who stole a bottle of vodka and then resisted a police officer was thanked by magistrates for his work in Iraq yesterday. Patrick O'Brien, 19, of Jedburgh Drive, Darlington, has been in the Army for a year, and served in Iraq for six months.
A MAN admitted assaulting his wife when he appeared in court yesterday. Shaun Luke Shotton, 32, of Gonville Court, Darlington, pleaded guilty to the common assault of his wife of eight years, Jacqueline. Magistrates at Newton Aycliffe heard that the couple
A DJ hid £1,000-worth of cocaine behind a toilet in the pub he was working in, a court heard yesterday. Christopher James Francis Hughes, 20, of Huntley Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to possessing drugs with intent to supply. The drugs were discovered
AN annual rag-rugging exhibition will open next week. The display opens on Thursday at the Discovery Centre, in Bishop Auckland, until May. On show will be Heather Ritchie's collection of rag rugs - also known as proggy, clippy and hooky mats. Ms Ritchie
SKINCARE specialist Dermasalve has seen its share price plummet over the past two months to close last night at a low of 5.75p. The Newcastle-based plc's share price has been cut in half since the middle of February and now stands at a third of the value
HEIGHINGTON will not have a parish council election after a candidate dropped out. Heighington, like Hurworth and Middleton St George, was due to have a parish council election on May 3. But Darlington Borough Council's returning officer confirmed yesterday
A MAN was more than twice over the drink-drive limit after a session the previous night. Christopher Morton, 29, of Abbey Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday. He was stopped while driving along
A COMPUTER games company which was backed with a grant from One NorthEast is riding high in the charts with two of its latest offerings. Eutechnyx, based in Gateshead, has turned MTV show Pimp My Ride and Hollywood blockbuster The Fast and the Furious
SALES of car manufacturer Nissan's latest Qashqai model have exceeded expectations by 50 per cent in its first month, which could lead to job creation as the firm's North-East plant increases its output. The car, built at the Nissan plant in Washington
THE London Olympics could see many of the region's most experienced construction workers leaving the area to seek lucrative work on the infrastructure in the capital, a leading contractor has warned. Ranson Og, director of St Astier, based in Seaham,
PEOPLE are being urged to volunteer to help a national heart charity's fundraising efforts in County Durham. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is on the look-out for people from all walks of life to perform a variety of tasks to bring in money for research
International project management and services group Amec yesterday said it had completed the sale of the business and assets, including certain contracts, of Buchan Concrete Solutions to the Roger Bullivant Group of Companies, for an undisclosed amount
Sedgefield Borough Council and the County Durham Primary Care Trust are holding free advice sessions ahead of the July 1 smoking ban. The first is at 3M, Aycliffe Industrial Estate, today; Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, on April 24
COMPETITION for bowling places in the Durham side hotted up yesterday when they won the second of their one-day friendlies against Lancashire at Old Trafford by 134 runs, writes TIM WELLOCK. Despite taking three wickets in the previous day's 20-run defeat
A COUNCIL under fire over its stock of affordable housing plans to beef up a policy that requires some developments to include cheaper homes. Lib Dem-controlled Durham City Council has been criticised by the city's Labour MP, Roberta Blackman-Woods, for
AN inquest has been opened into the death of a 74-year-old councillor. Tributes were have been paid to George Calvert, who was found in his Peterlee home last Monday. Police have confirmed that there are no suspicious circumstances. Coun Calvert had
Andrew Strauss is banking on England feeding off the pressure of their situation to find their best form and become genuine World Cup challengers. The Middlesex left-hander accepts England have yet to really get out of the starting blocks and have only
A NORTH-EAST beauty spot provided the backdrop yesterday for the launch of a campaign to encourage pet owners to behave responsibly.Devised by Easington District Council, the two-week project got under way on the sands of Crimdon Beach, in east Durham.The
