West Auckland missed a chance to go back to the top of the table when they were beaten 2-1 at Whitley Bay tonight. West had more possession in the first half, but they went behind after 31 minutes when Paul Robinson fired into the top corner from
Clitheroe 0 Spennymoor 2. Spennymoor won away for the first time in four trips when they won 2-0 at Clitheroe tonight. There was never a chance of Moors repeating their 8-3 romp of ten days ago against Clitheroe, but they were well in control
A FREQUENT criticism of politicians is that they don't give straight answers to difficult questions. It is ironic, therefore, that David Cameron should find himself at the centre of controversy for doing just that: giving a straight, honest answer
IT’S taken awhile, but Europe finally seems to have fallen for the whisper-quiet charms of Lexus. In the first six months of 2014 the marque notched up a record 25.4 per cent increase in European sales, making it the fastest growing premium brand across
BRADLEY SAUNDERS has had his big night of North-East boxing ruined by injury.The Sedgefield fighter has had his Commonwealth light welterweight title contest with Dave Ryan on April 4 cancelled because of a hand injury.South Shields’ Anthony Nelson will
By Philip Buckingham A TEENAGE Paralympic hopeful has had his hair and beard dyed blue to raise much-needed funds for research into a rare form of bone cancer. Kieran Maxwell, 16, from Heighington, near Darlington, was diagnosed with Ewing’
A MEDICAL group has been presented with a Young Carer’s Charter for supporting young carers across the Durham Dales.Willington Medical Group, in Willington, near Crook, has been awarded with County Durham’s Young Carer’s Charter after working to raise
DOZENS of teenagers are putting their best foot forward tonight as they take to the stage at The Gala Theatre in Durham.The dancers, who are all pupils from Sedgefield Community College, have spent weeks rehearsing for the annual dance festival, which
AN organic dairy farm in the North-East has taken part in a national campaign to boost business in the UK. The Business is Great Britain campaign is running a pass it on scheme throughout March, to encourage businesses to share their tips and tricks to
A RETIRED farmer is selling his beloved motorbike in a bid to raise vital cash for the air ambulance.Robin Winney, from Hutton Rudby, near Stokesley is donating his much-loved red Royal Enfield Bullet Extra 2008 motorbike to the Great North Air Ambulance
A TRIAL will take place later this year in the case of a man accused of a stabbing in his home village.Sean Oliver is accused of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing a bladed article in public, namely a knife.Both offences
ANOTHER WEEKEND and another club championship race saw most Quakers heading out for a day at the races. At the Thirsk 10 mile race, which started and finished at the racecourse ground, the fairly flat course enabled several runners to achieve new personal
A CHARITY which scooped nearly £50,000 of The People’s Millions funding is looking to take on extra volunteers to boost its work.The County Durham Furniture Help Scheme (Cdfhs) celebrated ten-years of providing second-hand affordable furniture to people
PUPILS from a North-East primary school damaged by fire have been using facilities at a nearby academy. An arson attack at Burnside Primary School in Stanley, County Durham, last month left the classroom for year six youngsters in an unusable condition
TWO barbering students have returned from a national competition with podium placed finishes.Karen Scarr, 39, and Lindsay Ruddock, 18, of Peterlee won a silver and bronze, respectively, in the barbering patterns category contest at this year’s Association
PLANNERS have rejected an application to create a bar staffed by waitresses in skimpy clothes in a North-East city centre. Police and residents objected to plans from the American chain, Hooters, to open a new branch on Waterloo Street, Newcastle
A MAN has been jailed for 20 weeks for the brutal killing of four kittens he had earlier threatened to harm.John Stephen Akrill was also banned from keeping animals for life when he pleaded guilty to one allegation under the Animal Welfare Act.The 47-
SIX soldiers from Catterick Garrison have embarked on a 700 mile memorial charity bike ride to visit the graves of 13 of their fallen comrades. Soldiers from the Queen’s Royal Lancers cycle team set off from Cambrai Lines on Monday and hope to raise £10,000
AN ARMY of tractors raised more than £6,000 for charity yesterday (March 22), after taking part in the first convoy through Hamsterley Forest. For more pictures of the army of tractors click here About 80 tractors of all shapes and
A TEENAGER was left with a deep cut to his eye after being attacked with a knuckleduster and robbed in Middlesbrough on Monday night. The 18-year-old man was approached by three males between Coulby Newham and Easterside at 8.30pm. They threatened
AN MP has called on the Government to “come clean” over the costs of housing asylum seekers in his constituency. Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham submitted a series of parliamentary questions in a bid to find out the costs of asylum seeker accommodation
ONE of a police force's longest-serving members of staff has retired after 46 years of service.David Atkinson, from Darlington, joined Durham Police as a cadet in Sedgefield in 1968.He was part of a 150-strong cadet team that took part in a three year
SUPPORT for residents and workers at a North Yorkshire community for learning disabled adults is mounting as local churches and businesses chip in to give financial and emotional support.Botton village, in Danby Dale, is facing major changes to the way
A SERIAL offender has been jailed for nearly a year after he and an accomplice were caught in the act trying to break into a town centre store.Reports were received of smashing glass at the Boots branch, in Crook, County Durham, at 2am on Friday February
A PLAQUE commemorating a young boy killed in a road accident more than 50 years ago has been unveiled on the riverbank near Durham Cathedral.Humphrey Parris died at the age of seven on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, 1964, when he ran across the A177
NEWCASTLE FALCONS have increased their front-row options with the capture of Scotland international loose-head prop Jon Welsh. Welsh has moved from Glasgow Warriors on a two-year deal, having made a total of 106 starts for the Scottish side.
