A PENSIONER had to be led to safety tonight after youngsters are thought to have torched a rubbish bin outside his flat. The flames quickly spread across the porched entrance area of Banklands Court, off Brinkburn Road, in Darlington. The heat was so
Suspected illegal immigrants arrested by police are being told to find their own way to screening centres - with the help of a map. Immigration staff, too busy to respond to calls for help, are telling forces who seize suspects to "direct them
The Football Association are investigating an incident in which Hartlepool United fans confronted a Macclesfield player during Tuesday night's game at Victoria Park. Two Pools supporters were allowed onto the pitch to confront goalkeeper Tommy Lee after
THE Northern Echo's website has won a prestigious industry award. The site, which was relaunched last year, was named Website of the Year by Newsquest, the papers parent company. It beat off stiff competition from scores of other newspaper sites throughout
A KILLER who stabbed a 21-year-old woman with a samurai sword then drove over her as she lay dying in the street has been jailed for life this afternoon. Hugh Penrose was told he must serve at least 18 years for the murder of Carie Burns at a party at
QUESTION Our Dalmation has suffered from fits for many years. After his last fit he doesn't like to be left. He always used to be go at night time but now he continually howls throughout the night if no-one is with him. We have even taken to sleeping
QUESTION My dog has had fits since one year old and is on medication for this problem, but recently he has started wetting at night time, not in his sleep or because of fitting. He is taken for a walk before bed time and hardly ever urinates whilst
QUESTION My 6 mth old Westie has had two fits. She has had all the bloods etc and my vets want to send her for a brain scan and take some fluid from around her brain as well as other tests. There are no known problems in her line. We are so worried
QUESTION Everything clinical has been ruled out as being the cause of my dog's sudden illness. Eight weeks ago she had a seizure followed by two more twenty days later but in between she showed an exercise intolerence difficulty in swallowing and breathing
QUESTION Our puppy has always been extremely lively and in perfect health up until 2 days ago when she suddenly had a fit in her sleep. She came round after about 3-4 minutes and we called the vet which told us to bring her in the next day. She had
QUESTION Our 4 year old Lab has been to the vet twice with a paw problem. It started out looking like a puncture between his toes. The vet thought he might have a seed or similar stuck below the skin level. We did antibiotics, soaks, ointment, etc. It
QUESTION I did as was suggested on your website and read about something regarding cysts. However I just found a cyst on my dog just below the rib cage, so I took him to the vet and the vet told me the only way to know what it is, is to remove it
QUESTION I have got a Japanese Akita. He is nearly one year old and is male. He is very dominant. We are looking to buy a Border Collie bitch puppy and wonder whether he will accept it. Kelly ANSWER Dear Kelly, Having a dominant
QUESTION l lost one of my westies about six monthsago and since then the one that l have left has been suffering from phantom pregnacies.She has recently completed five days of Galastop but her behaviour is still very strange, ie. Throwing up her dinner
TWO police officers have received formal warnings after firearms were stolen from an armed response vehicle. A Sig 9mm pistol with 12 rounds of ammunition, a Taser stun gun and three baton rounds were stolen from the Cleveland Police vehicle in August
THE competition to run future East Coast Mainline services yesterday began in earnest with four companies battling it out for the right to succeed GNER. The Department for Transport (DfT) said four firms had been formally shortlisted to submit
FROM a short story by W Somerset Maugham, the play is set in Malaya in the late 1920s, when the Brits lived the life of Riley on the plantations. Robert Crosbie (Andrew Charleson) is an amiable sort of chap, not the demonstrative sort but deeply in love
I AM glad to see that David Lacey (HAS, Feb 16 ) is not holding his breath awaiting a reply to his challenge to our local MPs about the inequities in public funding. I am also suffering the same silence. I have been trying to get a reply from
AS a supporter of a football league team it angers lower division supporters when the likes of Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson and Glen Roeder say they wish to scrap FA Cup replays. These big cup draws, and possible replays, are the highlight of
IT requires no high level of sophistication to determine the appropriate response to antisocial behaviour, especially the utterly heinous targeting of our heroic firefighters by gangs of missile-throwing thugs on Teesside (Echo, Feb 16). Let's
RE Bill Morehead's letter about the European Union (HAS, Feb 17). I was officially informed that Wear Valley received £6m from the EU from 2000-06, so let's do the maths. Multiply the population of Wear Valley, rounded to 60,000, by £120 (individual
