Archive
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High hopes for airshow
ORGANISERS of the Great Yorkshire Airshow say this year's will be the best yet. The event will be held at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington, near York, over the next Bank Holiday weekend, on August 26 and 27. There will be plenty of classics on show
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Car comparison 'unfair'
RAIL bosses have called foul over claims that it is more expensive to take the train than to buy a car for the same journey. An experiment for Auto Express magazine saw the round trip between Newcastle and London by road completed for £199, including
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Work starting on centre for families
WORK will begin next week on a £600,000 centre in Hartlepool to help give youngsters the best possible start in life. It will provide support for parents of children under four living in the Owton Manor, Rossmere and Seaton Grange areas. Health, education
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Elderly woman in street attack
AN elderly woman had to be given hospital treatment for injuries she sustained when she was attacked by three youths. The incident happened on Tuesday at 10pm as the 70-year-old was searching for her dog behind shops in Redhill Road, Stockton. She was
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Reader tracks down stolen car
A reader of The Northern Echo has helped police find a classic car reported stolen in yesterday's paper. The 1973 Triumph TR6 was stolen from car dealer Simon Robinson's premises, near Darlington, on Monday afternoon. The reader, of Hackworth Street,
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Lord of the sties
EVEN as old piggeries may go, the house at Detchant had seen very much better days. The windows were long shattered, swallows colonised the beams and the shepherd's dogs had taken over the living quarters. The pigs, for whatever reason, had moved out.
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Car park security TV cameras continue to cut vehicle crime
CLOSED-CIRCUIT television security cameras have made Darlington town centre one of the safest places to park in the North, say council officials. Figures released by Darlington Borough Council revealed that the number of car thefts and break-ins has reduced
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High note for Swiss visitors
A North-East youth orchestra will be returning a favour to a fellow group from Switzerland, which provided them with accommodation while on a European tour last summer. Young Sinfonia, the younger version of Newcastle Northern Sinfonia, stayed with their
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Pop show in park approved
PERMISSION has been granted for a pop concert, despite fears over fans' behaviour. A meeting of Middlesbrough Borough Council's licensing committee was called yesterday after councillors failed to reach a decision over Radio One's application for a licence
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Lord of the sties
EVEN as old piggeries may go, the house at Detchant had seen very much better days. The windows were long shattered, swallows colonised the beams and the shepherd's dogs had taken over the living quarters. The pigs, for whatever reason, had moved out.
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Worldwide rush as Black Cats open doors to a fan
FOOTBALL fans from across the world are rushing to take part in a competition which will give them an opportunity to sign a one-year contract with a premiership team. Within 24 hours of launch of its One of the Lads competition on Tuesday, Sunderland
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Invitation to visit jobs fair
BUSINESSES and organisations from all over east Durham are being invited to take part in a training and jobs fair. This year's event will be held at Peterlee Leisure Centre, in St Cuthbert's Way, and will run from 10am to 3pm, on Wednesday, September
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Orange festival gives buskers green light
WOULD-be stars of the street have been signing up for a busking competition at a North-East festival. Groups, soloists, and instrumentalists have all put their names forward for the contest at the Orange Darlington Festival. This year's theme is a "festival
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Just tell us what you have done with Laura's body
THE family of a woman who was mutilated and murdered are appealing to her killer to end their eight-year heartache and reveal the whereabouts of her body. Trainee travel agent Laura May Shatanawi disappeared in June 1993 after sitting an exam at Hartlepool
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Prisoner 'found hanged by lace'
A REMAND prisoner hanged himself after being in custody for more than a year accused of a drugs offence, an inquest heard yesterday. John Shutt, 52, of Kelsey House, Front Street, Kelloe, Durham, was found hanged with a trainer lace from a vent in his
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Heard the one about the stand-up farmer?
