Archive
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Police station surgeries for GPs
VIOLENT patients could be forced to have doctors' appointments in police stations after alarming evidence of attacks on GPs was uncovered. The radical move to improve security of surgery staff was proposed following the findings of a survey by North Yorkshire
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MPs vote on hunting
Supporters of hunting were last night faced with the greatest ever threat to their sport, as MPs voted in favour of a outright ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales. The vote, by 387 to 174, sets up a pre-election battle in the House of Lords,
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Marsh can learn by degrees at Darlington
Darlington youngster Adam Marsh has revealed how he turned his back on an academic career to make his mark in the professional game. The teenager notched his first goal in senior football on Tuesday night in the LDV Vans win against Shrewsbury, but it
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Phillips' double puts Sunderland through
ENGLAND striker Kevin Phillips fired Sunderland into the fourth round of the FA Cup with two great goals to beat the Selhurst Park jinx last night. But Peter Reid's side had substitute striker Danny Dichio sent off in a white-hot extra time period after
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Moxon makes Durham his number one priority
NEW coach Martyn Moxon signed a three-year contract at the Riverside yesterday and said: "Durham is now my county." Born in Barnsley and now living just outside Wetherby with his wife and two children, Moxon spent 20 years as player and coach with Yorkshire
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Raiders took the lot
BURGLARS have left a disabled widow with just two sofas, a fridge and wall unit after they stripped her house bare. Christine Hunter, 51, is wheelchair- bound and worked hard to furnish her house with her husband, David, a former long distance lorry driver
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Silence golden for Tim
Tim Henman, who knows all about the power of home support, has given himself the job of trying to switch it off at the Australian Open in Melbourne. After two straight-sets victories, first over Moroccan Hicham Arazi and yesterday against Ecuador's Nicolas
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Managers blamed for insolvency
NEARLY one in two insolvent companies in the North-East fail because of poor management decisions, according to the findings of a study. The research carried out by The Association of Business Recovery Professionals, R3, reveals on top of this that more
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Paralympian earns bravery accolade
A North-east Paralympian has picked up yet another accolade to add to her collection. Wheelchair athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson, who lives in Redcar, was yesterday voted as one of Britain's bravest women, by Best magazine. Tanni, 31, who has spina bifida
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A landscape of a lesser God
INTERVIEWED when Songs of Praise was broadcast from Wensleydale recently, William Hague, the Tory leader, confessed to not being a regular churchgoer. He said that he and Ffion found God by walking in that great open-air cathedral, the glorious Dales'
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Hotline for help will ease worries of residents
A HOTLINE allowing residents to express their worries has been launched on Teesside. The phone link, the idea of PC Nick Edgar, is believed to be the first of its kind in the region and has been set up for the residents of South Bank and Grangetown. Open
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Supermarket workers give charity a boost
STAFF at the Co-op in Crook have raised £82 for a charity which helps children with speech and language problems. Worker Elizabeth Arrowsmith suggested the charity, Afasic, would be a good recipient for the Christmas collection. Her nine-year-old son,
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pocket rocket ready for lift-off to next level
POCKET rocket Lee Goodfellow has amazed his family after taking the motorbiking world by storm. Eight-year-old Lee, from Redmire Close, Darlington, County Durham, has won 50 trophies in the two years he has been racing. Now, the North Road Primary School
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Career hopes that were to end in tragedy
up-and-coming jockey Christy McGrath made his debut under racing rules as a conditional rider in July 1999. He travelled from Ireland and rode Red Fey in a bumper at Worcester that month. Within four weeks, he had left Ireland to settle at Brancepeth
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Library service review released
A REVIEW setting out the next five years of a library service's future has been published. The report, covering Middlesbrough's libraries, is one of the first in a round of Best Value reviews being conducted by the local authority. It predicts that libraries
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Hold-ups continue for N-E drivers
FRUSTRATED drivers will have to wait until at least April before work on one of the North-East's busiest roads is complete. Traffic on the A167, the former Great North Road, through Chilton, County Durham, has been held up by road works for the past two
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St Trinian's slip brings cash lift for hospice
A CASE of mistaken identity led to hundreds of pounds being raised for a local hospice. Bar manager Dave Graham, at Humphry's, in Darlington, meant to tell his staff they were raising money for St Teresa's Hospice in the town over the Christmas period
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New boss on probation
A NEW chief probation officer has been appointed as part of a national overhaul of the service. Middlesbrough-born Elaine Lumley, who is an assistant chief probation officer, will take up the post on Teesside from April. She has worked for the area's
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£160,000 nature reserve scheme for quarry
A £160,000 project to turn a disused quarry into a nature reserve will be considered by Teesdale district councillors today. The authority's development control committee will consider plans to restore land at Hayberries Quarry and Ormasley Hill Plantation
