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A number of cars were damaged tonight when 100 metres of scaffolding collapsed into Jedburgh Road, in Middlesbrough. Emergency services were called to the scene during the early evening.

A COLLEGE last night promised an investigation following the rescue of a group of students who became trapped underground by fastflowing water. The 11 students, from Craven College, in Skipton, North Yorkshire, had been exploring Dow Cave, not

SEVERAL college students are being rescued from a cave complex in North Yorkshire after being trapped by fast-flowing water. Cave rescue services and police were called shortly before 4pm to help students trapped in Dow Cave near Kettlewell. The leaders

In ten years' time it's quite plausible that desktop PCs will be no more. So what should be be buying instead? DESKTOP PCs are going the way of the VCR and the old music centre. We're fed up with a beige box gathering dust in the corner and switching

Publisher: Midway Formats: PC, PS3 Price: £34.99 Family friendly? 16+ NOTHING pushes the boundaries of gaming technology like a first person shoot 'em up (FPS). Both Unreal and Unreal Tournament

NOW in paperback - the well-written memoirs of Test Match Special's bearded wonder Bill Frindall. Discover how he once played for Yorkshire at Northallerton and top scored for his team at Barnard Castle and Stokesley. Though only of 38, the latter

GEORGE Worth is not proud of himself for working on the despised lifestyle of a national newspaper and becomes even grumpier when he inadvertently acquires the latest, trend-driven trainee as a house guest. Surprisingly, the pair strikes sparks

THE more deadly perils of poker are explored in this collection of short stories by such criminal aces as Michael Connelly, Jeffrey Deaver and Peter Robinson. The stakes are always high and so is the excitement level as death is dealt out in so

LOVE and happiness are all that dancemad Sue Carver seeks in the 1930s Swingtime era in Rotherhithe, but her naivety leads her astray and she is left holding the baby in more ways than one by a suave but sneaky big band singer. This is a genuine

A ROARING, raging Tyneside drama replete with a lovely heroine, a dashing rogue and the atmosphere of Geordie land in Edwardian days. Clarissa Bellhaven and her sister Olive have been forced to give up their cosseted life on an Indian tea plantation

A GLORIOUS subject - agreed. But where does it start, or, if you like, end, this superb asset of Yorkshire? Most books on the county today take Staithes as the coast's northern limit. Their authors slavishly accept the local government boundary

A MAN who was knocked down by what police believe was a stolen car is recovering from his injuries. The 50-year-old from Sunderland was hurt after a BMW collided with a Vauxhall Corsa on Grey Street in Hendon in Sunderland at 6.45pm on Thursday. He

AN EXPLOSION in convictions for illegally carrying knives and other offensive weapons in the region is revealed in new government figures. They show the number of successful prosecutions of adults has soared by 76 per cent since Labour came to power

A COUNCIL officer who led a countys efforts to tackle youth crime has been dismissed after being found guilty of gross misconduct. Christina Blythe, head of County Durhams Youth Engagement Service, was suspended on full pay in December 2006 and had

Darlington have today re-signed former left-back Ryan Valentine from Wrexham. He has initially joined on loan but it is expected his move back to the North-East will eventually become permanent. Valentine, 25, who played 176 games for Darlington in

ARMED police detained a suspected robber in a dramatic arrest this afternoon. In a pre-planned operation, police brought a car carrying the suspect to a halt in the quiet village of Sherburn, near Durham City at 3.40pm. A 31-year-old man, from Seaham

A MAN from the Durham area was killed when he was knocked off his bicycle by a hit-and-run driver early this morning. A Northumbria Police spokesman said the accident happened on the northbound carriageway of the A19 - 400m north of the Silverlink

THIS is a film in which two very tall men in monster costumes fight a lot, pausing occasionally to tear one of the local populace limb from limb. No one expects King Lear from the umpteenth unnecessary sequel to the Alien and Predator franchises

THE new Coen brothers film is short on words, but big on violence and wide open spaces. Texas in the 1980s is the place and time where Josh Brolin's good guy Llewelyn stumbles across the site of a drug deal gone wrong near the Rio Grande. He finds

MUSIC biopics have become so cliched, you'd think it pretty impossible to send them up as they do a good job of that themselves. You know the story - poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks overcomes a tragic childhood to find fame and fortune

This is the kind of Brit working-class singer-songwriter we should all be instantly supporting for chart success. Sadly, Gower sounds like a very good busker in need of a lot more development. Supported by guitarplaying Craig Hawkes, Gower goes