A FARMER whose livestock was slaughtered because of foot-and-mouth disease is turning to stand-up comedy for light relief. David Gibson, who farms at Lanchester, County Durham, has reached the semi-finals of the So You Think You're Funny competition for
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Never again pledges chief executive after fatal blast
The man in charge of the company which owns the power station where an explosion yesterday claimed the lives of three employees today pledged to make sure such an incident never happened again. Jeff Skilling, chief executive officer of Enron Corp USA,
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Flourishing software firm in jobs boost
SOFTWARE developer Ortia is planning to double its workforce in the next six months. The Aske Stables company, from North Yorkshire, plans to add up to six new staff to cope with increasing demand for its services from an increasing range of blue chip
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Mystery blast death toll now three
A man critically injured in the Teesside power station blast died today to take the death toll to three. Two workers were killed in the explosion yesterday afternoon and a fourth, who suffered more moderate burns, was stable in hospital today. None of
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Hear All Sides
Letters From The Northern Echo LABOUR PARTY WHO is this Tony Blair? Born Tory, well educated, he turned to lead the Labour Pary hoping to change it into the Blair Party. Voted into power by the hard working class. It is rather odd, ex-miners suffering
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Guilty verdict in 125mph death crash case
A JEALOUS boyfriend is facing jail after killing his girlfriend in a 125mph crash while in a rage because she danced with another man. Teresa Clark, 26, was enjoying a night out at the Baja Beach Club in Gateshead after drinking on Newcastle's Quayside
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Suicide blackmail woman's appeal continues
RELATIVES of a former beauty queen who committed suicide after being convicted of blackmailing an ex-soccer star are to fight to clear her name. Carolyn Pick, 36, was granted leave to appeal against her conviction just a day after the tormented stalker
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Opposition to indoor riding centre
PLANS for an indoor riding centre at Saltburn are being opposed by the parish council. Tim Hill, of Saltburn Riding Centre, just outside the town on the road to Marske, is applying to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for permission to build an all
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Warship restoration honoured
THE £10m restoration of Britain's oldest warship afloat has won international recognition. Work on the 184-year-old HMS Trincomalee began in Hartlepool in 1990, and has just finished. The Trincomalee Trust, the group behind the work, has won an international
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Bull's victim gives warning to tourists
A NORTH-EAST woman is recovering in Spain after being gored at a bull running event. Leandra Edmonds, 41, left her job as a careers advisor at Durham County Council three years ago and moved to Benidorm to start a career as a singer. She was seriously
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Lord's beckons for Durham Board
THE Durham Board XI hope to book a trip to Lord's today when they face Norfolk in the semi-final of the ECB 38-County Trophy at Hartlepool (11am). After scraping through their group by the skin of their teeth, Durham had a comfortable win against Lincolnshire
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Garden project helps firm grow
BEDE Engineering is the latest company to benefit from work on the £14m Alnwick Garden project. The company, in Birtley, County Durham, has increased its staff numbers to help in constructing a 250m steel-framed pergola, which forms one of the main focal
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Raine backing Bennett
Darlington PR director Luke Raine has moved to quash speculation that Gary Bennett's position as manager is under threat. Bennett didn't enjoy the best of seasons last year and the pre-season friendlies have seen defeats to non-league Barrow Blyth and
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Book appeal for needy children
LISTENERS to a radio station are being asked to donate books to raise cash for needy children in Teesside. They can be taken to Magic 1170's building in Thornaby to raise funds for the station's charity, Make a Child Smile. Presenter Alan Ross said: "
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Ambulance delay claims spark action
HOSPITAL bosses have promised to take action after claims that 999 ambulances were delayed because of access problems. Since the new £97m University Hospital of North Durham opened in April all ambulances have had to share the same restricted entrance
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Grieving mother describes bravery of 'special son' Troy
A YOUNG leukaemia sufferer whose brave fight for life inspired an entire community has lost his battle. Troy Bainbridge died in his parents' arms on Tuesday. He was just seven years old. Scores of neighbours in Spennymoor, County Durham, queued for hours
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Park war memorial hopes lifted by donation
FUNDRAISERS are well on their way to achieving their target thanks to help from bank workers. Staff from the Halifax, in Middlesbrough, presented £500 to the Albert Park Memorial Garden Fund. The donation takes the group's total to £1,611, more than half
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Lecturer found guilty in poison pen case
Retired Open University lecturer James Forster was today found guilty of waging a poison pen letter campaign in his North Yorkshire village. The 68-year-old, of Kirklea, Grunton Lane, Manfield, sent a barrage of obscene letters claiming his next door
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Agencies need an overhaul, says CBI
REGIONAL Development Agencies need to be overhauled to give them a new image and stronger leadership, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said. The employers' organisation said the remit of the English agencies are too broad and they suffered
