Archive

  • Horsley roars into series lead at Croft

    Local drivers dominated the opening round of the ANECCC Winter Rallycross Championship at Croft Circuit, with Redcar's Adrian Horsley emerging with the series lead after a superb display in his Citroen Saxo. Despite retiring from the 'A' final, Horsley

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: A triumph for common sense

    THROUGHOUT the sorry Ghost Ships saga we have called for clarity and careful consideration. We have not campaigned for or against the vessels coming to Hartlepool. Instead, we have adopted the common sense approach of seeking the fullest examination of

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Cook/chef, Northallerton. £5-£5.50 ph. Tues 6-9pm; Wed, 11.30am-2.30pm; Sat, 6-9pm; Sun, 11.30am-3.30pm. Experience preferred but not essential. Ref: NOE 20354. Factory operative, Leeming. £5.05 ph rising to £5.32 ph after 13 weeks. 37 hours pw. Previous

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Cook, Durham/Shotton Colliery. £4.75ph, 12hrs pw, 7.30am to 1.30pm, Sat and Sun. Must have experience cooking for large numbers. Ref: PEV 20906. Support workers, Trimdon. £4.75 to £5.10ph, 21-35hrs pw, 5/7 days or nights, some sleepovers. Required to

  • Polishing off big chore

    Polishing 3,000 badges and buckles and 3,750 medals will be keeping Green Howards Regimental Museum volunteer Don Whitaker busy for the next two months. Every year the museum closes for two months over Christmas - and December and January are the busiest

  • 09/12/03

    FISHING: THE report (Echo, Dec 5) that fishermen in the North Sea are being given the last chance by being forced to accept further reductions in their catch quotas is very bad news for Britain's fishing industry. It must be asked why is it that the North

  • Noddy owner brushes off hostile bid

    BASIL Brush owners Entertainment Rights had a takeover approach rejected by rivals Chorion, it was announced last night. Noddy owner Chorion said it had rejected the hostile bid because it "significantly undervalued" its assets. A successful takeover

  • Grassroots: Crook

    MP'S VISIT: North West Durham MP and Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong visited North Bitchburn, near Crook, and was impressed by the community spirit. The major issue residents raised concerned the state of the village streets, many of which are

  • BT wins health service contracts

    COMMUNICATIONS firm BT has won contracts worth more than £1.5bn to supply patient record systems to the National Health Service. The telecoms group said the Department of Health had awarded it a ten-year, £996m deal to design, deliver and operate integrated

  • Young voices raised for charity

    YOUNGSTERS from two Darlington primary schools began fundraising efforts for a local hospice yesterday by singing carols in the town centre. The children from Cockerton Primary School and St Augustine's RC Primary School spent an hour singing in Queen

  • Pupils prepare a tree of wishes

    YOUNGSTERS are making special wishes for loved ones and people across the world on an imaginative school Christmas tree. Pupils at Crook Primary School are replacing the usual baubles and tinsel on their Christmas tree with handmade decorations carrying

  • Three charged after police drugs swoop

    Three men have been arrested and charged with possessing drugs in the area around Barnard Castle. Police said yesterday that the arrests were part of Operation Bullseye, in which alleged drug dealers and users are being targeted in Teesdale and other

  • Drive to create childcare places in poor areas

    MORE childcare places for pre-school children in Darlington's most disadvantaged areas will be provided by March 2006. Darlington Borough Council has been set a target by the Government's SureStart Unit to create at least 100 childcare places by that

  • Florist's festive display is voted best in town

    A FLORIST'S creative flair has won her business the top honours in an annual Christmas window decoration contest. The Flower Shop, in Spennymoor, won the town's Christmas window competition, organised by Spennymoor Town Centre Management. Proprietor Karen

  • Truant sweep catches out 80 children

    COUNCIL officers in Darlington stopped 80 children who should have been in school during a one-day operation to track down truants. Many of the youngsters were caught shopping with parents in the town centre last Friday, when they should have been in

  • Market goal

    A WEARDALE women's group wants to make its Christmas market an annual event. The Black Lion Jolly Girls, in Wolsingham, are holding this year's market on Saturday, in the town hall and working men's club. All proceeds from the event will go towards the

  • £4,070 grant brings festive cheer to charity

    A CHARITY is celebrating Christmas early thanks to a £4,070 donation. Groundwork East Durham is one of 44 charities in the region to receive a share of a £313,532 from the Lloyds TSB Foundation. The grants are being given out to bring festive cheer to