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Council tax may increase by 10%
A MEETING in Harrogate today seems set to hit the pockets of taxpayers in the borough. The council's cabinet is being urged to sanction a ten per cent increase in council tax in April to help cover the local authority's spending plans. The Government
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Short-stay maternity care to be delivered
NEW mothers will be encouraged to leave hospital a few hours after they have given birth at Durham's new £90m hospital. But NHS bosses said yesterday that any mother who wished to stay longer after giving birth in the new delivery rooms would be able
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Police plea for help to trace attackers
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was attacked and left with a broken nose and eye socket. The victim was heading home after a night out at The Brinkburn pub, in Darlington, County Durham and became aware of two men walking towards him. He
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Action call to clean up unkempt road
CALLS are being made to improve the appearance of one of the busiest roads into Darlington or lose potential investors. Concern has been expressed that the town's image is being spoiled by the state of parts of North Road. The road, which used to be part
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Firm hand on town's direction
A NEW firm is being formed to steer a North Yorkshire community towards a brighter future. A dozen people will form the Richmond Town Centre Company, which will work to win grants for the area, to create new jobs and encourage existing businesses to grow
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Staying safe on the roads
OLDER drivers have been given tips on how to stay safe on increasingly busy roads. Age Concern Durham County held a motoring information day, aimed at the county's over-50s drivers, at Meadowfield Leisure Centre, near Durham City. The event, backed by
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the show must go on - Oh, yes it must
THE show must go on for one amateur hopeful who has taken the traditional showbiz advice to a break a leg a little too seriously. Stephen Westgarth will still co-direct, co-produce and appear in this year's youth pantomime at his home in Delves Lane,
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Have a cuppa on us, says firm
TOURISTS thinking about a trip to Yorkshire were offered an extra incentive by one of the county's most famous businesses. Taylors of Harrogate supplied 1,000 packs of Yorkshire Tea to be given away by the region's tourist board at the Holiday and Travel
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An 'ordinary' night out when a life ended
GARY Walton expected to enjoy an ordinary evening out, drinking around the pubs of Coundon, County Durham, on Sunday, July 16. Instead, the father-of-two would never make it back to the home he shared in the village with his wife, Susan. Gary had been
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Grey Peter (or how to make a Zimmer frame)
BLUE Peter for grown-ups - now there's a thought. Grey Peter, perhaps. As long as it's not on late night Channel 4 where it would be really Blue - the mind boggles with what they would do with sticky-backed plastic and some cocktail sticks... But John
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Inquiry opens into retail park proposal
A PUBLIC inquiry has opened into plans for a new retail complex at one of Europe's biggest shopping centres. Developer JJ Gallagher wants to build a giant retail park at Gateshead's MetroCentre. However, the application for the site - the size of several
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Cash prizes to hook anglers for contest
PRIZE money totalling £4,000 is the bait to get anglers interested in a sea fishing competition being held in east Durham. The open contest organised by Easington District Council will be held on Sunday, February 4, on the stretch of coast between Ryhope
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Who shot Phil?
Bookmakers last night invited bets on the biggest TV soap whodunnit since Dallas's JR Ewing was gunned down - who shot Phil Mitchell? The EastEnders hardman, played by Steve McFadden, will get blasted by a mystery attacker in a March episode of the BBC1
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Nissan workers' hope
NISSAN'S North-East factory appeared to be on the brink of victory last night as the battle for the next Micra swung dramatically in favour of Britain. The European Union has cleared the way for a £40m Government aid package for the plant, which is competing
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Barton blunder spells agony for Newcastle
ENGLAND Under-21 striker Darius Vassell ended a personal goal drought as the best-laid plans of Newcastle boss Bobby Robson came unstuck with disastrous consequences at Villa Park. Vassell's first goal for over two years was enough to extinguish United's
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Flushing out the supporters
THE Northern Echo always has plenty of opinions about all manner of topics. Every morning in this column, we inflict them upon our readers. For instance, we find it cynical of Labour to dredge up the issue of fox-hunting so close to an election when its
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Uncertainty in the car market dents profits at Reg Vardy
CAR dealer Reg Vardy said it had been hit by "one of the most difficult years in the motor industry for three decades", after announcing a fall in pre-tax profits following a record breaking 1999. But the Sunderland-based group, which yesterday reported
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Blueprint for business
A BLUEPRINT to help North-East businesses tap into the vast potential of overseas markets has been unveiled. More than 3,000 business across the region will receive the new international trade strategy for the North-East containing bold plans to boost
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Reaction over blunder at nuclear plant
OFFICIALS said last night that a blunder at a North-East nuclear power station had not posed any risk - but admitted the problem will not be fixed for months An inquiry was launched at Hartlepool power station after a mistake led to uranium rods being
