A MAN was cut free from a car after it collided with a wooden telegraph post tonight. He was the front seat passenger in a Peugeot 106 which collided with the post in Jubilee Place, Shotton, near Peterlee, County Durham, at around 9.10pm. Fire-fighters
THE first thing that will strike you about this album is that frontman Jamie Hartman sounds just like a young Rod Stewart. However, that's where the similarity ends because the band's style is more Coldplay than rock and roll. This is not necessarily
THREE years after James Blunt released his successful debut album comes this truly underwhelming single which heralds the release of his second album next month. Although I've never been a big fan of singer-songwriter Blunt, this new release is even
ANDY WELCH talks to original members of The Jam, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler about touring again. . . without Paul Weller WITH a sell-out tour behind them and another, larger, jaunt around the country this winter, it's almost as if Bruce Foxton
WHITBY Folk Festival is rattling merrily along as I write, and since the new management took over last year, it has a renewed vigour and sparkiness about it. There's a mammoth guest list, a healthy mixture of old stalwarts, bright young things, first
WHAT'S ON: Jazz pianist/singer Jeff Barnhart returns to Darlington Arts Centre tonight, with wife Anne on flute, in Ivory and Gold 01325-486555. CD REVIEW: John Hallam & Jeff Barnhart/Mr. Fine & Mr. Dandy (Lake LACD248) Last week I reviewed a very
REVIEWS: Osvaldo Golijov: Dawn Upshaw (DG 477 6426) Osvaldo Golijov is fast becoming one of the most sought after composers. His third album features his muse, the soprano Dawn Upshaw, with Three Songs, evoking the strains of Strauss. Oceana
The Billboard Book Of Number One Country Hits by Tom Roland ONE of the best 'once you pick it upyou cannot put it down' books has to be the 584-page epic, entitled The Billboard Book Of Number One Country Hits. Written and compiled by Tom Roland
TIM Henman announced he will retire from tennis after next month's Great Britain v Croatia Davis Cup tie at Wimbledon during a New York press conference today. The former British number one, 32, revealed his decision as he prepared for the US Open.
A MIDDLE-AGED paraglider has been airlifted to hospital after misjudging his landing on coastal cliffs. The man, from North Yorkshire, smashed into the side of sea cliffs towering at Saltburn. Friends he was with tried to scramble down the cliffs to
A MAN accused of murdering a fellow asylum-seeker in a flat above a pizza shop has made his first appearance before a judge. Afghan national Barat Ramzani did not enter a plea during the five-minute hearing at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. Mr Ramzani
A BENEFIT cheat has admitted claiming £8,000 in sickness benefit while working as a builder. Walter Porter, 60, pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to declare a change in curcumstances between August 2003 and February 2006. Newcastle Crown Court heard
Masons Arms Website has now changed - you can find us at www.masonsarmsfc.co.uk This is updated regularly with full match reports, squad listings, league tables, fixtures and much much more... Or click on the links at the bottom of the page to take
The Masons got their Crook and District League campaign off to a great start with a thumping 7-0 victory over Heighington. Straight from the kick off they could have took the lead through Liam McRoy who was thwarted by the visting keeper. 5 minutes
A MOTORCYCLIST is critically ill following a collision between his bike and a van. The 61-year-old was riding a Ducati motorbike in Teesdale, County Durham, when it collided with a Mercedes box van last night. He was taken to James Cook University Hospital
The Masons kicked off their title defence with a 7-0 win over the Tin Donkey. The opening half hour saw both teams miss some glorious chances with the finishing woeful to say the least. The deadlock was broken when Liam McRoy slotted under the advancing
A TEENAGER is recovering in hospital following a suspected stabbing. The 17-year-old who had been assaulted in Diana Street, Newcastle, late on Wednesday night, suffered puncture wounds to his back. He was taken to the Newcastle General Hospital, where
This is Middlestone Moor Masons Arms FC Saturday Team of the Frank Hudson Crook and District League pictured before our season opener against Heighington AFC. We are pictured in our new strip kindly donated by 'Car Tyre World' of Spennymoor. All involved
A 38-year-old man was killed when his motorcycle collided with a tree in Foxcover Road, Sunderland, at 4.10pm yesterday. A police spokesman said an Aprilla 600cc motorcycle was travelling in Foxcover Road when - a quarter-of-a-mile from the junction