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A chance to go batty in daylight
THE Forestry Commission is inviting nature lovers to join a daylight trek on Sunday to seek out Kielder Forest's bats. Rangers will be checking some of the hundreds of bat boxes in the Northumberland forest, which house up to six different species. A
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Starving snakes are seized
ELEVEN snakes, some of them in a critical condition, have been seized by the RSPCA and police from a two-bedroomed terraced house in the North-East. All 11 of the 3ft-long corn snakes were being kept in a glass tank with no heat source and little food
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Hostel for refugees faces block
PLANS to turn a nursing home into a hostel for asylum seekers could be blocked following protests from people living nearby. More than 800 residents signed a petition objecting to the proposal for Lakeside Gardens, in Columbia Village, Washington. Sunderland
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'Robocop' quits
The man who brought zero tolerance policing to Britain has resigned from the force in order to stand as mayor of Middlesbrough. Ray Mallon, dubbed Robocop because of his hard-hitting tactics, has quit his position with Cleveland Police. He was the subject
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Crime-fighting Blitz bus on summer route
A MOBILE youth service to help prevent anti-social behaviour in Darlington is on the road during the summer holidays for the first time. The Blitz bus, which was designed in consultation with youngsters, usually only operates during term time. It is currently
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Doctor wins travel fellowship
A DOCTOR has won a national award that will enable him to present important medical research at a meeting in Berlin next month. Dr Robert Allcock, a respiratory specialist registrar at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, received a £500 travel fellowship
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Fireplace found during hotel renovation
A FORGOTTEN feature of a 17th century country house hotel has been uncovered during renovation work. The Redworth Hall Hotel, between Darlington and Bishop Auckland, is undergoing an extensive £500,000 renovation to its restaurants and kitchen. During
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Fun at canines' camp
A DOG lover from Bishop Auckland has joined 77 other children from around the country at a canine camp. Ella-Kate Nye, 13, took her cavalier King Charles spaniels, Kit and Kye, to the Kennel Club Junior Organisation (KCJO) National Annual Dog Camp at
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Estate's beat officer seeks public support
A POLICE officer is urging residents on a Darlington estate to help him cut crime. PC Gary Davison's plea follows an incident in which he was able to arrest two men for drugs offences thanks to a call from a resident and the new closed- circuit television
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Match delayed
HEAVY rain forced the postponement of a memorial cricket match yesterday. Two teams from Bishop Auckland and Crook police were to have battled for the PC Michael Wright Memorial Trophy. The match will now take place next Tuesday at Crook Cricket Club,
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Carers' support service on the move
A SUPPORT service for people who care for relatives and friends is moving to a new home in Newton Aycliffe. The Princess Royal Trust Sedgefield Locality Carers Centre will leave its premises at Upper Dalton Way, in Newton Aycliffe town centre, at the
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Football school proves popular
FOOTBALL stars of the future have been learning winning ways at a summer school run by Premiership club Sunderland. Youngsters from four to 14 spent two days at the King James 1st Community College, in Bishop Auckland, brushing up on ball control and
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Foot-and-mouth fears led to father's suicide
A FARM worker terrified that he might be blamed for the spread of foot-and-mouth disease hanged himself, an inquest heard yesterday. Andrew Keighley, 33, a father of two, was found by his father, William, hanging from a hay elevator at the family's Manderlea
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Bus hero grandad's drive of his life
A grandfather who grabbed the wheel of a bus after the driver blacked out said last night that he had never driven before. James Burton, 62, sprang into action yesterday after noticing the driver slump forward at the wheel, causing the bus, carrying eight
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Couple take freedom fight to Europe
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to clear the name of blind killer Yvonne Sleightholme are taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights. David Hamilton and Margaret Leonard say they will go to Strasbourg to argue that Sleightholme - jailed ten years ago
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Passengers moved to steady plane
Crew wrestling with a "major control problem" on a flight from Newcastle asked passengers to move to the front to assist in steadying the aircraft, an official accident report revealed yesterday. The captain issued a Mayday distress call after he and
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Ex-directors in shipyards bid
THREE former directors of Cammell Laird have bid to buy two yards from the troubled shipbuilder and said they could be back in business within weeks. Ex-managing director John Syvret, corporate development director Brett Martin and engineering director
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Boatmen threaten harbour boycott
MUD and silt has reached such a depth in one of the region's most popular harbours that yacht owners are threatening to boycott the resort's prestigious marina, it is claimed. One user has blamed a lack of maintenance for the situation at Whitby, North
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Bank warns of further gloom in UK economy
