A MAN likened to the Yorkshire Ripper during a trial for attacking a prostitute is facing a lengthy sentence after a jury convicted him of kidnap. Michael Dodd was told he will be considered for an indefinite sentence for the protection of the public
THREE North-East railway stations will share a total of £390,101 from the Department for Transport (DfT) to pay for improvements for disabled passengers. Thornaby rail station receives £282,720; Middlesbrough £93,803 and Yarm £13,498 from the DfT's
A 10-YEAR-OLD girl is recovering in hospital with a broken leg after she was struck by a car and thrown over its bonnet. Police are hunting the driver of the car which was later found abandoned in a nearby street. An 11-year-old girl was also injured
FORMER Navy man Stan Johnson mentioned that wearing a hat in public premises is "bad manners" (HAS, Feb 20). Not these days. I just hope that he does not have the same views with regard to Father Christmas, as his perceptions over my bowler are
AN article about farmers being inadequately paid for their products, such as milk, etc, recently caught my eye. We need farms and farmers, and they need incentives to produce foodstuffs. It's about time supermarkets started to pay enough for
WHEN I read recent HAS contributions about not being safe on the streets any more I was sure they were talking about the lawlessness in and around some of our cities and even towns and villages. Then I realised they were bemoaning the end of apartheid
THE BNP has worked hard to change its image. Gone are the skinhead haircuts, bovver boots and snarling racist taunts, replaced by smart suits and apparently reasoned arguments. Nothing is said publicly, or put in a BNP manifesto, which could lead
I WANT to congratulate Maurice Baker for his response to the BNP activists, but he must be careful about the "Chaplain to the Stock Exchange" castigation of columnist Peter Mullen (HAS, Feb 14). After all, has not New Labour been very generous
WOMEN aged 60 to 64 are being ripped off by the taxman. Women born before April 5, 1950 are legally entitled to retire on their 60th birthday. Everyone pays income tax, but retired women aged 60 to 64 pay more than retired men and women aged 65
AS Tony Blair's premiership draws to a close his legacy will increasingly focus on those issues deemed a failure. Iraq will be there as will the Honours List. However, when he came to power in 1997 his fanfare was modernisation in every aspect
Worthington CIU Winter League Wheatley Hill A recovered at Old Shildon to win the decider and hold their top position in the First Division by four points. In the Second Division Hunwick A strengthened their title chances when they went seven points clear
Fosters Twist, Crook League In the only match played, Stanley Earl Derby A were able to open a seven points lead on their third placed hosts at Croft Social Club after they won the re-arranged game by five points. The home side went 3-0 ahead with wins
HORDEN are facing a points deduction and heavy fine following the late postponement of their game against league leaders Sunderland Nissan on Tuesday night. The club received a call from their local council late on Tuesday afternoon saying that the Welfare
AFTER a great weekend's fencing in the British Youth Championships Epee and Sabre Finals in Stoke on Trent, more fencing medals came to the North-East to double the tally already gained by fencers from the Region in the British Youth Championships Foil
Darlington Spraire Lads: SPRAIRE Under-8s found themselves defending from the off with Bishop Auckland St Mary's quickly taking a 2-0 lead. Spraire replied in the first half with an excellent free-kick from Joel Hutchinson taking the score to 2-1 at
Nice lad, Kurt Warburton. Wouldn't say boo to a goose, they reckon. This weekend, however, the 26-year-old husband and father has two real fights on his hands. Tomorrow night he battles for the British welterweight belt in total combat, the martial art
HARTLEPOOL, who have moved into the top half of the table, will be playing for a place in the semi finals of the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup when they visit high-riding Birtley Town tomorrow. Pools put five goals past Annfield Plain last week and are confident
Fear, Stress & Anger (BBC2); Once Upon A Time In Iran (C4): FEAR, stress, anger - three words that might describe the feelings of a TV critic faced with a new comedy series. But Waiting For God writer Michael Aitken uses them for the title of his humorous
Ivan Lewis, The Government Minister responsible for Care Services, explains the new plans announced this week which he claims will alleviate the burden for the courty's growing army of carers. FOR the majority of us, it can be difficult enough balancing
