Archive

  • House severely damaged by fire

    A HOUSE in east Cleveland was badly damaged by fire last night. Fire crews from Skelton and Guisborough were called to the property in Wilkinson Street, Lingdale, at 5.20pm. The fire was brought under control by 6pm. A spokeswoman

  • Police warning after high winds bring down trees

    POLICE are warning drivers to take extra care after high winds brought down trees across North Yorkshire and County Durham. The North Yorkshire and Durham forces both reported a series of incidents caused by the weather, with the Darlington and Barnard

  • Police investigate theft of five commemorative benches

    FIVE commemorative benches have been stolen from a North-East care home and almshouse, police said tonight. The benches were taken from the grounds of the Hospital of God at Greatham, near Hartlepool, between January 22 and 25. Three of the benches,

  • The Fab Five…

    Posting these old photo’s on the blog has taken a lot of people down memory lane. Most people in Cockfield will recognise these ‘Fab Five’ girls! They are of course; Wendy Wilkinson, Carol Dent, Diane Dowson, Barbara Close and Pauline Burton. If

  • Iconic Globe Theatre set for £4m revamp

    ONE of the North-East's most iconic entertainment venues is to be restored to its former glory thanks to a £4m revamp. The Globe Theatre, in Stockton, which once welcomed The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, is to re-open next year as a venue for live

  • Developers aim to calm traffic problems

    DEVELOPERS behind a £32m hotel and housing complex proposed for a south Durham golf course say the scheme could ease traffic problems. Washington Developments' plan for Woodham Golf and Country Club includes a new roundabout at the junction of Middridge

  • Curfew for man equipped to steal

    A THIEF told police that he was crouching beside a car while holding a knife and a hammer because he was suffering from a stomach upset, a court heard. Darlington Magistrates' Court was told two versions of how Mark Dunn stole diesel from a tanker

  • Addict found frothing at the mouth

    A MAN'S tongue turned blue and he began to froth at the mouth before he was stopped from taking a further 20 Diazepam tablets. Shaun James, 35, admitted to police at his interview that he had already taken two tablets before trying to swallow the

  • Fighting to protect vulnerable children

    MORE than 3,500 people have signed a petition to save an inclusion service for children with special needs. Councillor Cyndi Hughes, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for children and young people, was presented with the petition by 40 people

  • New academy

    A NEW technical academy aimed at preparing students in the North-East for a career in the construction career has been officially opened. Shadow Business Secretary John Denham performed the honours at The Technical Academy at East Durham College following

  • Volunteers needed to look after cemetery

    COUNCIL officials are appealing for volunteers to help look after a Hartlepool cemetery. Hartlepool Borough Council is hoping to launch a Friends of Stranton Cemetery group as part of a campaign to improve security at the site. More than 2,500 people

  • World Book Night comes to town

    RESIDENTS in Stockton are being invited to take part in the first ever World Book Night. Norton Library, in High Street, Norton, near Stockton, is holding a World Book Night party on Saturday, March 5, from 7pm until midnight. Organisers have joined

  • Estate to benefit from energy saving devices

    HOUSEHOLDERS on a environmentally-friendly estate can save money and energy with free electrical devices. Residents living in Easterside in Middlesbrough can now get free Owl Energy Monitors worth £50 and EON PC Powerdowns valued at £20. The powerdown

  • School protest taken to the council's door

    PROTESTORS gathered outside a council meeting as the fight continues to save a school from the axe. More than 60 parents, pupils and staff from Eston Park School joined forces to express their anger at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's plans to

  • Sculptor visits

    SCHOOL pupils with a talent for art have been learning the skills required to cast sculptural works - under watchful eye of an acclaimed sculptor. Key Stage 2 students from New Brancepeth Primary School in New Brancepeth, near Durham, were joined by

  • MP clocks up 1,000th piece of constituent casework

    THE hardworking Redcar MP has celebrated taking on his 1,000th piece of local casework in less than nine months. Liberal Democrat Ian Swales met Michael Jenson to discuss his concerns about the lack of street lighting along large stretches of the Coast

  • Fielden signs new two-year deal with Falcons

    WINGER Luke Fielden has become the latest player to commit his future to Newcastle Falcons by signing a new two-year deal at Kingston Park. The 24-year-old, who moved from Championship side Bedford in the summer, has scored six tries during his maiden

