DURHAM City Council is pressing ahead with a taxi colour rule despite the opposition of cabbies. All new Hackney vehicles will have to be white, including the nine licences that are being issued as part of the deregulation of the industry. Hackney operators
THOUSANDS of bikers preparing to travel to the region for the tenth round of the British Superbike Championship were yesterday warned to slow down and stay safe. The championship will be held at Croft racing circuit, near Darlington, on August 13, 14
PAUL Scholes' decision to retire from international football might have come out of the blue, but it underlines how little the England shirt means to a group of highly-paid professionals who are more concerned with their pay packet than representing their
MANCHESTER City last night denied that they were lining up a multi-million pound bid for Sunderland left-back Julio Arca. The Argentinian international is currently embroiled in contract discussions with the Black Cats and, with his current deal due to
A COUNCIL has been found guilty of maladministration following a government report into residents complaints about parking at their local community centre. The Local Government Ombudsman carried out an investigation following a complaint made against
ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBS) added another £3.38bn to the profits accumulated by the UK's biggest banks in the first six months of the year. The group, whose brands include NatWest and insurance business Churchill, increased bottom-line profits by 17
ANIMAL welfare officers found caged wild birds and baited traps when they raided a North-East home, a court heard yesterday. Brothers John and David Dugdale pleaded guilty to possessing live wild birds when they appeared before Bishop Auckland magistrates
CHILDREN were captivated by stories of trickery from around the world at a storytelling day yesterday. The primary school children heard tales from storyteller Konyn Pascal at Hartlepool Art Gallery. Ms Pascal held the children spellbound with stories
FOOTBALL fan John Cooper has achieved two goals. The 18-year-old has come top in a project aimed at improving literacy and numeracy skills and won free seats and VIP treatment at Middlesbrough Football Club's Riverside Stadium. The club is behind the
David Barron looks the trainer to follow at Pontefract today. The Thirsk handler can be on the mark at the West Yorkshire venue with Oscar Pepper and Silverhay. Oscar Pepper needs little introduction to Northern-based racegoers and, after breaking a long
HOSPITAL chiefs are to clamp down on patients who stand smoking at entrances. Visitors are likely to be effected by the ban, which is being proposed by Scarborough, Ryedale and Whitby NHS Trust at its hospitals at Whitby, Malton and Scarborough General
A DARLINGTON information technology (IT) company has launched a service that allows users to easily access and modify computer documents from anywhere in the world. IT services provider Virage Limited has set up an Internet-based Document Management System
A TALENTED young artist is to go into the finals of a national competition after she entered a contest at her local supermarket. Emily Mosely, aged ten, from Darlington, entered the design-a-bug competition in the Darlington branch of Asda and won first
Holby City (BBC1) 'ON my ward we don't hang around talking to friends," insisted nurse Chrissie Williams sternly. Those who regularly tread the Holby hospital corridors will know that Chrissie's love life is so complicated that she doesn't have much time
A PENSIONER whose dangerous driving led to the death of an 81-year-old motorist has been jailed for eight months. Keith Hodgkins was told by a judge that he could not avoid passing a custodial sentence because of the seriousness of the case. Hodgkins,
THE loss of a rural post office may only be temporary, according to a couple hoping to open a branch in the village. Guesthouse owners Steve and Cath Cartridge have applied to run a post office in Aysgarth, North Yorkshire. The resignation of the sub-postmaster
BANK bosses swapped the office for a day in the country to take part in a garden makeover. Thirteen senior managers from the Royal Bank of Scotland volunteered to rejuvenate a wildlife garden managed by Durham Wildlife Trust, attached to Strikes Garden
YOUNGSTERS from north Durham had the chance to try fishing recently. About 50 children aged ten to 16 spent the day at Derwent reservoir as part of a project organised by Northumbrian Water. Don Coe, Northumbrian Water's fisheries and waterside parks
THE retired detective appointed to investigate the 14-year-old murder of Ann Heron admits that the job will carry a certain amount of pressure. However, as a veteran of a number of murder and serious criminal investigations, Ian Phillips, 49, is hopeful