  • MP does the honours as family centres open

    TWO centres which will give young people a better start in life were opened yesterday. Houghton and Washington East MP Fraser Kemp performed the honours for Sure Start Monument programme's centres at St Aidan's Parish Centre, New Herrington, and Westbourne

  • Mother claimed £4,000 during benefits scam

    MOTHER-of-three Donna Kemp embarked on a ten-month long benefits scam so her children would not starve, a court heard yesterday. Harrogate magistrates heard how Kemp, 26, did not tell the Department for Work and Pensions about her new husband and so received

  • When girls go off the rails

    Rudegirls (BBC2): IT'S an uncertain job reviewing TV from preview tapes. I was expecting to watch the programme about the boy who gave birth to his twin in C4's BodyShock but ended up, through a tape mix-up, seeing teenage girls behaving badly. Morgan

  • Cuddly bears to feature at crafts market

    BEARS will be playing a part in Guisborough's biggest ever crafts and home-grown food market on Saturday. More than 20 members of Yorkshire's Brigantia arts and crafts fair will be selling their wares at the Market Cross. One of those will be retired

  • Free swimming sessions may be introduced to other towns

    A PILOT scheme for free swimming for under 16s during the summer holidays has been such a success it may soon be extended to other areas. During the summer, about 500 per cent more people used the pool at Eston Sports Centre, where free swimming was introduced

  • Close shave to help Katie

    A TEENAGER has presented a cheque for more than £1,300 to a cancer charity in the company of the toddler who inspired her to stage a sponsored head shave. Sporting her cropped look, Alice Reid, 17, from Darlington, presented a cheque for £1,371 to Cancer

  • Students in French visit

    SIXTEEN students travelled to France to take part in an exchange visit. The students, from Prior Pursglove College, in Guisborough, east Cleveland, will be undertaking a project on the Common European Heritage as part of their stay with pupils from the

  • North-East chosen to pilot an all-postal voting system

    NEARLY two million electors in the North-East will not have to go to a polling station to vote next year, but hopes of ballots by text message or e-mail have been dashed. The region is only one of two in the country where all-postal ballots will be held

  • Road closure

    The B1269 from South Yearby village to the A174 roundabout in Redcar is closed until December 20 to carry out road maintenance. A diversion route will be in operation. Works are being carried out by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

  • Schools join forces to perform Puss in Boots

    CHILDREN from two schools have united to perform a pantomime. The seven to 11-year-olds from Bowesfield Lane Primary and St Cuthbert's RC Primary, both in Parkfield, Stockton, will perform Puss in Boots. It is the first production by the children since

  • Committee elected

    The Darlington branch of the Federation of Small Businesses elected a new committee at its annual meeting. Peter Troy will remain as chairman and Maria Plews will be his vice-chairman. Lynda Musgrove will be secretary and Chris Williamson will move from

  • Finnish tales complement glass artwork

    NORTH-EAST storyteller Chris Bostock will tell tales this weekend as part of an exhibition of work and legends from Finland. Families are being invited to bring their children for storytelling sessions at the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, while

  • Officer will help support farmers

    FARMERS who are still coping with the aftermath of the foot-and-mouth crisis can now get help towards regeneration from a rural development officer. Bob Baker has been appointed by The Churches Regional Commission for Yorkshire and the Humber to offer

  • Housing estate clean-up campaign hailed a success

    A MAJOR blitz on crime and environmental problems which have blighted a housing estate has been hailed a success. Council litter-pickers joined a horticultural team and anti-graffiti squad to clean up the Burbank area of Hartlepool. The results of Operation

  • McCarthy left deflated after bad break

    MICK McCARTHY last night called for modern day players to learn how to tackle after witnessing Youssef Safri's challenge on Sunderland's Colin Healy. Healy's season looks to have come to a premature end after he was stretchered off during the 1-1 draw

  • Nissan bosses still confident strike action can be averted

    UNION leaders will learn today whether workers have voted to strike for the first time in the history of Nissan's Washington plant - while company bosses remain confident a deal can be struck. The result of a ballot to down tools had been expected yesterday

  • Regiment's tribute as king has op

    A NORTH-EAST regiment sent a message of support to the King of Norway, as he prepared to undergo surgery for cancer in Oslo yesterday. King Harald V, who is the Colonel in Chief of The Green Howards, needed treatment on his bladder, although the 66-year-old

