Lifting the threat of closure from the region's front-line fighter base has saved the RAF millions of pounds, it emerged today. RAF Leeming, near Bedale, is to become a key part of a major military communications hub - thereby ensuring its long-term future
CAR dealership Lookers yesterday offered £492m in the takeover race for its North-East rival Reg Vardy. The offer trumped a £450m bid tabled by market leader Pendragon before Christmas and will net the Vardy family £137.8m. Lookers is hoping to double
SUPERMARKET leader Tesco last night shrugged off the resurgence of rival chains to report another strong Christmas sales performance. Non-food sales and demand for its premium Tesco Finest range helped UK same-store sales rise 5.7 per cent in the seven
A BRITAIN Day on which to be extra patriotic? Don't think Gordon Brown's thought his wizard wheeze through properly. Most national days - like July 4 in America or Bastille Day in France - celebrate some sort of revolution. We don't go in much for revolutions
HOUSEHOLDERS have been put on alert after a pensioner paid £500 for illegal work at his North-East home. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has condemned the workers who persuaded 82-year-old Thomas Shaw to have his drive concreted - then took him to
REDCAR and Cleveland Borough Council's countryside staff will lead a free 11-mile walk from Guisborough to Loftus from 9.30am on Monday. The return trip will be on public transport. To take part, meet at the Market Cross, Guisborough, or call organisers
OUTDOOR clothing retailer Blacks Leisure showed it was back on track yesterday after reporting a strong sales performance over Christmas and New Year. The group said like-for-like sales were 1.5 per cent higher in the eight weeks to January 14, offsetting
A CONCERT by Durham Constabulary Male Voice Choir next month has undergone a change of venue. It will now be held at All Saints' Church, in Deneside, Seaham, on Thursday, February 9, at 7pm. The original venue was St John's Church, in Seaham. Tickets
DESIGNER homes that had tenants nesting in them went on show in Durham over the weekend. The avian des reses, which are on view at the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery are the result of a challenge to architects worldwide to design
PLANS for "mini-brothels" where up to three women can work together more safely won backing last night from a North-East force praised for its zero tolerance strategy. Cleveland Police threw its weight behind the controversial proposal to change the law
ART enthusiasts have until this weekend to see drawings of creatures from folklore in a Durham gallery. Strange Land, Mythic Art by Andrew Paciorek is being displayed in the Print Room at the Durham Light Infantry Museum. His work is inspired by mythical
PEOPLE in a North-East town with a rich railway heritage are being asked to share their own histories with visitors to the region's first national museum. Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon is giving residents of the town an opportunity
A PROJECT to preserve an east Durham community's rich mining history has been launched at a North-East school. The scheme, created by the Seaham, Dawdon and Vane Tempest Banner Fund (SDVT) has been given a £49,800 Heritage Lottery grant, and aims to restore
HOUSEHOLDERS in a North Yorkshire village are beginning to feel the benefit of lower energy costs as inflation-busting power bills are dropping through letterboxes. Lower bills, estimated to save each of eight council tenants £100 a year, have been made
THE search is on to find to find Yorkshire's favourite bird. About 437 different varieties have been spotted by the county's birdwatchers over the years, from the common to the exotic. Not all of them breed in the county and some are seen only on the
A NEW town centre pub has been given approval to stay open to 4am every day, despite opposition from residents. Hartlepool Borough Council members gave the go-ahead for 1st Leisure to have a full licence at its planned premises in the town's Victoria
SUCCESS stories from a scheme to regenerate a town will be at the heart of an event for residents. The Stockton Renaissance group will highlight community projects at the Arc centre, in Dovecot Street, from 4pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday, and will show what
POLICE are appealing for information after a large supply of potentially fatal drugs were stolen in Marske. The incident happened outside Marske Veterinary Surgery, in Marske High Street, shortly after noon on Monday when a delivery was being made to
EGYPTIAN striker Amr Zaki claims Newcastle United are one of several clubs vying for his services. The frontman, part of the squad for the African Nations Cup which begins in his homeland on Friday, plays for ENPPI but is keen on a move to Europe. Clubs
A NEW town centre pub has been given approval to stay open to 4am every day, despite opposition from residents. Hartlepool Borough Council members gave the go-ahead for 1st Leisure to have a full licence at its planned premises in the town's Victoria
MARTIN SCOTT has praised the impact of his three new loan signings at Hartlepool United. Scott gave first starts to defender Gerard Nash and striker James Walker last weekend, and introduced Jon-Paul Pittman as a substitute in the draw with Tranmere.
