Archive
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Respite for Arriva railway customers
ARRIVA Trains passengers were last night afforded some much-needed respite ahead of the next round of strike action. The company yesterday restored the bulk of its services with trains finally replacing buses on a number of routes. Arriva had set itself
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Teenage pedestrian injured
A TEENAGER was taken to hospital after he was involved in a road accident in Hartlepool on Saturday. The 13-year-old was crossing the town's Coast Road near to the Saxon pub at about 1.15pm, when he was struck by a silver car and knocked on to its bonnet
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Business news in brief
Egg ready to hatch profits INTERNET bank Egg said its UK business was now "sustainably profitable" as it showed it had cut group losses in the past year. Pre-tax losses for the year to December 31 reduced to £87.8m, against £155.3m the year before, while
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Darlington and South Durham news in brief
Cancer charity boosts appeal At the recent annual meeting of Macmillan Cancer Relief, in Darlington, the treasurer announced that £9,600 had been presented to the charity's Durham appeal last year. Funds are being raised to improve facilities across County
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Charity hopes to line up volunteers
A CHILDREN'S charity is looking for volunteers to take part in a ten-pin bowling challenge in Teesside. Teams of six to eight players are needed to take part in the sponsored bowling event, to help raise funds for UK children's charity National Children's
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Acid is stolen
Acid has been stolen after a school science block was broken into on Saturday. Thieves broke into Billingham Campus School, Billingham, Teesside, and took bottles of sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and sodium hydroxide. The acids are in
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Angry mother calls for justice
THE mother of a pregnant woman murdered in one of the North-East's most horrific crimes has backed a Northern Echo campaign for justice. Sylvia Jobson's daughter, Lesley Fox, was strangled and killed for sexual kicks in October 1996, at her bedsit home
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Couple's grief after son's kidnap linked to killing
THE parents of a North-East hostage victim spoke out last night after a British Islamic militant who has admitted abducting US journalist Daniel Pearl was linked to their son's kidnapping. Keith Mangan, 34, from Middlesbrough, was kidnapped with fellow
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Teenager's e-fit issued
POLICE have issued an e-fit of a teenager they believe threw a milk crate at a passerby in a Bishop Auckland street. The victim needed five staples in a head wound after the incident, in Westgate Road, at 9.40pm on Friday, December 21 last year. The teenager
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Boys' charity hike boosts community centre funds
Two teenagers and a charitable trust have boosted attempts by a youth and community group to establish a permanent home in a County Durham dale. Community centre officials in Stanhope were set a January 2004 deadline to raise £60,000 to buy the building
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Battle of Britain hero 'Grandpa' dies at 94
A BATTLE of Britain hero has died a week before his 95th birthday. Frank Lanning, from Cockerton Green, Darlington, was an air gunner during the Second World War and won the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for shooting down two German bombers in one
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Student denies being member of terror group
A PALESTINIAN student living in the North-East has appeared in court facing charges under the Terrorism Act. Adnan Abdelah, 21, is accused of being a member of the banned Islamic terror organisation, Hamas. The drama and English student, who attends North
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Jamie celebrates his election success
DARLINGTON'S new Member of the UK Youth Parliament (MYP) has been announced following a tight vote. Last year, James Gilbey was the first person elected to represent the borough on the body and his replacement was voted in by a margin of just seven per
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Time to mark pit disaster victims' graves
OVERGROWN, windswept and hidden from view, the graves of the 168 men and boys of the North-East's biggest-ever pit disaster lay almost forgotten. Forgotten until the day a few locals took some photographs to the church yard and worked out where the men
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Cemetery is 'pocket nature reserve'
A DEATHLY quiet corner of a North-East town is set to be designated a nature reserve. The earmarked area not only happens to be a town's largest wooded area, it is also a cemetery. Linthorpe Cemetery, in Middlesbrough, is home to a variety of wildlife
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Smiles on airwaves