NOW that Unicef has hammered one more nail into this miserable country's reputation, this time because of the shameful way it has betrayed its children (Echo, Feb 14), it is time that those people responsible should be identified. I would nominate
IN Opposition, keen to capitalise on alarm about crime - hence "tough on crime'' etc - Tony Blair now seeks to play down its impact. He thus assures us that the disturbing spate of shootings among young people is not "emblematic'' of the communities
YESTERDAY, the European Union pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Last night, the petition on the Downing Street website closed after 1.7 million people called upon the Government to scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road
COUNCILLORS have been assured that problem areas in Bedale are being addressed by police. PC Peter Taylforth, who has assumed a problem-solving role at the local police station, told the latest town council meeting that
IT'S THE first day of Lent, a traditionally penitential occasion of which I am reminded by publication of a book called Lent For the Not So Holy. It's written by Whitby-based Anthea Dove, whose husband Chris observes - as well he might - that "some of
A REPORT has backed a police authority - despite it having to scrap the hunt for a new chief constable. Durham Police Authority was forced to scrap interviews for the job last year and start again, after concerns were raised about the process. The authority
POPPETS Puppets will be bringing magic to the Ryedale Folk Museum, near Pickering on Sunday. The shows, produced by Tony Lidington and Gary Bridgens, take place from 10am, with the last museum admission at 3.30pm. Entry is by normal museum prices of Â
RESIDENTS have won the fight against plans to extend 19th Century terraced homes for students. People in Waddington Street, Durham, opposed proposals by Hope Estates to divide and extend three 1866-built homes, saying they would ruin the area's character
A FAVOURITE children's author will be named at a ceremony in Stockton. Now in its 11th year, the town's Children's Book of the Year celebrates the best in children's fiction. More than 750 nine to 12-year-olds from 24 primary, secondary and special schools
CHILDREN at a nursery have been learning about fire safety with the help of Cleveland Fire Brigade. Staff from Saltburn fire station visited Rosedene Nursery, in Saltburn, to talk to children about the dangers of fire and the importance of dialling 999
A COMPETITION to mark young people's contribution to their community is to be judged with the help of two Stockton teenagers. Becky Davies, 16, and Simon Keay, 18, are judges on the panel for the youth challenge competition - Actions speak louder. The
PLENTY of pedal power will be needed if three cyclists are to achieve their goal. Graham Davies and father-and-son Mark and Richard Wheater plan to cycle from Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium to Old Trafford, Manchester, in April, to raise funds for
ONE Life: Britain's Best Loo (BBC1); Blair: The Inside Story (BBC2): JENNY says she looks after her public toilets like she does her house. When this former carer got the job, she made the convenience more homely with flowers, plants and pictures on
LIFEBOAT crews in the region say they are coping with an increased number of rescues, despite the controversial closure of a station. Since Teesmouth lifeboat station closed in April last year, neighbouring stations have had to attend more call outs.
Construction industry consultancy Armstrong Davis Associates (ADA), of Stokesley, North Yorkshire, has added two more consultants to its team. DAMIEN WILKINSON, a forensic quantity surveyor, has a bachelors degree in quantity surveying and a masters
A PIRATE DVD maker who leafleted a town to sell his fakes was given a suspended jail sentence. Debt-ridden Robert Edward Jackson, 41, advertised his DVD Direct business offering films for £4 each or six for £20. Stockton Borough Council's trading standards
A BRITISH woman working for an international human rights group is expected to appear in court in Angola this morning on national security charges. Dr Sarah Wykes, who works for international anti-corruption group Global Witness, was arrested in the state's
A project aims to help get about 10,000 long-term jobless back into work. The Shaw Trust's new ways to opportunities scheme will focus on helping 9,947 Middlesbrough people, who have been claiming incapacity benefit for more than two years. Project leader
THE North-East could see investment and employment in its chemical manufacturing industry after a series of deals were struck at a global conference. Representatives from the North-East Process Industries Cluster (Nepic) attended their first Informex-USA
A gas conversion port - the first of its kind in the world - was officially opened in the region yesterday. The £40m Teesside GasPort, part of the Teesport facilities, converts and pipes gas into the UK gas grid and could help reduce household bills.
