Archive
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£15,000 extra aid to cancer sufferers
THE efforts of fundraisers in Teesdale have provided more than £15,000 to help local cancer sufferers. The grand total was raised during the year through a series of events organised by the Teesdale committee of the North of England Cancer Research Campaign
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Christmas tree business passes to young branch of family
A COUPLE who have sold hundreds of thousands of Christmas trees over the past 40 years are handing over their flourishing business to the youngest branch of the family. Ronnie and Bessie Seagrave were running a general store in St Helen Auckland, near
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Budding chef Laura to get tips from the top
A TEENAGER hopes to cook up a treat when she embarks on her work experience with one of the nation's best known cooks. Laura Davies, 14, a pupil at St John's RC Comprehensive School, Bishop Auckland, decided to go straight to the top when she was seeking
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Carbon commerce in the temple
THE breakdown of the talks to control greenhouse gases, arguably the biggest threat to our planet, might have a bright side. It could undermine the on-line trading in emissions, which began last week even as the frantic efforts to save the planet began
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Crane firm hit by tough markets
SPECIALIST crane hire firm Baldwins Industrial blamed tough UK markets and the cost of moving equipment to the US for a 28 per cent fall in half-year profits. Baldwins, which employs 50 staff at its Middlesbrough site, issued a profits warning in September
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Mayor and hippo 'just good friends'
DARLINGTON'S Mayor had a cosy encounter with a 7ft hippopotamus yesterday. Councillor Dorothy Long was at the Northgate Bedding Centre to mark a donation on behalf of the town's St Teresa's Hospice. The hippo is the star of commercials for Silentnight
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Fresh sneak thieves alert
PEOPLE are failing to heed police warnings about sneak-in burglars targeting homes in Chester-le-Street. Officers last week urged homeowners to guard against the thieves who simply walk into houses through unlocked doors, often while people are at home
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D-day looms for the futures of Camerons and Castle Eden
A DECISION on the future of the Camerons Brewery appeared closer last night, whichcould see the famous Lion merging with another North-East operation. As its owners Wolverhampton & Dudley announced bumper end of year results, the Hartlepool site appeared
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Phillips is spot on to end goal drought
ENGLAND striker Kevin Phillips ended a six-game goal drought to fire Sunderland into the last eight of the Worthington Cup with an extra time penalty clincher in front of a record crowd at the Stadium of Light. The 47,543 crowd held its breath in the
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Couple deny plotting to rob and kill dealer
A MAN was shot dead just yards from his home as he made his way back from a party, a court heard. John Hall, 33, died after he was attacked and shot in the back of the head as he made his way towards his home in Windsor Auenue, Bensham, Gateshead, in
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Doctor 'stripped to attack teenager'
A WOMAN told a court yesterday that a psychiatrist indecently assaulted her in his clinic before telling her to keep quiet because, "no one will believe you". The woman, who is now 50 and wheelchair-bound, told Leeds Crown Court that in 1969, when she
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House prices confirm North-South divide
HOUSE prices in the North-East have increased by the lowest percentage in the country over the past year. The figures confirm that a North-South divide does exist, with house prices increasing in the South much more than in the North. The average price
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Reynolds welcomes prison sentence for 'Rolex robber'
A MUGGER who stole a watch from football boss George Reynolds is starting a five-year prison sentence today. Tayo Aladesuyi, 23, wrenched the £41,000 Rolex off the multi-millionaire's wrist and tried to prise a diamond ring from his finger during the
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Son burgled home of mother's boyfriend
A BURGLAR who broke into the house of his mother's boyfriend and dumped a microwave and stereo in a fish pond was jailed for 12 months yesterday. David Appleby had been told by his mother to stay away from her home, and her boyfriend's home, while they
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Teamwork for success
A COLLABORATION of ten of the region's creative small businesses is hoping to provide a boost to their potential for success. The firms in Tees Valley were brought together by the small business team at Business Link Tees Valley and have now joined forces
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Charity cash shake-up forces office to close
AN organisational shake-up is forcing a charity to close its regional office. Sight Savers is also shutting its only charity shop in the country next month, together with the base for its regional organiser, in Ripon, North Yorkshire. During its 12 years
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A funny old business, these names
AS BEFITS a place which values its privacy, and where the population may not exceed two families and next door's hamster, there has been silence from Hutton Bonville. When previously encountered, it was somewhere between Darlington and Northallerton.