The good old-fashioned rockers have lifted one of the more so-so tracks from the fine album Blackbird as the US outfit swing into a UK tour from tomorrow. Myles Kennedy and ex-Creed members Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall can be

To me, the initial impact is of pale shades of OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark). I'm assured that BWO (that's Bodies Without Organs based on the 1972 book Anti-Oedipus) are Sweden's most popular band since Abba and are highly popular in

Andy Welch and Viv Hardwick look at the potential hit-makers over the next 12 months LAST year, while most critics rightly agreed Mika was going to be a big star, few saw Leona Lewis returning from her American break to become the year's late

I'VE found myself at quite a few local folk music gigs since the turn of the year, both as a performer and as an audience member, and it was great to see large and enthusiastic audiences. Each week in this column, along with big-name concerts at

WHAT'S ON Next Thursday Darlington Big Band, Opus 4, Travellers Rest, Cockerton, 01325-469756. CD REVIEWS Stan Tracey-Keith Tippett/Supernova (ReSteamed RSJ105) Needing two matching pianos, opportunities for these two musicians to play together

WHAT'S ON Conductor Frans Bruggen, The Sage Gateshead, Northern Sinfonia, Beethoven's Symphony No 7 tomorrow. Haydn's Symphony No 49 and Bartok's Divertimento are also performed. Box Office: 0191-433-4661. REVIEWS Shostakovich (Odna) Alone (Naxos

KEEPING in touch with country music happenings and new releases can sometimes be difficult if you are not aware of where to find information. There are websites which relate to the hundreds of artists, there are radio shows on the internet and of

A BUSY Teesside road remains closed after a five-vehicle collision involving three cars, a van and a JCB digger. The incident happened on Tees Road, Hartlepool, at around 1.50pm. Four people suffered minor injuries. A blue MG ZR, silver Vauxhall Corsa

DOCTORS in the North-East are claiming a world-first after a mechanical heart was used to keep a three-year-old girl alive long enough to have a transplant. Abigail Hall would have died without being connected to the Berlin Heart, a German-made mechanical

NEWCASTLE manager Kevin Keegan today said he would love to have Alan Shearer back "if there is a role that Alan wants". Meanwhile, Keegan insists he was the best qualified man to take charge of Newcastle. Keegan made a sensational return to St James

A POLICE hunt has been launched after a man tried to kidnap a schoolgirl. The 15-year-old victim has been left shaken and afraid to leave her house after the stranger tried to bundle her into his car in Redcar, Cleveland. Detective Inspector Dave Mead

BACK-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin and his wife were remanded in custody today to await committal to the Crown Court on deception charges. Mr Darwin, 57, and wife Anne, 55, appeared separately at Hartlepool Magistrates Court via video link from

PUPILS at a comprehensive school have received Princess Diana memorial awards for the seventh year in succession. They were given certificates for their efforts to care for younger children and prevent bullying at the school in Staindrop near

PEOPLE living in two areas to be transformed by a regeneration master plan are invited to consultation days. The events are being hosted by Sedgefield Borough Council for people affected by its multi-million pound coalfield community revival scheme

A FOOTBALL club has spent almost £1,000 on repairing damage to its ground. Crook Town FC's Millfield Ground was broken into on Wednesday last week, and vandals stole food and caused damage to the canteen and main stand. It is the latest in a

A PUBLIC inquiry about a proposed animal waste incineratorand chimney concluded yesterday. George Bolam Foods Limited was appealing against Durham County Council's refusal of planning permission for the facility at its premises on Salters Lane Industrial

COUNTY councillors have expressed grave concern that society's most vulnerable people will be severely disadvantaged by proposed post office closures. North Yorkshire County Council published its formal response yesterday to the plans by Post

AN organisation aimed at bringing businesses together in a busy market town will be launched next week. Stokesley Business Club was set up by Sharon West, commercial manager for MC Ware, an IT network and solutions company. The company has been

THE owner of a bed-and-breakfast has welcomed a 40mph speed limit on a road plagued by accidents, but says more needs to be done before she feels safe. Gillian Shepherd lives and works at The Old Mill B&B, in Ellerbeck, near Osmotherley. Alongside

PLANS to expand a mineral water company in the shadow of North Yorkshire's White Horse look likely to win approval, despite residents' concern. Paul Hodgson, the owner of Chilburne Spring, at Acre House Farm, Kilburn, near Thirsk, has applied