A SLEEPY mother failed to send her six-year-old daughter to school for months because she couldn't get out of bed in the morning. Chantelle Kay's daughter had 73 unauthorised absences in six months, a court heard. Kay, 27, appeared before Teesside Magistrates
Despite having the lions share of possesion the Masons Arms could not break down the Crook Bar 56 defence as the sides shared the points in a goaless draw. The home side, new this season to the first division after gaining promotion, had set out their
YOUR report of the diamond wedding of Heinz and June Fellbrich, of Hampshire - the first to marry when the government allowed German prisoners of war and British girls to do so after the Second World War (Echo, Aug 15) - reminded me of an incident
HAVING read with much amusement George Appleby's further contribution regarding "Food for thought" (HAS, Aug 13), I would like to share a few thoughts of my own. 1. Why does sour cream have a sellby date? 2. What does an occasional table do for
REGARDING the recent Heathrow Airport climate change protest camp, I would ask the following: a) Did the protestors have permission to occupy someone's property? b) Bearing in mind domestic transport is responsible for 25 per cent of carbon emissions
IN response to recent letters about religion I suggest that the question concerning which understanding of our condition as human beings is most satisfactory is for each of us to decide as individuals. Christianity is our religion and if we feel
EIGHTEEN months after steamrollering the Identity Cards Act through Parliament, and having already spent more than £72m of taxpayers' money, the Government has announced the beginning of its procurement process for the National Identity Scheme.
I WAS impressed by Heather Casson's letter (HAS, Aug 3). How right she was in conveying many ordinary folks' thoughts and remarks - how we are gradually becoming a miserable and rigid Big Brother state-controlled society. For instance, the now
I ATTENDED the Bedale Town Council meeting where the matter of introducing traffic lights to the main crossing in the town was discussed and which you reported (Echo, some editions, Aug 15). I was shocked to learn that the traffic lights may be
I VISITED Darlington's Summer Market Spectacular on Saturday with my parents and five-year-old daughter. We enjoyed looking around the stalls and made a few purchases. My daughter was excited as there was a man making really good balloon models
With just under a month to go before the release of Freerunner's debut double A-side She Get It/Friday Don't Need, available 17th September on Label Fandango, things are really starting to heat up for the band. First, the band recieved play on Steve
A ceramics evening course begins in Barnard Castle next month. During the course, held at Teesdale School, beginners will be taught basic handbuilding methods. It starts on Thursday, September 13, from 6pm until 8pm. The first term runs for 12 weeks,
MOTORISTS across Harrogate borough have backed a local council's car parking policies. Visitors and tourists say they are satisfied overall with parking policies offered by Harrogate Borough Council. A recent survey showed a high level of satisfaction
THE restaurant we went to on the first night of our summer holiday in Spain didn't have a table for six so we were split up. I sat with my wife at one table and the kids sat at another. It was blissful. We had a peaceful, adult conversation for a change
A TRADITIONAL feast will take place in a Dales village at the weekend. West Witton Feast, near Leyburn, is based on the ancient custom of the Burning of Bartle -an effigy that will be paraded through the village from 9pm on Saturday. The village hall
In South Church, where once the community was in danger of losing the plot, there are now 61 gardens, 74 tenants and a lengthy waiting list. All they need now is a security fence and social club. ALLOTMENT gardening is a growth industry. A decade ago,
A CHARITY will hold its annual children's sports day in Richmond on Monday. Richmond Duck Club will stage an afternoon of games on Richmondshire Cricket Club field, in Hurgill Road. The event will be opened at 2pm by Mayor John Robinson, and will feature
BRAVE souls are invited to join a spooky walk round Ripon on the latest in a series of ghost walks. The final ghost walk of the summer will hunt down Ripon's ghoulish past. The walks combine historical events with tales of supernatural activity in Ripon
A POPULAR oil painting has gone on display again, following three months of restoration. The Sleeping Beauty, by 19th Century Irish artist Daniel Maclise, is on view at Hartlepool Art Gallery, in Church Square, until September 30. The picture, which was
Open show to be held on Monday YARM and District Social Centre holds its annual open show at the social centre, in Bentley Wynd, on Monday, at 1.30pm. Classes include vegetables, flowers, homecraft, handicraft, machine knitting, photography and children's
