SHE might have been fictional, but her General Election manifesto will strike a chord with many, including campaigning for better railways and better weather in winter. The candidate -a brolly-wielding lady called Betty Podkins -was created by William
Bad Boys Of The Blitz: Revealed (five); Hustler (BBC1): ANYONE expecting wartime criminals to show any remorse would've been disappointed by Bad Boys Of The Blitz. Mobster Frankie Fraser, for one, showed not one jot of regret for turning Hitler's assault
An appeal court panel has ruled that a dog owner was rightly convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to his pet. Stephen Cooper, 37, today failed in a bid to have an earlier court decision overturned. Cooper had been given a 12-month community rehabilitation
MAYBE the good fairies got it wrong. When they gathered round the crib of Princess Auroroa - and all the other princesses in fairy tales - they offered the usual routine list: health, wealth, happiness, beauty... And that's where they made their mistake
A 45-year-old man was recovering today after being tied up by armed robbers. The man was alone at his home in Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk when three men wearing camouflage clothing and balaclavas burst in at 10.30pm on Monday. One of the men was carrying
A search is being stepped up to find a serial arsonist, responsible for a wave of blazes across a Teesside community. Fire fighters are concerned that the fire setter is caught before someone is killed. Fires burning across Haverton Hill and adjoining
SKIPPER Matt Clarke last night insisted he and the rest of his Darlington team-mates owe it to themselves to repay fans for their support this season with the right result against Cheltenham on Saturday.. Quakers were edged out of the play-off zone by
ON Saturday, June 7, 1943, Ken Bowes married his sweetheart Joyce Barton at Darlington register office. The following Friday, he was dead. He baled out of his burning bomber into the Zuider Zee off the coast of Holland, and his body was never found. This
Coach Steve Prest insists that Shaun Murphy's shock Embassy World Championship triumph will not be a one-off success for the 22-year-old. Murphy became the first qualifier for 26 years to win snooker's biggest prise when he overcame Matthew Stevens in
A SECOND woman who died more than a year ago has been sent a court summons for non-payment of council tax, it emerged yesterday. Margaret Bailey, who died in 2003 aged 75, has been told by Darlington Borough Council she owes £515.79, dating from 2004
TRAINER Michael Dods was a relieved man at Catterick last night when Zhitomir took the £10,000 Best Dressed Lady Handicap. "We've had lots of seconds and thirds lately, but at least we've now broken the hoodoo with Zhitomir," said a delighted Dods after
SOCIAL enterprise firm Eaga has become Europe's largest residential energy efficiency services provider after buying one of its main rivals. The Newcastle-based company yesterday announced it had acquired the Mico Group for an undisclosed sum. The move
GNER has said it hopes to resolve a ticketing quirk that means passengers cannot buy a return rail ticket to the North-East's biggest airport. Train passengers can buy single through-tickets to Newcastle Airport by paying slightly extra to travel on the
MARK SCHWARZER has given Middlesbrough's hopes of reclaiming the highly-coveted final UEFA Cup place from Tottenham a helping hand by returning to full fitness. Both sides meet at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday and the result will have a massive bearing
A CONVICTED child killer who had claimed he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice has died in a North-East prison. Andrew Pountley, 40, was convicted of the rape and murder of his girlfriend's five-year-old daughter Rosemary McCann in February 1997
Why bother? On the eve of the 2005 General Election it is this question, rather than Which Party, or even Which Leader, that is perhaps uppermost in the minds of most potential voters. At the last General Election only 59 per cent of eligible voters chose
AEROSPACE and engineering firms are being urged to fly the flag for the region at one of the world's most famous air shows. UK Trade & Investment is taking a delegation to the Paris Air Show. The trip will also include a visit to the British Embassy
COUNTY Durham is to be marketed as one big science and technologies business park, in a bid to develop its knowledge-based economy. The drive is being led by County Durham Development Company (CDDC), the business arm of Durham County Council, which also
GRAEME SOUNESS will tread into unsafe territory tonight by resting skipper Alan Shearer, but the frustrated boss insists he is not worried about leading Newcastle United to unwanted records. Shearer's last league goal was at Manchester City on February
Members of a theatre group are performing Summer Holiday to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Chester-le-Street Theatre Group Junior Section is putting on a stage show of the 1963 Cliff Richard classic. The group has 50 members under 18, who perform two