COUNTY councillors in North Yorkshire have stopped short of completely opposing further post office closures. The quarterly meeting of the full council has prepared a response to Government proposals for further investment over five years to support an
COUNCILLORS at Richmondshire District Council will be asked to agree a council tax increase of 2.7 per cent on Tuesday. If approved, it would mean a £4.67 rise in bills for a Band D property. The council's share of tax is about 13 per cent of the total
A MUSICAL journey through the decades is coming to Hartlepool. Rolling Back The Years will be staged at the Town Hall Theatre on Thursday, March 1. Some of music's biggest hits will be performed, including songs by Judy Garland, Doris Day, Elvis Presley
TWO drunk teenagers began punching the wing mirrors off cars, a court has heard. Simon Addison, 18, and a 17-year-old admitted two counts of criminal damage. Sam Rogers, prosecuting, said that at about 11pm on Sunday, February 11, members of the public
MIDDLESBROUGH Youth Theatres will present Titanic: A New Musical at Middlesbrough Theatre, Linthorpe, from Friday, March 9, to Saturday, March 17. Performances will start at 7.15pm, and 6pm on the Saturdays. There will be no performances on Wednesdays
THE chip pan safety message has taken another step forward, with 74 households taking advantage of reduced prices for deep fat fryers. Electrical retailer Currys supported Cleveland Fire Brigade's Ban the Pan campaign by selling products for £9.99 and
PATIENTS are being warned that part of their local health clinic has had to temporarily close for urgent repairs. Some services at Bedale Health Clinic are being transferred to other premises for the next three months as a result of the closure. The
I DON'T know how long Linda Nolan has been involved with this big show, which this year marks its 20th season in the West End, but I suspect that it's some time, and when she takes the stage in Sunderland she really owns it. A brief announcement at the
THE family of a lawyer who was killed in a fall will pay tribute to him by supporting a charity close to his heart. World Cup referee George Courtney and his wife, Margaret, are raising money in memory of their only son, Matthew, 27, who died on February
A FASHION show will be held next month in aid of a children's hospice. The Butterwick Style Challenge will feature 15 teams modelling outfits costing no more than £25 to raise money for Butterwick House Children's Hospice. The event will be hosted by
I DON'T believe that a week is a long time in politics. By deciding to seek a second term as elected Mayor of Middlesbrough, I have acknowledged that five years is too short a time. It is too short a time to complete the regeneration of the town and
A STUDY has criticised a failing North-East city academy as having the worst standards - and being the worst built - of any in the country. Most of the 46 privately-run academies opened under Tony Blair's controversial programme are raising school standards
A GRANT of £217,600 was announced yesterday to ease the strain on carers who look after frail or disabled relatives and friends. It will enable carers to receive regular health checks and pampering to ensure they can carry on their efforts around Teesdale
A NAME has been chosen for a countryside site following a poll of visitors. Hundreds of people who attended a countryside community day event were asked to choose a name for the site, which is between Aykley Heads cycle track and the East Coast Main Line
A CRACKDOWN is being launched on illegal flyposting and businesses are being warned they face fines of up to £2,500 if convicted. Officers from Easington District Council have contacted 60 firms in the district believed to be responsible for much of
A PUBLIC inquiry to decide the fate of a derelict school has been adjourned until next month. Developer Westnew Management, which owns the former Easington Colliery Primary School, in Seaside Lane, wants to demolish the Edwardian building and replace
SEVERAL major building projects across are in line for an industry award. Eleven schemes from Darlington and County Durham have been nominated for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (RICS) North-East Renaissance awards. They include Rest House
CHARITABLE trusts could be set up to run four visitor attractions. Durham County Council is looking at the idea because it could enable Killhope Museum, in Weardale, the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery, in Durham City, and Binchester Roman Fort, near
A REUNION for former members of staff at what was once one of Stanley's biggest employers will be held next month. The JobCentre Plus office in Towneley House, Stanley, will close on March 12, and its remaining staff will transfer to posts in Sunderland
COFFEE growers from Africa and South America will visit the region to talk about the importance of Fairtrade. Robert Ejiku, a 32-year-old manager of a growers group in Uganda, will be joined by grower Bartolome Ramirez Lucero, from Peru, at the event