Sex Change Hospital (C4, 10.30pm) Jim says that he's "remodelling the house down south". He's not the new Laurence Llewelyn Bowen but he is a new man. Literally. He was born a girl named Jennifer but, as one of the "stars" of Sex Change Hospital, lets
BUSINESS confidence among finance professionals in the North-East has dipped sharply in the past three months, research has revealed. North-East members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) are less optimistic about prospects
AN adventure holiday company is gearing up for a global push after receiving £100,000 funding. Undiscovered Destinations, based in North Shields, North Tyneside, has been given £40,000 by Evolve Finance to fund a revamp of its website and allow it
THE consortium leading the campaign for the North-East to become home to a £1bn energy research centre yesterday appealed to the region to back its bid. The North-East has been shortlisted as one of three regions in the UK that could become home to
A CHARITY is looking for walkers to step out to raise money for vulnerable children. Children's charity NCH wants people to join a 3.5-mile sponsored walk around Pittington and Hallgarth. The circular walk, with views of Durham Cathedral and Penshaw Monument
FILM-LOVERS in Northallerton will have the chance to see two recent hits next month. As part of the First Friday Cinema season, Charlotte's Web and Notes on a Scandal will be shown on September 7 at the Hambleton Forum, in Northallerton. Popular children's
FREE computer courses, to help people find employment, start next week. The sessions, which are aimed at computer beginners and held at Durham County Council libraries, aim to help people gain new skills or qualifications. They cover letter-writing
He was a self-confessed wife beater - now John has conquered his behaviour through a specialist-led programme, but with the threat of its withdrawal, he fears his cure my be short-lived. He talks to Women's Ediror Sarah Foster. IT'S hard to see this quiet
WITH each day that passes, hopes of finding four-year-old Madeleine McCann alive grow dimmer. We pray that there may yet be a happy ending to one of the most traumatic stories of 2007 but, whatever the outcome of the investigation, Madeleine's disappearance
A HISTORIC community association is making a last-ditch appeal for support, after a public meeting failed to produce the volunteers needed to ensure its survival. Alington House Community Association, in Durham, which was founded more than 70 years ago
THOUSANDS of balloons will be released next week to mark the opening of a business centre. The Novus Business Centre, on Peterlee's North-West Industrial Estate, will be opened next Thursday by the chairwoman of One NorthEast, Margaret Fay. Easington
A COMPANY selling bath and bodycare products has launched a recruitment drive in its bid to expand nationwide. Fresh Deli is looking to employ area managers who will recruit and manage teams of agents operating across the UK. The North Shields business
RESTAURANT chain Joe Rigatonis has given one of its flagship North-East eateries a major makeover. The refurbishment at the restaurant in Grange Road, Darlington, is part of a programme of investment by owner Paolo Arceri. The revamped Joe's Bar downstairs
MANUFACTURING company Rohm and Haas has invested almost £500,000 in a boilerhouse to help cut carbon emissions. The South Tyneside firm is looking to introduce the facility soon and close its two less efficient ones. Meldrum Construction Services has
AN EXHIBITION about the "Harrods of the North-East' opens at Bishop Auckland's Discovery Centre today. Doggarts Ltd had a chain of 13 department stores across the North-East between the end of the 19th Century and the Eighties. The Bishop Auckland branch
THE pressures of teenage pregnancy are being explored in an arts project. Creative writing and digital-based workshops will be held at the Arc, in Stockton, culminating in a play and poetry performance next month. The workshops are being co-ordinated
A FOUR-DAY celebration to highlight the relaunch of a market will take place next month. About £250,000 is being invested in Stockton Market this year. It will improve the layout, add branded canopies and provide a cleaner environment. A market fair
A MAN appeared in court after he smashed his partner's window with a baseball bat. Newton Aycliffe magistrates heard on Tuesday that Anthony Whittacker was arguing with his partner, in Bishop Auckland, on the night of June 6. Robert Willoughby, mitigating
A SPORTS festival for youngsters is to become an annual event following the success of the first event. The Multi-Sports Festival, in Stokesley, attracted more than 300 children, from the age of four upwards, to take part in a wide range of events - football
STREETS in a crime-plagued neighbourhood are to be reclaimed for residents. A dispersal order is being put in place next week covering all streets running through, and bordering, the Gresham area of Middlesbrough. It will give police and community support
