CELEBRITIES and politicians are joining forces to promote the region in a European bid. Senior members of the team spearheading Newcastle and Gateshead's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2008 have taken the campaign to the House of Commons. During
MILITARY and civilian bands will top the bill at a musical extravaganza celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The concert, next month, will take the audience on a musical journey from the Yorkshire Dales to the Scottish lowlands. The Alanbrooke Jubilee
POLICE are hunting two teenagers who threatened to kill a debt collector after robbing her at knife point. Their victim - a grandmother-of-eight - said last night she thought she was going to die. Having forced the 49-year-old's car to stop, the youths
BURIAL restrictions at a town cemetery have been lifted because plans for an extension are being drawn up. A report into the availability of land for burial in the Wear Valley area revealed that West Auckland Cemetery only had enough space for burials
A spectacular laser show will light up the skies of an historic market town tonight. The show will be the highlight of Barnard Castle's first ever Christmas Festival, which will see lasers played across the walls of the town's medieval castle. The main
A TEENAGER accused of murder told a court yesterday that he had not killed his friend. Kevin Littlewood told a jury at Teesside Crown Court another man had delivered the fatal blow to 18-year-old John Paul Robert Jeffries, whose body was found wedged
METAL worker Brian Edwards was diagnosed with mesothelioma in January 1999 and started his compensation claim the following month to ensure he provided for his wife, Gill and their two children, aged 11 and 15. The 59-year-old died on June 4, only six
A COUPLE have won national fame while struggling to fight off a business disaster. Horse breeders Ken and Heather Saddington are ecstatic following news that a filly bred by them has won the British Warmblood Society Young Dressage Horse of the Year Championship
A crisp factory worker who claims he was forced out of his job after being bullied about his chronic stammer has lost his compensation battle. Kevin Alderson claimed he needed psychiatric treatment after being forced to give a speech during a team-building
MINERS sacked "unjustly" during the bitter 1984 strike are to get their pensions topped up, the Government announced last night. The move was welcomed in the North-East last night by miners leaders who claimed the men had suffered a long-standing injustice
A LIBRARY service has won a Government stamp of approval. Redcar and Cleveland Council's 13 libraries have won Government plaudits and a Charter Mark for the second year running. Government officials, who made two inspections of the service, which has
COMMUNITY groups in Redcar can apply to dip into a pioneering fund that has more than £1.6m to share. Three one-hour seminars will be held this week to launch the West Redcar Community Investment Fund, the biggest funding project from the area's Single
YESTERDAY'S Cantle Report on the summer's race riots in Northern towns spoke of how the different communities were leading "parallel" lives. It said that part of this was due to a "polarisation" of races and faiths. In reply, the Government said it was
THOUGH loathe to be boastful, I have no doubt whatever that I am the person best qualified to pronounce on what it is to be British, and more particularly English, today. So my response to Home Secretary David Blunkett's view that to counter "the self-segregation
Newcastle United battled to the death and could have snatched a Worthington Cup semi-final place on Wednesday night - when bang the London jinx strikes again. Bobby Robson's side had their chances at Chelsea, but a last-gasp goal from Jimmy Floyd Hasselabink
ALMOST 700 jobs are to be created in the region after the Government announced that two new offices are to be established in the region for the Pensions Service. Work and Pensions Secretary Alistair Darling announced yesterday that York and Seaham, east
NEW bus shelters are to be provided in three villages. Durham County Council, which is anxious to encourage more people to use public transport, launched a programme for improving shelters across the county two years ago through its Rural Bus Challenge
A BUSINESSMAN who lured a schoolgirl to a secret rendezvous by posing as a teenager over the Internet told last night of his relief after being cleared of indecently assaulting the youngster. Clive Rudd, of Hunters Hill, Gayle, near Hawes, North Yorkshire
Darlington are hoping to sign Chesterfield striker Luke Beckett - but the asking price is likely to prove a massive stumbling block. The Derbyshire outfit remain in financial dire straits and they recently transfer-listed the striker in an attempt to
AN ATTACKER who bludgeoned two friends with the metal end of a table leg has been jailed for life. Joseph McArdle, 54, was left close to death, and Anthony Lavery, 36, was brutally beaten during the assault by Colin Bell. The attack happened after Bell