CHARITABLE trusts could be set up to run three visitor attractions. Durham County Council is looking at the idea because it could enable Killhope Museum, in Weardale, the Durham Light Infantry Museum (DLI) and Durham Art Gallery, in Durham City, and Binchester
A HOSPICE is asking supporters to raise funds by holding events next month to mark their patron saint. St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham City, wants people to celebrate St Cuthbert's day with a coffee morning, wine and cheese evening, or pie and peas supper
A £6,000 plan to encourage young people in Teesdale to use their bikes has been approved by Durham County Council. The authority's cabinet agreed yesterday to pay for ten parking racks around the district. The money will be transferred from the Local
Yorkshire have declined to confirm or deny a report that Darren Gough will be appointed first team captain next week. Northern Echo SPORT reported this month that Yorkshire intended to speak to the former England star to find out why he had not signed
THE world's leading chemical company BASF yesterday posted record sales for last year. BASF said sales had smashed through the 50bn-euro mark for the first time in the company's history while earnings before interest and taxes climbed to a record high
A SEX slave master who was unmasked by The Northern Echo has spent more than six months filming a TV documentary. Lee Thompson, from Darlington, and his new "slave" Angel will be the subject of an hour-long programme to be screened on Channel 4 later
ENGINEERING firm Aker Kvaerner has won a contract worth millions of pounds to assist in a decommissioning project at Sellafield nuclear power plant. Plant owner British Nuclear Group has awarded the £15m contract to the ACKtiv Nuclear joint venture -
Prince Harry is to serve on the frontline in Iraq after becoming the first royal in 25 years to be deployed to a war zone, it was announced yesterday. The 22-year-old, who is third in line to the throne, was said to be "over the moon" after winning his
A CHARITY for blind people will buy a second Braille machine after a £2,000 donation. The BlindVoice UK, formerly Stockton Blind People's Voice, was given the money by Yorkshire Building Society's Charitable Foundation. The charity, unlike many others
Australia have given Brett Lee until the day before the team leaves for the World Cup to prove his fitness. Scans on Lee's damaged ankle have been postponed until Tuesday to give the paceman a better chance of making the squad. Lee's absence would further
A sanctuary boss could be banned from keeping animals after admitting cruelty at the haven he has run for more than 20 years. Clifford Spedding also faces the prospect of prison after a judge warned he would consider all sentencing options. Spedding pleaded
For years, people took sick animals to Cliff Spedding, believing he would do his best for them. In many cases, they were condemning the sick and injured to a miserable death. Claire Burbage reports on the man who just couldn't say no. IT was a knock at
MANUFACTURERS' organisation EEF Northern yesterday welcomed a significant increase in the number of students wanting to read science-based degrees at university. Figures released by higher education body Ucas show a growth in applications for science,
AN epilepsy conference is being organised by the Epilepsy Action charity. Registration for Epilepsy and You will take place at 9.30am on Saturday, March 17, at The Thistle Hotel, Fry Street, Middlesbrough. The conference will run from 10.15am to 4pm.
BREAKFASTS will be worse on trains to London if Virgin runs the East Coast line, a Transport Minister says. Speaking in a debate, Lord Bassam of Brighton appeared to throw his weight behind criticism of the meals provided by Virgin trains on the West
young people have been helping to create a garden for a church congregation. The garden is being created in the grounds of the Dean Bank and Ferryhill Baptist Church. The project has been made possible thanks to environmental charity Groundwork winning
A firm in North Yorkshire has invested £3m in the latest equipment. Burdon Engineering, which is tripling its workforce after securing planning permission for a £20m expansion of its offices in Stokesley, has taken delivery of its latest piece of measuring
BRITISH Gas owner Centrica yesterday reported profits of £1.44bn for last year. The figure, which was down five per cent on the previous year, included profits of £95m from the company's residential energy arm after the division made a loss in the first
A CHARITY is looking for volunteers to help it raise money. The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) needs help from people in Durham and Derwentside. Volunteers in Consett and Stanley are retiring and the charity fears it will lose revenue.