  • Police job cuts will not damage front-line services

    A POLICE force which could lose 210 front-line officers due to sweeping Government funding cuts will discuss its finances next week. North Yorkshire Police is bracing itself to lose up to 550 jobs in total over the next four years to make its

  • Star launches club's family programme

    A FOOTBALLER says an activity programme run by his club’s charity arm is top of the league. Sunderland defender Michael Turner was at the Sunderland City Council-run Bunny Hill Children’s Centre, Hylton Lane, Sunderland, yesterday (Feb3) for the launch

  • Primary school due to reopen in the morning

    A PRIMARY school which was closed today will reopen in the morning. Heighington Primary School was unable to open because a mains water supply failed in the area. The problem has been fixed enabling staff to reopen the school to its pupils tomorrow.

  • Students share experiences of Auschwitz

    STUDENTS have shared their moving experience of a journey they will never forget. As the world remembered the Holocaust, Barnard Castle School students Tori Cliffe and Matt Emerson told an assembly about their recent trip to Auschwitz, one of the Nazi

  • Store protest against tax avoidance

    A NATIONAL protest against tax avoidance by multi-millionaires and big business came to the streets of Durham. UK Uncut staged demonstrations across the country at stores owned by companies accused of avoiding paying tax on their British profits,

  • Epileptic man dies after jumping through window

    An epileptic man died after jumping through a second-floor window. John Paul Jobling, known as Paul, leapt through the window of his flat in Steward Crescent, South Shields, on June 3, 2009. The 49-year-old had suffered epilepsy since

  • Big fat Quaker nuptial

    ON August 23, 1854, Joseph Whitwell Pease married Anna Fox at the other end of the country - in Cornwall - but nevertheless much of the North-East was en fete. JW was the eldest son and heir of Joseph "the Statue" Pease who employed thousands

  • Fifty-nine jobs at new store

    NEARLY 60 jobs will be created at a new discount store, it has been announced. Wilkinson began recruiting 59 staff for its new 19,000sq ft store in The Gates shopping centre, Durham, today. A further recruitment event will be held outside the new store

  • Drivers putting workmen's lives at risk face prosecution

    MOTORISTS putting lives at risk by flouting road safety laws at roadworks are being warned they could face prosecution. North Yorkshire County Council is carrying out essential resurfacing works along sections of the A684 through Morton on Swale and

  • Police investigate graffiti in Bishop Auckland

    POLICE in Bishop Auckland have launched an investigation after graffiti was daubed on property in the town. The graffiti appeared overnight on Tuesday and the main affected areas are the Woodhouse Close estate and properties around Cockton Hill Road.

  • Earl to old bishop

    Bishop Hugh Pudsey’s legacy for the North-East was more than just a bridge over the River Wear and a few expensive projects. Bishop Hugh Pudsey was the most princely of all the Prince Bishops of Durham. A nephew of King Stephen and a former treasurer

  • Building up a head of steam

    MANY people have been in touch regarding the early Fifties picture of No 67318, a G5 locomotive, at Ainderby station on the Wensleydale branchline. On the smokebox door on front of the engine, beneath its number, is its shed plate. The number

  • Pupils cross swords

    PUPILS crossed swords as part of a new activity being offered at their school this term. More than 500 pupils at Barnard Castle School have signed up for the latest programme of extra-curricular activities, including fencing with one of the country's

  • New parish council moves a step closer

    RESIDENTS in two remote Dales villages have taken the first major step to forming a new parish council by formally voting in favour of the move. People in the villages of Marske and New Forest, in Swaledale, hope that forming a parish council will

  • Tributes after salesman dies of haemorrhage

    TRIBUTES have been paid to a Bishop Auckland car salesman who died from a brain haemorrhage two weeks after being diagnosed with leukaemia. Richard Mustard, 42, from Etherley Dene, died in the University Hospital of North Tees on Wednesday, January

  • LEAFs land on North-East shores

    THE first shipment of electric Nissan LEAFs bound for Europe has arrived today. The 67 eco-friendly cars arrived aboard the ‘City of St. Petersburg’, Nissan’s brand new energy-saving car carrier for transporting vehicles in Europe. The

  • Mini beasts set to invade libraries

    CREEPY crawlies and crazy critters are set to invade two south Durham libraries. Young visitors to Chilton and Newton Aycliffe libraries during the half-term holidays will come face-to-face with a selection of mini beasts. Rangers from Zoolab are visiting