A MANUFACTURING company is hoping to raise £5,500 to support two Darlington charities this year. Shower manufacturer Roman has selected Darlington's St Teresa's Hospice, along with the Darlington branch of Samaritans, to raise funds for. The company
ABOUT 35 jobs are being created in the region with the opening of a nursery. Clever Clogs will launch in April on the Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham, to provide day care for up to 72 children aged between six weeks and five years. Nursery owner Andrea
BUSINESS services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is expanding its Newcastle office with the appointment of seven staff to form its Smart Services team. The team is a new initiative, made up of part-qualified accountants recruited from the North-East
THE new managing director of a Darlington removal company has launched his vision for the business' future. Anthony Robinson, 35, has joined Robinsons International. Mr Robinson has been the architect of many changes at Robinsons during the past two years
AMBULANCE bosses in the region have welcomed a new law which gets tough with anyone obstructing 999 crews on their way to emergency calls. The law comes at a time when the North-East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is seeing more and more attacks on staff, vehicles
Watson Burton has appointed ED MEIKLE as head of its intellectual property team, making it the largest such team in the region. Mr Meikle has moved from North-East rival Dickinson Dees after ten years with the firm.
EASTERN Airways has invested in an aircraft simulator to help train pilots. The company, which operates flights out of Durham Tees Valley Airport, has entered a partnership venture worth $12m with leading pilot training centres Pan Am International Flight
Estate agency Michael Poole has appointed two sales negotiators to its Teesside offices. JOANNE ELDERFIELD will work from the Eston office, having left her position at Drummonds Estate Agents, where she worked for six-and-a-half years. LAVINIA DURRANT
SIX men have told a court how they chased and caught a man suspected of attacking a prostitute. Michael Dodd is accused of kidnapping the 29-year-old woman and assaulting her in the red light district of Middlesbrough. It is claimed that he armed himself
CHRIS HITCHEN, chief executive of the Railways Pension Trustee Company, has been appointed as chairman of the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF). Mr Hitchen, who heads the £18bn industry-wide pension arrangements for the UK's railways, will
Regional development agency One NorthEast has appointed PATRICK KENDELL as international investment and aftercare manager, heading a team of 30-dedicated to attracting investment to the region. The North-East is ranked the third best region in the UK
The final annual meeting of the Easby Riverside Restoration Project took place on Monday, marking the successful completion of the seven-year project. The project's remaining funds will be divided between the Richmond Open Spaces Appeal and Richmond Station
A 70-PIECE band from the US will perform in North Yorkshire next week. The Augustana Symphonic Band is on a tour of the UK, which will take in Easingwold's Galtres Centre. The band, which is made up of students aged between 16 and 22, will perform a range
Hartlepool United 3, Macclesfield Town 2. THE cry of 'we're going to win the league' rang around Victoria Park last night, and the rest of League Two could well believe it. But, despite sitting pretty at the top of the table for the first time since
A HOME is needed for a dog that survived a collision with a car. Freddie, a two-year-old terrier cross breed, recently arrived at the Dogs Trust rehoming centre, near Darlington. He broke his pelvis in a road traffic accident but vets managed to nurse
YOUNG people in Darlington are being given the chance to discover their talents at a music workshop with a difference. Darlington College and the Northern School for Contemporary Music are holding DJ and drum skills sessions at The Forum, in the town,
Development company The Hellens Group has made three key appointments within two of its companies. SIMON THORPE is the new commercial director of Hellens Contracts, after holding the position of estimating manager for five years. The division has also
CHILDREN in an area of Darlington are to help design the centrepiece of their refurbished park. The Pensbury Street Residents' Group is working to transform the park in their road. Two workshops, with artist Jo Brewster, are being held for youngsters
