Spanish Art in County Durham edited by Clare Baron and Andy Beresford (Auckland Castle Trust Trading, £16)THIS is a sumptuous book produced by Auckland Castle, Bowes Museum and Durham University to commemorate the extraordinarily rich collection of Spanish
DARLINGTON’S Labour council has defended accusations from its Tory opposition that it is leading the authority into bankruptcy.A full council meeting this evening (Thursday, February 26) saw a council tax increase of 1.99 per cent approved, along with
A MAN who escaped jail for handling a disabled girl’s stolen bicycle remains at liberty despite a subsequent careless driving conviction.Steven Anthony Henley received a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, with probation supervision, at Consett
EDUCATION chiefs insist there are enough spare places at good or outstanding local schools to accommodate the 94 pupils of Durham Free School (DFS) once the under-fire Christian academy closes in just four weeks' time.Barring a last-minute reprieve for
A WILDLIFE trust is appealing for people to help support its spring otter surveyFor the past two years, volunteer surveyors from Durham Wildlife Trust have been going out over the last weekend in April to look for otters and their field signs. There is
A NEW programme to encourage people to experience walking in Teesdale has been launched.The Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership is organising a series of free guided walks in the area which will be held on the second Sunday of every month from now
SIX places in the region have been named in the top 50 Best Places to Live in the Countryside by The Sunday Times.Barnard Castle was the only place in County Durham named, while Helmsley, Runswick Bay, Welburn, were recognised in North Yorkshire and Bamburgh
INSPECTORS found hams hanging from a rafter that was covered in bird droppings when they visited a popular restaurant in York city centre.The find was in a storage garage for the Italian restaurant Il Paradiso del Cibo in Walmgate.At York Magistrates
A MAN had his nose broken after he was punched in the face outside a railway station.The 18-year-old was hit outside Newcastle Central railway station just after 3.30am on Sunday January 21, but an appeal has only recently been issued by police.The attack
OVERNIGHT queues are expected to form outside a theatre next week, when tickets to a legendary Christmas pantomime go on sale.Although spring has barely arrived, avid fans of Berwick Kaler’s York Christmas productions are expected to queue patiently through
NEWCASTLE FALCONS have strengthened their scrum-half options with the signing of Tonga international Sonatane Takulua. The 24-year-old number nine has joined with immediate effect, and will remain with Falcons until the end of next season.
PUPILS joined university students for an annual fun run to raise money for charity.Over 900 children from local schools met with students from Durham University at the Maiden Castle sports centre in Durham City today (Thursday, February 26).Organised
MIDDLESBROUGH has one of the highest rates of children in care in the country, an independent report has revealed.The town is in the top ten for the number of looked-after children with a rate of 117 children per 10,000 in that category.Consultants Peopletoo
FIRE crews County Durham and Darlington dealt with 14 incidents during a recent 24-hour strike. A 24-hour period of national industrial action was held by Fire Brigades Union (FBU) from 7am on Wednesday, February 25 to 7am on Thursday, February 26. The
A SCHEME to encourage young people to enter arts journalism will return to a North-East theatre for a second time. Theatre Cloud will allow budding reporters, aged beween 17 and 30, special access to the forthcoming production of Arthur Miller's A View
TOWNSPEOPLE are preparing to spend the night sleeping on the streets to raise awareness of a homeless charity for young people.Safe and Sound Homes helps prevent young people from becoming homeless by offering them a room in the home of a volunteer.The
PLANS are in place to help a North-East city centre cope with thousands of visitors attending demonstrations and football this weekend.German anti-Islam group Pegida are marching in Newcastle on Saturday and Newcastle Unites is holding a counter demo.Meanwhile
SOME of the leading bowls players in the country will converge on County Durham next month as Stanley Indoor Bowls Club hosts the International Series and British Isles Series events. More than a week of top-class bowls action will begin on Friday
