IN North Ormesby main street almost every shop is steel shuttered, even King Tut's Bazaar. Since it's Sunday teatime, the only open doors are at the bookie's and the Italian takeaway, where specials of the day include chips, cheese and cheese and chips
THE world's most popular railway engine will chug into the region this weekend. Thomas the Tank Engine and some of his best friends will be at the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, on North Road, today and tomorrow. The last time the television engine
Tim Easterby knows exactly what it takes to win today's big race at Newbury - the Weatherbys Super Sprint over five furlongs - having won it twice in the last four years with Flanders and Good Girl. And the Great Habton trainer's Roman Mistress looks
Darlington continued their pre-season build-up with a hard-earned win against an inexperienced Newcastle side in front of over 3,000 fans at a rain-soaked Feethams last night. It was Darlington's fourth win in five games this summer and they were made
RAILTRACK was under renewed pressure last night over the problem of potentially lethal trackside junk. The North-East branch of the Rail Passengers Committee condemned the amount of engineering junk left lying beside railway lines in the region. The passenger
A RAIL worker was suspended from his job for making "insensitive and inappropriate" remarks about the Potters Bar train crash on the Friends Reunited website, it was revealed yesterday. Ross Stevenson, who works for engineering firm Jarvis, was forced
A NAVY destroyer which played a key role in the war against terror in the Middle East arrived in the North-East yesterday. HMS York, a Royal Navy Type 42 Air Defence Destroyer, which was built in Wallsend, returned to the region to dock at Newcastle's
THE Government has pledged an extra £40m to help tackle the North-East's growing fridge mountain. Local authorities have been forced to stockpile unwanted refrigerators and freezers. New EU legislation requires that the CFC chemicals used in old fridges
A SEASIDE resort will bid farewell to its adopted naval warship today, ending links which stretch back 12 years. HMS Fearless, a veteran of the Falklands and the Navy's last steamship, is saying goodbye to its affiliated town of Scarborough. In what is
HOPES that share prices on the London Stock Exchange would end the week on a high, were dashed last night as a further crisis of confidence shook the city and sent prices tumbling. The temporary reprieve from the recent downward spiral in prices collapsed
THE man who helped put North-East cricket on the map has been honoured by one of the region's universities. Don Robson, former leader of Durham County Council, has been given an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Sunderland University. Mr Robson, 66, of Medomsley
A WEEK of football action featuring hundreds of young players from across the country kicks-off in the North-East today. The second Sage Soccer Festival sees scores of teams, male and female, compete in age groups from under-eights to under-19s. Over
DURHAM have signed Victoria batsman Brad Hodge as a replacement for Martin Love for the rest of the season. As forecast in Northern Echo Sport on Monday, Durham had reached the point where they had to decide whether it was worth waiting any longer for
RELATIVES of residents of a North-East nursing home facing closure have held a meeting with officials from Durham County Council. Members of the Stoneleigh Action Group met Peter Kemp, director of social services, county council cabinet member Councillor
COUPLES arguing, rowdy youths and suspicious-looking people are needed by police to help train new recruits. The police training centre at Aykley Heads in Durham has been training its latest intake of recruits by employing volunteers to create situations
Murton, who last Sunday defeated championship rivals Peterlee in the final of the D and P Andrew Dixon Cup, aim to take another step towards the treble by gaining maximum points from Silksworth today. On Monday they play Bill Quay in the League's other
ONE of the North-East's most popular museums put out the red carpet for its nine millionth visitor. Brian Smith, his wife Jillian, and children Emma, eight, and Jack, six, were given VIP treatment by staff at Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham
POP hopeful Alex Cromaty is to climb a step up the musical ladder this month when he joins a host of stars performing in front of 25,000 fans. Alex won a talent competition, with the prize of standing alongside the likes of Toploader, Atomic Kitten and
NORTHERN Echo, the racing pigeon, scrambled any chance of winning the final race of her yearling season by stopping off to lay an egg. Owner Peter Matthews had hoped it might have made her fly a little faster to allow her to lay in the comfort of her
RYLSTONE Close is an ordinary horseshoe of ordinary houses, but for 18 months in the late 1970s it was home to one extraordinary resident. Harold Shipman had already killed his first victim when, in 1976, he moved into the recently-built end terrace house
Yesterday a report damned her husband as one of the world's most prolific serial killers, but Primrose Shipman has stood by him. Nick Morrison looks at a woman in denial. IT'S a fair bet that the television was not switched on last night in the small
MANCHESTER UNITED issued Leeds with an ultimatum last night: Take Rio Ferdinand to the Far East and the transfer is dead. Sir Alex Ferguson will abandon his protracted pursuit of Ferdinand, 23, if the defender flies to China with his Leeds teammates today
ONE of the country's top building companies has won a contract to build 2,000 homes in the South-East. Bellway Homes, of North Tyneside, is to develop six sites within commuting distance of the M25 to help first-time buyers find houses. The area has been
It's another big day for Norton,who moved off the bottom of the table with last week's emphatic victory at Newcastle. "We batted first and gained 30 points," said Norton chairman Keith Symington. "It was great to win, but very important that we took a