SEVERAL major building projects across the county are in line for an award. A total of 11 projects from Darlington and County Durham have been nominated for awards at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' North-East Renaissance Awards. The entries
THE search is on to find the region's answer to Stella McCartney or Bruce Oldfield, with the launch of Yorkshire Fashion Idol 2007. The competition finals will be held at the Great Yorkshire Show, in Harrogate, from July 10 to 12. Last year's winner,
VILLAGERS fear their rural calm will be shattered after a haulier won the first round in his bid to run his business near their community. Yesterday, Alan Coats-worth, 53, who runs A and J Coatsworth Transport, was given the go-ahead by transport authorities
A SPORTS club for people of all ages was launched last week. The West Auckland New Age Kurling Club held its first meeting at the Memorial Hall, in Darlington Road. New Age Kurling is a form of the original curling game, but it can be played indoors on
ACTORS have brought two Shakespeare plays to life for students at a Bishop Auckland school. Arty-Fact Theatre Company performed an abridged version of The Tempest, which two classes of students at Bishop Barrington College are studying. The company
VOLUNTEERS are being sought for an organisation aimed at growing, monitoring and caring for trees. Tree Wardens will carry out various projects within Sedgefield neighbourhoods. The recently-formed group has just completed its first workday in Newton
Darlington 2, Accrington Stanley 1. NINE games unbeaten and with just five points to make up on a play-off place, last night's 2-1 win over Accrington Stanley confirmed that Darlington's season is far from over. First half goals from Tommy Wright and
Lille 0, Manchester United 1. Sir Alex Ferguson branded Lille coach Claude Puel ''a disgrace'' after the Frenchman tried to haul his team off the pitch during their 1-0 Champions League loss to Manchester United in Lens last night. Puel was furious that
A COMMUNITY arts group is holding a craft fair to raise funds. Natural High, a dance, drama and singing group based in Willington, is to stage the musical Oliver in July. Now the group is to hold a professional craft fair to raise money towards funding
PUPILS and staff at a school are celebrating after it was described as "good and rapidly improving" in its first Ofsted report. The Oaks school for children with special needs, in Rock Road, Spennymoor, opened 16 months ago following a shake-up of special
TWO of the nation's historical figures will be celebrated in Sedgefield village. As William Shakespeare's birthday falls on St George's Day, Sedgefield Community Association is hosting a St George's Day dinner in Ceddesfeld Hall, on Saturday, April 21
ROY Keane has claimed the Championship promotion race will be just like last night's 1-1 draw with Birmingham - it will go right to the wire. DJ Campbell's 90th-minute leveller deprived Sunderland of what would have been a deserved success at St Andrew's
Jonathan Woodgate yesterday reiterated he has yet to decide whether to turn his year-long loan deal at Middlesbrough into a permanent move, insisting he will only make a decision in the summer. A fortnight ago Real Madrid revealed a deal had already been
POLICE are cracking down on gangs of youths in a north Durham community after a wave of anti-social behaviour. In one of the worst nights of trouble, involving gangs of up to 40 youths, in Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, three girls were punched and kicked
SEVEN homes were raided and more than 60 vehicles taken off the streets during a four-day blitz on neighbourhood nuisances. Operation Milkshake, which involved the police, Easington District Council and East Durham Homes, targeted Peterlee, following
SHOPPERS and visitors to Bedale will soon see the results of a £25,000 facelift given to a pedestrian link between a car park and the market place. The route, called a ginnel, between the HSBC bank and the former assembly rooms was once a litter-strewn
A POPULAR farm shop and cafe has a new restaurant manager. Roni Oxley has joined Graeme and Sarah Thompson's Lakeside Farm Shop and Country Cafe at Ellerton, near Scorton, Richmond. She has previously worked at the Frenchgate Cafe, in Richmond, and the
POLICE have welcomed a decision by councillors to suspend the drinks licence of a newsagent caught selling alcohol to under-age youngsters. Derwentside District Council's alcohol and entertainment licensing sub-committee issued a three-month suspension