POULTRY workers are being urged to get a free human flu vaccination to stop a highly contagious strain of bird flu. Primary care trusts across the region are setting up immunisation clinics to vaccinate poultry workers against human flu. The vaccine will
POLICE have warned children they will end up in court if they continue the practice of garden-hopping. Young people are damaging fences, hedges and garden ornaments with what has become a craze in Pelton, near Chester-le-Street. The challenge is to choose
CRITICS of the Royal Family - and their numbers have grown significantly in recent years - argue that they do not live in the real world, doing real jobs, and facing real pressures. We hope, therefore, that those critics will give Prince Harry due credit
WITH the possible exception of Shoaib Akhtar, the three sportsmen who have taken the most stick in this space in recent years must be Craig Bellamy, Audley Harrison and Gavin Henson. And aren't they covering themselves in glory at the moment? Shoaib came
Wimbledon chiefs have denied that the fear of a possible boycott by top women players was behind their decision to agree at last to equal pay at this summer's championships. They object to any suggestion that pressure to change forced them into a move
MOORLANDS AGAIN (4.05) makes plenty of appeal to repeat his 2006 victory in this afternoon's marathon three-mile-five-furlong Handicap Chase at Warwick. It's going to be extremely hard work in the soft ground, but such gruelling conditions hold no fears
TONY Blair's Sedgefield constituency had the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths among women in the region in the six years between 1998 and 2004. Forty deaths were recorded in the Prime Minister's constituency during the period. When the number of
NEWCASTLE Falcons are able to bring in two former internationals to replace England bench men Toby Flood and Mathew Tait for tonight's Guinness Premiership clash with London Wasps at Kingston Park (8pm). Samoa's Loki Crichton will be at fly half and New
A HUGE industrial estate next to the route of a £12.5m bypass in Darlington could swamp the road with traffic, a councillor has warned. Plans were unveiled last month for a business park on the outskirts of town with warehouses, offices, a hotel and
RESIDENTS living near the site of a proposed farm training centre are worried that it will be used to teach problem children. However, John Littlefair, the man behind the centre at Sadberge said every student will be closely supervised. The 45-place
CATERING students will be hoping to whisk up a treat for a celebrity chef in a national competition. Teenagers on the Skills+ programme at Darlington College have entered a contest judged by television chef Gary Rhodes. The students, who are on vocational
CLUB SUCCESS YOUR otherwise excellent Village Life article covering Middleton St George (Echo, Feb 19) was very comprehensive with important community figures interviewed, but it failed to mention the efforts of local people to set up and run Middleton
England touched down in Dublin last night with their RBS 6 Nations title aspirations effectively hanging by a thread. World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson and Jason Robinson are injury concerns ahead of tomorrow's Croke Park clash against Ireland. While
Teenager Kevin Burgess has been called into the Darlington squad which flies down to Torquay this morning as illness continues to trouble the club. Patrick Collins would have travelled to Devon but has picked up a virus, as has Gaetano Giallanza. It ruled
A FATHER-TO-BE who was supposed to be collecting baby clothes went looking for drugs in a stolen car instead, a court heard. Matthew Gilligan, whose partner is expected to give birth in the next few days, was seen by police officers in Darlington's Lowson
Dong Gook Lee could well have played himself into Middlesbrough's squad for this weekend's Premiership fixture against Reading after having a successful 45-minute run-out in the reserves 1-1 draw against Manchester United's second string last night. Boro
GLENN Roeder acknowledged the performance wasn't pretty in their UEFA Cup last 32 second leg tie, but the most important thing was to get the job done. Roeder watched his side stretch their unbeaten European run to 12 games this season and claim their
STUDENTS are predicting a headline result in a national competition to test their journalism skills.Twenty-four year ten pupils from Northallerton College took part in a newspaper day organised by the Times Educational Supplement.They became reporters
A TEAM of eco gardeners has planted a hedge at a secondary school.The project is the latest undertaken by students from Wensleydale School, in Leyburn.The new hedge borders an area behind the school set aside for a wildlife garden.Plants for the hedge
I can guarantee that when I am taking a group of children (and sometimes adults) for a garden course, or a composting event, that within three minutes I will get at least one blood curdling scream from the participants; and it's not always from the girls
YOUNG athletes have won first place at an area gymnastics competition.Northallerton College students took gold in the over-13s girls' contest at the annual Hambleton and Richmondshire gymnastics competition. Captain Jennifer Crewdson won gold medals in
A COMMUNITY has been touched by the plight of a six-month-old baby who was born with a severe medical condition.Connor Rees has been diagnosed with deformational plagiocephaly, which means his head is misshapen.Also known as flat head syndrome, the youngster
A singing group has recorded its first CD in a 600-year-old chapel after discovering that its acoustics were perfect for their voices.The seven-strong Concordia group was given permission by Lord Barnard to do the recording in the medieval chapel at Raby
UNFINISHED business has convinced Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon to stand for a second term in office.He is seeking re-election in the May 3 poll on the back of completing the regeneration of the town and combating crime and disorder.Mr Mallon, who became
TELEPHONES of all shapes and sizes will be auctioned next week.A private collection of about 300 phones will be sold at Tennants, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, on Saturday, March 3.The collection includes some of the earliest phones made, plus novelty
