Archive
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Villagers prepare to fight mobile phone mast plans
DALES villagers are gearing up to stop a mobile phone mast being erected in one of the most picturesque parts of the North-East countryside. Leaders of the campaign, Brian and Pauline Shieldhouse, believe the 15m mast would blight their idyllic retirement
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Taking stock of MMR fears
THERE is very little scientific or medical doubt about the mumps, measles and rubella vaccination. It is safe. It is wise and sensible that all children should be inoculated with it. So why, then, have we reached the stage where up to 25 per cent of four-year-olds
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Groups offer chance to get creative
GROUPS catering for writers, musicians and actors are looking for people to join them. A number of arts groups are based at Bishop Auckland Town Hall and they are all keen to take on new members. Wear Valley Writers run literature-based activities and
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Convicteddealer has £30,000 seized
A CONVICTED drug dealer has had thousands of pounds in illegal assets confiscated. Thomas Davison, 38, of Collingwood Street, Sunderland, was jailed for 21 months in September after admitting three charges of possession with intent to supply. At Durham
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Letters
FOX HUNTING J WOODROW (HAS, Dec 28) says the fox is an extremely cruel killer, which kills for the joy of it. It has the right to live and eat. After all, we are meant to be sharing this planet with all living creatures. So it's a great pity that humans
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Man trapped in car after black ice causes crash
BLACK ice on the region's roads led to a spate of accidents yesterday morning, including two on the same stretch. An unforeseen drop in temperatures just as motorists were making their way to work left many skidding on treacherous surfaces, and some colliding
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Calling time on the never-never society
THE party is over, the presents are unwrapped and it's time to face the consequences. Retail experts say that spending for Christmas has never been so great with the bulk of it being put on the plastic. But next week the never-never becomes a reality
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Funding threat to swimmer's games bid
MEDAL-winning swimmer Denise Baker could be forced to pull out of the next World Transplant Games because of a lack of funding. The 40-year-old, from Darlington, needs to raise £3,000 to cover the cost of her trip to Japan, in August, to represent Britain
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Support is urged for city's 'metric martyr'
A CAMPAIGN group is urging people to back a fighting fund for North-East market trader Steven Thoburn. Mr Thoburn, known as the "metric martyr", goes before Sunderland magistrates later this month accused of continuing to trade using traditional pounds
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Man tells court of CS spray ordeal
A MAN who tried to get help for an unconscious reveller told a court yesterday he was handcuffed and sprayed with CS spray after asking police to call an ambulance. Mr Vincent, 20, told Teesside Crown Court how he and three friends were about to go into
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Shopping centre tells scooters to scoot
A SHOPPING centre has become one of the first in the country to ban youngsters from riding micro-scooters in its malls. Bosses at the Cornmill Centre, in Darlington, have slapped warning posters on its entrances. Thousands of the lightweight aluminum
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Court told of girl's abuse misery
A FATHER spoke yesterday of his misery after he had to confront his 11-year-old daughter when he was told she had been abused. The man, who cannot be named, was told that his daughter was one of four children Sean Dobson, 19, is accused of assaulting.