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Santa queues sure of Christmas magic
THE magic of Christmas will become a breathtaking reality thanks to a magician's contribution to a town's festivities. Steven Ashcroft, who became the youngest president of the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians two years ago, will entertain the queues
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Trio of schools join campaign to raise literacy standards
THREE primary schools in the region have been added to the list of beacon centres aimed at improving standards of writing. The announcement of new beacon schools by Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett takes the regional tally to 24. All
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Relate forced to quit region
RELATE, the marriage guidance service, is to pull out of the region today - leaving thousands without support over Christmas. It has been forced to close its North-East operation, the largest in England and Wales, due to a shortage of money. Covering
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Lack of killer instinct is so costly for England
England experienced the familiar feeling of missed opportunities as Pakistan's determined middle-order guided the hosts into a promising position in the second Test. Having come so close to enforcing the follow-on in the drawn opening Test, England were
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Child charity chief to face sex charges
THE director of a charity providing after-school care for children has quit after being accused of child sex offences. Philip Hemmans resigned from his position at the Julie Graham Children's Charity following his arrest earlier this month. The 33-year-old
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Pub's £2,000 bill for late burger
IT was the proud boast of a national pub chain - you would get your money back if your meal wasn't served within 15 minutes. But when a customer demanded a refund after waiting too long, staff argued that the guarantee did not apply when the pub was busy
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Spinal injuries help starts early
A service for patients with spinal cord injuries is being set up ahead of schedule. The North of England Spinal Cord Injuries Centre, which is being built at South Cleveland Hospital, Middlesbrough, is due to open next September as a single site. It was
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Legacy of the wizard of soccer
LIKE Wilf Mannion, the Golden Boy, anyone who ever saw Len Shackleton, the Clown Prince of Soccer, play never forgot him. His career ended 43 years ago, so there are two generations of North-East football followers who were never privileged to be entertained
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Why the Bill loses out to the Street
CORONATION Street celebrates its 40th anniversary this week and, despite it being a national institution, I must admit that I don't go out of my way to watch it. However, I am often surprised about how its aficionados view it with an almost religious
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Harry makes boarding magic
HE has already worked his magic on the reading habits of a generation, now Harry Potter could be prompting a revival in another declining tradition. Boarding schools are reporting increasing interest from children wanting to live away from home, inspired
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When two tribes go to war . . . football pride is at stake
ALL the pride and passion of a North-East football derby is captured in a BBC2 documentary tonight. The Close Up North programme Two Tribes recalls how Tyneside came to a standstill earlier this month as rival clubs Newcastle and Sunderland clashed in
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Workshop on rent arrears
PROBLEMS caused by the number of rent arrears in a North-East town are to be the subject of a workshop for councillors. The workshop, in Stockton on December 14, will consider why people get into debt and its impact on their rent payments. There will
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Shock over knife killing of teacher
TRIBUTES have been paid to a primary school teacher who was found stabbed to death in her kitchen. Police raced to a home in Whitby Road, Loftus, after receiving a 999 call, just after 9pm, on Friday. There they found Lesley Grant, 43, lying in a pool
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School musicians' big concert date
A GROUP of young singers have an important date this weekend. Twenty five girls from the senior choir of Teesside High School, Eaglescliffe, will be performing with the North Yorkshire Chorus at a concert, in Harrogate on Saturday. The Music for Advent
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Straw urged to back vice clean-up
MUSLIM leaders called on Home Secretary Jack Straw last night to help clean up a town's vice problem. Representatives of Middlesbrough's Asian community met borough council leader Councillor Ken Walker and officials in a continuing appeal to rid the town
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Party row ended in violence
A MAN who struck another over the head with a bottle after a night out was placed on probation yesterday. Karl Nash had been at a party at the TA centre in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, in November last year. As he and another man left Nash approached
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Top playwrights go live in the North
TEN of Britain's best playwrights with North-East connections are about to launch a series of monologues created for Newcastle's Live Theatre. Comedy writer Ian La Frenais has joined names such as Alan Plater, Peter Flannery (Our Friends in the North)
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Crime watch volunteers hailed heroes
COUNTY Durham's Neighbourhood Watch volunteers have been rewarded for their outstanding crime fighting skills. Seven coordinators have earned certificates of commendation in the national CGU Insurance National Neighbourhood Awards. Also rewarded are one
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Land sell-off plan blocked
VILLAGERS have blocked council plans to sell open land for housing. Durham City Council's development control committee voted against granting outline planning permission for two pieces of land south of Wood View, Croxdale. The council wanted to sell
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Police warning to shoppers in fight against retail crime