  • Thieves target overhead power cables

    POLICE are increasing patrols in rural areas following a spate of thefts of overhead power cables. The latest incident involved 600 metres of live electricity wires being stolen from the roadside on Rumby Hill Lane in Crook, County Durham,

  • Standing on the corner

    Pictures of Howden-le-Wear evoke memories of teenage rites of passage, a first foray into the age of self-service shops and a quartet of local characters. HOWDEN-LE-WEAR must have been full of characters in its past, judging by the response

  • High hopes for hundreds of Darlington jobs

    Hopes are high that hundreds of jobs could be saved after the Government confirmed it would not be closing Mowden Hall. The centre, which employs 400 people, is a major regional hub for the Department for Education and the Department for Business

  • Home, sweet home

    St Teresa’s Hospice, in Darlington, began life as an idea in a letter to this newspaper. Twenty-five years later, it calls a well-connected house home. On November 26, 1985, a short letter appeared in The Northern Echo from Yvonne Rowe, of

  • New look Louisa Centre

    A LEISURE centre in north Durham has unveiled new family friendly facilities. A children’s adventure play area and a healthy eating bistro have been opened at The Louisa Centre in Stanley. Lindsay Tuck, chief executive of Leisureworks, which runs the

  • National date for girls' team

    A GIRLS’ netball team has qualified for a national finals. The under-14 squad from Durham High School for Girls, in Durham City, reached the finals of the National Schools Competition by finishing second in a North-East heat, held at Blue Flames sports

  • Northallerton chemical leak brought under control

    A CHEMICAL leak at a North Yorkshire business has been brought under control. The incident occurred at Standard Way industrial Estate in Northallerton and emergency services were called to the scene at 6am. A spokesman for North

  • New on-line service launched for military job hunters

    A MAJOR recruitment fair to help ex-military staff return to civilian life as cuts in the armed forces are made has launched a new on-line help service. The British Forces Resettlement Services (BFRS) has held a career transition and networking event

  • Second helpings of humour

    Sue Devaney chats to Viv Hardwick about taking on another tour of dinnerladies. THE dinnerladies of HWD Components, Manchester, are facing up to the recession with the news that their canteen is destined to close, which is not the most promising

  • MC hammers at door of fame

    Stand-up, radio presenting, TV stardom and a one-man musical are on the horizon for North- East comic Alife Joey. He talks to Viv Hardwick. ALFIE Joey might have the ideal name for stand-up comedy, but it’s his powers as a master of ceremonies

  • The best man for laughter

    Stephen K Amos talks to Viv Hardwick about the schoolboy diary which has helped him create a comedy tour and his hopes for a new series on BBC. DOES black comedian Stephen K Amos have an unfair advantage over his white brethren on the stand-up

  • Rowan’s rocking and rolling

    Director Rowan Joffe tells Steve Pratt about the unexpected criticism he’s faced over his new version of Brighton Rock. ROWAN Joffe is learning that you remake a well-regarded film at your peril. And there’s not a lot he can do about it, no matter

  • Rabbit Hole (12A)

    Stars: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Sandra Oh, Miles Teller Rating: *** DIRECTOR John Cameron Mitchell’s previous movies, sex change musical Hedwig And The Angry Inch and oh-so-explicit sex comedy Shortbus, hardly prepare

  • Brighton Rock (15)

    Stars: Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Andy Serkis, Phil Davis, Sean Harris Running time: 111 mins Rating: *** WRITER-director Rowan Joffe’s new big screen version of the Graham Greene novel is a perfectly respectable noirish

  • The Fighter (15)

    Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee Running time: 115 mins Rating: *** ROCKY, Million Dollar Baby and Raging Bull have shown that boxing movies can pull in cinema audiences. The decidedly downbeat The

  • Folk hero is back on the road

    Mike Harding talks to Viv Hardwick about his decision to start touring again after a 15 year gap and why the national folk awards on BBC Radio 2 are so important. IT’S taken Mike Harding 15 years to go back out on tour having opted to quit

  • Live and Unsigned

    AUDITIONS for the national Live and Unsigned 2011 have begun and arrived at the Journal Tyne Theatre Newcastle on Sunday. This is the UK’s biggest original music competition for bands, vocal groups and solo artists. All acts are auditioned live