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Trader sees off masked raiders
A COMMUNITY leader has told how he saw off two knife-wielding masked robbers who were terrorising his family. Councillor Eric Turner, 70, burst in on the robbers, one of whom was towering over his wife, Enid, with a 12-inch knife, and forced them out
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Back trouble setback for basketball career
NEIL Fingleton's basketball career in the US has received a setback with the announcement that he will not play this year at the University of North Carolina because of back problems. The 7ft 5in centre, who hails from Durham and weighs 17 stones, is
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Tenants consulted on future of homes
CONSULTATION to decide who should manage 12,300 council houses has begun. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council tenants have received newsletters asking them to help decide the future of their homes. The document, called Your Home, Your Future, Your Choice
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A sharp shock for burglar
A YOUNG woman smacked a burglar twice on the head when he apologised for stealing from her, a court was told yesterday. Emma Finch, 21, hit out at Daniel Shotton, 19, when he went to her home to confess that he and a friend had broken in two days earlier
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Officer detects career opening
A SENIOR police officer has switched from his uniformed role to head a busy CID office. Chief Inspector Bruce Turnbull has taken over as crime manager of the Wear and Tees division, based at Bishop Auckland police station. He will lead detectives working
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Museum starts search for new director
A North-East museum has started a search for a new chief, following the early retirement of its suspended director. Former director at Beamish Museum, County Durham, Peter Lewis, 62, was suspended in September over a claim that letters meant for the Friends
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Teenagers urged to set sights higher
TEENAGERS are being encouraged to do well at school and progress to university through a £16,000 grant from a regeneration fund. The cash, from the Sedgefield Single Regeneration Budget 5 (SRB5) Competitiveness Partnership, will also dispel higher education's
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Woman's five-hour wait ends in death
A SICK woman died after waiting more than five hours for an ambulance to take her to hospital. A doctor called to treat housewife Mandy Gray, 38, at her home in Thames Road, Redcar, Teesside, arranged for the non-emergency vehicle to take her for x-rays
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Play area plan hangs on grant
CHILDREN in a County Durham village could have a new play area by this summer. The Cornforth partnership is waiting for the outcome of a grant application before starting work on phase two of the scheme at the village's community park. The group heard
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Jasmin brings new year joy
DARLINGTON'S first baby of the New Year is proving to be as good as gold. Jasmin Thompson weighed 6lb 6oz when she was born in Darlington Memorial Hospital at 6.45pm on January 1. She has now returned home with her parents Shelley and Nigel, and sister
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Council tax payers face £50 increase
COUNCIL tax is to rise by more than £50 for most people in Darlington - with more increases planned in following years. Darlington Borough Council has announced proposals to increase council tax bills by 12.5 per cent this financial year. The authority
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anyone smitten by four little kittens?
FOUR orphans are proving playful guests at one of the region's animal sanctuaries. Soon after kittens Tibby and Jake, both toms, and their sisters Molly and Curly Sue were born a month ago, their mother Tigger died from eating a poisoned rabbit. She had
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Publican on cue to help bored youngsters
A PUBLICAN is helping to keep youngsters off the streets of a troubled estate by inviting them into his bar. When Wayne Heal took over as manager of The Grove, on Middlesbrough's Easterside Estate, he made up his mind to play a full part in the community
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Crackdown on yob behaviour
POLICE on Wearside plan to target Sunderland's ten most persistent criminals under tough laws to crackdown on so-called neighbours from hell. Officers are building up files of evidence on the worst public disorder offenders in the city, who are terrorising
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Youth agrees to voice tag
A NORTH-EAST teenager has become the first person in the region to be voice-tagged in a bid to keep him out of trouble. The 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will have to call the authorities at set times each day to make sure
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Villagers get say on junction scheme
VILLAGERS are being urged to have their say on plans to replace a dangerous road junction with a roundabout. The Highways Agency plans to install the roundabout at the junction of the A167 with the B6312, near Plawsworth, scene of several accidents. It
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Big rise in town's council tax
COUNCIL taxes in a North-East town are set to rise by more than 12 per cent this year. Darlington Borough Council has stressed that despite the inflation-busting rise, householders in the town will still be paying the lowest council tax in the region.