A NORTH Yorkshire council is one of only four in the country to receive Government approval for part of its local development plan. Hambleton District Council's core strategy, part of its Local Development Framework (LDF), was declared sound by a Government
Eddie O'Sullivan has appealed for calm in an attempt to diffuse mounting tension ahead of England's Croke Park debut on Saturday, writes DUNCAN BECH. An electric atmosphere awaits England at the Gaelic Athletic Association-owned venue with debate raging
Michael Vaughan is not prepared to let ''a little hamstring injury'' crush his dream of leading England at next month's World Cup. The 32-year-old captain is confident of making a full recovery from the latest setback of his injury-hit career. Vaughan
A school is adding an international dimension to its teaching. Bedale High School and Bedale Volunteer Bureau will work with an English tutor to support adult foreign nationals in the community, where there are large numbers of immigrant workers. People
COUNCILLORS will be asked to approve the creation of a youth council next week. Richmondshire Youth Council would be made up of 13 to 19-year-olds who would meet once a month to debate issues affecting young people in the district. Students from the
PSV Eindhoven 1, Arsenal 0. Arsene Wenger accepted his Arsenal side were ''out of rhythm'' after his side went down 1-0 to PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash. The Gunners never really hit top gear in the Philips Stadium
Brian Ashton believes England will need to step up ''two or three gears'' when they face arguably the biggest challenge of their RBS 6 Nations campaign on Saturday. England, unbeaten following contrasting victories over Scotland and Italy, head to Croke
Matthew Hayden will see a specialist today after Australia's preparations for the World Cup suffered another blow. The opener broke a toe while hitting 181 not out - an Aussie one-day international record - as the tourists made 346 for five from their
NORTH Yorkshire has taken two more steps in the continuing fight against global warming and climate change. The county council has appointed Emma Casson as the UK's first schools' carbon reduction officer. She will help schools improve their energy efficiency
PLANS are being drawn up to ban the drinking of alcohol on Thirsk streets. Regular complaints are received about under-age drinkers and the problems they cause in the town. North Yorkshire Police also hold blitzes where officers take alcohol off drinkers
APART from the odd winner here and there, very little has gone right for Malton trainer John Quinn over the past few weeks. In the main it's been a case of sheer bad luck that has kept John out of the limelight, but you can't keep a good man down for
A playgroup is celebrating after scooping £7,000 to expand its services. The East Thirsk Playgroup was awarded the money by the York and North Yorkshire Community Foundation. At present, the playgroup only takes youngsters aged two and above, but it
A NORTH-EAST village may become the first in the country to get its power solely from renewable energy sources.The people of Middleton in Teesdale, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, will be using heat pumps and biomass boilers instead of coal and oil
A BLIND pilot plans to fly 13,000 miles to Australia in a microlight aircraft with the help of computer software created by a developer in a former North-East pit village.Adventurer and motivational speaker Miles Hilton-Barber, 58, from Derbyshire, who
FLORAL fans Jean and Chris Barker hope flower power will help them scoop an international award.The pair are heading to the Far East to represent the UK in a worldwide orchid show.For what began as a one-off gift ten years ago, the couple now have about
IT may be one of the region's roughest and toughest sporting traditions - but it didn't stop 81-year-old Betty Amlin getting stuck in.Betty was given the honour of getting yesterday's annual Shrove Tuesday ball game under way in the County Durham village
GLENN ROEDER faces a tough choice this weekend as controversial midfielder Emre edges closer to full fitness.The Turkish international, awaiting a personal hearing after being charged with using racially aggravated language in the defeat to Everton on
RESIDENTS in St Helen Auckland are raising a mug to the beginning of a regular social event in the village.Selby Close Community Association has organised coffee mornings every other Tuesday, and the first took place earlier this month.More than 20 people
COUNCIL tenants should be forced to move out if their children leave home or they end up living alone, a Government-commissioned report suggested yesterday.Under recommendations to ministers, they could also be asked to pay more rent or buy a stake in