GREEN SPACES WHILE I am sure all residents of Durham City will be happy enough that the city council has declared the existing wildlife site at Flass Vale a nature reserve, as mentioned in your report "City centre will be site for new nature

PEOPLE living near a town centre hope their pleas to resolve parking problems on their doorstep have not fallen on deaf ears. Members of the Central Residents' Association, covering streets in the vicinity of Chesterle- Street town centre, called

A GROUP offering a range of events and activities to young people has been given a cash boost from the Freemasons. A cheque for £1,000 was yesterday presented to Durham Police's director of finance, Patrick Melia, in his capacity as treasurer

A COUNCIL has been accused of reneging on a controversial deal to regenerate a park. Derwentside District Council sold off a third of View Lane Park, in Stanley, to a developer - despite strong public opposition. Mistal Homes is about to start

A SUSPECTED drug dealer was arrested last night following raids at a number of addresses in Middlesbrough. Class A drugs and a significant amount of cash was recovered when 40 officers targeted three homes on the Easterside and Brambles Farm estates

TRAVELLERS HAVING walked past the derelict Billingham House, Billingham, site recently, where a JCB was just beginning the work of removing some of the tonnes of rubbish left behind by 20 travellers' caravans, along with local residents I was

A NIGHTCLUB was fined £1,000 after a court heard two steeplejacks, attempting to erect flags on its roof, were in danger of falling off and hitting passing pedestrians. A shocked council official alerted health and safety experts after he looked

YOUNGSTERS can play full steam ahead thanks to a new £90,000 playground. The Ainstable Road playing field comes complete with a static train for toddlers, a cable runway, climbing frames, swings and roundabouts, all hand-picked by local youngsters

KEVIN Keegan will speak to the press today for the first time since being appointed manager of Newcastle United. The 56-year-old, who is known to fans as the Messiah, is on his second stint as Magpies boss. He was given the job on Wednesday after a

People power wins in cash machine battle PEOPLE power has won the day for a small post office after a supermarket chain backed down over its plans to install a cash machine outside its store. Netto supermar ket, in Whale Hill, Eston, came under

VETERAN footballer Andrew Scullion has renewed calls for a ban on "bladed" boots after needing 39 stitches in gaping wounds to his head and eye. Doctors at Darlington Memorial Hospital were so shocked that they took photographs of his injuries

ILAUGHED so much my face hurt. Not my words C those of the woman in front of me on the way out of the theatre. But Id go along with the sentiment. It is easy to see why this hilarious romp through the Bards best, and worst, is still going strong

Pop Britannia (BBC4, 10pm); Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps Live Special (BBC3, 9.30pm and 12.15am) AS the third and final part of Pop Britannia progresses from punk to the present day, we discover some people aren't prepared to forgive

TWO British Airways flights between Newcastle and London Heathrow have been cancelled today following yesterday's incident where a plane crash-landed at London Heathrow. British Airways have now announced the cancellation of the following flights: flight

If your New Year's resolution is to sort out your debts, here are some dos and don'ts on how to manage your cash IT'S payback time. The credit card bills are landing on the mat. Did you really spend that much on Christmas? Yes, you probably did.

POLICE and rescue teams are searching the River Wear for a second day following a report that someone was seen jumping from a bridge. Durham Police, Northumbria Police and Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team launched the search near

With the New Year comes new resolve to get organised and new ideas for home and work DESPITE perpetually resolving to be more organised I always tend to find myself, around this time of year, slowly and gradually filling up my in-tray, piling

Everyone seems to be talking about childhood obesity these days, but two North-East primary care trusts are trying to do something about it. Health Editor Barry Nelson investigates ANNE Harris was worried about her son, Joe. Despite having what

THE all-new Jaguar XF took top honours at the 31st annual motoring 'Oscars', the What Car? Car of the Year Awards. The Jaguar beat 14 category winners during a glittering ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane. What Car

IN her bid to become the main Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the US, Hillary Clinton's showing waned in favour of rival Barack Obama, but now that she is back on the up it has been suggested that her recent tears of emotion moved

GORDON Brown has previously publicly and unreservedly given his full backing to Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain. He now prejudges any inquiry into the donation scandal stating that there is no corruption in Mr Hain's activities. What Mr

I AGREE with TJ Towers (HAS, Jan 15) regarding the Lindisfarne Gospels and why they should be returned to Durham Cathedral where they belong. The Gospels were last displayed in the Treasury of the cathedral in 1970. We had invited Canon AG Duckett