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EU cash cuts threat to Cook Country group
THE future of an organisation set up in honour of one of the region's greatest heroes is in serious jeopardy. The Captain Cook Association, set up 20 years ago to draw tourists to the early haunts of the legendary navigator and explorer, could be forced
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Honours for police officers in recognistion of their brave deeds
POLICE officers were recognised for their bravery in the line of duty at an awards ceremony in Durham last night. PCs Dave Sampson and Glen Henderson, both 32, were honoured for attempting to save a suicide victim. In September, the bobbies answered a
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Reynolds takes on police over arrest
MULTI-millionaire football club chairman George Reynolds will launch an extraordinary legal battle against Cleveland Police next week. The former safe-cracker will assume the role of barrister in the High Court in Middlesbrough to claim that he was wrongfully
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Cracks found in region's flyovers
CRACKS have been found in a number of road flyovers in the region. A 50mph speed restriction has been in force at the A66 Yarm Road Interchange, near Stockton, Teesside, for months, following the discovery of cracks in the base of supports of the parapet
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Foreign 'jackpot' letters warning
TRADING standards chiefs have renewed warnings about "too good to be true" mail order offers promising foreign riches. Pensioner Gwenville Rutherford, from Darlington, contacted The Northern Echo after receiving a letter posted from Australia, which promised
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Town closer to elected mayor
A TOWN could soon be the first in the North to have an elected mayor. Residents of Hartlepool are interested in the idea of having a mayor who is more than a tape-cutting ceremonial figurehead. What is unknown at the moment is whether the community wants
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Magpies want Gayle to fill Shearer's boots
NEWCASTLE United want Wimbledon striker Marcus Gayle to fill Alan Shearer's boots. United, without knee trouble victim Shearer for a further ten weeks, were last night battling to thrash out a deal with the Dons. Talks have reached stalemate because they
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Baby delight eases grief over our girl in a million
THE death of little Hannah Smith almost exactly a year ago affected everyone who read her story. Hannah was born with a seriously malformed heart, which meant that without surgery she could not survive into adulthood. During the summer of 1999, a shortage
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Training knocks revive Quakers' problems
Darlington have an injury crisis as they prepare for the tough home game with Rochdale tomorrow. With utility man Gary Himsworth and midfielder Jesper Hjorth already ruled out, manager Gary Bennett thought Quakers' injury problems were easing with Paul
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Newsquest's new commercial director
NEWSQUEST North East has appointed Ian Clarke as its new commercial director. The 39-year-old, is currently circulation director of the Wolverhampton Express & Star, the UK's biggest-selling regional evening paper. Prior to that he ran the regional
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Unions call on the Bank of England to follow US rate cuts
UNION leaders are leading a call for the Bank of England to follow its counterpart over the Atlantic and cut interest rates in the UK. Although shares rocketed in London following the shock decision in the United States to cut rates by a half point, economists
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This is just one strip we can do without
HAVEN'T we all, by now, seen enough pasty, mottled, quivering flesh to last a lifetime? And I'm not just talking about our nearest and dearest. The nude calendar is out-dated, it has had its day. I just wish someone had told the ladies of Haydon Hunt
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Engineering group forges ahead
AN engineering firm is predicting a bright future for its workforce with sales and turnover continuing to grow. The Forge House Group has seen sales up 70 per cent on the same period last year, and is likely to see turnover for this financial year at
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Minimum wage reduces pay gap
THE national minimum wage has helped reduce the regional pay gap, according to Government figures released yesterday. The biggest increases in average earnings over the year to April 2000 have been in traditionally low-paying regions such as the North-East
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O'Keefe set for first place at last
TRAINING racehorses can be a frustrating business. Just ask rookie Middleham handler Jedd O'Keeffe, who despite sending out a string of second placed horses since obtaining his licence in the autumn, has yet to occupy the cherished number one spot. But
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Pallister battling to save season
VETERAN Middlesbrough defender Gary Pallister is fighting to save his season. The former and England centre-half has undergone surgery for a chronic back problem and faces two months' rehabilitation before he hits the comeback trail. Pallister, 35, has
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Receiver moves in at Onyx Internet
BUSINESS Internet service provider Onyx Internet has gone into administrative receivership. The Middlesbrough-based business, was put in the hands of the administrators in December after financial difficulties, putting the jobs of its 50 staff under threat
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Footballing fortunes get TV tune-up
A STRUGGLING North-East football club has been given top level training to improve its fortunes. County Durham side Murton FC has been given the sort of expert coaching clubs such as Manchester United and Barcelona have used, as part of BBC's new programme
