Archive
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Firm faces fine over boy's death
A WASTE disposal firm was accused yesterday of breaching health and safety rules following the death of an 11-year-old boy who fell to his death at a quarry. Gavin Reed died after falling 18 metres from the Table Rock cliff at a landfill site run by Biffa
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Just like old times
'HE'S the kind of man you could punch if you had to live with him," said my wife regarding the unfortunate celebrity Mike Read who appeared in The Life Laundry (BBC2, Wednesday). "I thought you already lived with a man you felt like punching," I quipped
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AGA blames falling profits on 'weak US trading'
TRADITIONAL cooker maker Aga is blaming weaker US trading for a six per cent drop in half-year profits. Aga Foodservice, in Solihull, includes TV Naked Chef Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and US cookery guru Judy George among its army of devoted fans. The firm
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Boro aim to become Mean Machine
STEVE McCLAREN has urged his struggling Middlesbrough side to rediscover their mean streak and hinted that a more defensive approach may be needed to bring them out of an early-season rut. Boro are second bottom in the Premiership after picking up only
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Health warnings given after legionnaires bacteria found
THOUSANDS of tax workers at a Government complex have been given health warnings after the deadly legionnaires' bug was found in drinking water. Managers at the Inland Revenue had to shut down two water dispensers after higher-than-acceptable levels of
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Explosion fears after blaze
FIRE crews mounted a 24-hour guard on a neighbourhood following a blaze in a private garage. Four families were evacuated when firefighters discovered a gas bottle at the scene of the fire in Albert Terrace, Middlesbrough. While Thursday night's fire
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Baileys tipped to Dance his way to Haydock joy
LIKE a ship in full sail Baileys Dancer (1.15) is expected to go full steam ahead of her rivals in the opener at Haydock, the one-mile Freephone Stanley Nursery. Running in the same colours as 2,000 Guineas hero, Mister Baileys, owner Paul Venner hasn't
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Cup day opens season
THERE is a big contrast in playing resources as the two Darlington clubs open their season with Powergen Cup ties today. Mowden Park have registered all the Newcastle Falcons Academy players and have three of them in the team and two on the bench for
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Pets to have free health checks
A vets surgery is offering free health checks for pets. The checks are part of a national initiative during PDSA National PetCheck week, starting on Monday, September 22. The Grange veterinary hospital, in Darlington, will be offering free checks during
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Allotment site visit planned
TOWN councillors will visit an allotment before deciding if it can be sold to its long-term tenant. Spennymoor Town Council's allotment committee, which met on Tuesday, agreed to make a site visit to Tudhoe Village allotment. Christopher Bewley, who has
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Trust sets out guide to services
THOUSANDS of guides to patient services will be dropping through letterboxes in Darlington soon. The second annual guide has been produced by Darlington Primary Care Trust to keep residents up to date with local health services. The Your Guide to Health
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Villagers support plans for bypass
VILLAGERS have backed plans for a £5m bypass that will divert traffic from their homes, but say there are still a few minor details that need tackling. In a public meeting at West Auckland Methodist Church this week residents agreed the scheme was desperately
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Tower could become attraction
A TOWER could become a tourist attraction. Hartlepool Borough Council is publicising the fact that the town's Art Gallery and Tourist Information Centre, in Church Square, is open to the public. The 100ft tower has 164 steps and provides one of the best
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250,000 visit TV vet's home
A REVAMPED veterinary centre attraction this week celebrated its 250,000th visitor, who had travelled thousands of miles to learn about the great author Alf Wight. Penny and Bill Taylor were taken by surprise when staff at The World of James Herriot,
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JD Wetherspoon forced to slow expansion rate
NO-NONSENSE pub chain JD Wetherspoon has blamed red tape and taxation for a reduction in the company's rate of expansion. The firm, which opened 45 pubs in the year to July 27, said its decision was prudent to ensure its level of capital expenditure remained
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Learning centre's star turn
STARS of a children's television series spoke to pupils at several schools via a video conference. The link-up, featuring cast members from BBC's Byker Grove, was one of a series of events to mark the opening of a City Learning Centre (CLC) at Southmoor
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Boxing success leads to classes
THAI boxing classes are being kick-started at a third venue in the Durham area after proving a success at two sports centres. Qualified instructor Robbie Bentham is to begin a weekly Thai boxing class at Sherburn Sports Centre, on Mondays, from 8pm to
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Robinson looking for a new start back home
NINE clubs at just 25 years old is not the most perfect start to life as a professional footballer. But for striker Paul Robinson his dwindling career has just found a new lease of life at Hartlepool United. Back in the North-East and back in business
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Police op leads
POLICE raids in north-west Durham have been hailed a success. Derwentside police has staged a week of action targeting known criminals, with officers executing eight search warrants A raid yesterday in Consett yielded 30 grams of cocaine with an estimated
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Teenage health focus of seminar
HEALTH issues facing young people will be debated at a national seminar to be held onTeesside. The event in Middlesbrough will look at issues from the perspective of parents and young people. Over two days, the topics under discussions will include sex