IT'S hard to imagine now," says Stan Howes, "but when we came out of the Civic Theatre, there were about 500 or 600 people - mostly girls - screaming, and we were not able to get to the van with our clothes on. "One of the lads was dragged to the ground
RISING energy costs and a loss-making order were last night blamed for the demise of a circuit board factory. Administrators from Ernst & Young have been called into Circatex, which employs 210 people, at its site in South Shields, South Tyneside.
BROADCASTING group ITV yesterday announced the sale of its outside broadcasting business 021 Television for £4.5m. The sale, to broadcast equipment provider Gravity Media Group, is part of ITV's disposal programme of non-core assets, which has generated
WHATEVER laws are put in place to try and bury it, prostitution will always find its way to the surface. Sad though that may be, it is a fact of life. The Government is, therefore, right to strive for a compromise which accepts the inevitability of prostitution
BUS LANES: SO much criticism has been made about Darlington's bus lanes and, from actions observed, no wonder. Last Saturday, a day that is always busy on the town's roads, while driving from Yarm Road into the town centre, I came across a bus lane. In
PERHAPS with so much at stake it was inevitable that Darlington would have to settle for a share of the points against Grimsby Town last night. A goalless draw prevented Quakers from moving back into the top seven for the first time since September, while
The FTSE 100 Index drifted below the 5700 barrier yesterday on the back of high oil prices and a lukewarm reaction to a Christmas trading update from Tesco. Fears of potential supply disruptions in Iran and Nigeria sent the cost of crude oil above 65
FOR the past five years, Middlesbrough has combined a zero tolerance approach to kerb-crawling with offering support and a means of escape to street prostitutes. And less than an hour after going on patrol in an unmarked vice squad car, Home Office minister
CHEAPER pump prices last month drove inflation back to the Bank of England's two per cent target for the first time since June, official figures showed yesterday. The cost of petrol and diesel fell for the third month in a row while air fares on European
A FURTHER 200 to 300 jobs will be created at Nissan's Sunderland plant in December when its Qashqai model hits the production line. The jobs boost will come as Nissan nears the end of production of its Almera car on the site. Despite its North-East plant
A rail contractor deliberately sabotaged the brakes on a three-tonne wagon to save money, a court heard yesterday. With no working brakes, the wagon - laden with 16 tonnes of steel railway track - ran away down a slope and hit a group of maintenance workers
With plenty at stake in the League Two table, maybe it was inevitable that Darlington would have to settle for a share of the points against Grimsby Town last night. A goalless draw prevented Quakers from moving back into the top seven for the first time
HUNDREDS of posters and leaflets naming and shaming a 12-year-old North-East tearaway were put up in his home community yesterday. Pictures of baby-faced John Ashley Kinsella were distributed in the Tindale Crescent and Woodhouse Close areas of Bishop
MORE than a hundred unsung heroes who dedicate their spare time to helping others celebrated the Year of the Volunteer with a party. The Volunteer Centre, Teesdale and Wear Valley, threw a party, called That Was The Year of the Volunteer, That Was, at
A PENSIONER has been left shaken after she was mugged by two men and threatened with a syringe. The attack took place in the Lakes Estate in Redcar, at about midday on Monday, between Mersey Road and Snowdon Crescent. The woman, who was in her sixties
BIG-NAME acts will play to audiences in the North-East to celebrate a sponsorship deal with one of the region's football clubs. The first of the gigs will take place next week when acclaimed band Starsailor will play to 150 invited guests and competition
WORK will finally get under way next week on a Darlington town-centre bar, more than three years after planning permission was granted. The Lloyds No 1 bar, which will be operated by the Wetherspoons pub group, is expected to open on Monday, May 8. The