A GROUP of people came in late, just as the singer was repeatedly chanting "you dribble down your chin". The singer was Martyn Jacques; the falsetto-voiced, accordion-playing singer/songwriter who wears white face make-up (red splashed between
LEGAL traps designed to catch pests are being targeted on the North York Moors – possibly from over-zealous do-gooders.A number of such traps have been tampered with – and police are now urging the public not to interfere with them.Wildlife officers point
A TWENTIETH annual schools science festival has opened its laboratory doors.More than 700 young people aged 13 to 15 from 24 schools will take part in this year’s three-day Durham University Schools Science Festival, which runs until Thursday (March 26
OVERALL crime has fallen in Darlington over the last year, with significant reductions in shed burglaries and theft from vehicles.Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg updated Darlington Councillors on projected crime rates for the borough for
AN 82-YEAR-OLD who frequently helps out friends and neighbours in his village has been named community champion of the year.Tom Maddison is a common sight on his bicycle in Great Ayton, using it to run errands for his friends and neighbours in the community.The
SUNDERLAND LADIES kick off their maiden season in the women’s top-flight tomorrow, with new head coach Carlton Fairweather expecting the club’s opening fixture to provide an immediate indication of where they stand. The Lady Black Cats travel to
A STUDENTS’ union has won £5,000 in government money to encourage its members to vote at the General Election.Durham Students’ Union (DSU) secured the funding from the Cabinet Office and will work with local colleges to increase voting registration among
ONE of the North-East's most successful comedians will start her UK-wide tour at The Arc in Stockton. Sarah Millican, from South Shields, will perform at the venue on Thursday, October 15 and will go on to play in her home town, Whitley Bay, Newcastle
A CAREER criminal who preyed on elderly householders was jailed for seven years as a judge branded him "an inveterate burglar".Heroin addict Jonathan Dunn, 54, from Hartlepool, was said to have a "substantial" record - including more
HARTLEPOOL UNITED have again slashed ticket prices for Saturday’s game against Cambridge United in a bid to bring as many supporters as possible to Victoria Park. Last weekend’s Park The Park scheme saw the second largest crowd of the season cheer
A MAJOR exhibition of Darlington-based artist Colin Graham's work is on display at Crown Street Art Gallery in Darlington Central Library until May 7.It features Mr Graham’s work over the last decade and he is supervising the exhibition, meaning visitors
AVID readers have amazed their teachers after clocking up a word count running close to 20 million.Haughton Academy students Parth Mittal, 11, with Leia Sunter, 15, led the way having read five and three million words respectively in an initiative designed
A FUNERAL director is appealing for people to donate chocolate treats to help make Easter eggstra special for the region’s elderly. Speckmans Funeral Service, in Front Street, Wingate, County Durham, is collecting donations of chocolate eggs, which will
TRAGIC lovers Romeo and Juliet are returning to the stage – but this time it will be a little different.For the latest take on Shakespeare’s enduring tragedy will have a contemporary setting – and an all-female cast.The Flanagan Collective will be putting
A CHARITY is hoping to recruit new lifeguards to patrol the region’s beaches over the summer season.The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is looking for new recruits to help with its lifesaving work in Tyne and Wear starting at the end of May.It
STUDENTS are celebrating their school’s 50th birthday by putting on a psychedelic performance tonight (March 24).The students, at St John's School and Sixth Form College, a Catholic Academy, in Bishop Auckland, have spent months rehearsing for the special
COUNTY champions Yorkshire are off and running in 2015 after hammering the MCC inside three days in Abu Dhabi. Alex Lees and company completed a nine-wicket victory two overs before the scheduled close today, with Adil Rashid, Jack Brooks and Adam
VOLUNTEERS from a telephone befriending service took a well-earned tea break when they were invited to meet the mayor.The group of eight volunteers from the Silver Talk project met mayor of Durham, Cllr John Robinson, during a coffee morning at County
COUNCIL chiefs are confident they can salvage their economic masterplan, despite it having been rubbished by an independent assessor.Durham County Council bosses were left shocked last month when Planning Inspector Harold Stephens slammed their County
A POPULAR junior run is being revived after a three-year absence.The 3k Junior Run has been missing from the annual 10K Darlington Road Run event for the last three years but it is now being re-introduced thanks to a five-year sponsorship package with