POLICE cracking down on retail crime in the run-up to Christmas have issued a warning to shoppers. In the past fortnight, police have made more than 40 arrests, mostly of regular offenders, in Darlington's town centre streets and shops. That figure is
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New scope to cut patient waiting time
A HOSPITAL service that has cut waiting times should be further improved with a new piece of equipment. Approval was given yesterday for Bishop Auckland General Hospital to purchase a £22,000 sigmoidoscope, used to investigate patients with rectal bleeding
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Richmond Foods savours strong growth in profits
REDUCED costs and a more balanced customer base have helped Richmond Foods to improved profits. In the year to October 1, pre-tax profits increased by 25 per cent to £3.77m, compared with £3.023m in the previous 12 months. During the year, Richmond, based
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Lucky dip aids lights appeal
LUCKY-DIP tubs have set children digging for early presents to raise money for a Christmas lights appeal. Val Metcalf, from the Tourist Information Centre in Middleton-in-Teesdale, came up with the fundraising idea as a way of giving youngsters a glimpse
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Blood patients fear new CJD danger threat
HAEMOPHILIACS already infected with two potentially fatal viruses fear they are being unnecessarily exposed to a third after health bosses refused to change their treatment. Blood products imported from Germany are used to treat haemophiliacs from across
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Campaigner denies digital camera charge
A MAN involved with a campaign organisation went on trial yesterday accused of getting the free loan of a digital camera on false pretences. Richard Elliott, who was involved with the Right to Justice organisation, is alleged to have told the managing
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Reid relieved to have kept faith with goal ace Arca
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid admitted last night he almost substituted winger Julio Varga before the Argentinian teenager put Sunderland level against Manchester United. Reid's side went on to win 2-1 and the manager confessed: "I was going to drag him
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Bobby banking on cash boost
Bobby Robson will hammer on chairman Freddy Shepherd's door once foreign defenders Alain Goma and Marcelino quit Newcastle. Robson confirmed yesterday that both players will move as soon as suitable offers are received, although he would be reluctant
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Service may fight bail hostel 'no'
PROBATION officers are considering a number of sites for a bail hostel near a North-East town where their first choice of site was rejected after massive public protests. More than 150 protestors crammed into Chester-le-Street Civic Centre, County Durham
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Poison pen writer who waged terror campaign
A SENIOR university official whose poison pen letters and vandalism drove families from their homes and brought terror to a plush cul-de-sac was jailed yesterday. For two years Andrew Bewley, 39, terrorised the residents of respectable middle-class Wharfedale
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Tribute paid to retiring firefighter
A VETERAN firefighter is hanging up his hat after 32 years of service. Deputy chief fire officer Mick Thompson, from Yarm, will bid a final farewell to the Cleveland brigade tomorrow. He started work with the then Teesside Brigade in April 1968, becoming
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You write...
TOWN CLOCK MANY thanks to the men who have done such a good job on Darlington town clock and have finished on time. The clock has been a great miss to the people of the town. I do not know of another city, or town, in England which has such a wonderful
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Official pat on back for crime watch volunteers
COUNTY Durham's Neighbourhood Watch volunteers have been rewarded for their outstanding crime fighting skills. Seven coordinators have earned certificates of commendation in the national CGU Insurance National Neighbourhood Awards. Also rewarded are one
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Farewell to the legend who was Clown Prince of Soccer
SUNDERLAND legend Len Shackleton was one of the footballing greats. Bradford-born Shackleton, who earned the nickname "Clown Prince of Soccer" for his cheeky skills and disregard for authority, was one of the best players ever to wear the red and white
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Man denies harassing woman with phone calls
A WOMAN told police her life had been shattered when she received more than 200 phone calls from the same man, some of them of a sexual nature, and others threatening violence, a court heard yesterday. Claire Gibbin had also spoken of being spied on by
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Account lends a helping hand
DARLINGTON Building Society is spearheading a new saving and loan scheme in an effort to help combat social exclusion. The innovative Helping Hand Saving and Loan Scheme is a partnership between the building society, five local and national housing associations
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A Turner for the worst?
A NORTH-EAST artist has maintained the controversial reputation of Britain's most high-profile art award following suggestions he copied a painting from the cover of a 1970 sci-fi novel. Hexham-born Glenn Brown, the only British-born artist to make the
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Happy homecoming as Thompson beats Rhodes
DARREN Thompson made a triumphant return to Gateshead when he won the North-East snooker rankings tournament on Sunday. Thompson, former North-East under-12, 14, 16 and 18-year-old champion, used to work at the snooker centre, but has been out of the
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dictionary opens world of learning for deaf
BOTH deaf and hearing children are to benefit from a new book that brings the alphabet to life. The Children's Sign Dictionary has been produced by the Cleveland Sign Resource Centre to teach youngsters the basics of sign language. As the second publication
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The Echo says...