A COURT case collapsed yesterday after a key police witness failed to turn up. Magistrates refused an application to adjourn a case against two men facing racially aggravated charges after a police officer submitted a sicknote saying he was unfit for
A MAN accused of a road rage incident told a court he thought his car had been rammed. Peter Forster, 32, took an anti-theft device from his car after another vehicle ran into the back of him on June 25, and swung it at the passenger side window of the
THE University of Durham has become the latest organisation to confirm it will take part in InterTech 2004. The international technology-partnering event has attracted a line-up of leading businesses and organisations taking advantage of the two-day event
A SCARECROW has slammed the brakes on speeding motorists in a North-East village. The scarecrow - built as part of a village competition - looks like a policewoman holding a speed camera. And since it appeared, the number of drivers speeding through Middleton-in-Teesdale
THE new regime at Darlington Football Club last night announced a massive boost to the Quakers' off-the-field aspirations as the new season looms. The club, which narrowly avoided closure after it went into administration last December, has reported bumper
A £6.9m regeneration proposal for a run-down part of Stockton was unveiled to residents today. The proposal is a joint initiative between Stockton Borough Council and the Parkfield and Mill Lane Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder programme. It aims to
IT was baking hot. Not just another summer's day but the warmest of the year, the sort of day when the sun beats down relentlessly, the roads start to melt into little puddles of tar and even the air seems to burn the back of your throat. Determined not
After a summer of trying to bring in extra firepower, Darlington manager David Hodgson has reassured fans that he is edging closer to finally solving the striker crisis. The net has been cast far and wide with players from across the continent arriving
LABOUR supporters clashed with Liberal Democrats as they held a press conference in Hartlepool yesterday. Two groups of placard-waving activists gathered before the arrival of LibDem leader Charles Kennedy and by-election candidate Jody Dunn. They accused
POLICE have appealed for information after two householders both returned from holiday to discover paint stripper had been thrown over the PVC fittings of their homes. John McKeown and his neigbour, Jacqueline Mallaburn, said the vandals had caused thousands
SERIOUS students of these offerings may have noted that last Thursday's John North column was chiefly given over to Glenn Reynolds - Quaker, shaker, author and Darlington councillor - while the following day's Backtrack was devoted in its artless entirety
LABOUR Party bosses will interview a dozen candidates today as they search for a replacement for Peter Mandelson as MP for Hartlepool. Twenty-nine people applied and that number has been reduced to a list that includes six local candidates. Three Hartlepool
A RABBIT called April is helping neighbours keep a jump ahead of burglars. The crime-busting bunny, a one-year-old dwarf lop cross, raised the alarm when a thief broke into a neighbour's garden shed. April had been with her new family for a few weeks
SPECULATION that Scottish & Newcastle could be a takeover target intensified last night after results from the companies international division failed to impress the City. The UK's biggest brewer unveiled strong half-yearly figures with an eight per
LOTTERY funding for sports projects in the North-East has risen to £98m invested in more than 200 community projects. This week, Sport England announced it has invested a landmark £2bn into sport since 1996. In the North-East, it has enabled developments
A FORMER worker at a quarry, which is being controversially reopened, has hit back at claims that it will cause environmental and noise pollution. Stella Redfearn worked at Crossthwaite Quarry, near Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, for 12 years and
FOOTBALL bosses have vowed that a dispute between contractors would not delay construction of the new Wembley Stadium. North-East engineering company Cleveland Bridge, which was producing steel for the stadium roof, pulled out of the project on Monday
SERIOUS students of these offerings may have noted that last Thursday's John North column was chiefly given over to Glenn Reynolds - Quaker, shaker, author and Darlington councillor - while the following day's Backtrack was devoted in its artless entirety
EUNICE Moon admits she did not realise what she was letting herself in for when she applied for a job in a solicitor's office. The lawyer she went to work for turned out to be Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield. His first question to her was: "Does death
A TEENAGER is facing the prospect of a jail sentence after breaching an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) that was imposed only days ago. Scott Wood, 17, was served with the four-year order when he appeared at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Friday. He