I HAVE never believed it was the role of councillors to write selfcongratulatory letters to newspapers to brag about their role in representing the public. I am coming to the conclusion, that for some councillors, it would appear to be the only

IN his last year as President, George Bush is trying to convince Israel to return the West Bank to the Palestinians. Tony Blair says a peace deal in the Middle East is possible this year. Wishful thinking, perhaps, however noble in concept. Israel

I USUALLY find something to disagree with in Peter Mullen's pieces, but his recent column (Echo, Jan 15) is spot on for those of us who count ourselves Christian and want to follow Christian teaching. Christians are only a small part of the community

WE are part of a growing global world that demands that we have an outlook to match. In the 1940s, thinkers such as Winston Churchill realised that there were issues that rose above individual states. Respect for the human condition, whatever the

WHEN I went to school during the 1940s to the 1950s, the education system was easier to understand than it is today. Politicians have introduced school league tables and performances to which teachers and their school heads have to try and adhere

SOME 18 months ago, BBC Radio Four organised a phone-in called People's Law to establish an issue of sufficient importance to most listeners to have it debated, voted upon in the House of Commons and, hopefully, put onto the statute books. The

MAYBE like you, I know a few people who talk about the war, or the 1930s, like they were yesterday. I can't fully understand their experience, but I can appreciate how these events shaped their lives and helped mould them into resilient, responsible

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world's biggest cage-fighting organisation, hosts an event in the North-East for the first time tomorrow night. Owen Amos meets their star fighters and hears of the UFC's quest for world domination IN Newcastle

THE veterans who signed up for voluntary medical experiments in 1953 thought they had nothing to fear. The young men believed they were doing nothing more risky than helping to find a cure for the common cold. Some were undoubtedly convinced by

INGLIS Drever, winner of the Ladbrokes World Hurdle in 2005 and 2007, could bid to become the first ever three-time winner of the stayers' championship. The nine-year-old, owned by Andrea and Graham Wylie and trained by Howard Johnson in Crook

ALL three British courses set to stage jump racing tomorrow look to have decent chances of beating the wet weather with officials at Ascot, Wincanton and Haydock all remaining positive. However, Market Rasen and Towcester look distinctly unlikely

CATTERICK'S three-and-threequarter- mile North Yorkshire Grand National is at the mercy of Laertes (2.10) if anywhere near his peak. It is admittedly a big if because Chris Grant's gelding finished out-with-the-washing on his only start so far

MARCOS Baghdatis outlasted Marat Safin in a gruelling five-set struggle to move into the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Baghdatis, who reached the final at Melbourne Park in 2006, took more than three hours to eliminate the

SERBIAN sensation Ana Ivanovic made short work of Tathiana Garbin in the second round. Ivanovic, the third seed, turned in a dazzling display in her first night match at a grand slam tournament to overcome the Italian 6-0 6-3 before a crowd

ON Sunday, the world's fourth biggest football tournament will begin. Eighteen years after Pele's infamous prediction that an African side would win the World Cup by the year 2000, this month's African Cup of Nations will prove just how far the

INDIA took the upper hand on the second day of the third Test against Australia thanks to a commanding display with the ball. Having collapsed to 330 all out in the morning after losing their last four wickets for only two runs, India dismissed

GARETH Southgate last night conceded Middlesbrough's "hands were tied" until a Dutch transfer tribunal ruled on Afonso Alves' disputed move from Heerenveen to AZ Alkmaar. But with the transfer window due to close in less than a fortnight, the

IT IS approaching 11 years since Shay Given arrived at Newcastle United. The Irishman, however, was five months too late to experience life under Kevin Keegan. But given the length of time he has spent at St James' Park, Given realises the affection

NICOLAS Anelka has welcomed Kevin Keegans return to management at Newcastle, admitting their time together at Manchester City was wonderful. Anelka played under the former England boss at City and believes his arrival is great for Newcastle and

ARRAN Lee-Barrett made an instant impression at Hartlepool United, but he's had to wait months to really make his mark. And now the goalkeeper is determined to make the most of his recall to the side. After an encouraging performance last Saturday

GARETH Southgate has dismissed suggestions that new Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan lacks the tactical acumen needed to succeed at the highest level. Keegan famously resigned from his position as England boss after admitting he was "not up to

KEVIN KEEGAN will oversee the first full training session of his second spell as Newcastle United manager this morning, having called for the club's ecstatic supporters to grant him time to turn the club around. His first move is likely to be to