WITH competition for town centre trade intensifying daily, customers are bombarded with all kinds of offers to persuade them to part with their money. Yates's Wine Lodge came up with the idea of a money-back guarantee if meals were not served within a
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Don't be bullied into spen, spend, spending
OH Lordy, but I'm sick of Christmas already... Now that's an awful thing to say. And I hate people who moan on about Christmas because even among all the work and commercialism and greed, there is still something precious, worth thinking about, worth
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£175,000 extra cash for heart patients
A NINE-YEAR campaign ends today with a £175,000 boost for heart patients in the south of County Durham. The final task for members of Bishop Auckland's echocardiography appeal committee before it winds up will be to present a new heart scanner to the
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Completing the voyage of Discovery
FATE plays a major part in the lives of the adventurous. Iain Bennett had no idea his life would take such a turn as he taught biology in the science labs of a North-East school. He thought he had made a brave move two years ago when, at the age of 35
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Church given new wheelchair
A VICAR has been touched by the generosity of two good Samaritans who donated a wheelchair to replace one stolen from her church. It is the second time St Mark's Church in North Road, Darlington, has been helped after an appeal in The Northern Echo. Yesterday
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Echo's £1,000 winner will be heading for the sun
A COUPLE are planning a sunshine break somewhere in the Mediterranean next year after scooping a £1,000 Northern Echo jackpot. Ruby Davison cut out six coupons from editions of the paper earlier this month and entered her name for a draw. The 52-year-old
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Gardening scheme gets big cash boost
A SCHEME to produce compost for elderly gardeners looks likely to go ahead, thanks to a £1,500 grant. The Joint Trimdons Regeneration Partnership has been given the money by the Shell Better Britain Campaign. The money will fund a feasibility study into
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PM star guest at green unveiling
PRIME Minister Tony Blair will be the guest of honour at the opening of Trimdon's millennium green. The green will be unveiled on Friday, at 3pm, with local children at the heart of the celebrations. The ceremony will start with a procession of children
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Phillips vows to let goals prove his doubters wrong
Kevin Phillips last night hit back at critics who are questioning his commitment to Sunderland. Goals have proved more elusive this season for the England striker, who is being linked with moves to Leeds and Arsenal. Some Sunderland fans have even suggested
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Venables hopes to confirm
TERRY VENABLES is today hoping to confirm that he is taking charge of crisis club Middlesbrough. Venables spent most of yesterday locked in talks with ITV bosses over how the move to the Riverside Stadium would affect his commitments as an on-screen pundit
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Dozy burglar who was caught napping
A "GOLDILOCKS" burglar fell asleep on the job after breaking into a family home. Derek Minnikin was found sound asleep on a child's bedroom floor by a shocked householder the morning after breaking into her home in Front Street, West Auckland, County
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Bid to wipe out conmen in a flash
CONSUMER watchdogs have introduced a new service for businesses, giving them an early warning against scam operators. North Yorkshire's trading standards officers launched the Internet Newsflash service yesterday allowing businesses to receive information
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It's good 2 talk in the latest teenage trend
LO, GR8 2CU 2day, RUgoN clubN 2nite? The cryptic message above may mean nothing to many people, but to millions of mobile phone users it is plain to read: "Hello, great to see you today, are you going clubbing tonight?" Text messaging is taking the country
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Quakers release Skelton
Darlington have released reserve striker Craig Skelton as they prepare for Saturday's home game with Mansfield. Skelton, 20, was on a month-to-month contract at the club, and after manager Gary Bennett handed him a free transfer, the front man signed
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Cromwell can put down attackers
COURSE specialist Cromwell can defy a 7lb penalty in the Robert Peak Handicap Chase to record a remarkable seventh victory at Market Rasen today. Mike Chapman's tough-as-teak gelding certainly has the benefit of local knowledge since he is trained just
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Festival fever grips city
DURHAM is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors to its fourth Christmas Festival this weekend. Yesterday, staff at the city's Tourist Information centre, gearing up for a hectic weekend, received mince pies from the city's own Peters Cathedral Bakers
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Johnson winner has United feeling blue
That Newcastle United tumbled out of the Worthington Cup at St Andrews to a last-minute goal last night s gut-wrenching enough for the Geordie fans. But more disheartening was the manner of the defeat. Jamaican international Michael Johnson side-footed
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Health experts identify school closure bug
A MYSTERY illness which caused a school to close after more than 50 children became sick has been diagnosed as the 'flu. Various tests have been carried out after the bug struck a fifth of the children at Mowden Junior School, Darlington, earlier this
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Call for Lancet costs help inquiry
A PLEA is being made today for Government help with the multi-million cost of an inquiry into allegations of police corruption. Councillor Ken Walker, chairman of the Cleveland Police Authority, Peter Riley, the authority's lead officer and Chief Constable