AN all-day, on-air charity auction is being held by North-East radio station TFM tomorrow. Items on offer include an all-inclusive Cari-bbean holiday for two and the chance to be a football reporter for the day with The Northern Echo. Pop trio Atomic
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Teacher recalls how student was swept away
A teacher was in tears today as he described how a 14-year-old girl slipped out of his grasp and was washed away to her death as he tried to rescue her from a fast flowing river. Andy Miller, 48, told a jury at Harrogate Magistrates Court how he was leading
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End of the road for taxi service
A CHARITY taxi service for the elderly and disabled has folded after ten years because of financial difficulties. Dial-a-Ride, in Darlington, had appealed to the borough council for help with funding, but without success. After the authority's auditors
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Job Search 2002
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Armature winder, Darlington, 40hrs pw, required for mainly AC work, must have two to three years trade experience. Ref: DAE 28200. Cleaning assistant
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Job Search 2002
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Beauty therapist, Durham, 20-40hrs pw, must be experienced, Matis, Caci, Jessica trained an advantage but not essential as training given. Ref: DUR
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Youths injured in unprovoked attack while walking home
THREE youths were the victims of an unprovoked assault as they made their way home on foot from a night out in cold conditions. The trio, aged 16, 17 and 20, was set upon by three other youths as they stopped for warmth in a bus shelter while walking
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The fight must go on, says North-East 'Metric Martyr'
FIVE traders, including Sunderland man Steve Thoburn, who were convicted of breaking the law by selling goods in pounds instead of kilos, have confirmed they will take their case to the House of Lords. Last week, fruit and veg stallholder Mr Thoburn,
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Demand to tackle road blackspot after crashes
SAFETY measures are to be demanded at an accident blackspot following a spate of crashes. A car overturned near a bend on Durham Lane at the approach to Eaglescliffe at the weekend, just days after firefighters had to use cutting gear to free a motorist
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Building on new views in architecture
A CRITIC of building design in the region appears to have softened his view. Last year, Jon Rouse, chief executive of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, criticised designers for showing a lack of imagination. But in a speech at
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Student injured in ski accident
A 17-year-old British student was seriously injured during a half-term school skiing trip in Austria, it was revealed today. The accident happened on the last descent of the holiday at the resort of Treffen, near Villach. Nicola Smales was part of a group
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Craven's input will help firms regenerate
BARCLAYS has joined forces with business guru Robert Craven to kick-start business regeneration in North Yorkshire. The bank will be running a free seminar on Friday at Darlington College of Technology's base in Catterick, for businesses hit by the effects
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Building bid fails to ease worries
A HOUSING association will kick-start a regeneration programme by building 11 bungalows. But a local councillor claims this will do little to help residents of 87 homes earmarked for demolition as part of the scheme. As final public consultations on the
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Robins hit three past Pools
THREE years ago today, Chris Turner kicked off his Hartlepool United managerial career. Back on February 27, 1999 he faced Rotherham, drew 0-0 had 13 games left to save the club from relegation to the Conference, a task he passed with flying colours.
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Rural post warning
RURAL areas in the region will suffer if plans to break up the postal monopoly go ahead, it has been warned. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) believes uncertainty about the efficiency of postal services will discourage businesses from relocating
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Man, 21, accused of murder
A MAN appeared in court yesterday accused of the murder of a mother-of-five in a late- night incident outside a pub. Colin Andrew Mattinson, 21, is alleged to have killed 59-year-old Teresa Mennell near the Metropole, in Gateshead, Tyneside, shortly after
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Marked tools stolen
THIEVES who stole a joiner's van containing a host of tools will have a hard time selling their loot thanks to self-employed labourer Kenneth Pacey's security consciousness. The carpenter and joiner, from East Layton, in North Yorkshire, had many of his
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Just who was the true champion?