POPULAR cook, entrepreneur and musician Levi Roots will be appearing at this year’s Malton Food Lovers Festival.Levi burst onto television screens on BBC’s Dragons’ Den in 2007 strumming a guitar and singing about his Reggae Reggae sauce. For this year
ELITE cycle racing will return to Durham in the spring, it has been announced. The Pearl Izumi Tour Series will again hold one of its stages in the historic city, it was confirmed today (Thursday, February 26).The team-based race, which attracts some
STUDENTS have put on their running shoes to raise more than £1,000 for good causes.Nine Durham University students completed the Great North West half-marathon in Blackpool on Sunday (February 22).The students, all members of Van Mildert College’s junior
A MOTHER has told of her eight-month nightmare facing a prison sentence after injuring one of a group of five youths giving her son a "horrible beating."Samantha Firth-Corner, 43, said she stepped in to save her eldest son, Daniel, from a teenage
AN MP who has supported residents’ in their fight against multiple housing developments in a North East village is delivering their petition to Westminster.Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson will take the petition signed by more than 1,000 Middleton St George
YOUNGSTERS have been taking part in a Cluedo-style mystery after discovering the school’s trophy cabinet had been “ransacked.”The pupils from St Wilfrid’s RC Primary School, in Bishop Auckland, have been using their literacy skills to discover which of
NEARLY a year ago a star-studded fundraising event brought together family, friends, musicians, comedians, football greats and admirers to remember Sir Bobby Robson on the night he would have turned 80. Now the people who made Sir Bobby Robson
THE fight to save a breast cancer clinic at a North-East hospital has been stepped up after a petition was launched.Councillor Sam Zair wants to gather public opinion about a proposal to have the screening facility based at Darlington Memorial Hospital
THE owners of a delicatessen which stocks 2,000 different products have spoken of their surprise after being named Britain’s Best Small Shop.Former farmers Chris and Christine Garnett said they were left speechless after being handed the accolade for
A TEENAGE girl thought to have been sexually exploited by Asian men should be placed in secure accommodation for her own safety, a family judge has ruled.Judge Simon Wood, who analysed the case at a family court hearing in Newcastle, said the 17-year-old
A NORTH-EAST opera group will be joining forces with Durham University students to put on a workshop performance of Verdi’s Nabucco.The concert will be staged by the Tees Valley-based Opera Nova at The Penthouse, Collingwood College, Durham, at 5.30pm
ORGANISERS of an informal networking initiative are to raise funds for local good causes with their latest event.Since the Thirsty Thursday initiative was launched for businesses and individuals in Stokesley in November, more than 60 organisations have
A FLOWER festival will return for a second year this summer.The second annual Durham Flower Festival will be held at East Durham College's Houghall campus, near Durham City, on August 29 and 30.There will be competition categories including flowers, floral
DARLINGTON’S former Conservative MP Michael Fallon made a return to the town today (Thursday, February 26) on a ministerial visit to the North East, describing the seat as “easily winnable” for his party in the forthcoming General Election. Mr
A GROUP of Prince’s Trust students have been getting their hands dirty to improve the grounds of a Sure Start children’s centre.The eight-strong group of 17 to 25-year-olds from County Durham have spent the last ten days working in the garden at the Haughton
LABOUR has launched its election manifesto for the North-East which aims to create greater investment in order to boost prosperity for residents and businesses alike.The Our North-East: Our Vision for the Future of the North-East of England was unveiled
A NORTH-EAST academy has been judged as “outstanding” following a visit from Government inspectors.Ofsted visited Eldon Grove Academy in Hartlepool earlier this month as part of a national programme of school inspection.The school, which has 481 pupils
CITY chiefs say Durham students did a fantastic job of keeping their course mates safe on the first night of a new riverside angels support scheme.The first 16 from a newly trained, 50-strong volunteer force took to the streets of Durham to help their
POLICE say nothing significant was found during a search of an alleyway behind Claudia Lawrence’s home, but still feel the lead they were exploring is significant.Detectives with North Yorkshire Police’s Major Crime Unit say they are reviewing their findings
