Archive
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The high price of cheaper fuel
UNLESS memory deceives me, a most popular blow in Margaret Thatcher's bashing of the trades unions was a ban on secondary picketing - the deployment of strikers away from their own place of work. Perhaps someone will explain the vital difference between
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The high price of cheaper fuel
UNLESS memory deceives me, a most popular blow in Margaret Thatcher's bashing of the trades unions was a ban on secondary picketing - the deployment of strikers away from their own place of work. Perhaps someone will explain the vital difference between
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Blair standing firm
PRIME Minister Tony Blair last night sent a clear message to Britain's protesting truckers and farmers: There will be no surrender. In a show of defiance, reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher, the Premier pledged to get fuel tankers moving again within 24
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Just cause that should be heard
THERE is compelling evidence that motorists and hauliers are getting a very raw deal indeed from this Government. Our petrol and diesel prices are the highest in Europe. And it is galling to see the Treasury cream off even more money in VAT every time
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Thoroughly modern celebration
IT was all a far cry from Lizzie Milburn's first birthday 99 years ago. For, as well as the traditional telegram from the Queen, her 100th birthday party featured modern entertainment in the form of a karaoke. She was joined by the five surviving members
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Appeal follows fly-tipping at beauty spot
THE fight against fly-tipping has been stepped up after rubbish was found dumped at a North-East beauty spot. Hartlepool Borough Council has issued an appeal for information following the discovery of bags containing rotting food, a bathroom suite and
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Tougher stand taken over dog fouling
TOUGH new plans to rid areas of dog dirt are about to come into force. A pilot scheme will begin in Stockton borough which will see owners fined and a name- and-shame policy adopted. Approval has been given to implement the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act
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One way to ride out the storm . . .
RIDING stable staff beat the petrol blues by using their own horsepower to pick up their groceries yesterday. Margaret Hedley, who has plenty of free transport grazing in the fields at Low Fold Farm, and her head groom, Lynne Bell, left their cars behind
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Trade links to be strengthened
TRADE links between Newcastle and the birthplace of the Polish Solidarity movement will be strengthened today when the city receives a visit from the Mayor of Gdansk. Pawel Adamowicz will meet councillors and officials from Newcastle City Council during
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Emergency plan in hand for hospital
HOSPITAL chiefs have drawn up plans to ensure emergency admissions can be dealt with during the fuel crisis. Bishop Auckland General Hospital has set up a contingency planning group to try to minimise risk to patients. It met yesterday to look at potential
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Who says lightning can never strike twice?
LIGHTNING literally struck twice at the home of a former North-East fireman during the dramatic storms that struck the region on Monday. Kevin Roberts was sitting at home in Ferryhill, County Durham, with his wife, Janice, and four-year-old son, Jonathan
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Edwards apologises after shock
Jonathan Edwards was seeking forgiveness yesterday as his final Olympic preparations got off to the worst possible start. The contrite Christian has apologised to Britain's swimmers after he had reportedly branded them a bunch of party-loving medal no-hopers
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Injured teenager lashed out at police
A TEENAGER who had cut his own arm lashed and kicked out as police officers tried to restrain him in the hospital where he was being treated, a court was told. Martin Charlotte had been taken to Hartlepool General Hospital after being arrested at a house
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Jobs hope at industrial facility
FIFTY jobs could be created if permission is granted for an extension to one of the region's pharmaceutical companies. Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals, at Seal Sands, Teesside, has applied for permission to build new facilities to increase production of anti-depressant
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RSPCA facing struggle
THE RSPCA warned of a potential animal welfare crisis in the region yesterday, as fuel shortages left the charity's inspectors struggling. Officials asked people to take sick or injured animals to veterinary practices themselves, as the society's fuel
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Thefts of petrol on increase
AS petrol panic swept the North, police were last night investigating thefts of fuel from parked vehicles. Car owners in Frosterly, near Bishop Auckland, discovered someone had pierced the petrol tanks on two cars and escaped with the fuel overnight.