WHO is a family's greatest fighter: the athlete son who becomes the North-East's only world boxing champion or the disabled son who has to battle for every breath to stay alive? There was no question when former IBF world cruiserweight titleholder Glenn
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Darlington and South Durham news in brief
Guides appeal for members The 3rd Newton Aycliffe Rainbow Guides and Brownies are looking for new members. Rainbows, aged between five and seven, meet on Thursdays from 5pm to 6pm in St Clare's Church vestry and Brownies, aged seven to 11, meet on Mondays
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Council votes on new look
ONE of the few remaining local authorities yet to modernise in the wake of a Government drive to make councils more accessible decides the way ahead this evening. With a poor turnout at local elections now the norm, Westminster is keen to streamline local
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Skaters look for go-ahead from planners
YOUNGSTERS from Richmond could be the next in the region to be celebrating the opening of a new skateboard park. Northallerton and Norton have both agreed sites for similar facilities with Thirsk and Pickering among those also hunting a suitable location
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Concern over air ambulance
A FLYING doctor scheme that brings emergency cases to the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton could be asked to move. At a meeting of Northallerton Town Council last week, members complained about the lack of a permanent helicopter landing area at the
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Undertaker faces 'fake death' inquiry
A Funeral director has been arrested by police investigating allegations that he faked his own death. Christopher Westcott owns Durham City-based Cathedral Funeral Services. It is understood that the 37-year-old businessman has been questioned over allegations
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Farmers deny rivers charge
FARMERS' leaders have reacted angrily after they were blamed by the water industry for polluting rivers. The Country Land and Business Association in Yorkshire has accused water companies of living in a glasshouse and throwing stones. Their defence of
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Five people questioned after raids
FIVE people are being questioned in connection with two armed robberies. On Tuesday afternoon, two men burst into Langley Park Post Office on Front Street and threatened staff and customers with knives. They escaped with cash. Soon after police recovered
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Bulls and bears await the breakout
I said a few weeks ago that the UK economy would spend at least the first half of this year walking a tightrope between recession and recovery. The UK stock market now finds itself in a similar position, moving slowly in a narrowing trade range. For students
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Walkers' £1,000 gift remembers Anne-Marie
A SPONSORED walk raised more than £1,000 to buy a headstone for a 13-year-old girl who died in a swimming pool last year. Anne-Marie Readshaw, from Ferryhill, County Durham, died while swimming with friends at Spennymoor Leisure Centre last September.
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Builders remain optimistic
THE Construction industry remains optimistic about future prospects, despite slower growth in the fourth quarter of last year. According to The Construction Confederation's latest quarterly trends survey, initial caution following September 11 has eased
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Teesside news in brief
Youth cafe plan to be discussed A meeting is being held this week by a mother-of-three who would like to set up a cafe for youngsters. Julie Joyson, 39, of Hartlepool, has spent two years trying to create a place where youngsters in Hartlepool can gather
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Role play included in children's curriculum to create model citizens
ROLE playing lessons in keeping to the straight and narrow are on the curriculum for more than 1,000 Middlesbrough schoolchildren. Youngsters are to take the roles of judge, jury and accused in workshops on criminal behaviour. Pupils from the town's schools
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Deliver us from this silliness
I HAVE sat through the Church of England's touchy feely new Common Worship marriage service and squirmed with embarrassment as the priest prayed that the couple, "...be tender with each other's dreams". There ought to be an added rubric in the margin
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Too early to get comfortable . . .
THE battle for the Duke of Wellington was quickly fought and lost, the opposition not so much routed as ignored, the eviscerators employed apace. "Eviscerate" means to disembowel, and it is against that background and that intemperate language - putting
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Residents help to shape future of city
RESIDENTS will join prominent business leaders to discuss a strategy for a city's development this week. The Fresh Thinking event, covering Sunderland City Council's blueprint for the next ten years, will be held on Thursday. Aimed at letting people know
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Organisers aim to build on musical picnic's success
TICKETS have gone on sale for an open-air musical event in a village. The Musical Picnic in the Park, at Hurworth Grange, in Hurworth, near Darlington, has world-renowned tenor Ian Storey heading the bill. Now a series of sponsors have been confirmed,
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MP to demand inquiry into medical scandal
A NORTH-EAST MP will use an adjournment debate in the House of Commons today to call for an inquiry into a North-East medical scandal. Gateshead MP Joyce Quin wants to know why complaints against senior medical staff at the town's Queen Elizabeth Hospital