SIX prolific burglars who snatched property worth more than £85,000 in a crime spree across northern England have been jailed.A woolly hat helped collar the Manchester-based gang, which targeted commercial premises across County Durham, Cumbria and North
A DEER herd in North Yorkshire has been confirmed as having TB – with the farmer working with authorities to eradicate the disease for the last three years.Roger and Julia Clutterbuck, who farm at Hornby Castle, near Bedale, first spotted signs of the
A GROUND-BREAKING £6m scheme has been launched in North Yorkshire to radically alter the way adolescents in care are supported.The No Wrong Door scheme is designed to improve the life chances of looked-after children and reduce the numbers who end up
AN ARMY veteran will be in a Darlington this weekend to recruit fundraisers to take part in an iconic bike ride.Justin Henderson and a colleague from Phoenix House, the Help for Heroes recovery centre, in Catterick, will be in the Cornmill Shopping Centre
FORMER footballer Clarke Carlisle has announced he is set to launch a mental health charity, months after attempting to commit suicide.The ex-Leeds United and York City defender said the Clarke Carlisle Foundation for Dual Diagnosis would be launched
BEER-lovers are getting the chance to raise a few pints and boost charity coffers at the same time.The annual Harrogate Charity Beer Festival, organised by the local Round Table, is being held at the town’s Crown Hotel from March 12 to 14.More than 25
A TRIBUTE to an iconic Mini made famous by The Beatles’ Penny Lane promotional film will go under the hammer in North Yorkshire this summer.Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn will auction a Penny Mini – covered with old English pennies – in the automobilia
FREEMASONS have given a helping hand to support people living with lymphoma in the region.The Durham Masonic Benevolent Fund has presented £500 to the Lymphoma Association’s Teesside support group.Chairman of Durham Benevolence, John Webster, presented
THERE could be night-time dancing in the streets if city bosses get the go-ahead for ambitious festival plans.City centre streets in York could host evening events, music, dancing and open air bars if the proposal gets the go ahead.The local council has
“IT is not remuneration, it is not a recompense, it is not even a salary; it is purely an allowance to enable us to open the door to great and honourable public service,” said the Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George, in 1911.He was introducing
A ONE-ARMED dog breeder and a family friend will stand trial later this year over an alleged attack by seven of his American bull dogs. The dogs are said to have turned on a lone Staffordshire bull terrier being walked by its owner’s father on
A TRIBUTE band playing the hits of T-Rex is coming to north Durham.T.Rextasy is bringing its I Love To Boogie show to the Empire Theatre in Consett on Saturday, March 21.Hits of 70s glam rock band include 20th Century Boy, Ride a White Swan, Children
VOLUNTEERS are needed to make prison visits a bit less daunting for the families and children of young inmates.Regional charity Nepacs hopes to recruit more people to help in the visitor and family support centre at HMYOI Deerbolt near Barnard Castle.Staff
Some 73% of fresh shop-bought chickens are contaminated with the food poisoning bug campylobacter, and almost a fifth have tested positive at the highest level, results show. The Food Standards Agency's cumulative results from the first three quarters
INDIVIDUALS and organisations are being offered a special training course to help them take the first steps to organising sports and physical activities for disabled youngsters.The Inclusive Community Training Programme is part of the Sainsbury’s and
A NEWLY-ELECTED youth MP and her deputy have got down to their first official business by meeting the most powerful councillors in her town.Jess Hugill, 16, a pupil at Conyers School in Yarm, was recently elected as Stockton borough's member of the Youth
MORE than £4m owed to Teesside taxpayers has been written-off in unrecoverable debt for council tax and housing benefit and other sundry debts since 2012, The Northern Echo can reveal.That figure is likely to be far higher by the end of the financial
Saturday’s game at Prescot is the start of a busy month of away fixtures for us. After our trip across the M62 on Saturday, we’re away to Droylsden next Saturday, then we’re away in midweek to Mossley on March 17th, Clitheroe on the 24th and New
AN airman has been recognised for his “outstanding” contribution to his service – by one of the oldest merchant guilds in the country.Corporal James Targar, 33, from Carlton Miniott near Thirsk, serves as a communications technician at RAF Linton-on-Ouse