A distinctive landmark in Darlington could be a thing of the past, if proposals for a multi-million pound retail and leisure development are given the green light. The plans to redevelop the former Cummins Engine Ltd site, in Yarm Road, include a nine-screen
A PARTNERSHIP aimed at improving physical education and sport in a north Durham community has been given a welcome boost from a fund for school sports equipment. Paralympic athlete Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson was guest of honour at Roseberry Sports and Community
THREE Bishop Auckland girls made a rapid rise in the martial arts world. Hannah Robinson, aged 11, Sophie Coulthard, 13, and her 15-year-old sister Holly, have joined the elite band of people holding tae kwon do black belts - after just three years in
NEW activities are planned for this year's Richmond Meet festival. A cycle road race will be held for the first time during the annual festivities over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, at the end of May. The race will start at noon on Saturday, May 28
A WOMAN is operating a designer handbag boutique from her Bishop Auckland home. Dawn Huntrod set up an online shop with the help of the North-East regional portal, n-e-life.com The boutique, Mfuko, (which means handbag in Swahili), can be found via n-e-shopping.com
A DOG owner convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to his pet has started an appeal against the decision. Stephen Cooper was back in court yesterday in an attempt to have the conviction from earlier this year overturned. Cooper was given a 12-month
A DOCTOR is urging people who may have the first symptoms of head or neck cancer to get help quickly. Richard Wright, an ear, nose and throat consultant at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital, said people should see a doctor if, for more than
A clutch of insurance stocks helped drive the London market higher yesterday after an update from Friends Provident cheered the sector. The stock was the highest top flight climber after saying an increase in business from independent financial advisors
ONE of a university's most famous colleges is to rename a historic building on campus in honour of the founding principal. Almost 160 years after it opened as the first purpose-built student residence in the country, Hatfield Hall, at Hatfield College
TWO Teesside entrepreneurs are aiming to create more than 70 jobs as they turn their timber products business into a £20m-a-year empire. TimberMate was established in January by joiner Steve Rhucroft and Steve Gent, a former sales and marketing manager
THE former home of North Yorkshire Police's mounted unit could be transformed into an 83-bedroom care village if planners give the project their backing. Lincare Limited wants to develop the site in Starbeck, Harrogate. The plans would see nine self-contained
A WRITER has just published a book setting the record straight about one of the world's great railway pioneers -almost 30 years after he visited her in a ghostly apparition. Victoria Haworth was asleep in the master bedroom of her Newcastle home in September
A PURPOSE-BUILT gipsy site that was closed after vandalism will reopen. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council will reopen the base at The Haven, South Bank, Middlesbrough, today. Following talks with members of the travelling community, all the facilities
BUS drivers refused to use their vehicles yesterday in a row over tax discs. Nearly 30 Stagecoach buses were off the roads in Stockton after their discs became out-of-date and the drivers refused to break the law. Yesterday was the expiry date on 26 of
A NORTH-EAST man convicted of killing a 73-year-old paedophile in a retribution attack had his murder conviction upheld by Appeal Court judges yesterday. Adrian Leslie Brown, 43, of High Street, Redcar, east Cleveland, was jailed for life by Teesside
POLICE chiefs are looking for more people to volunteer to become part-time officers in County Durham. The Durham force is hoping that, with 2005 being the Year of the Volunteer, there will be another increase in numbers of special constables. Carol Oliver
DURHAM'S Mayor John Lightley took the chain office for the first time yesterday. Councillor Lightley, 75, Liberal Democrat member for Shincliffe, took over as the city's first citizen from Mary Hawgood, councillor for Crossgate and Framwellgate, at a
A LOCAL authority has received nearly £20,000 in recognition of its work to tackle housing and council tax benefit fraud. The cash was given to Richmondshire District Council through a Government scheme offering financial rewards to local authorities
THE former home of North Yorkshire Police's mounted unit could be transformed into an 83-bedroom care village if planners give the project their backing. Lincare Limited wants to develop the site in Starbeck, Harrogate. The plans would see nine self-contained
FRIENDS of a woman who drove a library bus have created a literary memorial to her name. Rachel Copus, who was 43 when she died two years ago, used to drive a library bus to travellers' sites around York. She was also a dedicated member of the city's
ROLL up, roll up, the circus has come to town. The Bobby Roberts Super Circus has set up its big top tent in Darlington for the next few days. The company has brought a team of acrobats, clowns and animals, including elephants and horses. The circus is