RESIDENTS and parents are asked to be vigilant after around a dozen vehicles in the Fens, Rosmere and Greatham areas of Hartlepool had their badges ripped from them. Many different makes, including Ford, VW, MINI, Suzuki and SEAT, and all ages
TWO engineering companies started by two generations of the same family are recruiting staff and investing in new equipment.Almet Sheetmetal Fabrications, based on the Armstrong Industrial Estate in Washington, was started by Paul Almond 20 years ago,
VOTERS believe by a margin of more than two-to-one that David Cameron was right to declare he will not serve a third term as Prime Minister, according to a survey carried out after his shock announcement. London mayor Boris Johnson is the clear
TWO brothers are behind bars for a double stabbing after one of them was accused of stealing money and tobacco from a neighbour. The victim was slashed across the back by both Neil and Robert Maxwell when trouble flared in the block of flats in
WALKERS are being encouraged to add a splash of colour and rhythm to a charity walk which boasts a Hawaiian theme.Those taking part in the Starlight Stroll will be able to walk, dance, hula and limbo their way along the seven mile course from Redcar to
A YOUNGSTER has won his own weight in chips after guessing the height of a distinctive landmark.George Hoy correctly worked out it that it would take 405 chips standing end-to-end to match the height of the Redcar Beacon.The 11-year-old won the fun prize
WITTON PARK Rose and Crown are one win away from winning the first division double for the third consecutive year. With the league title already wrapped up Rose and Crown reached the final of the Brian Oliphant knockout cup with a 5-0 victory over West
REPLACING huge bolts on a London skyscraper has cost structural steel firm Severfield £1m. The North Yorkshire company used a trading update this week to reveal the costs it has incurred for work to examine and replace bolts on the Cheesegrater
A COUPLE who challenged their ban from keeping dogs may now have to sell their home to pay for the case, it has emerged. Frank and Hazel Hill were partially successful in their appeal - but have been left with a hefty costs bill of £12,000.
A HERITAGE museum is set to hold a series of events examining death, disease and curious customs. Ripon Workhouse Museum said funeral parties, similar to ones which would have been held in the Allhallowgate building in the early 20th Century, would be
AMONG the scores of fund-raising initiatives launched by a North Yorkshire charity, one continues to rule the roost.Seven years ago carers’ Resource, based in Ripon and Harrogate, came up with the idea of knitting Easter chick covers for Cadbury’s crème
A PIONEERING method of IVF treatment which is expected to increase pregnancy rates is now available in the North-East.The system uses specialised incubators incorporating time lapse imaging and powerful data analysing software. The Fertility Unit at the
A TUNE by a North-East songsmith has been penned for a North-East blood cancer charity. Bright Red, by Consett singer songwriter Michael Kelly, is named after the organisation and is in honour of one its patrons, Lee Robson. The 35-year-old
POLICE are appealing for information after three burglaries in the East Herrington area of Sunderland. At 12.35pm on Friday, March 20, a house in Foxcover Cottage was broken into and a purse was stolen. Between 9.50am and 1.50pm the same day, a house
A TRAIN carrying a team of Royal Navy sailors on a fundraising mission was escorted through the region by two military helicopters. The sailors from 815 Squadron were dropped off by Lynx helicopter at the top of the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle
A SEARCH has begun to find a county's next tourism superstar.Visit County Durham (VCD) has launched its second annual competition, run in association with Visit England and The Northern Echo, to honour tourism workers who go the extra mile to ensure visitors
A FORMER head girl of a North Yorkshire school has become the first female editor-in-chief of a national newspaper in its 194-year history.Katharine Viner, who attended Ripon Grammar School in the 1980s, will take up her new position at the Guardian in
AN idyllic vicarage garden will be a backdrop for a drama full of dark secrets and humour this weekend.Sedgefield Players’ latest production, Entertaining Angels, tells the story of a feisty vicar’s wife following the death of her husband.The drama unfolds
A SMALL but significant change has been made with the Church’s new super-diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales.The Right Reverend James Bell, until now the Bishop of Knaresborough, has instead been given the title of Bishop of Ripon to reflect his role
TWO teenagers trapped on rocks by the incoming tide at Redcar were rescued by lifeboat volunteers yesterday. The two young males, from Thornaby and Ingleby Barwick, were exploring West Scar, off Redcar, and raised the alarm just after 1pm.