A NEW learning skills centre for adults with disabilities has been opened in Bishop Auckland.The Innovations Skills Centre Station, in Westgate Road, Bishop Auckland, was officially launched on Wednesday, February 25.It provides facilities to allow those
A SCHOOL celebrated a big date in its 400-year history when building of new multi-million pound facilities officially began.A ground-breaking ceremony at Wolsingham School and Community College today (Thursday, February 26) marked the start of the £6.1m
If anyone thought that another scathing report by MPs into the Coalition’s academies policy might put its expansion on ice, the prime minister has quickly proved them wrong. In a recent speech laying out the Conservative’s education policy ahead of
HI-TECH pupils have engineered their way into the finals of a regional competition earlier this month after building their own robot.Matthew Crow, Toby Hansom, both 13, and fellow teammates Ethan Stephenson, James Sinclair, Joseph Beadle and Curtis Raine
FURTHER allegations over the quality of care at a nursing home have been made by families upset about how their elderly relatives have been treated. Hillview Nursing Home, at Eston, near Middlesbrough, has already been told by the industry's watchdog
POLICE are attempting to track down the relatives of a man who died who is originally from North Yorkshire.John Brady, who was 42, died at his home in Rochdale on February 17 and there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. He is believed
TRIBUTES are being paid to a long-serving councillor who has died at the age of 71.Rob Johnson, a former chairman of Richmondshire District Council, died in hospital on Wednesday, February 24, after a long illness. He is survived by his widow Teresa.He
A FORMER steelworker has admitted benefit fraud after he failed to tell his local council he was in receipt of an occupational pension. Graham George pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court to two charges of making a false representation in respect
A MAN charged with wounding a fellow motorist in an alleged “road rage” incident has had his case adjourned.Sean O’Hagan, 19, of Thames Road, Redcar, did not enter a plea during a short hearing at Teesside Crown Court.Prosecutor Sue Jacobs said some of
A RUGBY League side preparing for the sport’s Magic Weekend in the North-East hopes to garner local support with a charitable gesture.Widnes Vikings have unveiled a special Super League Magic Weekend jersey in Newcastle United’s black and white stripes
A WOMAN has been banned from driving for five years after being caught drink driving three times in just over two months.Zara Amjad, 34, was also jailed for 22 months, suspended for two years, after admitting the charges.Amjad, of Alwen Avenue, Huddersfield
FIVE generations of the same family came together to celebrate a milestone anniversary.Billy Carter, from Darlington, was surrounded by his family – which spans five generations – as he celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday (Wednesday, February 25).To
A POPULAR alderman and former deputy mayor has died, aged 83.Ron Dickie was Deputy Mayor of Durham in 2008-09, but did not become Mayor the following year, as tradition dictated, because Durham City Council, of which he was a member, ceased to exist as
Broton supermoto ace Davey Todd is about to embark on his first year in the highly competitive Thundersport GB road racing series which will take him to circuits the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. 19 year old Davey from Brotton, North
I WISH to advise readers of a very strange, but remarkably ordinary, visit that occurred last Saturday morning at my home in Durham City. I was visited by one of the three councillors who serves on the county council for my area. It was part of
WHILE in Scarborough on a short hotel break, I had a medical problem which required an ambulance call-out at 7.30am. A fast response team arrived within four minutes and an ambulance arrived within six. Having carried out their tests, it was decided
I COULD not help feeling a certain amount of schadenfreude after reading that Planning Inspector Harold Stephens had slammed the County Durham Plan (Echo, Feb 19). Durham County Council has wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds on this white elephant
ONCE again we read that the Durham and Darlington NHS hospitals are going to spend millions on extending their A&E departments (Echo, Feb 26). Why are they doing this when there is an A&E closed down nearby at Bishop Auckland hospital?