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Player power lifts Pool
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner last night revealed his record-equalling players are making his job easy. Tuesday's goalless draw at Chesterfield ended a run of seven consecutive victories - three points would have broken a long-standing club record
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Smith's salute
Crystal Palace manager Alan Smith believes tonight's FA Cup third round replay against Sunderland will provide his side with their toughest test of the season. The clubs have already met twice this term and although Palace hold the upper hand with victory
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Hit-and-run adds impetus to safety campaign
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a hit-and-run accident, which left a 60-year-old Cleveland grandfather badly injured. The victim suffered a broken leg and wrist, as well as injuries to his head and face, after he was struck while walking his dog
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Drinking den shut down after swoop by police
POLICE on Teesside have closed down an unlicensed drinks den. A 12-strong squad swooped on the unlicensed club, which was operating from a derelict factory at St Hilda's, Middlesbrough. Officers dismantled it, stripping it bare. Cleveland Police seized
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Boost for community groups
SMALL community groups in part of Darlington are to benefit from a Government initiative. The Community Resource Fund was launched by the Home Office in 1999 to promote and support activity in local communities. The fund is designed to reach groups which
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Jailed for attack on former TV boss
A former TV boss was attacked before being kidnapped and dumped by an ex-convict he had befriended ten years earlier. Peter Moth, 63, who used to be director of broadcasting at Tyne Tees, was left with his leg fractured in five places, two broken ribs
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Pay deals remain at low levels
PAY settlements in the engineering sector remained at their historical low levels between October and December last year, new figures have shown. The Engineering Employers' Federation's (EEF) January bulletin showed that the average pay settlement in
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Stage is set fair at Sunderland
THE stage is set for one of the most competitive Regal Gold Cup finals in history at Sunderland on Saturday. Regal Puppy Derby winner Harsu Super has an ideal trap draw and will start favourite to lift the £2,500 first prize - but he will have to be at
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Prison officer gets £100,000 in stress case
A FORMER prison officer who claimed that work-related stress cost him his job has been given substantial damages by the Home Office. The 46-year-old man - who has not been named - worked at Castington young offenders' institution, Northumberland, from
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Business shake-up at S&N will see 1,300 jobs cut
PUB and brewing giant Scottish & Newcastle is to shake up its business over the next four years, in a move which will see 1,300 job cuts across the country. The group said the redundancies would fall at its Scottish Courage brewing business, which
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Nice One - as city turns heads
THE improving image of a North-East city turned heads at a national tourism conference last weekend. Marketing staff at Sunderland City Council drummed up national support for Wearside as part of their Nice One Sunderland campaign. Armed with copies of
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Girl, 17, is sex attack victim
A TEENAGE girl was the victim of a sex attack when a pervert tried to rape her over the bonnet of a Land Rover. The 17-year-old was attacked as she walked home after a night out with friends in Chester-le-Street town centre on Monday. The teenager left
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Victim tells of rifle horror
AN engineer has spoken of the moments when he was shot at by a drunken ex-colleague. Duncan Quinn, 22, of Fountains Court, Skelton, east Cleveland, was jailed for 21 months at Teesside Crown Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to affray and having
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Breast op woman 'not told of risks'
A woman left scarred for life when breast reduction surgery went wrong claimed she was never warned about serious risks involved. Tracey Rochester, 31, of Cullercoats, North Tyneside, had the operation at Newcastle General Hospital in 1994, Newcastle
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Anger simmers over flood fears
THE Environment Agency is coming under fire from worried town councillors at Norton-on-Derwent for inaction since the recent floods. Councillor David Lloyd-Williams, who is also a member of North Yorkshire County Council, said "I find it incomprehensible
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All aboard HMS Invincible for mayor's party
DEMAND has far exceeded supply for a one-off North-East civic ball, to be staged on board one of the biggest ships in the Royal Navy fleet. The Mayor of Durham, Councillor George Wharton, was overwhelmed by requests for tickets after announcing his annual
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Detectives warn over 'officials'
DETECTIVES are warning householders to be vigilant after bogus officials stole money from a disabled woman. Two men claiming to be from the water board called at a bungalow in Price Avenue, Bishop Auckland, yesterday afternoon and stole money from the
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Irish charm that cloaked the violent mind of a murderer
THE easy Irish charm and boyish good looks of Christy McGrath made it difficult to believe he was capable of murder. Just 23 years old, he looks younger. He was described by those closest to him as "nave" and "pretty easily led", and trusted people until
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Pupils defy weather for memento snapshot
A HAILSTORM failed to dampen the spirits of the staff and pupils of a Teesdale school as they posed for their very own millennium picture. The skies opened as children and teachers from Ingleton Primary School gathered outside to mark their millennium
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Let's go for action, girls