  • TV review

    Rudegirls (BBC2) IT'S an uncertain job reviewing TV from preview tapes. I was expecting to watch the programme about the boy who gave birth to his twin in C4's BodyShock but ended up, through a tape mix-up, seeing teenage girls behaving badly. Morgan

  • Book marks century

    THE past has come to life in Thirsk with the publication of a book chronicling 100 years of its history. Around Thirsk: A Second Selection tells the story of the market town from the 1870s to the 1970s through the use of old photographs. The secretary

  • Mother backs Santa service

    A mother-of-twins helped to launch an 'e-mail to Santa' fundraising scheme for a hospital baby unit. Thomas and Rebecca Fawcett weighed just 2lb and 4.5lb when they arrived at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, where they remain today. However, mum

  • From soap spouses to panto partners

    WHEN the curtain comes down on the York pantomime Jack And The Beanstalk, former Emmerdale star Tonicha Jeronimo plans to give up performing to become a mum. "It's my last panto and acting job," says the actress, who played Linda Glover for three years

  • Highway sets the industry training standard

    HIGHWAY Construction Services is leading a campaign to encourage investment in people after being hailed as a model example by the industry's largest training body. The Stockton business recently received Investors in People (IiP) accreditation, and managing

  • Let's live and let die - if only passively

    IT'S 34 years since I last smoked a cigarette, but I can recall the taste and pleasure of smoking as if I'd just put one out. Like most of my generation and class - industrial suburb, football, comics and the local bug hutch cinema - I took my first drag

  • What a great day to be English

    The Queen posed for a team photo with England's Rugby World Cup heroes yesterday as the historic victory parade descended on Buckingham Palace. The sportsmen dwarfed the 5ft 4in monarch as they lined up in the Blue Drawing Room. At 6ft 7in, captain Martin

  • End of takeover saga in sight

    SUPERMARKET group Morrisons was last night preparing to bid for Safeway after the planned takeover of its rival received government clearance. The chain, which is based in Bradford, has 21 days to table a formal offer for Safeway after Trade and Industry

  • Warning aired over bogus collectors

    HOUSEHOLDERS are being warned about bogus charity collectors who are operating in the North-East. The Great North Air Ambulance, which carries out bona fide door-to-door collections, has discovered bogus collections across the region, including in Darlington

  • Review: Cinderella, Gala Theatre, Durham

    IN view of the current cash crisis haunting the venue, there's a certain irony that a large sign saying Hardup Hall decorates the opening set. The theatre may need a Fairy Godmother long after the final curtain, but Saturday's lively opening night audience

  • Larsson link is denied

    HENRIK Larsson's agent yesterday denied reports linking the Swedish striker with a move to Newcastle United in January. Larsson is believed to be ready to consider his Parkhead future if Celtic fail to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages,

  • School run think-tank

    AN effort to resolve the problems of the school run has been taken to the top. School runs cause congestion and other problems as parents arrive to pick up or drop off children at the same time. North Yorkshire's travel awareness officer Geoff Gardner

  • Killing speed in the villages

    SPEEDING drivers are more likely to find themselves at the wrong end of the long arm of the law. Richmondshire Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has purchased its own pro-laser speed gun and matrix board and will be taking to the district's roads in

  • Mortuary venue hammers home the dangers if drink driving

    POLICE chose a hospital mortuary to force home the message that drink-driving kills at the launch of this year's Christmas road safety campaign. Traffic officers launched the campaign in a year when the number of people killed by drink-drivers rose six

  • 'Shocking attitude' in bid to find paedophile's killer

    DETECTIVES hunting the killer of 73-year-old paedophile Robbie Hartley said they were facing a shocking attitude from the local community. They said a weekend sweep of the area where the pensioner lived, in Redcar, east Cleveland, brought fresh clues

  • Celioso goes for hat-trick

    OVERNIGHT frost threatens to claim Sedgefield's meeting, but if the card does get the green light following this morning's 7.30 inspection it may well open the door for Celioso (1.50) to continue his love affair with the track. Sue Smith's consistent

  • Housing estate clean-up campaign hailed a success

    A MAJOR blitz on crime and environmental problems which have blighted a housing estate has been hailed a success. Council litter-pickers joined a horticultural team and anti-graffiti squad to clean up the Burbank area of Hartlepool. The results of Operation