THE Bank of England has heaped more gloom on nervy UK businesses as it warned the economic downturn may have further to go. With the manufacturing sector already in recession, the Bank said it faced "considerable uncertainties" in forecasting the outlook
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Danny leaps back from injury
A NORTH-EAST boy is dreaming of becoming world BMX champion after he competed in his first international finals in the US. Nine-year-old Danny Hart, from Redcar, touched the hearts of people in the region when he fought back from serious injury to represent
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Mission accomplished
SOFT-GROUND seekers have once again come up trumps at Haydock, where the testing conditions are bound to suit the mud-loving three-year-old Celtic Mission (5.00). The proximity of the course to the nearby Pennines means rainfall is abnormally high in
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N-E crewmen are pin-ups on RNLI calendar
A North-East lifeboat crew appears this month on a calendar sent to solicitors' offices across the country. The lifeboatmen from Redcar are one of 12 crews featuring in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) legacy calendar. David Brann, fundraising
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Pram of yesteryear in museum spotlight
THEY were a far cry from the twin-seater buggies of modern times - and a famous museum is now paying tribute to the humble pram. Staff at the World of James Herriot Centre, in Kirkgate, Thirsk, have taken delivery of a 1940s Hubcar pram, turning back
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Arch engineers keep road open
A REVOLUTIONARY engineering technique is keeping open an arched bridge leading to isolated dales farms. The 160-year-old Ireshopeburn No 2 bridge, in Upper Weardale, needed strengthening to carry 40-tonne lorries. Conventional methods would have meant
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A riddle for Miss Marple - judge
A JUDGE yesterday described the "dark and sinister" underbelly of an outwardly peaceful village at the centre of a 12-year campaign of poison pen letters. Summing up the case against retired academic Dr James Forster, 68, who is accused of terrorising
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£1.1m cash award for child services
NORTH Yorkshire County Council has been awarded £1.1m to develop childcare and early education places for children up to the age of four. The Government has awarded the money, which will benefit Colburn, Whitby and Scarborough, under the Neighbourhood
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Couple's moving moment
AFTER 50 years of marriage, Gordon and Elsie Taylor have finally found their dream home. But it has taken the couple eight house moves before they finally found the home where they are planning to spend their retirement. And among the celebrations to
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Women's despair at loss of surgeon
DOZENS of women awaiting specialist key-hole surgery at a North-East gynaecological unit are to be turned away. Pioneering surgeon Professor Ray Garry, a world-renowned expert in the treatment of the womb condition endometriosis, announced he is quitting
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Scheme to breathe new life into ailing city centre area
A £480,000 scheme is being prepared to breathe new life into an area of Durham city centre, considered to be ailing. Officials and councillors hope the project in and around North Road will give a boost to one of the city's busiest gateways. The road,
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Skies are blue for city slicker O'Neill
COVENTRY City last night completed the £1m capture of Middlesbrough's Keith O'Neill. The 25-year-old signed for the Sky Blues after passing a medical and goes straight into the squad to face Stockport County in the Division One clash on Saturday. O'Neill
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Man hanged himself in prison
A prisoner who had been on remand for over a year in the notorious Belmarsh Prison where Jeffrey Archer is serving a four year sentence, hanged himself by a shoe lace in his cell toilet. Registered disabled, John Shutt, 52, of Kelsey House, Front Street
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N-E jobs at risk in BOC shake-up
INDUSTRIAL gases group BOC is cutting about 1,500 jobs worldwide in a bid to fuel higher growth across the business. BOC, which has operations at Teesport, employing 90 staff, and Chester-le-Street in County Durham, hopes to save as much as £55m a year
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Opportunity for dogs to show their talents
DOG lovers will have a chance to show off their pets at a show on Sunday. The event will take place at Seaburn Recreation Park, Sunderland. Organised by Durham County Show dog section, it will raise funds for Durham County Agricultural Society and the
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Comment from The Northern Echo - Saving lives, not dogma
HAD the Government announced its intention of building a new heart hospital at a cost of £27.5m, there would have been much rejoicing from the public sector unions. The celebrations would have been unrestrained, despite the fact that the hospital would
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We're being kept in the dark, complain theatre campaigners
CAMPAIGNERS battling to save a doomed auditorium and an area's live theatre, claim they are being kept in the dark. Stockton Stage Society says a meeting with Stockton Borough Council, which plans to bulldoze the Billingham Forum leisure and sports complex
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Cathedral tribute to boss of toy firm
RIPON remembers a man known to many as Santa, today. Ian Collinson, who died of cancer last month, aged 66, was respected member of the toy industry for more than 40 years. Friends and family will gather at the city's cathedral this afternoon to celebrate
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Soccer chief loses appeal over legal bill
MULTI-MILLIONAIRE football chairman George Reynolds was back in court to appeal against a huge legal bill yesterday - and found himself £500 worse off. The Darlington FC chairman was hit with a £50,000 legal bill in January when he lost his high-profile