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Soldier heads home to help recruitment drive
A SOLDIER from Stockton is back on home ground from Monday to tell others about life in the regiment. Private Christopher Collitor, 19, a former pupil at Blakeston Community School, is based with the 1st Battalion The Green Howards at Ballykelly, in Northern
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Pupils tuck into cake to celebrate school's milestone anniversary
PUPILS and staff at a Teesside school have celebrated its 25th birthday. Children returning after the six-week holiday enjoyed a giant birthday cake at Yarm School. Pupils also watched television documentaries about the founding of the school, which followed
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Matthew treats his mum to a makeover
A BOY won a makeover for his mother and a school uniform for himself in a shopping competition. Nine-year-old Matthew Peacock from Roseworth, Stockton, was one of five prize winners in the competition. It was organised by shopkeepers in Wellington Square
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From the green to the big screen
Mel Smith talks to Steve Pratt about turning the story of a bowls rebel into this summer's most unlikely comedy. THINK of a sport to make the focus of a movie and bowls would not be top of the list. But Mel Smith, comedian turned producer and director
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Parents fail in free travel bid
A COUNTY Durham couple have lost their fight to secure free school bus travel for their two young daughters. The husband and wife, who have not been named, complained to the Ombudsman over Durham County Council's refusal to pay fares for the girls to
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Exhibition puts river in the spotlight
AN exhibition on all aspects of the River Wear is due to open in Durham today. Nine students studying for an MA in Museum and Artefact Studies at Durham University have put their work together in an exhibition, which opens at The Old Fulling Mill Museum
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£1.4m recycle site opens
A COUNCIL'S £1.4m green recycling centre will be opened on Tuesday. The centrepiece of the facility at Sandhills, off Walbottle Road, Newburn, Newcastle, is a building which will use green technology to save energy and recycle materials. It includes grey
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No way out for Oldham
FOR Hartlepool United, optimism at Victoria Park has never been so high regarding the club's future. But for today's Division Three opponents Oldham Athletic and their supporters, life is looking distinctly bleaker by the minute. When the Latics take
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Success of unit to tackle crime
A PARTNERSHIP between police and local authorities is making north-west Durham one of the most crime-free areas in the UK. Chief Inspector Dave Hogg, head of the Derwentside division of Durham Police, told a meeting of Derwentside Community Safety Forum
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Policeman jailed for attack to be freed
A POLICEMAN jailed for an attack that left a man with brain damage is to be released after serving less than four months of a 15-month term. John Beresford, 44, formerly a Detective Constable with Durham Police, will be released early next month. He was
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But who will be singing tonight?
THERE are no easy games in international football, and most members of England's current team would have great difficulty in finding today's opponents Macedonia on a map, let alone locating the back of their net. Just in case the room where you're watching
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Work, rest and prey . . .
NOT everyone enjoys going to work, but Del Boy the hawk just can't wait to get there. For following owner Ernie Richardson to construction sites across the North-East allows the eight-year-old bird of prey time to play. The Harris hawk joins mechanical
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War paper is returned to officer's son
A testimonial to a wounded Army officer, which lay hidden in an attic for years, has been returned to his family, thanks to The Northern Echo. The impressive document, signed by King George V, was concealed in a broken picture frame in Peter Simpson's
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Man jailed for having 'horrific' child porn
A JUDGE described a court case involving images of children being sexually abused as one of the worst she had seen in a decade. Judge Beatrice Bolton spoke out as she jailed Kenneth Elrick, 39, of Cleadon, South Tyneside, after he admitted downloading
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N-E hotel named in awards' top three
ONE of the region's leading hotels has been named one of the best in the UK. The AA Hotels of the Year awards named Seaham Hall Hotel, near Sunderland, in its top three and said it was "superb". Seaham Hall, owned by Tom and Jocelyn Maxfield, is famous
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Bellamy row a cause for concern, Hughes
AS the bitter row between Newcastle and Wales over Craig Bellamy yesterday took a dramatic new twist, Mark Hughes admitted it had been a major distraction before his country's vital Euro 2004 qualifier against Italy. After a tug of war between Wales boss
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Speed camera law change dismissed as 'ludicrous'
NEW rules governing the use of North-East speed cameras have been branded as ludicrous by campaigners. The Department for Transport has relaxed legislation to allow safety camera partnerships to set up traps on roads without a history of crashes. Until
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Sunderland players face shirt swap fines
Players at cash-strapped Sunderland Football Club are being fined £200 if they swap shirts with opposing teams. The financial penalty is one of a range of fines facing the Black Cats' squad as the club adapts to life in Division One. Struggling with reported
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06/09/03
HUTTON INQUIRY: AT the Hutton Inquiry, Tony Blair proved himself a master tactician by admitting responsibility for the late Dr Kelly being forced to give evidence in the public domain, but being blameless in the manner in which it was done. As a lawyer
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Grieving mother campaigns to change law on sentencing