  • Football club is victim of burglary

    Burglars broke into Darlington Football Club's old Feethams ground at the weekend, taking all the team's training and playing kit. Cash-strapped Quakers, whose supporters launched a scheme at the weekend to help towards playing funds for manager David

  • Elegance made easy

    FRENCH style guru Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux knows a thing or two about grace, poise and elegance. Indeed, even as a child, she preferred to accompany her mother to the dressmaker's rather than go to the movies. Her talent for design and making

  • Criminals targeted in festive blitz

    A HARD-hitting pre-Christmas blitz on criminals was launched yesterday by police. The operation has been modelled on a similar crackdown last year, which resulted in hundreds of arrests. The three-week operation, codenamed Bull's-eye, will involve hundreds

  • Sluggish but sublimely slimy

    The Slug and Lettuce, on Newcastle's Quayside, boasts a comprehensive menu and a fully-clothed clientele. PROBABLY there is a word for a morbid fear of slugs, just as there appears to be for every phobia under the firmament. Whatever it is, The Boss suffers

  • Motorised scooter presents warning

    BUYING a motorised scooter as a Christmas gift could result in traffic prosecutions, police have warned. The small petrol and electric-powered scooters are being bought for Christmas presents. But police are warning parents to think twice before buying

  • Man dies in hospital after being rescued from icy seas

    A fisherman died despite heroic efforts to save him after his dinghy capsized. Onlookers saw the small boat overturn throwing two men into the water off the coast of Tynemouth, North Tyneside. The pair, aged 45 and 34, who had been fishing, were in the

  • Extra aid for recycling

    THOUSANDS of blue bags have arrived in Darlington to help residents recycle more rubbish. More than 45,000 bags will be distributed as part of Darlington Borough Council's kerbside recycling scheme, with information about collection dates during Christmas

  • Truant sweep catches out 80 children

    COUNCIL officers in Darlington stopped 80 children who should have been in school during a one-day operation to track down truants. Many of the youngsters were caught shopping with parents in the town centre last Friday, when they should have been in

  • Bungee jump and circus on town's calendar

    A CHARITY bungee jump and a circus are among an exciting calendar of events planned for Ferryhill next year. The Ferryhill 2000 group, which consists of town council officials and residents, have been so buoyed by the success of events it has staged this

  • Landfill will produce eco-power

    A LANDFILL site will be producing eco-friendly electricity by the end of the year when building work on a generation plant is finished. The site, at Scorton, near Richmond, closed in September this year after reaching its capacity. But the company responsible

  • Quakers take Italian goalkeeper on week's trial

    Italian goalkeeper Alessio Locatelli has joined Darlington on a week's trial. The 24-year-old, a product of Inter Milan's youth system, where he spent seven years, is a free agent and arrived in England yesterday. Locatelli is ineligible for tomorrow's

  • Don puts the sparkle back into war display

    THE Army is renowned for its spit and polish. But over the next few weeks pensioner Don Whitaker is going to become something of an expert. The 73-year-old volunteer guide at the Green Howards Museum, in Richmond, has agreed to help museum assistant Paul

  • Care trust aims to give patients better deal

    A CARE trust has signed up to a new initiative aimed at forging a closer partnership between professional health services and the voluntary sector. Easington Primary Care Trust believes the move will help to ensure the delivery of quality services to

  • Flagship school plan put forward

    STAFF and pupils who have struggled for years with outdated facilities will soon be enjoying learning in a modern £3m "eco school". The old buildings, at Pelton Community Primary, Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, were put up more than 100 years ago and

  • Harpist to entertain visitors at children's Christmas workshop

    A TEENAGE harpist will perform at a children's Christmas workshop on Saturday. Sarah Paterson, from Saltburn, has been playing the harp since she was eight and will perform Christmas carols at the event in James Finegan Hall, Eston. The 14-year-old, who

  • Review: Aladdin, Newcastle Opera House

    THERE is something warm, familiar and very Christmassy about the Newcastle Opera House pantomime. And once more, a tried and tested cast of local celebrities take North-East families on a rollercoaster ride of colour, spectacle and fun. This time, we're

  • Dream tie for Pool chairman

    ELATED Ken Hodcroft last night revealed facing Sunderland in the FA Cup is a football dream he has waited six years for. The Hartlepool United chairman is looking forward to a bumper pay-day on January 3 when his side go to the Stadium of Light. Hodcroft