ELDERLY villagers are being offered a mobile advice service. A converted mini-bus will tour villages on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from this week (see the schedule on the left for details). The service is a joint initiative between Age Concern
DETECTIVES are hunting a would-be robber who fled a North-East bank empty-handed. He sprayed a businessman in the face with a substance similar to CS gas, but fled in a getaway car after the victim refused to hand over a bag containing cash. The businessman
A SUCCESSFUL Christmas show has been put on the calendar as an annual event. The first show, held in Saltburn last year, was a night of music, song and dance. On the bill this year are Greek pianist Alexandra Korelli, cellist Emma Coleman, flautist Rowan
A NEW play area for special needs children has been launched. Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venture Scouts and leaders from the Durham district raised £6,835 for the area, provided by Durham City Council. Aimed at children with little or no mobility, it has
WRITERS in the North-East are to benefit from a new literary award which will fund them for three years. Three writers will have an equal share of the £180,000 from the Northern Rock Foundation Writer Award. The writers will be able to concentrate on
A PUB chef seduced an underage girl with text messages to her mobile phone, a court heard. Andrew Newcombe, 27, was eventually tackled in the street by the girl's mother, who told him to keep away because of the age difference. But then the girl told
A controversial sculpture is on offer to anyone who will take it away. Despite costing £270,000 when they were built in 1998, there are no takers for Newcastle's "Lego Men" as they have been dubbed. The artwork, by sculptor Ray Smith, has been ridiculed
A DISPLAY showing the success of a scheme designed to improve the quality of life in Derwentside was given the thumbs-up by North-West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong. Labour's Chief Whip viewed the display during an open day held by Consett South Partnership
AN appeal has gone out for selection boxes to be donated to Darlington's Giving Tree Appeal. Every year at least 250 selection boxes are needed to be distributed to families in the town who cannot afford Christmas gifts. The appeal, run by Darlington
Fraser Kemp, MP for Houghton and Washington east, has called on carers to check if they are eligible for new benefits. A reform of the system means councils can provide services, or payments instead of services, based on carers' needs. Mr Kemp urged people
A COUNCIL is offering a financial lifeline to two youth hostels under threat in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis. County Durham has three hostels - Baldersdale and Langdon Beck in Teesdale and Edmundbyers, a few miles from Consett. All of them have
Roy Whiting, 42, was today found guilty of the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne. There were cheers of delight as the verdicts were read out by the foreman at Lewes Crown Court. The jury of nine men and three women had been deliberating
WITNESSES have been urged to come forward with information about an alleged incident with racial overtones in which a couple were threatened with a knife. Police are hunting a young cyclist who pushed a 24-year-old female pedestrian to the ground as she
PERHAPS because last week's column dealt in euphemisms for death, of which macabre matter more shortly, Jim Sayers writes from Sunset Strip. It's not his real address - his real address is Spennymoor - but a reference to declining years. Before the sun
ELDERLY villagers are being offered a mobile advice service. A converted mini-bus will tour villages on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from this week (see the schedule on the left for details). The service is a joint initiative between Age Concern
STARS of TV and radio will perform at the Consett Empire theatre this weekend. The Variety Express show will feature Radio 2 and 4 star Al Scott as well as Neil Sean of Sky, BBC and Yorkshire TV. There will be music, comedy, magic and dancers at the show
Hundreds of jobs have been saved at a North-East company threatened with closure. A £3.75m government grant has safeguarded the remaining 800 highly-skilled jobs at Viasystem's South Tyneside plant. The cash supports former company accountant Charles
AN MP has backed a campaign by a town's pressure group to force the clean-up of a "dirty dozen" eyesores in the town. Stanley Action Group Enterprise (Sage) has identified the sites around the town centre and North Durham MP Kevan Jones has promised to
AN attack on a Newton Aycliffe meeting hall has prompted fresh calls for a clampdown on vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the town. Officials at the Greenfield Meeting Hall are trying to develop it for the community, but their efforts are being constantly
A SUPERMARKET chain has announced plans for a major expansion of a North-East store which could create up to 300 jobs. Safeway has applied for planning permission to extend its superstore in Victoria Road, Darlington, increasing its size by 40 per cent
PARENTS are calling for safety measures on a busy road which hundreds of children cross on school days. There are three schools and a college in Woodhouse Lane, Bishop Auckland, and campaigners calling for crossings on the road say children risk their