YOUNGSTERS will be asked for ideas for equipment to feature in a £43,000 play area refurbishment. The East Thirsk Play Area will undergo its first major refurbishment in nearly 20 years thanks to Big Lottery funding. Some of the original equipment at
WOLSINGHAM Football Academy has received sponsorship from a local developer currently building in the village. Beechwood Developments has been converting the St Ann's Convent site into 38 new homes and is helping the academy get kitted out. The firm has
A PROJECT will be launched today to examine how the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade has been marked across the UK. The 1807 Commemorated scheme, set up by York University, links universities and museums, and its launch
A CARE home manager denied stealing money from a resident with learning difficulties when she appeared in court yesterday. Mary Adamson, 49, of Attwood Terrace, in Spennymoor, is accused of the theft of £2,280 belonging to Derek Bell. Mr Bell was a resident
A FUNERAL company wants to build a new crematorium on the outskirts of a village. Mercia Crematoria Limited has applied for planning permission to build the facility on farmland on the edge of Coundon, near Bishop Auckland. The Oxfordshire-based firm
A VILLAGE fete, resurrected after an absence of 100 years, will take place on Sunday. The Hoppings, in Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland, was a popular event in the early part of last century. The festival will include a tug of war, music, art, gardening
A BOXER who died in a motorcycle accident is to be remembered in an annual memorial bout. Lee Smith was killed when his motorbike hit a lamppost, in Newton Aycliffe, on June 3. The bout on November 4 is being organised by his former club, King's Cobra
A BY-ELECTION is to be held following the death, earlier this year, of Chester-le-Street district councillor Gordon Kerr. Nomination papers for the vacancy in the Chester Central ward can be obtained from the council's returning officer. Coun Kerr, who
A NORTH-EAST dealer raced ahead at the motor industry's national awards. John Fearn, of deVries Honda Stockton, was named dealer principal of the year at the Motor Trader Industry Awards 2007 - the Oscars of the auto industry. The award was recognition
A WOMAN had her ear almost sliced off with a machete when she confronted a man she believed to be a sex offender, a court heard. Tracey Campbell, 37, told Teesside Crown Court yesterday that she went to the home of Kevin Martin Heels after she allegedly
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a fire at two garages on the A693 at Oxhill, in Stanley, yesterday morning. They used two hose reel jets to tackle the blaze, following the call-out at 5.45am.
It seems hard to believe that people's poet Roger McGough is approaching 70. The broadcaster, playwright and teacher talks to Viv Hardwick about reaching the milestone and why he intends to sing Lily The Pink again in Liverpool. THE wit of the Patron
Gary Love talks to Steve Pratt about his reasons for switching from TV acting to directing on the small screen and then launching his own brand of British Indie movies. ACTOR Gary Love has four years serving on ITV's Soldier Soldier series to thank for
UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL 1 (-) Mr Bean's Holiday 2 (1) Shooter 3 (2) Blades Of Glory 4 (-) Alpha Dog 5 (3) Hills Have Eyes 2 6 (4) The Number 23 7 (5) Fracture 8 (-) The Reaping 9 (6) The Blood Diamond 10 (7) Ghost Rider Supplied by www.blockbuster.co.uk
When top chef Raymond Blanc opened his frist restaurant in Ixford he had to remortgage his home. The winners of his TV show will be spared such problems, he tells Steve Pratt. Chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc broke a promise he'd made to himself by
After being so well known as Karen In Coronation Street, Suranne Jones could be forgiven for feeling nervous about life out of the Street, but, as she tells Steve Prqatt, the variety of work coming her way has made the move worthwhile. Suranne Jones didn't
HERITAGE open days will encourage people to visit places of interest in Darlington. This year's open days are from Thursday, September 6 to Sunday, September 9. St Andrew's Church, the oldest church in Darlington, is playing a leading role in the event
WOOING, wedding and repenting is one of a series of courses being offered at the Darlington branch of the Workers' Educational Association. Among the courses being held this autumn are Hawking and Hunting in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Family History
A PSYCHIATRIC report has been ordered on a defendant who carried a knife for protection. Paul Shane Clarke, 23, formerly of Tom Raine Court, Darlington, pleaded guilty to carrying a knife on July 12, when he appeared in court on Tuesday Darlington magistrates