NORTH-EAST folk singer Vin Garbutt will play several dates in the region to mark his 60th birthday. The Middlesbrough born singer-songwriter will play three nights across the North-East as part of his seven-month world tour to commemorate the milestone

THE case against an inmate accused of scalding an al Qaida terrorist in a North-East prison has collapsed after the bomb plotter refused to discuss the incident with police. Gary Lee Moody, 22, from Sunderland, was due to appear at Newcastle Crown

HOSPITALS in the North-East reported the lowest number of infections since the national MRSA target was introduced in October 2005. For MRSA, performance across the North-East continued to improve in October and November last year. The latest reported

A TRANS-ATLANTIC rower has been contending with an unusual obstacle while rowing the Atlantic - flying fish. Tim Wilks and his colleague have been rowing double shifts to make extra headway during good weather. Mr Wilks, from Darlington, and fellow

BUSINESS start-up and development company Walker Hall Associates is looking for a fresh crop of entrepreneurs. The firm, based in Durham, helped nearly 2,000 businesses in the North-East last year. Dan Owbridge, a business advisor with Walker

A DEVELOPMENT company is expanding its operations in the region after securing an investment of more than £4m. Sunderland-based Glenrose Developments is using the money to fund housing developments at sites in Sunderland, and Low Fell, near

ABOUT 200 manufacturing jobs are under threat following the collapse of a packaging firm. Jaycare, a leading producer of plastic packaging and dispensing systems for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, went into administration on Wednesday

SHARES in Barratt Developments rallied yesterday after the housebuilder showed signs of weathering the storm in the property market. Analysts said the half-year trading update from Barratt was "more positive in tone" than recent statements from

MUSIC retail chain and Waterstone's owner HMV provided some good news from the high street after reporting a 9.4 per cent likefor- like sales jump. The company's music and entertainment arm, HMV UK and Ireland, enjoyed a samestore sales rise

FINAL bids for collapsed North- East tyre manufacturer C-Tyres are being considered, The Northern Echo has learned. Interested parties from both the UK and abroad are understood to have put forward sealed bids for the assets of the County Durham-based

BUSINESS services firm Capita has moved to reassure its North- East workforce that their jobs were not under threat, after it announced the closure of one of its Midlands sites. Capita said 375 staff at its site in Birmingham had been given

AN engineering firm is creating 13 jobs, more than doubling its workforce, after a £100,000 grant. OGI Groundwater Specialists has also moved into new premises. The Durham-based company designs systems to make ground safe for construction work

AN aerospace firm which is shedding jobs will not have to pay back a Government job-creation grant, it emerged last night. CAV Aerospace, based in Consett, County Durham, received a £249,000 grant from regional development agency One North-

ORGANISATIONS working with homeless people in the North- East have a month to apply for a share of a six-figure funding package. The grant is on offer through Spark, a national project set up to prevent and tackle homelessness using social enterprise

SCIENTISTS in the region say they hope to make rapid progress in worldbeating stem cell research after being given permission to create hybrid humananimal embryos. The team at Newcastle University were reacting to yesterday's news that the fertility

A MAN who urinated on a disabled woman as she lay dying in the street failed in a bid to challenge the length of his prison sentence yesterday. Anthony Anderson, 27, who shouted "This is YouTube material" at Christine Lakinski after she collapsed

THE police officer hunting escaped murderer Lee Nevins said last night it is likely that someone is hiding him in the North-East. Superintendent Gordon Milward said officers are speaking to all of his known family, friends and associates as they

A NORTH-EAST man has been locked up after admitting filming his illegal dog taking part in a brutal fight. Daniel Tate was sentenced to five months at a young offenders' institution and banned from keeping animals for ten years after he pleaded

A DISABLED man is overjoyed after being reunited with his specially-adapted tricycle. Vincent Brannigan, 47, said after the £600 trike was stolen from Norton, Stockton, in November last year, he thought he would never see it again. However, police

A CANCER patient has vowed to continue her fight for patients' rights - although her worsening condition means she may have to rethink High Court action. Colette Mills, an NHS nurse for more than 30 years, launched a legal action after she was

THEY might not quite be Durham's finest yet, but they are certainly Durham's cutest and they have been attracting attention from across the world. Durham Police installed puppy cam just before Christmas ready for the birth of five German shepherd

A LESBIAN soldier could be paid more than £400,000 in compensation after being sexually harassed by a sergeant who claimed he could "turn her straight". Openly gay Lance Bombardier Kerry Fletcher was pestered for sex by the sergeant while working