IT was no great prophecy, but it was foretold that after the last election, those who defended the Labour legacy of ruin would blame the incoming “Tory” government for the hardship that was necessary to fix it. They duly did. Editorials of their
YOUNGSTERS and adults are joining forces to stage a musical spectacular for a good cause.Northallerton College choir will perform with students from the Allertonshire School, the college Jazz Orchestra and the town’s Male Voice Choir in a two hour spectacular.And
THE owners of a medieval hall are having a clear-out sale ahead of a new visitor centre opening in April.Keith and Maggie Bell say they have accumulated various curious during their 20 years at Crook Hall and Gardens visitor attraction and want to sell
Consett’s new manager Colin Myers believes that the Steelmen are well placed to achieve their ambitions. Myers, who has managed in the league before at Bishop Auckland and been assistant manager at Shildon, agreed last week to take on the task
JOHN CARVER has promoted Jonas Gutierrez to the match-day squad for Newcastle United’s home game with Aston Villa on Saturday, and is set to name the Argentinian winger on the substitutes’ bench. Gutierrez has not figured in the first-team picture
THE three jihadi schoolgirls heading for Syria headlined the six o'clock BBC1 news for two days. Mainly the subject has been who is to blame: teachers, parents, police, the airline? No, these are supposedly clever A grade students who had the intelligence
I AM sick of the “hooray Henry” students from the Home Counties who continue to blame anyone but themselves for the tragic deaths in the River Wear over the past two years. They blame the lack of lighting and fences, and don't see why they should moderate
MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Aitor Karanka admitted his decision to reward Dimi Konstantopoulos with a contract extension was an "easy" one. The 36-year-old Greek goalkeeper, who was named Ramsdens Player of the Month for January, has been rewarded
A CHARITY has launched a free initiative to stimulate adults who feel they are spending too much time on their own with little to do.Time For Time, which is being funded by North Yorkshire County Council, will include informative presentations and guest
JIMMY Savile licked a nurse's hand during a visit to a North-East hospital but she did not report it to her bosses, an investigation found. Other members of staff at Bensham Hospital in Gateshead recalled he kissed their hands and said he was "
A HOME offering residential and dementia care says it is launching a new approach and rebranding under the name Brighterkind. Leeming Bar Grange Care Home, near Bedale, one of 26 Brighterkind homes throughout England and Scotland, forms part of the Four
RAILWAY enthusiasts savoured a moment in history when coaches from the Wensleydale Railway took to the main line when they went for specialist maintenance.The coaches pulled by a green class 47 engine were caught on camera at platform 11 on York station
YOUR use of the 1886 picture of Durham on the front of Saturday's Echo Memories (Echo, Feb 21) prompted several thoughts in relation to the current furore regarding student safety. The photographer had posed the six boys and the older lady on the
TWO men who stole charity collection boxes from a fish and chip shop they burgled have both been jailed. Edward Watson and Kenneth Ross were said to be responsible for a spate of burglaries in Helmsley after they became stranded overnight in the
A CANDIDATE contesting the Richmond seat at the general election has told how his official Facebook page was off-line for two weeks after being 'hacked'. Independent John Blackie says internet vandals prevented him and other administrators from
POLICE have successfully retained more than £100,000 seized from a suspected drug dealer or courier. The suspect was identified as being part of a drug ring during investigations by Durham Police’s specialist crime operations unit. It followed
VISITORS to a North-East opticians can pick up a pair of novelty glasses for Red Nose Day.Specsavers, in Darlington, is selling the comedy glasses for a minimum donation of £3 to raise money for Comic Relief. The opticians became an official partner of
A 1,000-JOB retail expansion will make a North-East site a “destination of choice” for shoppers, it has been claimed. Dalton Park, near Murton, County Durham, is carrying out a £45m extension. The venue will be developed to include a seven-screen
A FOLK festival that has run in Darlington for three decades will not be taking place this year.The Spring Thing festival has been a firm fixture in Darlington’s music scene for the last 30 years but since it lost its base at the Arts Centre in 2012,
STUDENTS have become regional pathfinders in a pilot initiative looking at community travel issues.Darlington School of Mathematics and Science is working with Darlington Borough Council’s Local Motion project on a range of school travel issues.Subjects
A HOMELESS charity has been given a helping hand in the form of a £7,500 donation. The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) has given the money to the 700 Club, which provides hotel and emergency accommodation to homeless people in Darlington, as well
It's blast-off time for 25 years of a musical which changed to course of theatre history. Viv Hardwick talks to creator Bob Carlton and skating star Frido Ruth PART of the appeal of the musical Return To The Forbidden Planet, which celebrates its
Should a father support his children until they are independent? Of course.Should a man support his ex-wife for ever? Of course not.When Tracey Wright’s ex husband wanted to reduce his maintenance payments as he approached retirement, she challenged
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Chasing Yesterday TAKING on production duties himself has given former Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher the freedom to mix things up on Chasing Yesterday – his second solo album. Riverman, a song Gallagher reckons
On a snowy February night, Joe Willis finds a warm welcome waiting in Ainderby Steeple WORD of mouth is so important when finding somewhere decent to eat. And when a recommendation comes from someone 'in the industry' it would possibly be churlish
Film: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Certificate: PG Running time: 122 mins Certificate: 4/5 TOWARDS the end of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a secret inspector is asked for an honest assessment of Jaipur's luxury development
Film: It Follows Certificate: 15 Running time: 100 mins Star rating: 4/5 IN Wes Craven's post-modern 1996 slasher Scream, a geeky cinephile played by Jamie Kennedy detailed the universally accepted rules for surviving a horror film.