A FATHER spoke of his astonishment yesterday after his teenage daughter had to pay a dentist £22 - just to estimate the cost of fixing two teeth.The 18-year-old called as a potential private patient at the surgery to ask how much it would be to have
A NEWLY-ESTABLISHED charity club has successfully completed its first year.The Rotary Club of Durham Elvet marked the occasion at a meeting held at the Hallgarth Manor Hotel, in Pittington, near Durham City, where district governor George Craig formally
MPs have joined a family in criticising North-East lawyers over money they made pursuing miners' compensation claims.Six law firms in the region have made more than £250m between them, handling claims on behalf of former miners who suffered debilitating
SUPPORTERS of the man who revealed in the 1980s that Israel was developing nuclear weapons have been in the region as part of a 500-mile cycle ride.Nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu spent almost 18 years in prison
THE average cost of car parking has soared in some of the region's towns and cities, a survey says.The survey, by YouGov on behalf of insurer Direct Line, singled out Darlington as being among the top 20 most expensive places in the country to park, costing
TAXI drivers are escaping hefty licensing fees in Darlington by making a 200-mile round-trip to Berwick.Desperate cabbies are clocking up the miles to avoid what they describe as extortionate costs imposed by their council.In what is becoming a regional
ZACHARIAH is a biblical name so we shouldn't be surprised that Zach Johnson thanked everyone with ecclesiastical connections barring the Rev Ian Paisley following his US Masters victory. As it was Easter Sunday he observed that the resurrection was the
OF course we welcome the positive developments in our campaign to tighten regulations governing children's sleepwear following the horrific burns suffered by two-year-old Daniel Mitchard-Harrison. It is good news that Asda, where Daniel's inflammable
THE first concrete signs of the approaching public space smoking ban have appeared on the streets of a North-East town.The William Stead pub, in Darlington, has fixed five large external metal ashtrays next to entry points.Smokers going for a pint are
A STEM cell breakthrough by a scientist has raised the prospect of restoring fertility to men made infertile by medical treatment.A team headed by Professor Karim Nayernia, of Newcastle University, has used human bone marrow to create early-stage sperm
BEDALE High School is celebrating some of its latest sporting successes.Fifteen pupils were chosen to represent North Yorkshire county in the Norwich Union Yorkshire Sportshall athletics championships in Halifax. They competed in events, including high
A MOTHER-OF-THREE yesterday opened the doors of her own nursery unit after raising a huge £1.4m for the ambitious venture.Andrea Townsley already had a sound commercial track record when she found she was pregnant with her second child. But with a baby
TWO Georgian theatres have worked together to provide audiences with a taste of a 19th Century night out.The unusual evening of entertainment opened at the Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, North Yorkshire, last night and is repeated tonight.The show
ALAN Milburn has reignited his battle with Gordon Brown by warning the Labour Party has no plan to defeat the growing threat of the Conservatives.In a magazine article, the Darlington MP and former Cabinet minister said "fresh ideas" were needed to meet
A CAT owner is appealing for help in finding the person who shot her cat with an air rifle.Jo Adlington's cat, Raven, had to have her right eye removed after she was attacked earlier this week."I'm still very upset. I can't believe that people can be
TWO young musicians are staging a concert to raise money for a children's home in India.Ben Spence, 19, and his girlfriend, 16-year-old Katie Dixon, will travel to the Amala Children's Home, in southern India, to work as volunteers in July.To help pay
CLEVELAND is to be at the forefront of a national move that will see the re-introduction of bobbies on the beat across the country.From this month, every council ward in Middlesbrough is to have its own dedicated police officer.The bobbies will make use
A FIRE service was only able to muster one turntable ladder when it was formed in 1948.Fortunately, it was not needed on its first call. For only six hours after it was launched, the brigade tackled its first fire, at an outbuilding in Dipton, near Stanley