THE acquisition of North Yorkshire rival company CD Bramall helped car dealership Pendragon post a 71 per cent rise in half-year profits. Pendragon said it benefited from its business-transforming takeover of Harrogate-based Bramall in march. The UK's
THE traditional role of the matron has been revived in Sedgefield borough. But the outdated image of the strict head nurse bears little resemblance to the four community modern matrons appointed by Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT). The traditional
NEALE Cooper hasn't given up hope of boosting his squad ahead of the new season. Hartlepool meet Bradford City at Victoria Park on Saturday in the League One opener, with only one new face in their ranks. Jack Ross is in line to start at right-back in
HOSPITAL SERVICES: HOMELANDS Hospital should be kept open, or replaced by a modern unit providing the same services for one simple reason: the people of Crook and Willington need it. With beds in the acute hospitals at a premium and increasing pressure
AN online art dealership has secured £250,000 funding to commission artwork from some of Britain's most exciting artists. Whiteground secured the financial backing from Evolve Finance, a division of regional fund management company NEL. The Newcastle
Holby City (BBC1) - 'ON my ward we don't hang around talking to friends," insisted nurse Chrissie Williams sternly. Those who regularly tread the Holby hospital corridors will know that Chrissie's love life is so complicated that she doesn't have much
COMPUTER games maker Eidos has confirmed it is in talks that could lead to a takeover of the company. The group, best known for its Tomb Raider series, said it was in preliminary discussions with a small number of unnamed companies that may lead to an
Smiling widely, Elyse Hood battles to hide the pain of the crippling illness which has left her allergic to life. The brave youngster spent her early years swaddled in bandages to protect her from the everyday items which left her scarred. Diagnosed with
FORGET the champagne... forget the 18th birthday celebrations... even forget the 21st. Today's teenagers aren't growing up until about their thirties. According to the Economic and Social Research Council, it's only then that they can be really classed
ARMED police sealed off a former pit village yesterday after a policeman was shot in the face with an air rifle. PC Lee Jackson was driving a patrol car through Dipton, near Stanley, County Durham, at 11.10am, when he was hit by the pellet. PC Jackson
PLANS for a windfarm development have been released. Walkway Windfarm would consist of eight turbines with a maximum height of 110 metres on land east of Sedgefield, Fishburn and Trimdon, County Durham. The towers would be 70 metres high and the blades
DETECTIVES investigating an unsolved murder 14 years ago have appointed a "cold case" expert to help track down the killer. The year-long review into the murder of Darlington woman Ann Heron is the first of its type to be undertaken in Durham Constabulary's
A MAN has made his first appearance at crown court in connection with the alleged murder of a pensioner in a pub. Fred Fowler, 72, was killed and 19-year-old Michael Nixon was injured when a gunman opened fire at the Tap and Barrel pub in Salem Street
STEVE McCLAREN will face the biggest decision of his short managerial career if England decide to ditch Sven-Goran Eriksson tomorrow. Middlesbrough are ready to do battle with the powers-that-be at the Football Association, who have already earmarked
POLICE dogs Dee and Benson are getting around in style, thanks to £14,000 of local sponsorship. The springer spaniel and German shepherd have new transport in the shape of a Ford Ranger four-wheel drive. The 2.5-litre diesel turbo is ideal for the off-road
CRAIG Bellamy last night insisted that a fully-fit Kieron Dyer would be the "first name on Newcastle's team-sheet" this season. The arrival of James Milner and Nicky Butt has added more competition to a midfield area that was already heavily congested
It was the War To End All Wars, but the aftershocks are still being felt today. On the 90th anniversary of Britain's declaration of war against Germany, Nick Morrison looks at the origins of the First World War - and its legacy JUBILANT crowds surged
TERRORISM is the main issue in the US presidential election campaign. Consequently, it may be tempting to resort to playing politics with the terror threat, particularly in a closely fought contest. The suspicion is that the Republicans have succumbed
A COURT case collapsed yesterday after a key police witness failed to turn up. Magistrates refused an application to adjourn a case against two men facing racially aggravated charges after a police officer submitted a sicknote saying he was unfit for