THEY'RE slap happy in Emmerdale (ITV1) as the village gossips go into overdrive about Alicia and her teenage admirer Leering Lachlan. The lad has been stalking and spying on Alicia for some months. He'd been watching porn on his laptop and decided
NINE informal complaints were made about paedophile Jimmy Savile but none "were either taken seriously or escalated to senior management", a report into his abuse of 60 victims there has found. A formal complaint about the depraved children's entertainer
The Unthanks are a five-piece band from Northumberland who have released their eighth album Mount The Air. We spoke to Rachel Unthank, singer and wife of other band member Adrian McNally What are you doing to prepare for the tour? Well I've
Singing star got the idea for her show from her many disastrous dates, before meeting Mr Right SINGER, actress and presenter Claire Sweeney talks about Sex In Suburbia, the new production touring to Sunderland, Whitley Bay, and York this spring
TARRING us all with the same big, clumsy brush has always been one of the concerns surrounding the on-going debate over press regulation – and John Cleese is becoming chief tar-brusher. As much as I admire his work, Cleese is in danger of becoming
THIS is the McLaren 675LT.The Longtail coupe will, says McLaren, be the most track-focused, yet road legal, model the company makes. The sprint from nought to 62mph takes just 2.9 seconds, while top speed is 205mph.The first images of the car demonstrate
A real-life Del Boy is on the run after it emerged that a dodgy market trader had been selling perfume labelled “Chamele No 5”. The bottles on sale for £10 at a market in Croydon were fake versions of the world-famous “Chanel No 5” and the trader
The Government’s free schools agenda is another attempt to de-stabilise the school system and could eventually lead to privatisation, argues Professor Bridget Cooper FREE schools, like the ones in Durham and Sunderland which have been placed into
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers may have left eight players at home but he remains confident what remains of his squad can get the job done against Besiktas this evening. The Reds return to the Ataturk Stadium, venue for their famous 2005 Champions
Wales star Leigh Halfpenny might have moved his rugby life from Cardiff to the Cote d'Azur - but there remains plenty of common ground.In one obvious sea-change, Halfpenny's training recovery routine these days often revolves around a dip in the Mediterranean
Radical suggestions to press for the shortening of Test matches and one-day internationals will come under consideration by the England and Wales Cricket Board this year.The governing body confirmed yesterday the existence of a document, quoted by Cricinfo
Rory McIlroy makes his 2015 PGA Tour debut in this week's Honda Classic, an event which has brought out the best - and worst - in the world number one in recent years.McIlroy won the tournament in 2012 to become world number one for the first time, but
ROYAL Bank of Scotland racked up another big annual loss today as it confirmed its chief executive is to forgo a £1 million slice of his pay packet. The group, which is 80 per cent owned by the taxpayer, posted a deficit of £3.5 billion, although
The working group that is supporting fan ownership of Leeds has welcomed apparent interest from Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe in the club.New Zealand-born Crowe caused a stir amongst Leeds fans on Wednesday when he asked his 1.6m Twitter followers
A COUPLE have been left devastated after they returned home from a family funeral to find their home ransacked and sentimental jewellery missing. Alan and Linda Breden think they may have disturbed the thieves when they got back at about 10.30pm
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hit out at the "weak mentality" and "suicidal defending" of his side as a 3-1 home defeat to Monaco left them on the brink of elimination from the Champions League.The French side, whom Gunners boss Arsene
WATCHING Robson Green at Duridge Bay on ITV's More Tales of Northumberland when the skinny dippers were changing reminded me of a day more than 55 year ago when I was on the beach at Crimdon Dene. My grandfather was the second person to have a