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It's the business
TEES Valley and County Durham In Business, the area's popular business magazine, is hot off the press and now being distributed free to subscribers. This February issue features a specially commissioned piece by Dr John Bridge, chairman of One NorthEast
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Toy library needs storage space
A DEVELOPMENT worker appointed to set up a toy library scheme is appealing for a warehouse to rent. Alison Nairn of the Redcar and Cleveland Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership is ordering a large variety of toys and musical instruments,
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Trust helps Lisa set up on her own
A NEWTON Aycliffe secretary has set up her own business with help from The Prince's Trust. Lisa Thompson, 29, has nine years' experience of secretarial and litigation work, as well as debt recovery and credit analysis. Her new business, SDC Services,
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Charter Mark for prison education programme
A prison scheme that gets inmates interested in education through sport has won a prestigious national award. The physical education department at the high security Frankland Jail, on the outskirts of Durham City, is one of the region's organisations
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Warnings as region tops the arson league table
FIRE chiefs have issued an urgent warning about the dangers of arson after it was revealed parts of the North-East are among the worst in the country for fire raising. The Cleveland Fire Brigade area - one of the smallest in the country - comes second
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Southgate rejects the Boring Boro tag
INSPIRATIONAL defender Gareth Southgate has slammed the critics who have suggested Middlesbrough are too negative to survive in the Premiership. Only Sunderland, Derby and Leicester have scored fewer goals in the top-flight this season than Steve McClaren's
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Women warned about spread of disease
YOUNG women in the North-East are being warned about the spread of a sexually transmitted disease that could leave them infertile. Cases of chlamydia in the UK have doubled in the past six years. Between 1995 and 2000, reported cases of the disease rose
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Comment from The Northern Echo; Getting there, but slowley
ONE year on since the Selby rail disaster - and finally we have signs of action to reduce the risk of it happening again. We welcome the publication of two reports yesterday on railway bridge safety - but nothing happens quickly, does it? A report by
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Emma was murdered, claims father
A GRIEVING father has claimed his daughter, who was found dead at a notorious suicide spot, was murdered by the killers of Julie Smailes. Julie, 27, was strangled and repeatedly stabbed in an attack at her home in Leadgate, near Consett, County Durham
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Away day double to test Pool
HARTLEPOOL United tonight kick-off an away double-header which will go a long way to determining their play-off fate. Pool go to Cheltenham tonight, before travelling to Kidderminser on Saturday - two teams rivalling Chris Turner's in-form side for a
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The woman who took on the trains
As she backs The Northern Echo's bridge safety campaign, train crash survivor Pam Warren tells Lindsey Jennings about her fears for rail passengers and what it would take for her to get back on a train. FOR months, the protective plastic mask which covered
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Blade set to make trip pay
FOR the second time in three weeks Double Blade (2.10) makes the 275-mile trip from Mary Reveley's farm at Lingdale, near Saltburn, to Lingfield in Surrey. Last time he made the arduous journey Double Blade might just as well have stayed on the M25 in
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Prison project's key to success
A PRISON scheme that gets inmates interested in education through sport has won a national award. The physical education department at the high-security Frankland Prison, on the outskirts of Durham City, is one of the region's organisations to receive
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Hear all sides
WAR ON TERRORISM THOSE who think it is anti-American to oppose the "war on terrorism" should be aware that, while the majority of Americans currently support President Bush, there remains a significant minority who do not. Consider this, from Amber Amundsen
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Hard-pressed tourism gets £40m boost
PLANS for Britain's biggest campaign to promote the tourism industry have been unveiled. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell announced the £40m funding to help kick-start tourism following the double blow of September 11 and the foot-and-mouth outbreak. The
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Builders remain optimistic
THE Construction industry remains optimistic about future prospects, despite slower growth in the fourth quarter of last year. According to The Construction Confederation's latest quarterly trends survey, initial caution following September 11 has eased
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Get ready for rural property revival
AS the property market continues to flourish, Mike Charlton, principal of Charltons estate agency and chartered surveyors, predicts the reopening of the Yorkshire Dales will see greater demand for properties in rural areas. As the impact of foot-and-mouth
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Date is set for play area opening
THE opening of a village playground, provided with £50,000 worth of National Lottery funding, is due to take place on March 23. The recreational park was the brainchild of village organisation SCIP - Staindrop Community Improving Play - which was formed