  • Power company apologises over electricity hassle

    A POWER company has apologised for leaving a young family without central heating after failing to send them a key for their meter. The Moss-Carbert family, from Darlington, had a key meter fitted by British Gas on November 24 with £25 credit and were

  • Council tackles fraud

    COUNCIL bosses have promised there will be no let up on the campaign to stamp-out benefit fraud in Scarborough. Six people have been through the courts on charges of fiddling a total of £14,000 in benefits. Director of corporate services with Scarborough

  • Well-balanced pupils raise £170 for charity

    TWO school friends have put their circus skills to good use in a sponsored unicycle ride. Alex McAulay, 13 from Skeeby, near Richmond, and Jason Ayre, 12, from Richmond, raised £170 for Children in Need when they unicycled 4.4 miles from the town's Holly

  • Firm sets decision deadline over land for £10m rail link

    A £10m rail deal that could bring 200 jobs to the region may hinge on securing a five-acre piece of waste land. Holgate Rail Industries said it needs 1.5 acres of the land for a rail link to a workshop at the Thrall wagonworks, in York, where it hopes

  • Novelty numbers

    IT'S CHRISTMAS!! Yes, wherever you go you can't help but be assaulted by Noddy Holder belting out the original and best festive song. And if you were in any doubt about what time of year it was - the King of Christmas Cliff has not only released a single

  • Cancer sufferer nets prize for website

    A CANCER sufferer who set up a website to help a charity has been rewarded for his efforts by The Northern Echo. Norman Smith, who has prostate cancer, created the site at www.communigate.co.uk/ne/colac/-for A Celebration of Life After Cancer. It has

  • Stores fall in for a 'war babies' boom

    BRITAIN appears to be experiencing a mini-baby boom nine months after it went to war with Iraq. In the last two weeks alone, Tesco has had to cope with a run on products for babies at stores near military bases. The trend is particularly noticeable at

  • Is there ray of hope for theatre?

    The financial crisis that has beset Durham's Gala Theatre has sparked a party political war of words in the city. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decisions that have been made, the problem of successfully running a venue of such size remains unanswered

  • Master craftsman chips in to help pub raise funds for charity

    AN anonymous master craftsman has donated a rocking horse to a pub for charity. The 2ft by 1ft horse will be raffled on New Year's Eve with money raised going to the Alzheimer's Research Trust. Licensee Nigel Anderson, of the Vane Arms, in Thorpe Thewles

  • Building work will create jobs for 55

    About 55 jobs will be created when building work starts next year on the site of a former North-East hospital. House builder Barratts, which has bought the former Middlesbrough General Hospital, plans to build 329 one and two-bedroomed apartments, and

  • Eating Owt: Sluggish but sublimely slimy

    The Slug and Lettuce, on Newcastle's Quayside, boasts a comprehensive menu and a fully-clothed clientele. PROBABLY there is a word for a morbid fear of slugs, just as there appears to be for every phobia under the firmament. Whatever it is, The Boss suffers

  • Celioso goes for hat-trick

    OVERNIGHT frost threatens to claim Sedgefield's meeting, but if the card does get the green light following this morning's 7.30 inspection it may well open the door for Celioso (1.50) to continue his love affair with the track. Sue Smith's consistent

  • Beekeeper's prize honey

    PETER SCHOLLICK is getting used to the sweet taste of success after travelling to London to enter a competition just to test the level of the opposition. As president of the Richmond and District Beekeepers' Association, his experience of making honey

  • In memory of Norman - an inspiration to others

    A gathering this morning celebrates the life - and remembers the death - of Norman Sarsfield, former Mayor of Durham and one of sport's most influential figures. Though principally a swimmer, Norman was in at the deep end of many other recreational activities

  • The women who yearn to learn

    Getting back into learning after a break can be a daunting experience, especially if you have a family to look after. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports on some of the projects helping women improve their skills. SOME of us take learning for granted

  • Cats' point is marred by horrific Healy injury

    COLIN HEALY very nearly missed last night's match at Coventry City with a minor toe problem, but now he is facing the prospect of a much lengthier spell on the sidelines. He was taken to hospital after suffering what looked a horrific leg injury following