YOUNGSTERS celebrated with a party after a play area was reopened.The play area, in Chellener Way, St Helen Auckland, was closed a few years ago.But local residents worked with regeneration charity Groundwork West Durham and Darlington to create a "pocket
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former mayor and honorary alderman who gave more than 40 years of his life to public service.John Dormer died on Tuesday aged 78. Mr Dormer, who was born in London, moved to Newton Aycliffe with his late wife, Wyn, in 1958
AN MEP yesterday joined campaigners to discuss the potential impact of the opencast mine near their community.Dozens of protesters met Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall at the proposed site - Skon's Park, near Burnopfield.Ms Hall also met residents at nearby
CAMPAIGNERS have been left bitterly disappointed after plans to build two apartment blocks near a primary school were finally approved.Residents in the Green's Lane area of Hartburn, Stockton, said they feared their neighbourhood would now be spoilt after
TO the untrained eye, it may look like not much more than a ripple in the water, but people living in a Lake District town are convinced it could be the North's own Nessie.Photographer Linden Adams saw something beneath the surface of Windermere and immediately
CHILDREN have been creating sculptures for their new community park.The classes were organised by the Pensbury Street Residents Group and Darlington Borough Council.Community development worker Joanna Scott said: "We're developing the new play area in
AN influx of residents in a Darlington street has caused parking chaos and created a boggy mess, according to a local councillor.The renovation of three tower blocks was recently completed in Dinsdale Crescent. The blocks house about 60 people, but the
A STORE is encouraging its staff to take part in training to advance their careers.Woolworths, in Hartlepool, has put a third of its employees through national vocational qualifications (NVQ) with tailor-made courses.So far, workers have achieved NVQs
THREE new kids on the block have been unveiled for youngsters to visit at a charity care centre.Carrie-Anne, one of five adult goats at Daisy Chain's Calf Fallow Farm, in Norton, Stockton, has chosen the school half-term holiday to deliver three arrivals.The
AN evening of musical entertainment will take place at a secondary school tonight.Pupils from Wensleydale School, in Leyburn, are staging the event to raise money for the Amala Children's Home, in southern India.The concert will take place in the school
A £20,000 play fort is to benefit deprived children in an African nation.The timber fort was built on a former farm at Etherley near Barnard Castle, but will soon be shipped to the fishing village of Anomabo, in Ghana, West Africa.It will be unveiled
A CHARITY shop was reopened to the public yesterday after refurbishment.The British Heart Foundation shop, in Yoden Way, Peterlee, was opened by the town's mayor, Bob Kyle. The shop closed for renovation earlier this month - it now has new lights and
ROMAN soldiers are to storm the frontier of Hadrian's Wall next month.The trip will all be in the name of charity, as seven friends are preparing to cycle from the Irish Sea to the North Sea along the lines of the wall, dressed in Roman outfits.The group
A FOOD co-operative has been set up by Middlesbrough Council's healthy living team to get Easterside residents eating healthily.The aim is to raise the awareness of the importance of healthy eating and to provide an opportunity for the community to come
AN UPSET Niall Quinn last night insisted he had not misled supporters following claims from Birmingham City's co-owner David Sullivan that Sunderland did not reject the opportunity to broadcast the top-of-the-table clash with Derby live. The fixture was
POLICE bosses are today expected to approve a bonus scheme that could net senior police officers thousands of pounds - on the same day 230 police constables and a raft of services face the axe. Durham Police Authority meets this morning to set its budget
DISCOUNT supermarket chain Lidl has unveiled plans to build a distribution centre in County Durham leading to the creation of 250 jobs. The German retail group wants to build a storage and distribution centre for the North-East on land next to the Filtronic
HARTLEPOOL UNITED'S ability to deliver winning goals in the closing stages of matches has filled manager Danny Wilson with the confidence his team can stay at the top of League Two. Pools' unbeaten run stretched to 17 league games on Tuesday night, when
A COATINGS company in the region has been awarded work on the unfinished naval ship, the Lyme Bay, which left Swan Hunter's Tyneside shipyard last year. The marine division of Gateshead Pyeroy Group has won a contract worth several million pounds to paint
WHEN customers come in to Johnny Singh's shop for the first time, many of them immediately take pictures on their phones to let friends know what they've found... shelves and shelves of bottled real ales. The largest selection of real ales in the North
Helicopter gunship crews last night paid tribute to the Royal Marines who strapped themselves to their aircraft during a daring rescue mission in Afghanistan.Pilots from North Yorkshire-based 656 Squadron 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, who took part in the
We all know about 'druggies' who steal to feed their addiction, but people can end up just as hooked on drugs that are feely available over the counter at the local chemist shop. As Robbie Williams checks into rehab for his addiction to prescription
It may not seem a likely partnership, but Durham students have teamed up with former drug addicts to teach them sports. Women's Editor Sarah Foster sees the scheme in action. ON first glance, the dusty sports hall looks deserted, then from a section
Newcastle United 1, Zulte Waregem 0. (Newcastle win 4 - 1 on aggregate). NEWCASTLE last night booked their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup following a 1-0 victory over Zulte-Waregem courtesy of a sublime Obafemi Martins finish.Martins' strike