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'Renationalise responsibility'
A SURVIVOR of one of the country's worst rail disaster's last night urged the Government to take responsibility for rail safety. In an exclusive interview with The Northern Echo, Pam Warren, who suffered horrific burns in the Paddington rail disaster,
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Action on bridges - and about time too
THOUSANDS of railway bridge barriers across the country are to be checked to prevent a repeat of the Selby disaster. But serious questions remained last night over who would pay for repairs, with pressure growing on the Government to meet the huge cost
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Introducing benchmark for quality
A CAMPAIGN to boost Britain's beleaguered manufacturing industry is being launched today. Part of the British Made for Quality initiative is a new mark organisers hope manufacturers will adopt to help shoppers identify products made in this country. The
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Journalist's relatives sought in N-E
INQUIRIES are being made to trace relatives of a journalist who covered General Medical Council hearings for more than 15 years. An inquest was opened and adjourned yesterday into the death of Sunderland-born Stuart Smith, 53, formerly of Brixton, South
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Work begins to ease road danger
THE first turf has been cut in a £7m scheme to upgrade a North-East road which has become an accident blackspot. Work on a two-and-a-half mile stretch of the A689, between Sedgefield and Wynyard, County Durham, started yesterday. Following the line of
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Board approves rights issue to ease ICI debts
A RIGHTS issue to ease chemicals firm ICI's growing debt mountain was approved at an extraordinary general meeting yesterday. The board of ICI, which employs about 1,000 staff at operations on Teesside, voted overwhelmingly in favour of increasing the
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Business could be left with cost of postal plans
Rural businesses could be left counting the cost under radical new plans by the Royal Mail to alter delivery times. The market town of Thirsk in North Yorkshire has been chosen as one of 14 areas across the country where pilot trials of new "delivery
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Chess star Thomas, six, knows all the right moves
A SIX-YEAR-OLD has taken the top spot in a chess competition. Thomas Mavin, a pupil at Yarm Preparatory School, at Yarm, near Stockton, Teesside, was competing in the Yorkshire Under Nine Chess Championships, held in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. He beat
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Residents claim health affected by Croft circuit
The row over noise from the North-East's leading motorsport venue will take a new twist later this week. A number of people with homes around the autodrome at Croft, North Yorkshire, claim their health has been affected by the sound of cars thrashing
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Job Search 2002
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Internal salesperson, Stanley, £11,000 to £15,000pa, 37.5hrs pw, should have sales background in electronics. Ref: STG 14584. Shop floor operative,
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You write
Time for tax revolution SIR - Independent Durham County Councillor John Shuttleworth suggests a revolution may happen if council tax is hiked by up to 265 per cent. A revolution - what an excellent idea. Council tax is now a stealth tax. The Treasury
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Pupils are up on the catwalk
A STOCKTON school is holding a fashion show this week to showcase the pupils' design talents. Grangefield School, on Oxbridge Avenue, is holding its fifth annual fashion show on Wednesday, at 7pm. Pupils from years ten and 11 have created fashion designs
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Join our appeal
THE Advertiser - with its sister paper The Northern Echo - has launched an emotional campaign to remember the dead of the North-East's worst ever pit disasters on its anniversary. For we believe that marking the graves of the 168 men and boys who died
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Police brand bogus officials as -low life'
A TEAM of bogus officials who carried out a series of burglaries on pensioners in the Darlington area have been branded "low life" by detectives. It is believed three men were involved in the spate of seven burglaries on Saturday, between 10.40am and
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Anger at proposed housing scheme
RESIDENTS have vowed to fight a £50m housing development that could see 800 houses built next to one of County Durham's finest country homes. Plans for the estate, next to Whitworth Hall, in Spennymoor, the ancestral home of folk hero Bobby Shafto, were
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Job Search 2002
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Maintenance engineer, Northallerton, £9ph, approx 40hrs pw shift rota, temporary, must be apprenticed trained in electrical maintenance, plc knowledge
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Mixed report for NHS trust
THE region's largest hospital trust has been praised for its ability to spot things that could go wrong. But there is concern that patients who have difficulty feeding themselves may not always get the help they need. Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust's policy
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Health merger will free beds
MERGER plans have been announced that will result in a single health trust running County Durham hospitals. The radical blueprint drawn up by Prof Ara Darzi is designed to ease pressure on the University Hospital of North Durham by encouraging closer