A NORTH-East doorman last night relived the moment he helped wrestle an aggressive drunk to the floor at 35,000ft. Gary Jackson, 28, of Redcar, east Cleveland, was flying back to Manchester after a two-week holiday in Cancun, Mexico, with his girlfriend
A ROGUE landlord has been ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service after he was found guilty of illegally trying to force a tenant out of one of his properties. Ghazni Mahmood removed the staircase and cut off electricity to a flat above a
POLICE have hailed a festive operation to cut crime and anti-social behaviour in a town centre as a success. Officers in Newton Aycliffe say retailers in the town have seen a reduction in the number of incidents they would expect in the holiday season
A PIECE of history will be moved from its home next week and put in storage for work to start on a new museum. Grace Darling became a national heroine after she rowed a flat-bottomed fishing boat, known as a coble, through stormy seas from the Longstone
STORE chain Tesco is looking at alternatives to a former North-East brewery site on which to develop. Should a suitable option emerge for the Vaux site in Sunderland, it could end a long-running wrangle over the prime 15-acre city centre site, which has
A MAN was yesterday cleared of breaking into the home of a young mother who was away for a weekend. Thomas Armstrong, 19, denied carrying out the burglary at the premises, in Cotswold Terrace, Stanley, County Durham, last March. Durham Crown Court heard
BEFORE proceeding, and for reasons which will later be explained, readers are invited to name a Top 30 hit with the word "macaroni" in the lyrics. Phoned friends might suggest that it peaked 45 years ago this week - and that it was an improbable duo who
PRIME Minister Tony Blair has written a letter to congratulate a council on its public services. Stockton Library Service has now received its third Charter Mark award - the national standard for customer service excellence. Mr Blair sent a signed letter
England boss Andy Robinson names his first squad for the 2006 RBS 6 Nations today with all eyes trained on Lawrence Dallaglio's likely return from international exile. Dallaglio announced his England retirement 16 months ago but a change of heart has
THE stage version of the hit film East is East will be performed in the North-East next month. Durham's Gala Theatre stages the play which inspired the film, from Tuesday to Saturday, February 7 to 11, with performances at 7.30pm and a Wednesday matinee
RESIDENTS can take advantage of a deal to help the environment. Stockton Council is working in partnership with the Waste and Resources Action Programme to supply cheap compost bins. For only £4 or £6, residents can buy a bin and have it delivered free
Elizabeth David - A Life In Recipes (BBC2) The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook (BBC2) SOMEONE with a sense of humour scheduled a dramatised biography of cookery writer Elizabeth David after half-an-hour in the company of large, hairy, cooking bikers Dave Myers
POLICE investigating the death of a 45-year-old man have charged his teenage son with murder. Shaun Leckenby, 18, of Park Street South, Sunderland, was last night charged with the murder of Ronald Leckenby. Mr Leckenby was found dead in the house on Saturday
SIX fire engines were called to a factory blaze in which 33 workers were evacuated. Darchem Engineering, in Stillington, east Cleveland, is linked to Cleveland Fire Brigade by automatic alarms. When a ventilation fan burst into flames, 25 firefighters
A leading North-East farmer and his wife were in mourning last night after their 22-year-old son was killed in a road accident in Australia. William Betton died instantly when a tractor he was in overturned as it was being towed to a repair works 50 miles
FARMERS who set up a waste composting plant look likely to lose their latest battle for planning permission. County council planners have recommended that M Metcalfe and Sons, based at Silver Hill Farm, near Tunstall, should not be allowed to resume their