  • February 3, 2011

    WHAT’S ON: Northern Sinfonia, The Sage Gateshead, 7.30pm, tomorrow. Peter Francomb playing Mozart’s Horn Concerto No 4. Box Office: 0191-443 4661. REVIEWS: Purcell, O Solitude (Decca 4782262) Countertenor Andreas Scholl puts his ravishing spin on

  • February 3, 2010

    WHAT’S ON: Tomorrow evening, Stan Tracey Duo and Trio; Saturday lunchtime, Young Red Onion Jazz Band, both at Darlington Arts Centre, 01325-486555; Wednesday, Djangologie, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, 01388-602610. CD REVIEWS: Stan Tracey Duo & Trio

  • February 3, 2011

    SINGER-songwriters Gretchen Peters, Suzy Bogguss and Matraca Berg are solo artists in their own right, who come together when schedules permit, to perform under the banner of Wine, Women and Song at The Sage Gateshead on June 12. Each one has contributed

  • February 3, 2011

    WHILE I’m enjoying a life on the ocean wave on my Celtic Music Cruise of the Caribbean, of which a full report next week, there’s still plenty going on back home I notice. Tonight, Skelton’s Duke William, home of the long-standing Cutty Wren folk

  • Extra Go!

    Ian Parton, founder of The Go! Team talks to Matt Westcott about sampling, playing live and the lost art of the trumpet. THOUGH he founded the band, Ian Parton insists there’s no I in Team. Of the six members of the Brighton-based outfit, he

  • Five minutes with... Bill Kenwright

    Theatre impresario and Everton FC chairman Bill Kenwright talks to Viv Hardwick about his current shows, such as The Wizard of Oz, and the enduring appeal of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which tours to the Sunderland Empire next

  • New to rent February 3, 2011

    Eat Pray Love (15) 134 mins Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentDVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99. IN Bali, magazine writer Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) visits healer and medicine man Ketut Liyer (Hadi Subiyanto) and is told she will lose all of her money then

  • Could my boys have survived?

    WHAT I love most about being a journalist is the fact that I get to meet lots of interesting people, people who so often have fascinating tales to tell. Occasionally, I meet someone whose story touches me deeply. I had such an encounter last week

  • Villagers' anger at opencast plan

    AROUND 60 villagers attended a public meeting to voice their anger at plans to dig opencast mines on greenbelt land. Councillors and residents spoke out against plans to mine two areas near Pittington, east of Durham City, at a meeting held in neighbouring

  • Kiss before lying

    EVERYONE in Albert Square is Moonstruck in EastEnders (BBC1). They’re virtually queuing up to snog new arrival Michael Moon. Vanessa and Roxy both fall for his charms. As Oscar Wilde very nearly said, To kiss one of Walford’s most glamorous blondes

  • The Comedy of Errors, Propeller at Newcastle Theatre Royal

    IN a city and a venue mourning the loss of its annual Royal Shakespeare Company season this year, this was the kind of feisty fillip that was required from director Ed Hall’s all-male company. The opening, featuring a Havana-style, mustachioed

  • March of time

    Marchlands (ITV1, 9pm); Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists (BBC2, 9pm). MISTRESSES star Shelley Conn is an international celebrity these days. She’s among the cast of ITV1’s new supernatural drama Marchlands, “attending” the London press launch

  • ‘Yes’ man

    Ian Ramsey was a beloved Bishop with a heart – whose work ethic would prove fatal. THE Church of England Men’s Society may not have expected to make the headlines, not even 40- odd years ago, not even (as happily was the case) when its diocesan

  • Old Man Luedecke, Stainton Village Hall, Barnard Castle

    FIRSTLY, let’s get one thing straight – Old Man Luedecke, real name Chris Luedecke – is not an old man, he’s a young man with an old soul; a cute, button-moon face, glasses and a mass of facial hair. His only old-man traits are a flat cap, a red

  • Divided Britain

    I’M now approaching my 87th birthday, more or less sitting in the undertaker’s waiting room, with little else to do other than make comparisons and generate personal opinions. Born into abject poverty, I, on leaving school at 14, was obliged to

  • Reunion call

    A REUNION of the former staff and students from Peterlee Grammar Technical School (PGTS), 1962-1978, has been arranged for Saturday, March 26, at Castle Eden Inn (7pm for 7.30pm). Tickets are available from me at the address below and from Peter