The opening of a suite of galleries at a County Durham Museum is looming ever closer.Objects are being chosen for display in the Streatlam Galleries, in the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle.The galleries are due to open to the public on March 31 and one of
A THEATRE company will hit the road next week for a tour of North Yorkshire towns and villages.North Country Theatre, which is based in Richmond, hopes to bring to life Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King at 28 venues across the county.Gillian
SALAMI and olives are to be auctioned off alongside chest freezers and plant pots as the contents of a Darlington deli go under the hammer today.The fixtures, fittings and merchandise of Wadesdeli will be sold this morning in an on-site public auction
A 14-MONTH-OLD baby has became the youngest person to be rescued from England's highest mountain.A mother and father set out with their son and his five-year-old brother to conquer 3,210ft Scafell Pike in the Lake District at midday on Monday and reached
RETIRED teacher Jan Hodgson will be putting her best foot forward this summer - following in the footsteps of the Romans.She is planning to stride out along Hadrian's Wall to raise funds for the Hambleton-based charity Herriot Hospice Homecare.Jan, from
A carers charity has reached a milestone.Nikki Sylvester, mother of five-year-old Jay, has become the 1,000th carer registered with Redcar Carers Together, which provides free and confidential support.Like many carers, Ms Sylvester juggles looking after
The NHS is paying drug firms hundreds of millions of pounds too much for branded drugs, according to a report published yesterday.The long-awaited Office of Fair Trading (OFT) study called for an overhaul of the agreement between the NHS and pharmaceutical
A COUNCIL is investigating a factory over claims of excessive noise.The inquiry was launched after residents complained to Haughton West ward councillors David Lyonette, Andy Scott and Nick Wallis about JW Recycling, on the Albert Hill Industrial Estate
PUPILS returned to Darlington at the weekend after an annual school skiing trip.About 40 students from Hurworth School Maths and Computing College travelled by coach to the Italian ski resort of Pila, in the mountains above Aosta.The group was accompanied
A BOOK exploring the industrial history of the Derwent Valley is hot off the press.Written by historian Hylton Marrs, the book takes the reader from the foot of Gibralter Rock, where the two streams meet to form the Derwent, to the Tyne River.Mr Marrs
IT may be half-term but it was back to school yesterday for 40 pupils and their parents.Framwellgate school hosted an activity day for children from ten cluster schools, and their families.Pottery, cookery and forensics were among the activities.The cluster
BREWER Scottish and Newcastle (S&N) yesterday announced it is to make £50m of cuts over the next three years, while also revealing its annual turnover had broken the £4bn barrier. S&N confirmed more redundancies could be on the way throughout its UK
AN international hunt was under way last night for a North-East paedophile convicted of raping a ten-year-old girl. George Galloway, 43, was believed to be on the run in Canada when he was convicted in his absence yesterday after a trial at Teesside Crown
As high street banks announce billion pound profits, Lindsay Jennings looks at the growing customer revolt which is seeing thousands of people claim back their bank charges. THE chat rooms of the campaigning website, Moneysavingexpert.com, are buzzing
Birmingham City 1, Sunderland 1. FRANK Bruno will be the guest of honour at a St Andrew's sportsman's dinner tomorrow but, last night, it was Birmingham striker DJ Campbell that delivered a potentially knockout blow to Sunderland's hopes of automatic
A SERIAL conman was yesterday ordered to spend an extra three years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding a man while on trial for similar offences.George Steen is already serving a six-year sentence for masterminding a worldwide loans fraud
A MAN who spent a lifetime caring for sick and abandoned animals deceived the public by allowing creatures to suffer in squalor, a court heard.Animal sanctuary owner Clifford Spedding appeared in court accused of keeping the sick animals he could not
If you always think the worst of people, the world becomes a much smaller, meaner place. YOU have to laugh. Though maybe we should weep. Marilyn Gordon, 72, pillar of society, Sunday school teacher, former chairman of South Tyneside magistrates, was