Raise your glasses, but not your skirts, in a toast to the newest engaged couple on Emmerdale (ITV1) - Paul and Jonny-Come-Lately. Yes, they're both men. Zoe the lesbian vet may have departed the Dales for pastures and pleasures new, but the love that
THE manager of a bar has denied assaulting a man on his premises. John Hall, 40, of Barmpton Lane, Darlington, denied assault causing actual bodily harm on July 27. A pre-trial review will take place at Darlington Magistrates' Court on September 25. Mr
RESIDENTS in Park East have given police, the fire brigade, and the council a long list of demands for their ward's action week. A community survey and walk-about with police found prime concerns were youths drinking, vehicle damage, and graffiti. The
IF, as expected, Tim Henman announces details of his impending retirement at a press conference in New York later today, Britain will lose one of its most debated and divisive sportsmen. To some, the 32-year-old is the country's greatest tennis player
THE majority of bus services in Darlington will be run by a single company, after a buy-out was given Government approval. Arriva North-East will take over Stagecoach's operations in the town from Sunday. The change comes after the Office for Fair Trading
A PARK and ride system with a difference will ferry visitors to and from a produce market in Teesdale this weekend. A horse and carriage will take shoppers to the market in Middleton-in-Teesdale on Sunday. Rides will also be available on a circular route
Darlington's long-awaited new away kit will be available early next month with fans who paid to have their names on the shirt able to buy it before anyone else. Around 900 Quakers supporters took the opportunity to have their name printed on the red shirt
Northern Ireland 3, Liechtenstein 1. David Healy made sure that Nigel Worthington got off to a winning start as Northern Ireland manager. The Fulham striker continued his remarkable scoring sequence to keep the province on course for the finals of the
A SCHOOL dining room assistant, who was renowned for encouraging pupils to eat lots of fruit and vegetables, has retired after 27 years' service.Sue Newstead was presented with flowers and gifts by pupils, staff and council officials at Sharow School,
PRE-PAID waste sacks and wheelie bins with microchips could be introduced to make householders pay for their rubbish under plans outlined by council leaders yesterday.People could also be charged according to the size of the wheelie bin they choose to
Five years after a Government announced the upgrade the A66, two major improvement schemes are about to be completed. But has the road, once dubbed Britians most dangerous, really been fixed? Stuart Arnold reports.IT has been a year in the offing - or
THOUSANDS of council houses have been signed up to receive free fire safety checks.Hundreds of housing company staff have also received safety awareness training in a bid to stamp out house fires.The programme has been launched across Stockton, the largest
OUT-of-hours patients in a North-East town could soon be seen by NHS GPs once again.At present, patients in Darlington who have an urgent medical problem at weekends and evenings will be seen by doctors or nurses from private health provider Prime Care.But
GRANDMOTHER Sandra Spears never knew her father. A highly-decorated Second World War hero, he was killed a month before she was born.But yesterday, she made an emotional return to the base from which he served so courageously and where his name has now
CRIMINALS using untaxed vehicles to carry out offences are being targeted in a blitz on car tax dodgers.Cleveland Police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are to mount a series of joint operations to put a brake on untaxed, unsafe cars
PLANS for a single fire control room - to answer 999 calls from across the North-East - will put lives at risk, Menzies Campbell warned yesterday.The Liberal Democrat leader attacked the proposal to close 46 fire and rescue centres across England in favour
TRADING standards officers hope the prosecution of a man who sold fake DVDs at a car boot sale will restrict his activities.Tony Bartell, from Stanley, was arrested after he was seen selling counterfeit discs, many of popular film titles current at the
A MAN who used to beat his wife and says a course has helped him change his ways says he is astounded to hear it may never be run again.The 61-year-old, known as John, who lives with his spouse in County Durham, was one of eight domestic abusers on the
A TOWN centre was cordoned off and hundreds of shoppers evacuated after the second fire in two days yesterday.Much of Darlington town centre was cordoned off and shoppers had to wait in the streets outside the Cornmill Centre after a fire broke out in