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Ginger to blow her rivals away
TYPHOON Ginger is fancied to storm home on an extremely busy eight-race programme at Beverley this afternoon. With maximum fields in the majority of the contests there are bound to be one or two shock results so don't be too concerned if Typhoon Ginger
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Angela's a star with her galaxy of buttons
A 3-D depiction of the galaxy made with one million buttons has been declared a record-breaker. The handiwork of Angela Rafferty, who runs the People's Museum, in Grainger Street, Newcastle, has been certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's
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writers well versed in art of poetry
A GROUP of writers presented their work to an audience yesterday in the lead-up to the Teesside festival of disabled art. The Lansdowne Writers read some of their work at the Lansdowne Road day centre, in Middlesbrough. The writers, who are all disabled
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News in Brief
Fuelled up for the dog show ORGANISERS of this weekend's Darlington Dog Show have vowed the show will go on despite the petrol crisis. It is hoped all 150-plus judges will be able to arrive in time for Friday's opening day and contingency plans are being
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A dilemma for the praetorian guard
THE Penguin Book of Journalism, recently published, contains an essay entitled What Columnists are Good For. Whilst it must not be confused with the piece preceding it - Alan Clark: Why I Hold Journalists in Low Regard - there are doubtless those who
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The Echo draws fans to book
A DISABLED football fan has shown how The Northern Echo's appeal stretches much further than its North-East and North Yorkshire heartland. When Darlington FC supporter Paul Hodgson launched his book, Flipper's Side, last month, he put his mobile telephone
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No one spared as blockades put pressure on pumps
JOHN Watson, acting manager of Cable Taxis, in Bishop Auckland, has put his cab fleet on petrol alert during the current crisis. Drivers are radioing one another when they find a station still serving petrol, and filling up spare cannisters with fuel
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Chris gets on his bike
ONE canny councillor got on his bike to beat the fuel blockade. Liberal Democrat Chris Foote-Wood elected to cycle from his home in Bishop Auckland to a meeting of Wear Valley District Council, in Crook. Coun Foote-Wood said: "I've been a keen cyclist
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Rape case woman tells of threat
A YOUNG woman told a court yesterday that a man had held a knife to her throat and told her to take off her clothes. The woman said that Mark McKeown had taken a knife out of the back of his Peugeot car and held what she thought was the blunt side of
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Pervert youth sought by police
POLICE are searching for a teenage pervert who has been making lewd proposals to women in Derwentside. It is thought one youth, aged between 15 and 18, has approached two women in the Stanley area and made indecent proposals while touching himself. The
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Journey through time
TWO venues in County Durham are holding a new course on the rich history of the North-East. Stanley's Return to Learn Centre and Hermitage School in Chester-le-Street are hosting the local history courses which start next week. Covering topics ranging
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North pockets bear brunt of crippling taxation of drivers
SPIRALLING fuel taxes have hit North-East drivers hardest, according to the Automobile Association. Successive governments have punished motorists by lumping nearly 20 per cent on to the price of fuel in the past ten years. But it is despairing Northern
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Who says lightning can never strike twice?
LIGHTNING literally struck twice at the home of a former North-East fireman during the dramatic storms that struck the region on Monday. Kevin Roberts was sitting at home in Ferryhill, County Durham, with his wife, Janice, and four-year-old son, Jonathan
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Budding entries that blossomed into winners around the region
OF THE Northumbria in Bloom winners announced this week, none are prouder that the villagers of Sedgefield, in County Durham. Named best small county town for the eighth year running, the village is now preparing for its sixth assault on the Britain in
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Woman killed by speeding van is named
POLICE last night named a woman killed by a speeding van in Newcastle as 35-year-old Angela Armstrong. A post-mortem examination yesterday confirmed Ms Armstrong died from severe head injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle. A man arrested
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Fresh appeal launched over student's murder
DETECTIVES investigating the murder of North-East student Sara Cameron last night issued a new appeal for witnesses to come forward. Finnish-born Sara was found murdered in a field just yards from her home in Earsdon, North Tyneside, on Friday, April
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Stormy Monday blacks out thousands of North homes
THE season of mellow fruitfulness gave way to stormy Monday as spectacular lightning flashes lit up the North-East sky. The violent night-time storm, which featured brilliant bursts of sheet and fork lightning, played havoc with power supplies. Thousands
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Star names turn out
TWO proud little girls will stand on the terraces of a North-East football club tomorrow night to watch some of the region's greatest stars turn out in memory of their tragic father. Former Newcastle United apprentice Gary Walton, 37, met a violent death
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Future of 160-year-old agricultural show in doubt
WANING public interest is putting the future of one of the region's oldest agricultural shows in jeopardy. For more than 160 years, the North Yorkshire Show has been one of the major annual events in the Northallerton area. But this year's millennium
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MP Beith tells inquest of son's grief at deaths
LIBERAL Democrat deputy leader Alan Beith told an inquest how his son, Christopher, had struggled with diabetes from an early age, on top of the grief he felt over his mother's death and other difficulties. The 25-year-old was found dead in the family
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A ray of sunlight lightens an airport's glowering clouds
ACCORDING to developers, Moorfield Estates when the work at Teesside Airport is completed, it will stand proudly as one of the world's major cargo handling centres. But work on the 250-acre development appears as far away as it was way back in April 1999
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Japanese bank dumps Dome deal