  • Murder victims had links to drug scene

    DETECTIVES investigating a double murder yesterday named two men found battered to death in a bedsit. The partially decomposed bodies of Kevin Mulgrew, 38, and Daniel Wall, 27, were found in the bedsit above a bakery in Gillygate, York. Police said the

  • Collingwood glad he's shown his staying powers

    WHETHER or not he plays in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy tomorrow, Durham's Paul Collingwood is confident he has done enough to earn a second cap. His battling innings of 36, spanning three hours and 153 balls, went a long way towards saving

  • Judge steers ships deal towards rocks

    A CONTROVERSIAL deal to dismantle former US navy ships in the North-East was plunged into serious doubt last night when a judge ruled a licence modification to allow the work was "legally flawed". But the company behind the £11m contract for the Ghost

  • Train operators announce ticket price rises

    TRAVELLERS will have to pay more to use trains in the New Year. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) announced ticket price rises yesterday. In the North-East, the cost of travelling on a GNER service will increase by a minimum of four

  • Landlord in hospital after assault

    A LANDLORD was left badly injured after he was assaulted outside his pub yesterday afternoon. Andy Power, landlord of the Commercial Hotel, in Galgate, Barnard Castle, County Durham, sustained injuries to his face and neck after he was attacked by a man

  • Bowker hit's back over poor rail funding

    THE railway industry's most powerful man has delivered a stinging rebuke to claims that the North-East is the country's poor relation when it comes to funding. Richard Bowker, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, said it was "totally and completely

  • Inquest told of fight to save man who was electrocuted

    A JOINER was electrocuted as he worked on an unfinished house at a building site. Despite frantic attempts to revive family man George Olaman, the 58-year-old was certified dead shortly after his arrival at the University Hospital of North Tees, in Stockton

  • Review: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Middlesbrough Theatre

    THE scariest thing for any comic must be to collapse on stage and wonder how long it takes everyone to work out that it's not part of the act. Fortunately, paramedics arrived quickly to help Jester-clad Londoner Johnny Laff when he collapsed as Muddles

  • Is there ray of hope for theatre?

    THE story of Durham's flagship Gala Theatre has provided as much drama as any production staged in its main auditorium in its short life span. Universally acknowledged as an excellent small-to-mid range venue, it has suffered the same problem as many

  • 'Gala Theatre will survive' pledge

    A CITY'S theatre complex will survive its continuing financial crisis, a civic leader pledged last night. Durham City Council leader Sue Pitts said she was confident the Gala Theatre would develop to ensure subsidies could be reduced to "manageable levels

  • Mills pays tribute to McClaren

    DANNY MILLS has paid tribute to Steve McClaren for revitalising his career and he would not rule out making a permanent switch to Middlesbrough. Mills is on loan at the Riverside from Leeds United until the end of the season, but admits a return to Elland

  • How our teenagers are killing themselves

    An alarming new report shows that the party lifestyle of Britain's teenagers is destroying their health. Christen Pears reports on the public health timebomb. TODAY'S teenagers are overweight, addicted to cigarettes and drugs, ridden with sexual diseases

  • Quakers take Italian goalkeeper on week's trial

    Italian goalkeeper Alessio Locatelli has joined Darlington on a week's trial. The 24-year-old, a product of Inter Milan's youth system, where he spent seven years, is a free agent and arrived in England yesterday. Locatelli is ineligible for tomorrow's

  • Charity carols

    A carol concert in aid of the NSPCC will be held on Wednesday, December 17. The concert, at St Andrew's Church, South Church, Bishop Auckland, will feature Graeme Danby, principal bass for the English National Opera, Ferryhill Brass Band, and pupils from

  • Revellers watched woman bite off her ex-lover's ear

    REVELLERS looked on calmly as a man had his ear bitten off by a former partner, a court heard yesterday. No one stepped in to help and one man even continued eating a jacket potato as he saw the severed ear lying on the pavement. The astonishing scenes

  • Council refuse to move shelter for trapped car

    THE parking stand-off between a motorist and a council which has seen a £20,000 car trapped by a bus shelter is no closer to being resolved. Council officials are adamant that they won't dismantle a shelter that's blocking the posh Honda Accord parked

  • Zac says thank you for gift of life

    A NORTH-EAST youngster is enjoying visits to the beach, flying a kite and playing football - all the things little boys do. But ten-year-old Zac owes it to a youngster he never met. Jamie Stubbs, ten, had already pledged to donate his organs before he