A TEENAGER with learning difficulties went on a wrecking spree after downing two litres of wine at a North-East music festival.The 15-year-old had been drinking at the Stanley Blues Festival on Saturday, August 4, before causing a trail of destruction.It
A SEDGEFIELD man will alternate between selling cars and saving lives after landing his two dream jobs in the same week.By day, Mark McCracken, 29, is a sales executive at the Jennings SEAT car showroom, in Middlesbrough.But at night, he is on stand-by
A TRIAL afternoon tea dance proved popular with users of a council's service.The first dance was staged yesterday by Chester-le-Street District Council-run Careline, for its clients across the district.A function room was hired at Durham County Cricket
A SCHOOL is celebrating a dramatic turnaround after scoring its best GCSE results 12 months after it posted some of the worst in the country.Teachers and pupils at Eastbourne School, in Darlington, are celebrating after provisional results suggest a record
THREE coastguards who pulled a schoolgirl to safety as she clung onto the edge of a cliff minutes away from plunging 300ft have been given a bravery award.Coastguards Eric Lorrains, Gordon Hogg and Paul Waugh, who helped rescue the terrified 13-year-old
RESIDENTS in Darlington took to the streets yesterday, to tackle the problem of litter.Volunteers joined staff from Darlington Borough Council's Street Scene, Park East Community Partnership and environmental charity Groundwork to clear rubbish in Skerne
SUCCESSIVE high-profile victories have teed up the sprinting world's new kid on the block, Moorhouse Lad (3.10), for a crack at York's Group 1 Nunthorpe StakesTrained not far from the Knavesmire by Bryan Smart, there'll be plenty of whooping and hollering
ONE of the most drawn out transfer sagas of the summer should reach a conclusion this morning after Middlesbrough finally reached agreement with Everton over a fee for Ayegbeni Yakubu.Yakubu has been angling for a move away from the Riverside Stadium
DETECTIVES hunting a man who carried out a sex attack on a teenage girl have had an encouraging response to appeals for information.The 19-year-old was attacked at 4.30am on Saturday, August 4, in the West Lane area of Chester-le-Street.She had been out
THE oldest serving regiment in the British Army is welcoming two recruits from County Durham.Richard Hodgeson and Stephen Greenwood are enlisting as infantry soldiers in the Scots Guards, which has served in nearly every campaign in which the British
KEEN young cricketers will be bowled over with the practice nets unveiled at a leading club ground.Aspiring bowlers and batsmen, plus would-be wicket-keepers, are now able to take advantge of the modern practice facilities at Durham City Cricket Club.Following
Sixty years ago today, a mining community woke to find 22 men had been killed after an explosion underground. Gavin Havery looks back at the tragedy at the Louisa Morrison Colliery, in Stanley, County Durham.JUST before midnight on Friday, August 23,
IT is a shaggy dog story to warm the coldest of hearts.A seven-week-old German shepherd dog found tied to a lamppost and which had been taunted with fireworks overcame the odds to become a police dog.Now Jake, aged three, has been hailed a hero for saving
A BIODIESEL company under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office has called in administrators.International accountancy and advisory group Mazars has lodged a petition to have Worldwide Bio Refineries (WBR), based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham,
DOCTORS have been amazed by the progress of a young boy with a rare genetic condition who underwent a life-saving operation just 20 days ago.Tests have revealed that four-year-old Riley Mulvany, who had a bone marrow transplant three weeks ago, is recovering
SPEEDING drivers are being shocked into slowing down by watching footage of high-speed crashes.As part of Operation Siren, speed checks were made in Huby, near Easingwold, by police.Drivers using the A19 approach to the village in Bell Lane were targeted
COMPETITORS and their teams of heavy horses will pit their skills against each other in a ploughing competition at the weekend.Fifteen teams of horses from around the country will take part in the annual Beamish Ploughing Match at Beamish Museum, near
A drug supplier arrested for killing an addict in an alleged revenge attack told police: "I'm not capable of anything like that", a court heard yesterday.Joseph Tingle denies plotting with friend Mark "Peao" Pearson to murder Richard Petty after he stole
MEPs overwhelmingly support creating an EU-wide sex offenders' register, according to a survey.Politicians across Europe want crimes involving children to be treated the same way in all member states, the research found.The survey was commissioned by
DISCUSSIONS will take place next week in an attempt to prevent travellers returning to camp on a village site.Talks will be held between police, Durham County Council and Wear Valley District Council, after more than 100 travellers descended on Leeholme