THE Ministry of Defence is believed to be intending to offer compensation and an apology to the Porton Down Veterans - nearly two years after a North- East family won damages for the death of a soldier in a nerve gas experiment. Leading Aircraftsman

A TEENAGER accused of murder told jurors he took part in an attack on Brent Martin because he was "acting the hard man" . The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of being involved in the joint attack, which left Mr Brent

BOGUS customs officers made off with property worth up to £70,000 after claiming they were searching a house for drugs, a court heard. The pair called at the premises, in Victoria Street, Shotton Colliery, County Durham, on April 3, when the couple

IT could be a case of Nessun dorma (none shall sleep) for opera singer Suzannah Clarke after she gave birth to her first child, a baby daughter. The 39-year-old went into labour on Wednesday and gave birth to Cristiana Sofia in the early hours

GRANT CUTS I WRITE to challenge comments from Councillor John Williams, leader of Darlington Borough Council, in your report, "Outrage at Planned Cutbacks" (Echo, Jan 15). He claims the accusation of bias against the rural areas is "nonsense

A UNION chief has warned that Darlington could be over-run with rats of both the animal and human kind if the borough council goes ahead with plans to save £2.2m. Cuts to services, voluntary redundancies and increased car parking charges are

A TEENAGER has been called up to represent England in an international volleyball championship. John Chapman, 15, from Sadberge, near Darlington, is the only player from the North- East to be selected for the under-17s squad. The 6ft 1in Hurworth

A DERELICT house that was gutted by fire was demolished yesterday. The property, at 20 Station Road, near North Road station, in Darlington, was destroyed by a blaze early on January 9. The bedsits were used by drug addicts and homeless people

A DOCTOR has criticised Government plans to overhaul NHS GP services as privatisation "through the back door", saying the measures are totally unsuitable for the town. Dr Ahmet Fuat has attacked as "absolutely crazy" proposals that will see

ANGRY villagers have vowed to fight plans to build nearly a dozen 100 metre-high wind turbines next to their homes. North-East energy firm Pure Renewable Energy has drawn up plans to build the structures outside a village near Darlington. A study

BAGPIPES are to be heard at a historic abbey for the first time in nearly 800 years. A lone piper is to play from the historic floodlit ruins of Byland Abbey, at Coxwold, near Thirsk, to mark Burns Night. Piper Mark Jamieson will play next Friday

HUNDREDS of jobs will stay in the region after the Government announced plans to move one of its key civil service offices. Uncertainty surrounded the future of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) unit, in Darlington, after

MATT TAYLOR admits to holding transfer talks with Roy Keane - but opted to move to Bolton rather than uproot further north to Sunderland.Taylor's Premier League experience was exactly what Keane was hoping to add to his squad this month and the Black

THE father of missing teenager Jenny Nicholl yesterday vehemently denied his daughter ran away from home because he had abused her.Brian Nicholl said allegations that he had indecently assaulted Jenny were "absolute rubbish".The claim was put to Mr Nicholl

ORGANISATIONS working with homeless people in the North-East have a month to apply for a share of a six-figure funding package. The grant is on offer through Spark, a national project set up to prevent and tackle homelessness using social enterprise.

ONE OF the first, and most crucial, meetings Kevin Keegan faces in the early days of his second spell as Newcastle United manager will be the one he holds with the club's record signing.Going by past experience, Michael Owen's relationship with Keegan

A MAN appeared in court yesterday charged with possessing weapons including parts of a grenade launcher, an assault rifle and live ammunition.Philip John Jackson was accused of 15 charges of possessing firearms, including parts of a sub-machine gun and

Darlington are looking for a new goalkeeper after Andy Oakes was ruled out for the rest of the season.The reserve shot-stopper suffered a shoulder injury in training on New Year's Eve and a specialist has told the 31-year-old that surgery is required.That

TWO icons of the North-East could be moved in a revamp of the market square of a historic cathedral city.Market Place, in Durham City, is set for a major revamp later this year as part of the city's 2020 Vision development programme.The square is home

A MAN who crept into a woman's bed and sexually assaulted her while she slept was last night facing jail. Michael Sanderson, of Monkton Walk, Hartlepool, was found guilty of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, and also assault by penetration

THE man accused of murdering teenager Jenny Nicholl blamed his brother for her disappearance, a jury was told yesterday.In a bizarre twist, Jenny's former lover, married father-of-two David Hodgson, 47, pointed the finger at his older brother when he