FIFA's general secretary Jerome Valcke has claimed UEFA and most of the confederations want December 23 as the date for the Qatar 2022 World Cup final - but that no decision has been made and no compensation will be paid.A FIFA task force on Tuesday recommended
Alan White’s second of the season has earned the wrath of Darlington manager Martin Gray. The experienced defender will serve a two-game ban having been dismissed during Tuesday’s defeat at Farsley, just five games since he saw red at Salford City
ON Monday hundreds of workers gathered at the Sita Sembcorp plant, Wilton, to protest against low pay. The Unite union said that protestors were concerned about foreign workers being used to undercut the wages of local workers. Unite supports
GEORGE FRIEND has laughed off suggestions that Middlesbrough are suffering a “wobble”, and paid tribute to the club’s defensive young guns for keeping the ongoing promotion push on track. Having picked up one point from matches against Birmingham
A MAN who had to be cut from his car after it was involved in a collision and landed on its roof escaped without serious injury, police have this morning confirmed. The A68 between Witton-le-Wear and Fir Tree, near Bishop Auckland, was shut for
AN ASIAN man on a day trip to Redcar has spoken of his horror after he was dragged from a cafe by police accusing him of being a terrorist. Bish Sharif had only been in town for 30 minutes when he was thrown in a police van and told he was being
England must enter Sunday's RBS 6 Nations title showdown against Ireland without their most ferocious competitor after Mike Brown was ruled out of the Dublin encounter with concussion.Brown was knocked unconscious during an accidental collision in the
England's bid to reach the World Cup quarter-finals is likely to rest on their next two group games during which all-rounder Moeen Ali is confident they can prove they are a "major side".After belatedly getting off the mark with a 119-run win
WHO is your North-East hero? Newcastle International Airport is calling on people from across the region to put forward suggestions of local heroes and celebrities to appear on a wall of fame in its soon-to-open Bar 11.The wall aims to recognise anyone
THE victim of a besotted boyfriend from hell she met on an internet dating site has told other women: "Avoid him." Anthony Bradley is starting a 32-month prison sentence for smashing up her home after she ended their brief relationship. The
“I STRONGLY suspect that there will be more scandals in the industry, but they won’t involve us,” said the boss of a North-East lender which is quietly rebuilding the tattered image of financial services. Newcastle Building Society said its determination
ADAM JOHNSON has called for video technology to assist referees after the Sunderland winger’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside last weekend.Johnson would have scored the winner against West Bromwich Albion had linesman Constantine Hatzidakis
THE next Government must set higher ambitions to help manufacturers grow and increase the UK’s power in a reformed EU, an organisation has claimed.The EEF, which champions the manufacturing industry, says ministers must end negative debates ahead of the
SINCE I’ve retired I have invested in a rocking chair and I can thoroughly recommend this indulgence. I ponder a great deal as I rock and the Government hasn’t yet found a way to tax this particular activity. I could whittle but, with my past record
CHANGES to a restrictive covenant, Sport England funding and a car park extension will be debated by councillors when they are asked to give their backing to a series of measures to support the development of a rugby ground.Darlington Borough Council
AN MP has pledged to do all she can to help a struggling academy to recover three months after a highly critical Ofsted report. Jenny Chapman, Labour MP for Darlington, offered her support to the staff and pupils of St Aidan’s Academy in Hundens
HEALTH bosses have revealed plans to “significantly” expand capacity at under pressure accident and emergency departments in the North-East. New statistics published yesterday revealed that the Durham, Darlington and Tees areas experienced the