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Renewed hope for Jesters future
NEW owners could be announced for the Newcastle Ice Hockey Superleague franchise in April, the league's chief executive has revealed. Two bidders have already put their names forward to fill the gap left when Fablon Investments and its subsidiary European
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Quakers earn draw
Tommy Taylor's return to former club Leyton Orient ended in stalemate despite Darlington being under pressure for most of the game, but at least Quakers never played as badly as they did against Torquay. On Saturday Darlington were dreadful and on Tuesday
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Retailer chips in with games machine offer
A VIDEO games retailer is offering Teesside charities the chance of a top machine. Chips, of Middlesbrough, is already donating a Nintendo 64 games pod, complete with monitor and games, to the Butterwick Children's Hospice, Stockton. Now it has four more
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University to use US tips on recruitment
A UNIVERSITY is looking to the US for tips on how to make a recruitment week a success. Durham University's Job Shop service is among those taking part in National Student Employment Week, next weekend. The service, which belongs to the National Association
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Judge's prison warning to feuding families
A JUDGE yesterday warned feuding families they face prison if there is a repeat of brawls involving members of both groups. Durham Crown Court heard that bad feeling lasting almost ten years between the Cliffs and Beals played a part in violence in West
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Shopping centre hands over cash
A SHOPPING centre has given a Helping Hand appeal a boost by donating £750. The Prince Bishops Shopping Centre, in Durham, gave the amount raised by its Christmas grotto to Mayor George Cowper's appeal. It supports the Durham Centre for People with Learning
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District council clears director of finance
A SENIOR council officer has been cleared of alleged misconduct charges. Derek Shingleton, finance director at Chester-le-Street District Council, was at the centre of anonymous allegations by other staff members . A panel set up by the council to investigate
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TA man praised for his role
THE Territorial Army has been praised for the part it played during the foot-and-mouth epidemic. Nigel Sherlock, HM Lord Lieutenant for Tyne & Wear, presented 21 certificates to members of the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, Territorial
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Time to mark pit disaster victims' graves
OVERGROWN, windswept and hidden from view, the graves of the 168 men and boys of the North-East's biggest-ever pit disaster lay almost forgotten. Forgotten until the day a few locals took some photographs to the church yard and worked out where the men
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News from the Guilds and WIs
Esh Leaves WI MEMBERS welcomed the return of still-convalescing president Sylvia Green. to the meeting on February 4. Secretary Sheila Vear dealt with matters arising from recent correspondence and items in the county newsletter were also discussed. A
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Company moves on with Annie, 80
A family business which began as a milk round has invested £500,000 in new premises. Rowbotham's move to a 15,000sq ft production unit on the Park Road Estate, Consett, has enabled the company to nearly double its workforce to 49, taking on 20 staff and
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Government criticised for handling of foot-and-mouth
An independent report published today into the handling of foot-and-mouth disease in one of the country's worst-affected counties is highly critical of the Government's handling of the outbreak. Northumberland County Council commissioned an inquiry into
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North Durham and Tyneside news in brief
Seminar pushes innovation The North-East Quality Group's first regional seminar, Innovating Excellence, is being held at Seaham Hall Hotel, from 9am to 5pm on Thursday. The day's theme is promoting creativity and innovation and guest speakers will provide
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Stay tatty and trashy
Footballers' Wives (ITV) THE nation mourns. Lower the flags to half-mast. Tonight is the final episode of Footballers' Wives. Who can possibly contemplate Last Night's TV when the end of the Earls Park soccer saga is nigh? How we'll miss the gravity-defying
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Youngsters taken on an african journey
A TASTE of African culture is coming to Durham schools in a project to promote the arts. South African Raymond Takalani Otto began a 14-day tour of County Durham at Trimdon Village Community Infant and Nursery School yesterday. Mr Otto worked with children
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Theatre's shows will go on
A theatre has announced details of its new season - but not one of the productions will be held at its historic playhouse. Contractors are expected to start work within weeks on a £1.1m restoration of the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond. In the meantime
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Firemen go Full Monty
THESE firefighters certainly raised the temperature in Northallerton last week when they performed a sizzling Full Monty-style routine. The men from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service stripped and sang well-known numbers at the sell-out fundraising
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Footballers pay tribute