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Fury at 'sexist' remarks
A NORTH YORKSHIRE councillor has been told to answer to his authority for an article published in a newsletter he distributes around his ward. Tony Pelton is the editor of The Clarion, a free news leaflet highlighting issues of interest around Catterick
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On the ice
IT has been a week with ups and downs for the Jesters. Last Saturday, we faced Sheffield and got beaten 4-1. We can't afford to have any letdowns against a team like the Steelers and it is what happened. In that match, I had my first encounter with Dennis
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Boy remanded
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy was committed to Crown Court yesterday charged with attacking an elderly woman in her County Durham home. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Sedgefield Youth Court, charged with grievous bodily harm and aggravated
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Dead sister letter sent out in error
A PENSIONER was sent a letter from his local council asking him to return his dead sister's bath lift - despite her being alive and well. Anthony Sedgwick, of Thornaby, Teesside, said he was shocked by the letter, which deeply upset his sick wife, Joyce
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hiv worker wins
A FURNITURE company worker who claimed he was forced out after revealing he was HIV positive, yesterday won an undisclosed cash pay-out. Michael Scott had planned to take the company, Barker & Stonehouse, to an employment tribunal, claiming constructive
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Dealer caught out in early morning raid
A DRUG dealer had a rude awakening when police caught him and his girlfriend in bed during a Sunday morning raid, a court was told yesterday. A search turned up a nine-ounce block of cannabis resin, worth £1,000, and more cannabis hidden in a toy rabbit
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Refugee faces murder charge
A KURDISH refugee was accused yesterday of the murder of a fellow countryman. Both men are originally from Sulemania, in northern Iraq, and came to the UK in 1999 fleeing Saddam Hussein's regime. Ali Abdulla Mahmud, 27, of Southfield Road, Middlesbrough
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350 jobs to be created
MORE than 350 jobs are being created in a North-East town by a national supermarket chain. Morrisons is opening a store in Jarrow, South Tyneside, this summer, and is advertising for the first 50 posts today. Recruitment is being handled by Jarrow Jobcentre
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Police to step up war on burglars
POLICE in Sunderland hope to win £110,000 of Home Office funding to step up the fight against burglars. The money will be used to give out crime prevention advice to householders and fit better security at the homes of repeat victims. Crime hotspots in
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Classes aim to relieve stress
Meditation classes are being launched to help people cope with stress. The courses will be run at Darlington Arts Centre, by the Atisha Buddhist Centre. Meditation teacher Paul Morris said: "There is more stress and rage about in these fast and modern
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Sprinkler sparks alarm
STAFF and shoppers at a department store were evacuated yesterday lunchtime when a faulty sprinkler system triggered a fire alarm. People flooded out into Skinnergate and High Row, in Darlington, when the alarm sounded at Binns. But firefighters checked
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Popular theatre group to provide more shows
SUCH has been the success of a Christmas production in North-West Durham that a theatre group has pencilled in extra shows. The Special Needs Unity Group (Snug), from Annfield Plain, has sold out all six planned performances of its show Christmas Treat
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Taking up yoga
TWO yoga courses are starting at Chester-le-Street Community Association, Newcastle Bank, this month. An eight-week course which will be held on Mondays, between 6.30 and 8.30pm, starts on January 15, and a ten-week course that will be held on Tuesdays
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Villagers join forces for better facilities
residents from villages in Teesdale have formed a community partnership to improve local facilities. Regular meetings between residents of Burnt Houses, Esperley and Cockfield have led to the group setting up the partnership. The Burnt Houses, Esperley
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Road safety measures unveiled
PLANS to make Middlesbrough roads safer have been unveiled. The proposals, dependent on the borough council receiving Government funding, include a programme of 20mph speed restrictions in neighbourhoods and outside schools. An experimental 20mph speed
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In running for speedy return after race is hailed a success
ORGANISERS of one of Britain's biggest athletics meetings held in north Durham this week have hailed it a success and confirmed they want to return next year. Leader of Derwentside District Council, Alex Watson, has indicated he will be pushing for the
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Jail for man who let pets suffer
A BACHELOR who kept animals in squalid conditions has been jailed for six months. Magistrates at Chester-le-Street, County Durham, sent him down after hearing a tale of neglect and suffering inflicted on two border collies, two ferrets and a hamster -
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Beating the drum for some respect
OVER the New Year, I found myself on a local radio phone-in show discussing law and order with a GP in his mid-forties and a 17-year-old A- level student. One of the callers set us off talking about corporal punishment. Being a policeman, the birch immediately