The future of the Millennium Dome was thrown into more uncertainty yesterday as Japanese bank Nomura International pulled out of its proposed £105m bid to buy it. The bank said it had "reluctantly" withdrawn from negotiations to take over the Dome from
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Health care group in line for own resource centre
AN EAST Durham organisation responsible for the health of more than 100,000 people may soon have its own resource centre. Easington Primary Care Group, which was launched last year, was formed to help develop a better understanding of local health needs
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More than 200 manufacturing jobs being lost every day
MORE than 250,000 manufacturing jobs have been axed since Labour came to power, according to a new survey released to coincide with this week's TUC conference. Research carried out for for Britain's general union, the GMB, showed that 4,300 jobs were
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Old boy haunts Quakers
A goal from former Darlington apprentice Mike Duff and a missed Lee Nogan penalty saw Darlington suffer their second defeat inside four days at Whaddon Road last night. Quakers only had themselves to blame for not making sure of the points. They rode
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Stormy Monday blacks out thousands of North homes
THE season of mellow fruitfulness gave way to stormy Monday as spectacular lightning flashes lit up the North-East sky. The violent night-time storm, which featured brilliant bursts of sheet and fork lightning, played havoc with power supplies. Thousands
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Probe after outbreak of salmonella poisoning
AN outbreak of salmonella poisoning is being investigated by health officials across the North-East and North Yorkshire. Since August 9, there have been 63 cases of salmonella typhimurium PT204b reported across the area, with cases in Gateshead, County
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Job training on call at centre
RESIDENTS on a Sunderland estate are being given the chance to train for work in the city's booming call centre industry. A new call centre suite has been opened at Pennywell, which is undergoing a major facelift to give the estate a better future. The
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Residents call for football legend to be honoured
RESIDENTS in east Cleveland have shown their support for a local hero to become only the third person to receive an honour. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council asked residents for nominations for the honour of freedom of the borough. The only other two
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US coach accident pair tell of ordeal
A RETIRED couple have told how they escaped with their lives from the Nevada Desert coach crash in the US. Malcolm and Gwen Thurman were on a luxury coach holiday when the tragedy happened. The vehicle carrying 39 British tourists from Las Vegas hurtled
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Fears allayed on 999 services
EMERGENCY services around the North-East last night remained confident that they could see through the fuel crisis without an adverse effect on patients. There was concern that fire engines, police cars and ambulances would run out of fuel as a result
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Fantasy authors put their work on the web
A CHILDREN'S book website has been set up to allow readers to have access to the work of two North-East authors. Kids' Bookshelf will focus on the work of John Dean and his mother, Doreen, both of whom live in Darlington and who published their own books
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Region reels as protestors stick to their guns over fuel pricing
THE region was last night reeling from the effects of the fuel crisis. Desperate drivers had queued for up to an hour during the day to obtain some of the dwindling supply of fuel, as the petrol stations rapidly ran dry of unleaded, lead replacement and
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School fast food comes under fire from parents
PARENTS from County Durham have complained that changes in the provision of school meals mean their children are buying expensive and unhealthy food. From this year, private companies can provide school meals that include the type of pizzas and beef burgers
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Customers turn their attention from fuel to food
PANIC buying switched from the petrol pumps to the bread shelves at the Sainsbury store in Durham's Arnison Centre yesterday. A delivery of unleaded fuel on Monday ensured the store's filling station was busy late into the night and from early yesterday
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Blackpool: home of sleaze
BEEN to Blackpool lately? Did you have a good time? If you're between 15 and 30 and were as drunk as a skunk, then you probably did. Otherwise, it was probably the nearest you'll get to Hell while your heart's still beating. Blackpool, once noted for
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Jail visit delayed
HUMAN rights campaigner James Mawdsley has delayed a visit from his mother to his Burmese prison cell in protest at the erection of a security screen. Diana Mawdsley, a nurse from Brancepeth, near Durham City, returned last night to the Burmese capital
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Region's trains take the strain
TRAIN operators in the region said yesterday their services had been busier due to the fuel crisis, but were not concerned about running out of fuel themselves. Great North Eastern Railways said as most of its North-East services were electrified there
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Hospital bosses face up to surgeon protestors
BOSSES at Northallerton's beleaguered Friarage Hospital braved protestors at the NHS trust's annual meeting and stressed the achievements of the last year. Tony Bruce, chief executive of the Northallerton Health Services Trust, told a crowded meeting
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Democracy is on the move
A COUNCIL is planning to give rural residents a greater insight into its decision-making process next week when it moves to the countryside. A committee of Richmondshire District Council, in North Yorkshire, will meet for the first time outside Richmond
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Opticians donate test fees to charity
AN optician is asking the public to help visually-impaired people around the world by getting a sight test during National Eye Week. As part of the national initiative, which runs from Monday, September 25, to Friday, September 29, opticians Pagan and
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Plot holders in development scheme battle
ALLOTMENT holders facing eviction are preparing to take their case to the Secretary of State for the Environment in a bid to halt a council selling their site as development land. The 21 gardeners at Briarfields allotments, in Hartlepool, have won national
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Musical and ale festival gets town swinging
BEEFEATERS became beer drinkers yesterday as a week-long celebration of music and ale kicked into action. Although the Campaign for Real Ale does not open its bar at Darlington Arts Centre until tomorrow evening, the musical side of the Rhythm 'n' Brews