CAMPAIGNERS last night condemned vigilante attacks after a murderer beat a homeless man to death in the mistaken belief he was a paedophile. Brian Kearney has admitted murdering 49-year-old father Barry Sewell, whose body was found near allotments close
HARTLEPOOL United have moved to distance themselves from speculation linking boss Neale Cooper with a return north of the border, writes MATT WESTCOTT. Following Dunfermline Athletic's decision to dismiss Davie Hay just three games before the end of the
THE decorated career of a Gulf War veteran is in ruins after he was jailed for enticing a 12-year-old girl into a game of strip blackjack. RAF senior aircraftman Steven Oliver, 33, was left suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the 1991
A MAN who drove a friend on a revenge mission to petrol-bomb a rival's car has been given a final chance by a judge. Timothy Bradley was spared jail by Judge Les Spittle, but warned he would be locked up if he got into trouble again. Bradley, 22, appeared
Bad Boys Of The Blitz: Revealed (five) Hustler (BBC1) ANYONE expecting wartime criminals to show any remorse would've been disappointed by Bad Boys Of The Blitz. Mobster Frankie Fraser, for one, showed not one jot of regret for turning Hitler's assault
NORTH-EAST pubs, clubs and shops are still failing to heed warnings they could soon be unable to sell alcohol because of a change in law. New regulations mean local authorities now issue licences rather than magistrates. Venues must apply to have their
LAST year's charity shield between Arsenal and Manchester United has helped to raise £2,750 for disabled adults. The money from the match is shared out by the Football Association. Scarborough Football Club, who played Chelsea in last season's fourth
HAIL DALE: UNDERSTANDING the predicament Durham County Cricket Club finds itself in regarding the captaincy when Mike Hussey will be unavailable, may I suggest Dale Benkenstein as the perfect replacement. Dale was magnificent when captaining Natal and
HARTLEPOOL United have parted company with manager Neale Cooper. Reserve-team manager Martin Scott has been placed in temporary charge of first-team affairs after Cooper departed by mutual consent. Cooper succeeded Mike Newell as Pool boss in 2003, shortly
AFTER two successive election victories, a hat-trick looks a certainty for a buoyant prime minister. Throughout the campaign, the polls point to another convincing majority for Labour. But the electorate has a surprise up its sleeve, and decides instead
MAYBE the good fairies got it wrong. When they gathered round the crib of Princess Auroroa - and all the other princesses in fairy tales - they offered the usual routine list: health, wealth, happiness, beauty... And that's where they made their mistake
A STORY today of bed and bawd, of infidelity and of goings on in very high places, of high birth and low morals and of taking the lord's name in Vane. Far from sensational, it is merely proof - were ever it needed - that there is nothing new under the
BRITISH Telecom has scrapped plans to remove hundreds of payphones across part of the North. The company will now close only 11 phone boxes in North Yorkshire, and is considering making others cashless facilities instead of removing them. The news has
DURHAM are likely to recall Liam Plunkett to their side today as they seek to beat first-class opposition in the C & G Trophy for the first time for four years. After taking 11 wickets at 16.2 in the two championship wins and six wickets in the two
DRIVERS may soon have to pay to use one of the region's busiest through routes if plans to extend a controversial congestion charging scheme in a North-East city are approved. Durham County Council is considering the possibility of introducing charges
Manufacturing activity fell for the first time in almost two years last month, a survey showed. The sector's upturn came to a halt last month after showing signs of easing in the first quarter of the year, according to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing
PAEDOPHILIA is a crime which inspires the strongest of emotions - emotions which can easily run out of control. All over our region there are suspected paedophiles thought to have been relocated into communities after serving their sentences. The law
Don't miss out on rates relief SMALL firms and rural businesses are urged to make sure they do not miss out on a relief scheme for business rates. Since last month, people running small businesses are entitled to a 50 per cent reduction, if their rateable
The number of retailers reporting falling sales rose to its highest level in almost 13 years in the past 12 months, a survey shows. Forty-six per cent of retailers said their sales fell in the year to April against 32 per cent who reported rising sales
Swift Sailor, a typically progressive Mark Johnston performer, is fancied to successfully negotiate a step up in class by lifting the totesport Chester Cup at the historic Roodeye this afternoon. The four-year-old showed promise in two starts last year
A study yesterday suggested that acupuncture works - but not because of any skilful manipulation of needles learned through centuries of eastern tradition. "Real" acupuncture was no better at preventing migraine headaches than a fake treatment, researchers