FOOTBALLERS from around the North-East will gather today to pay tribute to a popular player who died following a road crash. Edward Sharp lost his fight for life in Newcastle General Hospital a week after his car was involved in an accident near his home
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Join our mining disaster appeal
THE Advertiser - with its sister paper The Northern Echo - this week launches a campaign to mark the graves of the 168 men and boys who died in the West Stanley pit disaster of 1909. Back in 1995 a determined public campaign succeeded in the establishment
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Boxing club's hopes dashed
A MULTI-PURPOSE sporting facility could provide the answer for homeless boxers who are searching for a new venue. Shildon boxers turned to their town council for help after they found themselves with nowhere to train at the start of this season. But plans
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Officers take up fire challenge
TEAMS of firefighters and police officers have taken up a fire walk challenge in aid of a local hospice. The Fiery Firemen and Bobbies on the Heat will join the Hospice Hoofers for the event at Aykley Heads Police Headquarters, Durham, from 6pm to 8pm
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Tell tale on pedlars of misery, mum urges
THE North-East mother of a teenage drugs victim has pledged her support for the Rat on a Rat campaign, which aims to put dealers behind bars. Helgi Brown's 17-year-old daughter, Lilli, died after a lethal drugs overdose on January 2 this year. Mrs Brown
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Taking comfort from a helping of stodge
Healthy food or comfort food? That's often the choice at this time of year when the New Year, New You diet has worn thin (worn fat, actually) and yet, as the dreary weather continues, we yearn for a bit of comforting stodge. We all know the answer is
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The Corner shop is alive and kicking
SO what happened to the corner shop? Many, of course, have long gone. The tiny old fashioned shop, dark and crowded, selling a small range of basic foodstuffs, was doomed as soon as the first supermarkets flashed its bright seductive lights and dazzled
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Joiner's stolen tools carry owner's mark
THIEVES who stole a joiner's van containing a host of tools will have a hard time selling their loot, thanks to security conscious self-employed labourer Kenneth Pacey. The carpenter and joiner, from East Layton, North Yorkshire, had many of his tools
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No stone unturned in search for 1990 curlers
How belatedly they come to curling. While the rest of the media finally tests the ice, the Backtrack column not only cast the first stone in November 1990, but hastened off to Kelso to watch the English ladies champions in energetic action - hammer, it
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Civic plans record-breaking panto season
Theatre bosses last night unveiled the two big attractions it hopes will pull the crowds in for another record-breaking pantomime season. Former glamour model-turned actress Linda Lusardi and her husband, former Brookside and Coronation Street star Sam
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Safety breach costs company £10,000 fine
AN ENGINEERING company was fined £10,000 yesterday for risking the safety of workers operating power presses. Safety guards on the 250-ton and 200-ton presses owned by Dong Jin Precision Ltd, on the North-West Industrial Estate in Peterlee, County Durham
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Call for safety checks after claims of accidents on tiles
ONE of Middlesbrough's mayoral candidates is calling for urgent safety checks on a set of newly-laid decorative tiles in the town centre. Middlesbrough Council is facing lawsuits from two women who claim to have slipped and injured themselves on the ceramic
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Phoenix will be show's rising star
SHE was the calf that was aptly called Phoenix when she staggered to her feet from among the dead, and she became a bovine hero around the world. Now the calf that melted millions of hearts is to become a star - and the symbol of farming's re-emergence
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Stolen van used in failed ram raid attempt
A STOLEN van was used by would-be thieves who left empty-handed after a failed ram raid attempt. The grey Ford Transit, which had been stolen from Teesside Park, near Stockton, was backed into boiler room doors at Northgate Vehicles, in Allington Way,
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New club opens
A LAP-DANCING club has opened its doors on Redcar High Street. Business partners Chris Neil and Ernie Bennett own and run the Angels lap-dancing club in Stockton. They have opened the second Angels club in the former Club Eden on Redcar High Street at
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Safety move for elderly
A REDCAR and Cleveland Borough councillor has been going the extra mile to ensure the safety of some of the older residents of his constituency. Coun Mark Hannon, who represents the Kirkleatham ward, distributed a number of personal attack alarms for
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Theft hits playgroup
CALLOUS thieves have stolen a toy shed from a Guisborough playgroup during the half-term holiday. Hutton Lane Playgroup leaders have found that the shed is not covered by their insurance meaning the group now needs to raise £400 to buy a new shed. The
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Steel workers ask unions to press for pay claim
STEEL workers have decided to pursue a pay rise after Corus said it would be freezing wages across the company while providing an increase for its Dutch staff. Last year, the Anglo Dutch firm axed 6,000 jobs nationwide, including 1,100 on Teesside. The
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Council tax decided