  • Poems for heroes

    FOR readers of The Northern Echo who feel passionate about the Help for Heroes campaign here’s a chance to wax poetic – and give our soldiers a boost. A competition to find the best Help for Heroes poem is being run by publishers United Press

  • Forestry sell-off

    THE proposed sale of some of our forests and all their amenities enjoyed by millions of us each year is being touted as a (short-sighted) cost-saving exercise. However, the amount of money is a mere drop in the ocean of our total deficit. Instead

  • Young shooters

    RE Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman’s call for a review of gun laws which mean there is no legal minimum age limit for shotgun licences (Echo, Jan 28). Firstly, to obtain a shotgun certificate a youngster must satisfy their constabulary they have

  • Egyptian uprising

    THERE is a good deal of uncertainty surrounding any change of regime brought about by the popular uprising in Egypt. It is possible a government led by the Muslim Brotherhood could take over, and that would have an unsettling effect in that

  • ‘The Gulf War stole my life’

    Twenty years on from the first Gulf War, veterans whose health was wrecked by the conflict claim they have been abandoned by the Government. Stuart Arnold reports. AT the age of 40, Steve says his life is already over. The father-of-one, who lives

  • Fight for our forests

    IT is clear from the many letters we have received that there is widespread opposition to the Government’s plans to privatise England’s forests. The Government says privatisation will raise £74.5m over the next five years – small beer in terms

  • Blundering Pickles has to go

    IT’S time for David Cameron to sack Eric Pickles, that boorish, blundering, battering ram he put in charge of local government. After nine months of insults, distortions and smears from the office of the Communities Secretary, council leaders have

  • Thorpe can still cut it

    THE coach who has steered Michael Phelps to 14 Olympic gold medals believes Ian Thorpe can still present a major threat to his charge’s chances of retaining his title in the 200metres freestyle at the London Olympics next year. Thorpe yesterday

  • Nicholls mob-handed in Grand National

    CHAMPION trainer Paul Nicholls has ten of the 102 initial entries for the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree in April. Saturday’s Cheltenham winner Neptune Collonges is joined by stablemates What A Friend, The Tother One, Tricky Trickster,

  • New Zealand experience was the making of Wood

    NORTHAMPTON flanker Tom Wood will make his England debut against Wales in tomorrow night’s RBS Six Nations showdown after following Martin Johnson’s route to the top. The 24-year-old will start on the blindside at the Millennium Stadium with

  • Hamilton to name manager

    LEWIS HAMILTON is poised to place the final piece of the jigsaw into his life that he hopes will also make it much easier. Hamilton was back on track yesterday for the first time since the final day of last season in Abu Dhabi when his faint

  • England injuries leave Strauss a bowler short

    CAPTAIN Andrew Strauss admitted England’s injury crisis had left him a bowler short as Australia completed their highest-ever run chase to win the sixth one-day international in Sydney by two wickets. Jonathan Trott hit a careerbest 137, from

  • Cooper demands immediate improvement

    HAVING been “let down” by the display against Luton Town on Tuesday, Darlington manager Mark Cooper is looking for his players to take their anger out on AFC Telford United in the FA Trophy this weekend. The 4-0 defeat was Quakers’ heaviest

  • Hines backs Boyd to prove himself

    AFTER finally hitting the 200th goal of a prolific career, Middlesbrough are hoping Kris Boyd can finally prove himself in the English league by firing them up the Championship table. Almost three months after last finding the net and having

  • Pools under pressure

    MICK WADSWORTH admits the pressure to end his side’s winless run is ever-growing. Tuesday’s 4-0 loss at Oldham means Pools have gone seven games without a win and have conceded an alarming 15 goals in their last four away games in league and

  • Liverpool 2 Stoke City 0

    Liverpool 2 Stoke City 0 LUIS SUAREZ scored on his debut as Liverpool concluded a turbulent few days with a valuable victory over Stoke. The Uruguayan slotted home the Reds’ second goal in front of the Kop to ensure Fernando Torres’ £50m move

  • Warning over cancer risk

    STAFF at a private hospital have been raising awareness about one of the most common cancers in young women. Employees at BMI Woodlands Hospital, in Darlington, have been involved in a week of raising awareness for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week,