THE daughter of a 69-year-old woman who died after waiting on a hospital trolley for seven hours has criticised health chiefs for failing her mother. Doreen Murphy, of Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough, died after being taken to James Cook University Hospital
A DOG rehoming centre in Darlington is appealing for help to relieve its overcrowding problem in the run up to Christmas. The National Canine Defence League (NCDL) centre has 160 dogs in its care, even though it really only has space for 130. This means
THERE was a happy ending yesterday for a mute swan struck by a hit-and-run driver. The bird suffered serious injuries after being hit near the MetroCentre, Gateshead, last month. Jules and Roy Morris, of The Phoenix Guinea Pig Sanctuary, in Gateshead,
work to preserve military headgear dating from the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars is under way at a North Yorkshire museum. Textile conservator Caroline Rendell has been called in to clean and repair hats in the extensive collection at the Green Howards
A NEWTON Aycliffe film club is planning to screen more films following the success of its first feature. Greenfield Community and Arts Centre recently presented its first film night to a packed audience. The film on show was the adventure Tomb Raider,
AN athlete has been named Darlington's Young Sports Winner of the Year. Richard Smith, 18, from Sadberge, near Darlington, was given the accolade by the Darlington Sports Winners Scheme for his outstanding achievements in national and regional athletics
CARPETRIGHT is creating up to 300 jobs in an expansion drive which will see it open 30 new stores across the UK. The group said the move would bring store numbers up to 370, and staff up to 3,300. It plans to open the stores - nine of which have been
A SURVEY by Sedgefield and District Citizens Advice Bureau has shown consumers need to be better informed when making financial decisions to avoid debt. The study was carried out against the background of a 100 per cent increase in debt inquiries at the
AN animal charity is issuing tips to make this Christmas a happy one for pets. RSPCA officials working in the North-East and North Yorkshire are calling for every pet owner to follow its top ten festive tips. At the same time, the charity is relaunching
BUSINESS figures were rounded up and put behind bars yesterday. Executives from Teesside companies NTL, TFM radio, Specsavers, Barclaycard, Hillcarter Hotel, Springs Health Club, Chilli Media, Staples Superstore and others shared a cell at the BT Cellnet
A MAN convicted of a firebombing which left four people dead is waiting to hear if he will be freed on appeal. Alan Ray, from Newcastle, was branded an evil monster by police after he was given life for murdering pregnant Lisa Dodgson, her two young daughters
THE first of a new wave of Spanish doctors to work in the North-East has arrived. Dr Belen Carsi, who was pictured talking to Health Secretary Alan Milburn during his recruitment drive in Spain earlier this month, has been meeting her new colleagues at
LABOUR Party activists are growing increasingly confident they can wrest power from the coalition which controls a North-East council. The party lost its 22-year hold on power on Hartlepool Borough Council in an unexpected result in May 2000. The Liberal
A BARRACK block, giving soldiers access to satellite TV and the Internet in their rooms, has opened on one of North Yorkshire's Army bases. The 38 rooms - part of a £15m upgrade of Catterick Garrison - will set a new standard for members of the armed
A NORTH-EAST contestant in ITV's hit show Pop Idol is second favourite to be booted off the show in the first eviction this Saturday. Zoe Birkett, 16, from Darlington, gained 1.3 million votes from the public to secure herself a place in the final ten
CAR firm Nissan has helped to attract another automotive supplier to Wearside. Spanish company Grupo Antolin is believed to have invested a seven-figure sum in setting up an assembly plant on the Sunderland Enterprise Park, initially creating 12 jobs.
CYRIL the squirrel is driving florist Diana Allan nuts after moving in to her shop. Cyril hides during the day, but comes out to play at night and destroys her flowers. The rogue rodent has already cost Diana hundreds of pounds in damaged goods - and
A new report suggests single faith schools could increase racial tensions and split communities. Nick Morrison looks at why parents opt for a religious education for their children. EVEN a casual visitor couldn't fail to notice it was different from most
NEWS that a date rape drug is to be made illegal by next summer has been welcomed by one of the region's MPs. Vera Baird, QC, is the MP for Redcar, in east Cleveland, and is also patron of the Drug Rape Trust, which exists to raise awareness of the danger
THE Bank of England may cut interest rates after inflation tumbled to a record low. Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed underlying inflation slid 0.5 per cent to 1.8 per cent last month after a sharp fall in the cost of motoring.