THE most tantalising story of the week is whether the Bonhomme Richard has really been found at the bottom of the North Sea off Filey Head. In 1779, the American Revolution must have seemed half a world away to the people of the North-East, but then,
THE animals have been acting very strangely this week. I caught the cat delicately balanced on top of the wardrobe staring straight upwards towards the ceiling. Later that same day, as dusk was descending, the little terrier dog was sitting bolt upright
JUNINHO was still in limbo last night as the saga over his proposed return to Middlesbrough continued to drag on. Reports in Spain claimed that the Brazilian midfielder's father and advisor, Osvaldo Giroldo Snr, had flown back to Teesside and agreed a
Darren Lehmann posted another personal batting record for Yorkshire in the Roses match at Headingley yesterday - but it would not have been possible without assistance from his former captain, David Byas. In a day restricted to 48 overs by heavy rain
Wildlife presenter Charlotte Uhlenbroek has been likened to several TV personalities, but she's most flattered by being called the new David Attenborough. The temptation is to regard Charlotte Uhlenbroek as the beauty among the beasts. Or call her, as
Adam Low's aunt looks on proudly as he blows up a balloon. "That's the first time he's had enough air in his lungs to do that since his treatment," she says. Adam, ten, was one of dozens of children at the Katie Trust summer party. There's a buzz as the
As the final week inside approaches, things have been hotting up inside the Big Brother house - giving Geordie firefighter Jonny a sleepless night. The known insomniac didn't much like the idea of an early night with everyone going to bed before 11pm
DURHAM University graduate Tim Culley became the eighth person to be evicted from the Big Brother house last night. The battle of Ginger and the Whinger ended when the 23-year-old was told that an overwhelming 1.4 million people had voted him out. Tim
A BUNGLING bank raider could not have chosen a more public target yesterday - but still managed to evade capture. The culprit, believed to be a woman in her twenties, escaped under the noses of a high-profile audience which included the Bishop of Durham
NORTH-EAST printing company Statexcolourprint has won a regional award, as well as two world titles, at the Consort Royal Graphic Design and Print Awards in Barcelona. The lithographic printers, from Newcastle, first picked up a regional title followed
THE Government has given a local mining company permission to build an energy plant in a move which could guarantee the future of more than 800 jobs. Energy Minister Brian Wilson has given the Government's consent for Cleveland Potash Ltd to build a gas-fired
FAMILY doctor Harold Shipman may have been driven by an "addiction to killing" when he claimed the lives of at least 215 of his patients, the official inquiry into his crimes said yesterday. A report by High Court judge Dame Janet Smith unveiled for the
WE trust our doctors with our lives. Perhaps even more preciously, we entrust them with the lives of our loved ones - there is no greater sign of trust than when a worried child takes an ailing, elderly parent to a doctor and asks him to do his best.
Before his arrest in 1998 none of his patients suspected Harold Shipman was anything other than he appeared - a kindly, caring GP devoted to his practice. Only after he clumsily forged the £386,000 will of his last victim, 81-year-old Kathleen Grundy,
ARMED police faced a "nerve racking" situation when they faced a blind man who was threatening to cut his wife's throat, a judge said yesterday. Powerfully-built Stephen Richardson, 48, dragged his wife Clare, 44, on to the patio of their home and held
Following five successive victories which propelled them to the top of the table, Lintz came down to earth with a bump last week when they lost to third-from-bottom Ryton. But they bounced back to form against Shotley Bridge in the semi final of the league
TWO children trapped by a fire were saved by a quick-thinking passer-by in the early hours yesterday. Jason Costner, 30, fetched a ladder and led the children and their parents to safety after they had become trapped in their upstairs flat in Reid Terrace
Darlington have possibly their last chance of wrestling the championship from Guisborough when the side's meet head to head at Feethams today. The Fountains Garth side are the only unbeaten team, but they have won just one match more than Darlington and
GRADUATE Gayle Adamson has put her university celebrations on hold as she heads for the 2002 Commonwealth Games carrying the hopes of the nation. The 22-year-old picked up her first class honours degree earlier this week and has since headed off to Manchester
THE region's unsung heroes of industry were celebrated at a special awards evening. Organised by the County Durham Learning and Skills Council the event, at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, celebrated individual tales of achievement. Nominations were put forward
RELIEVED mother Andrea Carr cradled her baby son after he cheated death from meningitis - four years after the disease killed his brother. Five-month-old Kenneth Carr was rushed to hospital with meningitis and his family feared the worst after losing
Q I receive Incapacity Benefit of £62.20 a week out of which I have to pay heavy household expenses. My boyfriend who lives with me does not help me much. His wages are £220 a week but £56 of this goes on maintenance and he needs a car to visit his children
FOOD supplements which are helping youngsters to learn also appear to be clearing up skin problems, experts have found. For the last six months more than 100 County Durham primary school children have taken daily food supplements to improve their concentration
IT WAS good to read, at last, a positive letter supporting the Gala Theatre in Durham City (HAS, July 10). I am tired of negative comments about the project. It might not have gone according to plan - do new projects ever work perfectly? The people of
Crook Town aim to complete the double over Langley Park and exact revenge for the defeat they suffered in early May. Since then, they have gone 11 games unbeaten and moved up to third position following victories over championship rivals Esh Winning and