CAMPAIGNERS last night condemned vigilante attacks after a murderer beat a homeless man to death in the mistaken belief he was a paedophile. Brian Kearney has admitted murdering 49-year-old father Barry Sewell, whose body was found near allotments close
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy from the North-East has become the second youngest person in Britain to be subject to a Criminal Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Crasbo). Dale Anderson, who gave his address as Stainton Grove, Barnard Castle, County Dur-ham, has to abide
CHAMPIONSHIP newcomers Hull City are ready to make Marcus Stewart the highest-paid player in their history in a bid to lure him away from the Stadium of Light. The Sunderland striker, who has scored 16 goals in his side's Championship-winning campaign
A car smash which killed a young brother and sister resembled the scene of an "air-crash" an inquest was told. A coroner said he was "very tempted" to record a verdict that Jenna Armstrong, 19, and her 10-year-old brother Lee were killed unlawfully. The
ALERT bank staff felt there was something not quite right about the credit card on which Margaret McAuslin requested £1,000, and called in the police. A court heard yesterday that the suspicions of staff at the Yorkshire Bank, in Ripon, proved to be well-founded
ALTHOUGH Stephen Smith spent years living rough on the streets of Darlington, hooked on drugs and scavenging in bins for food, he will soon return to the town with a happier story. The success of his autobiography, Addict, which has sold more than 1.2
A recycling centre has been set up in the Hambleton district to encourage local people to think green. The centre, the 58th to be opened in the district, has been installed by the Forresters Arms Hotel, in Kilburn, near Thirsk. Banks for paper and magazines
A MAN avoided jail yesterday after he pleaded guilty to exposing himself to two teenage girls. Magistrates sitting at Bishop Auckland told John Oliver, from Railway Terrace, Crook, that his crime had been "vulgar and disgusting" and that they had seriously
A SCHOOL dogged by traffic problems is to get over £30,000 worth of safety improvements outside its gates. The improvements will help to tackle the problem of parking at Heighington CE Primary School - created because parents dropping their children off
A HOTLY-CONTESTED question that has occupied historians for years is an example of the secrets that the Search Engine project could unlock. Victorian pioneer George Hudson was known as the Railway King because of his spectacular rise to fame and riches
GREEN-FINGERED volunteers are needed to help revive a disused allotment site as part of a healthy living project in former coalfield areas of County Durham. Would-be gardeners are needed to help restore the derelict plot to create a working community
SECURITY measures are to be taken to protect hundreds of homes against burglars. Erimus Housing, which took over ownership of almost 12,000 homes in Middlesbrough from the district council last November, is wiring up 500 "vulnerable" homes to a sophisticated
TWO teenagers were rescued yesterday as they were stranded by incoming tides while walking. Skinningrove Coastguard was called to a point below Huntcliff, in Saltburn, following reports of two people cut off. The 19-year-old and his friend, 16, from Brotton
THE future of a troubled offshore yard was secured last night. McNulty Offshore Contractors went into voluntary administration early last month, after a contract row with a client led to a cash flow crisis. Administrator KPMG has since laid off more than
THE Big Easy was back in the groove again on Monday and what a delight it was to see. Ernie Els may have struggled to come to terms with the Augusta National last month when falling well off the pace in the Masters, but for me he is still the main man
POLICE and relatives of a 55-year-old woman who has gone missing from her North-East home are appealing for information about her. Gladys Butler, of Stockton, has been missing for several days, and police and her family are becoming increasingly concerned
LIFE-SAVING equipment will be purchased with money raised by youngsters touched by the sudden death of a classmate. When nine-year-old Ben Tudor-Coulson died after breathing difficulties last year, youngsters at Whinney Banks Primary School, Middlesbrough
POLICE have appealed for information after several vehicles were sprayed with silver paint in Stanley overnight on Sunday. Walls surrounding Catchgate cemetery and the road leading up to it were also daubed with the paint. Eight cars, including a Volkswagen
Police are appealing for information after an 85-year-old woman discovered an intruder in her home in the early hours of this morning. The man demanded money and left when she handed over an amount of cash. The pensioner was alone in her house on Welham
SKIPPER Matt Clarke last night insisted he and the rest of his Darlington team-mates owe it to themselves to repay fans for their support this season with the right result against Cheltenham on Saturday, writes LEE HALL. Quakers were edged out of the