RESIDENTS of a "lost village", concerned about the length of time they have been waiting for repairs to council-owned homes, met yesterday. People living in Howden-le-Wear attended a public meeting to talk about a perceived lack of interest and investment
plans to build a new primary school could get the go-ahead next week, despite objections from villagers. Planners at North Yorkshire County Council have said the scheme, for Sutton under Whitestonecliffe, near Thirsk, should be granted permission. Under
COMPANY boss Mike Odysseas is offering the ultimate male dream to sell his £367,000 house quickly - a free Ferrari sports car. Whoever pays the asking price for the three-storey, four-bedroom house at Neville's Cross, in Durham City, will also become
ONE of the region's oldest firms celebrated a landmark anniversary last night with a spectacular pantomime show. An exclusive performance of Beauty and the Beast, the production running at Darlington Civic Theatre, helped Darlington Building Society commemorate
THE number of rat infestations in the Ryedale area has risen by 25 per cent in the past year, leaving pest control services at full stretch. Environmental health officials say many of the complaints relate to rats getting into houses, and are urging residents
COMMUNITY groups are in the dough after being awarded grants totalling almost £120,000 by the charitable arm of a bakery. The Greggs Trust has given £45,000 to the Delves Lane Community Association, in Consett, towards salary costs over the next three
A NORTH-EAST dale was dealt a jobs blow yesterday as one of its last major employers announced it was to close. The 140-year-old Weardale Castings and Engineering Ltd, which employs 58 people in Wolsingham, County Durham, is shutting down over the next
GRAHAM LEE makes a quick-fire return to the saddle at Newcastle thanks to some invaluable help from Middlesborough Football Club's backroom staff. Lee, who took a crashing fall at Catterick last week, regularly consults Boro's first team fitness guru,
AWARENESS packs are being sent to schools to help save the lives of children struck by meningitis. National charity Meningitis UK will be sending out the packs to more than 100 Teesside schools. The charity has launched the scheme to thank local families
IN popular parlance, being sent to Coventry implies being shunned or ignored. Nobody is going to ignore the seriousness of Middlesbrough's plight at the foot of the Premiership table but, after last night's 5-2 win over Nuneaton, this month's trip to
TWO middle-aged brothers were last night being held by police on suspicion of murdering Jenny Nicholl. David and Robert Hodgson were taken for questioning after early-morning raids on their homes in Olav Road, Richmond. Jenny, who was 19 when she disappeared
IN-FORM Liam Lawrence has backed Sunderland to bounce back even stronger should the inevitable happen and the team is relegated at the end of the season. Lawrence has been one of the few success stories in an otherwise disappointing return to the Premiership
IT didn't take Jayne long to discover John was involved in drugs, but it didn't put her off. She had been abused by her step-father from the age of five, so when she met John when she was 15 he appeared to be her best hope for a better life. They got
CAR dealership Lookers yesterday offered £492m in the takeover race for its Sunderland rival Reg Vardy. The offer trumped a £450m bid tabled by market leader Pendragon before Christmas and will net Vardy £137.8m. Lookers is hoping to double in size by
Darren Gough admits England have ''the perfect opportunity'' to uncover a one-day specialist bowler on the tour to India - but insists he remains the best man for the job. Next year's World Cup is preying on Gough's mind and, despite being left out of
IN-FORM Liam Lawrence has backed Sunderland to bounce back even stronger should the inevitable happen and the team is relegated at the end of the season. Lawrence has been one of the few success stories in an otherwise disappointing return to the Premiership
RETAILER Marks & Spencer is to open Simply Food outlets in the region after acquiring 28 stores from Iceland Foods for £38m. Iceland stores in the Arndale Centre, Durham City, and in Northallerton's High Street will be turned into Simply Food outlets