  • Fulham 1 Newcastle United 0

    Fulham 1 Newcastle United 0 FIRST Newcastle United decided to sell Andy Carroll for an incredible £35m, then they failed to replace him before the transfer window had shut. After the unwanted distraction of having to take part in the blame

  • School gets grant to help sporting ambitions

    A SCHOOL with ambitions of becoming one of the UKs leading sports colleges is set to get an extra 50,000 to aid the first stage of its transformation. Darlington Borough Council are likely to release the money to help fund Longfield Schools all-weather

  • End of road for popular lollipop man

    A POPULAR lollipop man, who has spent 13 years helping children in Darlington cross the road safely, has retired. Jimmy Sykes has worked for Darlington Borough Council as a school crossing patrol officer since 1998, covering various crossing points

  • Eco-transport plan set for approval

    A PLAN to support Darlington's plans for economic growth while encouraging greater use of eco-friendly transport looks likely to get the go-ahead. The final version of the town's third local transport plan focuses on convincing people to use public

  • Police rubbish Claudia Lawrence 'crossbow cannibal' links

    POLICE have dismissed a national newspaper story which has claimed that they are questioning 'crossbow cannibal' Stephen Griffiths over the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence. The York chef vanished two years ago and today's Daily Mirror said

  • Firm wins Metro work

    A COMMERCIAL property company has won a contract to provide services across the Tyne and Wear Metro system’s network of 60 stations. Lambert Smith Hampton has been awarded the estate management contract on behalf of DB Regio Tyne and Wear,

  • Event will offer Olympic contract advice

    YORKSHIRE businesses are to be given advice on winning contracts for the £700m worth of goods and services being procured for the Olympic Games in London next year. Richard Beail, nations and regions manager for the London Organising Committee

  • Rowing team near to beating record

    AN elite group of rowers is closing in on a world record after an arduous journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Team Hallin, which includes four Durham University graduates, has powered into the last week of its epic physical and mental endurance

  • Travellers say ‘disastrous’ cuts spell the end of buses

    TWO councils have come under fire from a national charity for making what have been described as disastrous cuts to bus services. Hartlepool and North Yorkshire councils feature in a list of the ten authorities in the country slashing bus services

  • Inspections for estates

    COUNTY Durham industrial estates are to be the focus of an intensive week of inspections by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The inspections, which will also involve Durham County Council, will take place on estates in Derwentside and

  • Businesswoman cries foul over sexism row

    ONE of the country’s most high-profile businesswomen has called for Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray to be reinstated after the pair left their jobs over the football sexism row. Michelle Mone, founder and co-owner of MJM International

  • Market report

    RENEWED economic optimism helped the FTSE 100 Index push past the 6000 mark yesterday, despite profit taking on America’s top share index. News of a rebound in the UK construction sector added to cheer over upbeat manufacturing data in both

  • ‘Tax banks to pay for local investment’

    BANKS should be taxed more so that the North-East does not miss out on major projects in future, the shadow business secretary said. John Denham, who will be in the region today, said that the taxes could be used to invest in the sort of projects

  • Boxing clever for drug test packaging

    A NORTH-EAST design firm has played an integral role in preparing science for sale across the world. Pulse Creative Marketing, which previously produced promotional material such as folders, posters and stationery for Sunderland pharmacutical

  • Barclaycard staff told jobs are at risk in overseas move

    STAFF at a North-East Barclaycard centre are among hundreds nationally facing losing their jobs. Barclaycard yesterday said it had started a 90-day consultation that could see the loss of 288 jobs in the UK and some work moved overseas. It

  • Food for thought

    A COUNTY Durham food firm has secured overseas investment to support its expansion in the diet and nutrition sector. Consett-based Tanfield Food Company, the brainchild of entrepreneur Roger McKechnie, has received £700,000 from Swiss venture

  • National Lottery correction

    THE winning Thunderball number for last night's National Lottery draw has been incorrectly printed in The Northern Echo today. The correct winning numbers are 6, 11, 16, 23, 37 and the Thunderball is 13 - not 11 as printed. We apologise

  • Setback keeps Catts out for another month

    SUNDERLAND have been rocked by another injury blow after skipper Lee Cattermole was ruled out for at least another month. Cattermole, who has not made a senior appearance since December's 2-0 defeat to Blackpool, is struggling with a long-standing back