REDCAR and Cleveland Borough Council will not be putting up its part of the council tax for the second year running, the council's controlling Labour Group announced yesterday. At the same time it also unveiled a £1m increase in voluntary sector and council
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Doors closed on hearings
A COMMITTEE set up to ensure that councillors adhere to a code of conduct closed its doors to discuss whether disciplinary action would be taken against a member of the authority. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's newly-established Standards Committee
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Workers gain qualifications to match their expertise
A METAL product manufacturer is offering staff the chance to boost their prospects in the industry under a new scheme. Hydram, on the Chilton Industrial Estate, in County Durham, has enlisted the help of the Automotive Sector Strategic Alliance (Assa)
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Vicar's former life is revelation to thugs
A VICAR called on his training from a previous job to make an arrest while being attacked by a gang of youths. The Reverend Paul Mothersdale, a former inner-city police sergeant, hung on to a teenager who had initiated the attack while 19 others rained
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Cameron makes swift office switch
EXPANDING Cameron Publishing has made a swift move to new premises. The specialist contract publishing company, which now employs 37 staff in the production of a range of business-to-business publications, has taken a 4,000sq ft office suite at Earls
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Talk of the Tyne is all about the title
DERBY hero Nikos Dabizas has admitted that the Newcastle dressing-room is secretly buzzing with title talk. Manager Bobby Robson was quick to escape the wild celebrations behind closed doors after Sunday's long-awaited victory over rivals Sunderland at
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Intertoto regrets for Sorensen
EUROPEAN hopes are looking bleak at Sunderland and Danish international goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen regrets the club's decision not to apply for an Intertoto Cup place this summer. Sorensen will be one of a number of Sunderland players who will be on World
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Burglar, 18, is locked up
A MAN'S home was burgled twice in a week while he was in bed, a court was told yesterday. When David Puckrin, 45, came face to face with the burglar on the second occasion, the intruder head-butted him. Teenage drug addict Andrew McRoy was found guilty
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Chocoholics to help raise school funds
Hurworth Comprehensive School is hoping to enlist the help of chocoholics to boost its bid for special school status when it hosts a Thorntons' chocolate evening tomorrow. The event has been organised by the school's parent teacher association as part
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Ram raiding thieves leave empty-handed
A STOLEN van was used by would-be thieves in a failed ram raid attempt. The grey Ford Transit van - taken from Teesside Park, near Stockton - was backed into boiler room doors at Northgate Vehicles, in Allington Way, Darlington, on Sunday, between 12.53pm
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Officers swap the beat for the aisle
TWO Darlington police officers have gone from "hello, hello hello" to "I do, I do, I do" after meeting on the beat two years ago. Dog handler Damien Stevens, 30, and Amanda Holland, 28, tied the knot in front of family and friends on Saturday and head
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Darlington chairman to face fans' wrath at a special forum
Under-fire Darlington chairman George Reynolds is to meet angry supporters head on as he faces up to a disappointing end to the season. Fans were up in arms following Saturday's poor display against Torquay and a specially-arranged forum is planned for
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Furious police plan to sue chief
AN embattled chief constable could be sued by 20 officers in his own force alleging defamation of character. Lawyers for the Police Federation are looking at representations made by the serving Cleveland Police officers following Chief Constable Barry
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Elderly are going blind needlessly, MPs are warned
One hundred elderly people across the UK lose their sight needlessly each week because of the "lottery" in NHS eye care services, an MP warned yesterday. It followed a survey for the Patients' Association which found that only one per cent of health authorities
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Homing Pigeon Boy's last chance
A NOTORIOUS teenage criminal dubbed Homing Pigeon Boy has been given a last chance of a fresh start. Shaun Andrew McKerry, 18, appeared before Sedgefield magistrates yesterday, where he admitted two charges of theft and one of possession of cannabis.
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Apartments planned for town yard
A builder is hoping to develop one of Darlington's yards into six flats. Grahame Yarrow has applied to Darlington Borough Council to create the one and two-bedroomed properties in the Old British School Yard, off Skinnergate, in the town centre. It would
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Takeaway boss tells of crash tragedy
A TAKEAWAY owner has described how customers narrowly escaped injury when a car ploughed into his shop, killing the driver. Two customers and a child were in Gill's Golden Takeaway, at Front Street, Station Town, near Wingate, County Durham, when a Rover
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Hepples faces title battle
UNBEATEN Steven Hepples will have to run in the final North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League fixture at Newton Aycliffe on Sunday to make sure of clinching his first senior men's championship. The title will be decided on the best five runs of