The Northern Echo and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service set fire to nine pairs of children's pyjamas and a dressing gown yesterday at the brigade's training headquarters in Easingwold. The test was designed to demonstrate how quickly children's
THE bodies of four British soldiers - two of them women - who were killed in Iraq last week arrived back in the UK yesterday.The four, all based at Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, were flown into RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire, for a repatriation ceremony.On
A DANCE school will be celebrating its tenth anniversary with a one-off performance that could raise thousands of pounds for charity.The Tiffany School of Dance will take over Darlington Civic Theatre on Saturday, May 12, to raise money for the Butterwick
FOOTBALL club officials have postponed a series of concerts to concentrate on the playing side of the business following a poor run of results.Darlington Football Club yesterday decided to cancel its series of concerts, Pitch Invasion 2007, which were
A group in Shildon that has been fundraising for the past year has presented £1,500 to one of the town's bands.The Sidney Cook Lodge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes presented the cheque to the Sans Pareils jazz band.Band treasurer Scott Wheatley
HUNDREDS of youngsters enjoyed a day of fun in Darlington Market Place yesterday.The Your Offer, Your Opportunity event, for 13 to 19-year-olds, included an ice rink, climbing wall, skateboarding, and BMX displays.There was also netball and basketball
TWO women had a miraculous escape yesterday when their small car was demolished in a head-on collision with a lorry.Witnesses said they were startled to find both alive in the wreckage after the crash on the A66 at Bowes, near Barnard Castle, County
GRAHAM Onions will line up alongside Durham team-mate Steve Harmison in today's traditional curtain-raiser between the MCC and champions Sussex, and the youngster is determined to repeat the experience in a Test match this summer. Onions cemented his
BOWLERS will be showing a bias for a little-known charity as they step onto the greens of County Durham this summer.Neilma Hart has chosen the Erb's Palsy Group as the good cause she is supporting in her year as president of the Durham Central Bowling
PLANS to create a new taxi rank next to Durham's Walkergate pub and restaurant complex look set to win approval next week. The city council's cabinet will be advised to back plans to allow taxis to wait on the slip road from the A690 to Claypath, and
BISHOP Auckland will have five betting shops, after an attempt by two established bookmakers failed to block a new outlet. Betfred, which has more than 600 branches in the UK, will move into 130 Newgate Street, despite efforts by Ladbrokes and William
A LIBRARY is holding two sesssions in which readers can meet authors and hear them discusss their writing. Elizabeth Gill, who has written several novels, will be at Washington Town Centre Library on Wednesday, at 2pm. The second visit will be paid
WENSLEYDALE trainer Ferdy Murphy has insisted uncertainty surrounding Joes Edge's participation in tomorrow's Grand National has not affected the ten-year-old's preparation for the race. Despite being backed down to outright favouritism for the Aintree
Virgin Radio yesterday looked set for a stock market listing at about half the price paid to the broadcaster's previous owner, DJ Chris Evans. Media group SMG, which bought the business for £225m in 2000, plans to spin off the radio arm so it can concentrate
BOWLING fans are being given the chance to attend a special coaching scheme. Seaham Town Council is holding a series of expert lessons Seaham Town Park, beginning on Monday. All equipment will be provided for beginners, and an advanced course has been
WEST BROM boss Tony Mowbray has told his Middlesbrough counterpart, Gareth Southgate, to forget about trying to sign Diomansy Kamara this summer. After scoring an impressive 22 goals this season, Kamara has emerged as one of the most highly-rated strikers
Tottenham 2, Sevilla 2. (Sevilla win 4 -3 on aggregate). Tottenham's second-half comeback at White Hart Lane was not enough to keep their European dream alive as Sevilla knocked them out to reach the UEFA Cup semi-finals. The Spanish side extended their
Sri Lanka coasted to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand to move level on points with their opponents at the top of the World Cup Super Eight table. The Kiwis, who began their fourth second-stage match with one of only two 100 per cent records, failed