ORGANISERS of a scheme aiming to encourage young women to become more physically active are staging an event later this month. Youngsters aged 14 to 18 are invited to the Let's Go Girls event, set up by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County
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Removal of dock gates to unleash flood of prosperity
ONE of the longest surviving working features of the North-East's industrial heritage was removed yesterday in an attempt to breathe new life into a dock. The operation to remove the 200-ton dock gates proved as much of an engineering challenge as when
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Class standards are improving
TEACHING standards are rising in classrooms across Redcar and Cleveland, according to government inspectors. The high levels of satisfactory, good, very good and excellent teaching from ten Ofsted reports conducted on primary and secondary schools during
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Letters
METAL DETECTING AS a law-abiding metal detecting enthusiast and as co-ordinator of Northern England Weekend Searchers, a computer-based metal detecting association patronised by over 100 people from the north of England, I object to your newspaper being
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Refuse collection dispute is settled
THE dispute over refuse collection in Redcar and Cleveland is over after the council and trade unions reached an agreement over cleansing arrangements. The row over proposed changes by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to refuse collectors' working
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Residents have say on new constitution
THOUSANDS of residents are continuing to give their opinions on how their council should be run. Leaders at Gateshead Borough Council are in the process of introducing one of three systems outlined by the Government. They can introduce a leader with a
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Tories' stunt gets a quarter pounding
THE Tory Party weighed in with the "metric martyr" yesterday - and nearly caused a further brush with the law after an order for quarter pounder burgers. Police were called to McDonald's in Sunderland when a media scrum descended on the fast food restaurant
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Tributes to pioneer of high IQ group
MEMBERS of Mensa, the society for people with a high IQ, gathered in the North-East last night to hear tributes to one of their pioneers. Victor Serebriakoff, a businessman who built up Mensa from a handful of friends to an organisation with 100,000 members
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Moves to rid town of 'dirty image'
PLANS to improve a town's air quality have won government backing. In a new report, Middlesbrough Borough Council reveals how it proposes to ensure that the area's air quality meets 12 government health standards. Among them is a suggestion for a mini-air
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How Jim got back between the sheets
JIMMY Carter died last week; not the peanut planting president, the other one. Jim was the former landlord of the Coverbridge Inn, a charming and very popular country pub a few miles south of Leyburn in North Yorkshire. Trouble was, he kept overlooking
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Neighbouring council hits out at school closure threat
A SCHOOL threatened with closure by its local education authority may have found an ally in a neighbouring council. Middlesbrough Borough Council proposes to close St Anthony's RC School and create 150 places at St David's Secondary School to take the
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Sure Sorensen issues a Sunderland warning
DANISH goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen sounded a warning to his Sunderland teammates on the eve of tonight's FA Cup Third Round replay at Crystal Palace - "If we're not up for it we'll lose again." Sunderland fell victims to the buoyant First Division side
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Still spaces for college classes
Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College is still accepting students for adult evening classes, which start this month. Courses in German, desktop publishing, counselling, PowerPoint and presentation skills have all been cancelled because of lack
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Rural transport grants on offer
LOCAL groups in Teesdale are being urged to take advantage of funding for rural transport projects. More than £5,000 is available from the Teesdale Rural Transport Partnership to help people fund local transport initiatives in the dale. But time is running
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Exposing the dotcom baby business
FLOATING in cyberspace, somewhere between the shiny new cars and the limited edition hardback books, are countless children, displaced, homeless and some for sale. Their little faces stare appealingly from colourful websites, like fluffy kittens and puppies
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School praised by inspectors
A Newton Aycliffe secondary school is celebrating a glowing report from Office for Standards in Education inspectors. Woodham Community Technology College was visited a team of 15 Ofsted inspectors last year. Their report says that the strengths of the
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PC held after boy os injured
A police officer has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run road accident which left a teenager fighting for his life. The 36-year-old County Durham officer is based at the force's Chester-le-Street and Durham City division. Police chiefs have
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Door staff licence warning for county's pubs and clubs
PUBS and clubs across North Yorkshire could put their licences in jeopardy unless they ensure door staff have the appropriate qualification. The days of "hired heavies" have been numbered in the county since the police-promoted Door Safe Register scheme
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Making an unpleasant impression
I HAVE lived in the Borough of Stockton for all of my 45 years and I do not like what I see around me. Earlier this week, an Audit Commission report said that Stockton had some of the dirtiest streets in the country, dirtier than some inner city areas