  • Sunderland youngster back in Under-21s

    SUNDERLAND midfielder Jordan Henderson has been omitted from the senior England squad for next week's friendly in Denmark. Henderson, who won his maiden senior international cap as Fabio Capello's side slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to France

  • Bereavement website is for much-loved memories

    A HOSPICE is helping grieving relatives create free interactive memorials to their lost loved ones. Butterwick Hospice Care has teamed up with online memorial charity, muchloved. com to help bereaved friends and family members build personal

  • Video - Chemical spill alert in Northallerton

    FIRE crews are dealing with a chemical spill in Northallerton, North Yorkshire. The incident is at Standard Way industrial Estate and emergency services were called to the scene at 6am. "The incident was made up to make pumps

  • Club’s £3k fees spark row over expenses

    A UNIVERSITY has defended its vice-chancellor after it emerged he claimed more than £3,000 in expenses for his membership of an exclusive London social club. Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that Professor Andrew Wathey

  • Eight years for rape and gross indecency

    A MAN has tried to quell his sexual desires for children since committing offences on both boys and girls, a court heard. Peter White, 39, was yesterday jailed for eight years after admitting raping a girl, as well as committing acts of gross

  • ‘Labour plans to drop rail link scheme’

    LABOUR is preparing to abandon its commitment to building high-speed rail lines from London to the North – because of delays to hugely expensive schemes in the capital. Maria Eagle, the party’s transport spokeswoman, revealed she was considering

  • BA man admits terror charges

    AN Islamic extremist was encouraged to stay in his British Airways job and become a managing director of a UK terror team rather than become a martyr, a court heard yesterday. Foreign terror chiefs viewed Rajib Karim’s position as a computer

  • Animal training for fire crews

    IT’S not exactly the cat up a tree scenario, but firefighters are being trained how to deal with animals in need of rescue. Firefighters from County Durham and Darlington are receiving lessons at the Houghall campus of East Durham College.

  • Cabinet to vote on where axe will fall

    DIAL-A-RIDE bus services, three community centres and a library could be axed if £5.47m package of cuts is approved by a North-East council. Hartlepool Borough Council’s cabinet will be asked to vote in favour of the cuts next week, in response

  • College to make 171 staff redundant

    A NORTH-EAST college is making 171 staff redundant. Newcastle College, which attracts students from across Tyneside and County Durham, announced the job cuts yesterday. Dame Jackie Fisher, chief executive of the Newcastle College group, said

  • Arts to take centre stage during discussions

    LEADING figures from across the region will meet today to discuss the future of the arts and culture in the light of the current financial climate. The meeting, at Darlington Arts Centre, has been organised by the Association of North-East Councils

  • 10,000 state jobs at risk

    MORE than 10,000 public sector jobs in the region have been axed or are at risk because of the Government spending cuts, union leaders said last night. The GMB union said 9,214 North-East posts, along with 940 in North Yorkshire, were under

  • Raoul Moat duo were ‘willing accomplices’

    A SERIES of text messages reveal how Raoul Moat’s former business partner helped him carry out the “calmly delivered execution” of his love rival, a court heard. Karl Ness, 26, was waiting nearby in a white van when Moat gunned down karate instructor

  • Shock bills ‘end housing hopes’

    COUNCILS already reeling from savage budget cuts have been landed with massive bills as part of a complex shake-up in housing finance – and given just a year to pay up. The shock move, which effectively ends hopes of any new council housing for

  • Fanning: The experience will do us good

    Northallerton manager Mark Fanning was delighted with his side’s showing at First Division Newcastle Benfield in the League Cup on Wednesday night. The second division outfit led 1-0 at half time and were level at 1-1 with seven minutes remaining, before

  • Those shedplates in full

    THIS morning's Memories has a bit on shed plates - it's a railway thing. I can't make out the shed plate on the G5 picture which has featured in the column a couple of times now, but I clearly made a mistake when I said Darlington was shed number

  • Is this the end of our woods?

    NEWS of a sell-off of England’s public forests has prompted The Northern Echo to launch a campaign to prevent their privatisation after a huge public outcry. So what is actually going on? Q What are the plans regarding the forests? A

  • Forests under threat

    OPPOSITION to the Government’s plan to sell off thousands of acres of the region’s woodland is growing, after politicians, community groups and celebrities attacked the proposal. The privatisation of Forestry Commission woodland would raise