HUNDREDS of service personnel joined the family of a pilot killed when his military helicopter crashed, to pay their respects at his funeral yesterday.More than 300 people, including 150 RAF servicemen and women, packed into St Mary's Church, in Norton
AN environmental grant has ensured a warm welcome at a guest house that has cut its fuel use.Elmfield House, at Arrathorne, near Bedale, has reduced the amount of carbon dioxide it produces and increased fuel efficiency thanks to advice and financial
A TEENAGER who feared he was about to drown after plunging 15ft into a fast-flowing river was saved by the courage of his friends and a quick-thinking policeman.Kyle Callaghan, 13, and his friends planned to explore a former Second World War bomb shelter
THE crowds turned out for a popular agricultural show yesterday, despite the lack of livestock and unseasonable weather.Organisers of Egton Show, in Egton Village, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, said visitors had not been put off by changes to the usual
THE oldest serving regiment in the British Army is recruiting in County Durham.The Scots Guards has served in almost every campaign in which the British Army has been in action.Two County Durham men to enlist are Richard Hodgeson and Stephen Greenwood.Mr
ONE in four babies born in the UK has a foreign mother or father, Government figures revealed yesterday.Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for the year to July 2006 showed the proportion of babies born to a foreign parent has risen to 25 per cent
POLICE are growing concerned for Nicola Wilson, 26, who has been missing since last week.Ms Wilson, from the Sheriff Hill area of Gateshead, was last seen at 3pm on Friday in Newcastle.She is 5ft 9in, slim, with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes
RESIDENTS are hoping their "neighbours from hell" will finally be silenced after a court ordered a couple to stop their campaign of hate.Tony and Linda Gilkes, aged 64 and 50, were ordered to cease harassing their neighbours on the Thorntree estate,
SHE has shared the stage with some of the country's brightest talents, but Zoe Birkett last week returned to her hometown to open a pizza restaurant.The star of West End musical Thriller Live visited Darlington to reopen the Pizza Hut restaurant following
A NEW nursery is preparing to open on a business park in Darlington.Little Lingfields, in Lingfield Point, will have its official opening when the new term begins, but parents and children are being offered an advance look at the new facilities.The nursery
HEALTH chiefs are to press ahead with plans to reform services at Darlington Memorial Hospital.The hospital's gynaecology unit could be closed, with beds moved to a multi-purpose ward with general surgery, ear nose and throat and ophthalmology patients.Louise
ANDY COLE is on the verge of becoming the latest addition to Roy Keane's Sunderland squad.Cole is expected for a medical at the Academy of Light and will arrive on a Bosman free, having mutually agreed to have his contract at Portsmouth cancelled this
SAM ALLARDYCE expects Obafemi Martins will still be a Newcastle United player next month and insists there have been no approaches made for the Nigerian striker.Manchester United are understood to be preparing to meet the £13m clause in his contract this
THE wind whipped in from North Bay and Warwickshire were all at sea on the first day of the Scarborough Festival.All out for 129, their feeble effort rekindled Yorkshire's title ambitions on a day far more suited to flying kites than playing cricket.Yorkshire
England 1, Germany 2.SEVEN years ago, Kevin Keegan famously admitted that he was "not good enough" to manage England after Germany became the last side to win an international at the old Wembley stadium.There were no such statements from Steve McClaren
CONTROVERSIAL stun guns are being used by North-East police officers far more often than elsewhere in the country, according to official figures.The region's forces had used their Tasers 83 times by the end of last year, actually firing them on 25 of
A PRISON officers' leader has called for an urgent safety review after an increase in assaults was highlighted by an alleged stabbing at a North-East jail. Colin Moses, head of the Prison Officers' Association, was speaking after The Northern Echo revealed
TWO men have been charged with supplying ecstasy and cocaine following a nightclub raid. Officers swooped at The Groove, in Spout Lane, Washington, Wearside, on June 9, with a warrent issued under the Misuse of Drugs Act. James Duff, 19, from Chacombe
A BUSY mother will fly the flag for England in next month's International Sheepdog Trials in Ireland.Kim Gibson, from North Yorkshire, is the only female handler in the team of 15 - and could find herself competing against her mother, Sandra Gibson, who