THE Germanwings plane that crashed in France is an Airbus A320. The plane can hold up to 180 passengers, and it has been reported that there were at least 148 people on the flight that crashed near Digne in south-east France. The last A320
A CHILD rapist whose crimes were branded "abhorrent" by his own barrister is starting a ten-year prison sentence. Connor Bradley, who is now 21, was said to have had an "inappropriate interest" in young girls throughout his life. Despite being
A BODY found near a County Durham stream is thought to be that of a young man who was recently reported missing. Police were called to Newton Aycliffe at about 8.30am yesterday, after reports a body had been found. It is understood two young
A DRUG dealer who used his brother's home as a base to run his illegal trade is starting a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence.Sean Bradley was caught twice within a month with heroin and cocaine - while he was on bail following another seizure four
A WOULD-BE robber abandoned a bid to commandeer a grocery delivery van after apparently going cold on the plan, a court heard.Brian Philip Stevenson claimed to have a knife when he reached into the cab of an Iceland van and removed the keys as the driver
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save the last pub on a Stockton estate have won their battle. The fight to save The Sheraton, on the Hardwick Estate, which won the backing of the local MP and councillors, was launched earlier this month after its owners
THE fate of Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson could be decided imminently according to one of the corporation's senior executives who said the allegations had to be "dealt with in a very serious way". Clarkson has been left in limbo for two weeks since
AS many as 148 people are feared dead after a passenger plane crashed in the French Alps. French President Francois Hollande said it was unlikely there would be any survivors in the crash involving an Airbus A320 flying from Spain to Germany.
THE DURHAM Singers encapsulated the spirit of Passiontide in a recital of a rich variety of music, taking in the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Lutheran traditions. At the heart of programme, presented at the Durham Cathedral Chapter House, was
THE harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy on unborn babies may be seen in tiny movements in their faces using 4-d ultrasound scans, research carried out in the North-East has found. Pregnant women have long been urged to give up cigarettes
1. Releasing a pet rat into a restaurant and shouting the alarm is not a successful strategy for getting a fee meal in a restaurant. Christopher Baker tried the trick in a Sunderland restaurant but the owner smelled a rat and has been convicted of
WHEN Sir Bradley Wiggins announced his intention to leave Team Sky at the start of the year, team principal Sir Dave Brailsford hailed him as “one of the most versatile athletes the sport has ever seen.” Come this summer’s Tour de Yorkshire, the
Having had very little time ahead of his opening match as Sunderland head coach, Dick Advocaat has pledged to use the international break to “try a few things” ahead of the Wear-Tyne derby with Newcastle United in 12 days time. Chief Sports Writer
AYOZE PEREZ understands why John Carver took him out of the firing line recently, and has vowed to return to the peak of his powers in the final two months of the season. Perez has been one of Newcastle United’s few success stories this season,
RONNIE MOORE’S search for a striker restarted yesterday after Cambridge United kept hold of Ryan Bird. The forward’s initial month-long loan at Pools ended after Saturday#s win over Morecambe. And, while he was never going to be able to play
A COUNCIL says it is managing and monitoring asbestos in its schools, after it agreed to pay compensation for the death of a cleaner following exposure to the deadly fibres. Durham County Council says it is meeting its legal responsibilities on
MIDDLESBROUGH are confident Patrick Bamford will be available for the crucial Easter double-header with Wigan Athletic and Watford, despite their leading goalscorer being forced to withdraw from the England Under-21 squad yesterday. On a busy day
Dara and Ed’s Big Adventure (BBC2, 9pm) MAYBE this is the way forward post-Top Gear: Stick two stand-ups in a car and let them try to be funny about a road trip. Ed Byrne is already a veteran having having joined Andy Parsons to brave temperatures as
BENEFIT sanctions are causing “severe financial hardship”, MPs warn today after 114,000 punishments were imposed across the region in just two years. New figures show jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) is being docked 4,754 times every month in the North-East
A FISHERMAN said the thought of his son kept him alive as he was tossed around in four metre-high waves after being swept out to sea. Michael Soley, from Darlington, thanked RNLI volunteers for saving his life after he was swept into icy waters
New Mills 1 Darlington 5 Back on top of the table, a high-scoring win and a much-needed goal for Nathan Cartman made it a successful night at New Mills for Darlington. They won 5-1, Graeme Armstrong scoring twice, so reclaimed first position