Letters from The Northern Echo WAR ON TERRORISM RATHER than labelling opponents of the Government's anti-terrorist proposal as nave, the Prime Minister should consider what he is asking. The Government's proposed Anti-Terrorist Bill affects the privacy
HEXHAM is an unusual venue to unleash potential championship material over fences, but that's exactly the plan for Europa (1.50) in the Girson Field Stud Novices' Chase today. Tadcaster-based trainer Thomas Tate is no stranger to producing top-class speedy
A NORTH-East escort agency has criticised a television documentary over its portrayal of the industry. Choice Escorts, based on Tyneside, said Channel Four's programme, Sleepers, which was screened last Thursday, painted an inaccurate picture of the escort
A DRUG dealer who used a burger van as a cover for his trade was jailed for four-and-a-half years yesterday. Paul Sherrington, 34, claimed his income from selling burgers funded his drug addiction, but police alleged that he made his money from selling
A CHRISTMAS fairy has had a festive wish come true which will allow her - or him - to be in two places at once. Behind the flimsy disguise is 38-year-old father of three, Paul Waugh, of Loftus, east Cleveland, who on Sunday is supposed to be running the
THE region's biggest local authority is to lobby MPs and ministers after being awarded one of the country's lowest spending increases. Labour-controlled Durham County Council, which employs 16,000 people and spends about £500m a year, will get a 5.7 per
WIDOWS of North-East workers fighting for compensation after their husbands' asbestos-related death vowed last night to continue their battle for justice. Thousands of victims of the devastating condition meso-thelioma, a tumour of the lung lining, were
KIERON DYER faces being frozen out of Newcastle United's Worthington Cup quarter-final clash at Chelsea tonight. Sub-zero North-East temperatures have hampered Dyer's recovery from long-term injury, even though he made his comeback as a late substitute
BUSINESS Link County Durham has received a £400,000 boost to help businesses suffering from the after effects of the foot-and-mouth outbreak. The money comes from £1.5m pot assigned by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to tackle the
THE end of the calendar year provides an opportunity for reflection. Within the world of stock markets, a review of 2001 is likely to prove more interesting than rewarding. The dominant theme throughout the year has been the unwinding of the market excesses
AS Sophie Wessex tottered gingerly from her hospital bed to go home after losing her baby, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to spare her a sympathetic thought. But she might have done us all a favour. Apart from her husband and her parents, she
HARTLEPOOL United chairman Ken Hodcroft insists the club's future is in safe hands - despite recording a loss of over £900,000 announced at the Annual General Meeting yesterday. Hodcroft told shareholders that there is no worries over the deficit of £917,319
ONE of the North-East's biggest defence plants could close with the loss of 300 jobs. The future of the Royal Ordnance (RO) Factory, at Birtley, near Gateshead, is under review by its owner, BAe. The company is examining the viability of all its munitions
ELECTRICAL test instrument manufacturer Seaward Electronic Ltd is breaking into the US market with the opening of a sales office. The Peterlee, east Durham, business has opened a sales, repair and calibration operation in Tampa Bay, Florida, which will
A STEAM buff has landed the job of a lifetime - restoring a 131-year-old locomotive. Steve Pickthall, lead electrician at the BP CATS Terminal at Seal Sands, on Teesside, is a lifelong steam locomotive enthusiast, who is leading a project undertaken by
Angry politicians are asking holidaymakers to boycott Greece in protest at the country's failure to hold a proper inquiry into the death of a North-East man. Eighteen months after Chris Rochester, 24, died while on holiday in Rhodes, his parents have
DISABLED soccer fans have given a cash boost to two medical charities. Sunderland Disabled Supporters and Escorts has given cheques for £1,000 to the Leukaemia Research Fund at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, and the Children's Heart Fund at Newcastle's
INCREASED redundancies and falling investment have hit the North-East economy in the past month. Despite positive economic signs elsewhere in the country, in the Darlington area the picture is not quite so good. Job losses and lay-offs are increasing
SUNDERLAND may be competing in Europe next season through a competition they have previously shunned - the Intertoto Cup. The Wearsiders could have twice claimed a place in the contest after finishing seventh in the Premiership two years in succession
