CLIMBING plants are a wonderful addition to any garden, for even if you have very limited space there is room to grow upwards. Walls, fences and various other structures like garden sheds can all be improved greatly by the addition of a climbing plant
Darlington suffered their fourth straight defeat at the hands of struggling Halifax at the Shay today. Craig Middleton's second half strike was enough to give the Shaymen all three points and lift them off the bottom of Division Three. The home side dominated
AN accident victim left fighting for his life after an horrific road smash will meet the firefighters who battled to free him. Darren Shuttleworth, 33, of Middlesbrough, Teesside, was trapped for 40 minutes in the mangled wreckage of his works van after
THE first British trader to be prosecuted for selling solely in pounds and ounces announced plans to appeal against his conviction last night, claiming overwhelming public support for his cause. Father-of-two Stephen Thoburn, from Sunderland, announced
THE inside of the ship was lined with a thin sprinkling of white powder most days, as if it was Christmas all year round. Robert Brown was an 18-year-old apprentice welder on Redheads, the North Shields shipyard, and to him, it was like working in some
A LAST-GASP James Sharp header clinched a play-off spot for Hartlepool United at Kidderminster. Sharp's 87th minute flicked header from Paul Stephenson's curling free kick beat home keeper Tim Clarke and as it rolled into the net with it arrived a place
An 84th minute strike from David Beckham sealed all three points for Manchester United at the Riverside Stadium. United went ahead after just four minutes thanks to an unstoppable drive from England defender Phil Neville. The United full-back ventured
ALMOST every day someone in the North dies as a result of working with asbestos, according to a report. The region's industrial heritage has saddled it with the highest death rate from asbestos-related diseases in the country, through the widespread use
Tory leader William Hague was last night under renewed pressure to expel MP John Townend over his outspoken remarks on race after one of the party's most respected black figures weighed into the controversy. Lord Taylor of Warwick - a former Home Office
DURHAM County start the new outdoor season with the defence of the All England Inter County Middleton Cup today. The Palatinate won the prestigious competition, which started in 1911, for the first time last year and will be doing their utmost to retain
Darlington assistant manager Mick Tait yesterday told his players: "Don't waste all your hard work." Quakers go to bottom club Halifax today after a deflating spell of three successive defeats which follows a run of just one defeat in the previous 12.
BUS and rail group Arriva has predicted a firmer focus on its passenger transport business would lead to an improved performance this year. Speaking at the group's AGM, chairman Gareth Cooper said the Sunderland group had a "clear and focused strategy
SOCCER ace Kieron Dyer has had another brush with traffic police after he crashed his Mercedes into the back of a car, leaving its driver injured. The prang came only two weeks after the £20m-rated star was stopped by police for allegedly doing more than
GETTING too fired up about major chase handicaps like the Whitbread Gold Cup often ends in tears. But on this occasion it could be the bookmakers who are left sobbing in their satchels if Kingsmark (3.30) justifies massive ante-post support for this afternoon's
FEARS that humans had caught foot-and-mouth diminished last night after a farm worker feared to have fallen victim to the virus appeared to have been given the all-clear. Paul Stamper, 33, was splashed with fluid from a slaughtered cow as he helped move
THE General Medical Council (GMC) is considering legal changes which would allow it to automatically strike off doctors who are put on the sex offenders' register. Senior officials are holding talks with lawyers about the proposed changes, which were
A BRILLIANT goal from Republic of ireland international Kevin Kilbane revived Sunderland's hopes of qualifying for Europe on their last visit to The Dell before Southamtpon move to a new ground. The Wearsiders, who had only won one of their previous 12
A NERVOUS young woman, on her first shift in the hot seat plotting the progress of German aircraft over the North-East, pinpointed the lone raider closing in on the coast. "Gotcha" she whispered under her breath - as she pinpointed the Nazi plane and
THE pace of economic growth slowed during the first three months of the year as high-tech industries were hit by the slowing global economy, official data has revealed. Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that gross
The Magpies' extended wait for a clean sheet ended this afternoon when they took all three points against a Leicester side clearly low on confidence. Manager Bobby Robson was absent on club business but he would have been delighted to see the unwanted
A PAEDOPHILE attempted to befriend children on a North-East estate by buying them sweets and drinks, police revealed last night. The Northern Echo reported yesterday how Graeme McLeod, 48, from Guisborough, east Cleveland, walked free from the Old Bailey
SITTING by the sea one dreary afternoon in Jersey, self-confessed beach-bum Duncan swore he'd turn his life around. "I'd just turned 30 and I'd been happy doing nothing much. Money had never interested me too much but I suddenly decided two things - that
SUNDERLAND supporters' Player of the Year, Don Hutchison, believes that the club can still qualify for Europe. Starting this afternoon at Southampton Peter Reid's men have three games to make a last ditch bid for glory - and Hutchison maintained: "There's
BOBBY Robson will attempt to secure Kieron Dyer's future with Newcastle United in a desperate bid to head-off a repeat of the battle he lost to keep Ronaldo at Barcelona. Magpies' boss Robson is ready to press for contract talks with Dyer following Manchester
A FOREIGN LAND? HAVING fully read William Hague's grossly misinterpreted 'Foreign land' speech, I wish to tell readers he does not make any reference to ethnic people, but merely states a few of the downsides of joining the euro currency. I quote one
A PLAY-OFF place is in Hartlepool United's grasp at Kidderminster this afternoon. Pool make their first trip to the Aggborough Stadium knowing a point is enough to secure a top-seven place for the second season in a row. And despite the uncertainty surrounding
IT will be busy in the City next week, as market watchers dodge the May Day riots to study figures from a host of blue-chip companies including Whitbread, Shell, Bank of Scotland and Powergen. The City will be interested to hear drinks-to-burgers group
Shildon have appointed Steve Pyle as their team manager as new chairman Gordon Hampton builds for the future. Hampton, a local businessman, recently took over the second division club,and wants promotion next season as part of his plans. Ray Gowan, who
ONE of the region's biggest employer will announce record sales figures and a big hike in profits on Monday. North-Eastern and Cumbrian Co-op, which employs about 13,000 people, increased its turnover by just over £13m last year to £533.9m. Trading profits
THERE are striking similarities in the battle to speed up compensation payments to victims of asbestos-related diseases and those miners struck down by chronic respiratory problems. Both groups were working in conditions which were thought to be acceptable
DEAN GORDON last night warned Middlesbrough of a mass exodus if they fail to make Premiership survival a formality. Left-back Gordon admitted that managerial uncertainty on Teesside is preying on the minds of players who don't know for sure where their
ENGLAND international Kevin Phillips and Sunderland manager Peter Reid angrily refuted reports yesterday that the 15-goal striker wants to leave the Wearsiders and return south. Phillips, who last season signed a new, long term contract, immediately sought