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Gaming appeal pays dividends
A NATIONAL pub chain landed the jackpot in a bid to overcome a local gaming restriction at a North-East city centre bar. JD Wetherspoons appealed yesterday against refusal of permission for a third prize amusement machine at its William Jameson outlet
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School praised by Ofsted team
OFSTED inspectors were impressed by the rapport between teachers and pupils at Roseberry Junior School, Billingham. Methods of helping the least able children to make progress were commended by the inspectors in their report, who found the "very good"
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Victim unaware of severe injuries
A MAN suffered a fractured skull in a New Year's Day nightclub attack, but did not realise how serious his injuries were. The unnamed 23-year-old, from Sunderland, was only taken to hospital after collapsing at work on Tuesday. He was recovering in the
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Families welcome fences to stop crime
NEW fencing is forming a barrier against crime in a Teesside community. Two metre high steel palisade barriers have been erected in Rafton Drive and Miller Crescent, Hartlepool, to prevent gangs from gaining access to homes and garages. The Rafton Drive
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Shop marks golden jubilee
A GENTS' outfitters has marked its golden jubilee at a city centre store in Durham. Greenwoods menswear has developed from humble origins as a small family-owned business in Bradford, in 1860. It spread nationwide after the First World War, reaching a
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Home stunned by road tragedy
A VULNERABLE man has died after being knocked down by a car after going missing from a residential home. The 26-year-old, who had Down's Syndrome and has not been named at the request of his family, was involved in an accident on the southbound carriageway
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Lighting-up policy for staff leaves opponents fuming
PLANS by a North-East council to force workers to ask permission every time they want a cigarette have been ridiculed by objectors. Senior managers at Chester-le-Street District Council are keen on introducing a new smoking policy that allows managers
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Third man quizzed on baseball bat attack
A THIRD man was helping police with their inquiries last night into a vicious attack which left three men badly hurt. The 28-year-old, from east Durham, was being questioned at Peterlee police station about the New Year's Day assault at a house in Frederick
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Cameras join vice crackdown
MEN visiting a town to pick up prostitutes are to be tracked by cameras. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the latest weapon in Middlesbrough's fight to clean up its streets. They are being installed at one of the town's red light areas, where they
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A family who like to travel first class
IT is a rarely broken convention that no living people other than members of the Royal family can have their faces on stamps in Britain. But this week, expert Peter Jennings suggested celebrities such as Posh Spice Victoria Beckham and her footballer
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Last-ditch bid to bring Micra here
A LABOUR MP is to lead an 11th hour mission to boost the chances of Nissan bosses deciding to build the new Micra in Sunderland. The company is expected to announce a decision from its Tokyo headquarters before the end of the month. An estimated one-fifth
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Truckers plan blockade
FUEL tax campaigners revealed last night that they plan to mount fresh blockades in the North-East today. The protest, which marks a return to direct action tactics, aims to repeat the success of the blockades of fuel refineries and depots last September
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Heroes save boy from death under lake's ice
A PRIMARY school teacher has told how she helped save the life of a boy who plunged into an icy lake. Jamie Guiheen, aged eight, was playing with friends on a steep bank beside the lake in Silksworth, Sunderland, when he tumbled on to the ice, on Wednesday
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Tragic couple's new baby joy
A COUPLE who feared their dreams of family life had died along with their much-loved three-year-old daughter are now looking forward to the birth of a new baby. A year ago this month, North Yorkshire couple Robert and Susan Smith suffered the trauma of
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Anger at circuit legal bill 'secrecy'
A COUNCIL has been accused by one of its own members of going against the principles of accountability, democracy and open government in a deepening row over a controversial motor racing circuit. Richmondshire District Council has agreed to pay the legal
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Challenge to council over deal
THE row over the future of a controversial motor racing circuit took a new twist yesterday when a council was challenged to come clean on a behind-closed-doors deal with its owners. Richmondshire District Council was on the brink of legal action last
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Hearing Concern in appeal for volunteers
A CHARITY which helps the hard of hearing is appealing for volunteers in the Durham area to help with its work. Hearing Concern, which is operating on Tyneside, is expanding after winning £162,000 funding over three years from the National Lotteries Charities
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Appeal blow for Johnson
England captain Martin Johnson has lost his appeal against reducing a five-week suspension for foul play. The appeal against the ban, which was imposed by the Rugby Football Union, was heard by a three-man disciplinary panel at Coventry Post House Hotel