UNDERCOVER inspectors will be employed to ensure compliance with the impending smoking ban. Darlington Borough Council officers, rather than police, will enforce the law, which comes into force on Sunday, July 1. The law bans smoking in any public place
THERE was a typical Roy Keane moment yesterday when he described how the most lucrative sponsorship deal in the history of Sunderland Football Club was the latest indication that things are being done properly on Wearside. Having Boylessports.com emblazoned
A TOP-PERFORMING school's chief executive has hit back at criticism, after it banned a star pupil from her end of year prom.Kayleigh Baker, 16, a model pupil with an excellent record, was described as "brilliant" and "lovely" by her teachers.But after
FIRE brigade station manager Carl Boasman says: "There are many things parents can do to make their homes safer."Keep matches and lighters out of reach and out of sight, keep candles well away from children and their clothing, use a child-proof fireguard
THE horrified parents of Rachael Bell returned from their caravan holiday to find their £230,000 home wrecked.For the 17-year-old advertised a party on the internet while they were away, and 200 teenagers from across the country descended on the quiet
ASDA last night pledged to act immediately after a toddler was scarred for life when a pair of the supermarket chain's pyjamas caught fire.A spokeswoman said it was "very upset" and "horrified" after The Northern Echo revealed how the child received
SUNDERLAND'S new sponsors have revealed how the club's Champions League aspirations helped seal one of the most lucrative sponsorship deals outside the top four English clubs. But, keen to avoid making promises to a Wearside support starved of success
GLENN ROEDER has distanced himself from the suggestion Sven-Goran Eriksson has been lined up as his successor by remaining totally focused on becoming the man to bring silverware back to Newcastle United. Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd denied last night
Irish bookmaker boylesports has has signed a sponsorship deal with Sunderland AFC as the club pushes for promotion. Ireland's biggest independent bookmaking concern believes the club is a safe bet for a quick return to the Premiership, and has pledged
SOFTWARE firm Sage yesterday strengthened its position in Switzerland with a £7.5m acquisition and said it was trading in line with expectations. The North-East plc said it had paid cash for Pro-Concept SA - the largest mid-market supplier of enterprise
THE RSPCA is appealing for information after youths were seen kicking a rabbit about like a football. It is the latest animal attack, and reinforces the region's unwelcome reputation as the animal cruelty capital of the country. The brown and white lop-eared
A THOUGHTLESS passenger sparked an airport evacuation after they left an empty suitcase in the terminal. Police closed Durham Tees Valley Airport yesterday and Army bomb disposal experts were called to investigate the suspicious item. Staff and passengers
As a female journalist in Afghanistan, Sarah Chayes embraced the culture - including dressing as an Afghan man - to win a host of powerful friends. She talks to Women's Editor Sarah Foster about her life changing experience and shares her thoughts on
Keira was born with a fatal condition, a form of skeletal dysplasia so rare that no statistics of its incidence exist. Her grandfather, Echo journalist Alen McFadzean tells the story of her unique and tragically short life. I HAVE a powerful and poignant
The hills are alive with talented people making all sorts of arts, crafts and tasty goodies. And a lot of them line the shelves at The Fat Sheep giftshop, where the only proviso is that goods must be made in the Yorkshire Dales. WHILE we are browsing
EXPERTS say a win for Joes Edge in the big race tomorrow could cost the country's bookies £25m and even put some out of business.The racehorse looked relaxed enough about the prospect yesterday as he strolled around the stables of his trainer, Ferdy Murphy
Under 9s Consett rockets hit 5 to win the league, 3 from man of the match Shay Hudson and 2 from Dylan Barton with no reply from Cleveland Hall, sealed the title for the Consett youngsters. Under 11s A mid-week game against Ryton saw Consett win 10
A STEM cell breakthrough by a North-East scientist has raised the prospect of restoring fertility to men made infertile by medical treatment. A team headed by Professor Karim Nayernia of Newcastle University has used human bone marrow to create early-stage