A GRIEVING mother has launched a campaign to change the law after her son was murdered. Barbara Dunne, whose son Robert was murdered with a samurai sword in January, has drawn up a petition backing plans for life sentences to mean life. The Middlesbrough
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Back in the Grove again
Byker Grove seems to go from strength to strength as the teen Geordie soap returns next week for its 15th series - and one reason for its success may be that it is like one big, happy family. While long-running adult dramas grab all the headlines, teen
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International battle to stop 'Ghost Fleet'
AN international legal battle to stop the US "Ghost Fleet" heading for Britain was launched by environmentalists last night. Campaigners fear plans to tow the condemned warships from America to Teesside for disposal could lead to an environmental disaster
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Paedophile network is operating in region
A SICKENING trade in children being sold for sex is operating networks in the North-East, a charity has revealed. Youngsters are being abused by people who pay to have sex with underage girls and boys. Deals are made over the Internet and punters arrive
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Inquiry to decide in village green registration dispute
RESIDENTS are hoping that a public inquiry will settle a row over a village green. Members of Durham County Council's licensing and registration committee voted yesterday to appoint someone to head a two-day inquiry into whether the land at Rumby Hill
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Village's floral queen to retire
A LANDLADY dubbed a village's floral queen for her prizewinning displays is stepping down after a decade at the top. On no fewer than nine occasions in the past 12 years, 70-year-old June Hawes has won the Yorkshire in Bloom award for the best pub and
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Drunken woman's robbery attempt
A DRUNKEN woman attempted to rob a bookmakers' manager at knifepoint while wearing a red wig. After the failed hold-up, she returned to a nearby pub, where she was soon arrested, still wearing the disguise. Durham Crown Court was told that Catherine Teasdale
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Bede reveals x-ray vision
X-RAY specialist Bede is poised to become a £20m to £30m business within the next few years, The Northern Echo can reveal. The Durham company, which has sales of about £5m, suffered during the downturn in the semiconductor industry last year. But the
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Quakers: The bottom line
Just five games into the season, Darlington fans are already growing restless over the Quakers' dismal start. As basement club Carlisle United visit the Reynolds Arena for a bottom-of-the-table clash today, Lee Hall looks at the Catch 22 facing the club
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£200,000 fine after death of worker
AN engineering company was yesterday fined £200,000 after a North-East man was crushed to death in a works accident. Joiner Brian Stoker, 53, had worked for the civil engineering company Volker Stevin, formerly Harbour and General, when the accident happened
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Making a crisis out of a drama
Twenty years ago, we could look down on American television as a repository of low-quality trash. Now, it seems all the best programmes are coming out of the States. North-East Arts Writer of the Year Steve Pratt looks at what went wrong for British TV
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RMC plan to save £50m will cost jobs
CEMENT-maker RMC said it plans to axe jobs as part of a shake-up designed to save £50m. The group said there would be "some job losses" from its global 31,000-strong workforce as it restructures its core UK business and other operations in Europe and
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Rethink on nature reserve plan amid 'bird strike' fears
PLANS for a Darlington nature reserve have had to be revised amid fears of birds colliding with aeroplanes. Community leaders on Firthmoor were expecting to get approval for the reserve, which will feature two large fishing lakes plus smaller ponds, from
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Football squad in search of players
A GIRLS football club is looking to boost its ranks to secure a place in a league. Willington Girls, which formed more than a year ago, needs more members to enter two full squads in a Durham areas league. About 42 youngsters attend Parkside Community
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Baker adds to twinning celebration
THE sounds, smells and sights of Darlington will be on display in its German twin town later this month. Local civic dignitaries are heading to Mulheim an der Ruhr for a week-long exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the twinning of the two
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Bid to reduce homelessness
A PILOT scheme has been launched to help people threatened with homelessness. The independent service has been set up by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) in Chester-le-Street and the district council, to provide people with help and information that could
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Course offers help in coping with arthritis
A SUPPORT group is launching a course to help people with arthritis cope with their pain. The Wear Valley Arthritis Support Group is funding a Challenging Arthritis course in Tow Law. The six-week course starts on October 1 and is free to people with
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Legion helps pay for rails at memorial
Railings around a town's war memorial will prevent Remembrance Day poppy wreaths being blown away by strong winds. The Redcar branch of the Royal British Legion is helping to pay for the railings. Branch secretary Eric Howden said: "It will be nice to
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Heart patient works to help other sufferers
PEOPLE across the UK are to benefit from the experiences of a North-East heart patient. John Waterson, from Darlington, was one of the first people in the country to train as a lay tutor for the Expert Patient Programme, a scheme designed to help people
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Students can drink to gift
A TEESSIDE man is coming to the aid of students in the former Soviet Union. Mark Tallon, from Redcar, is sending a donation to an art college in Belorussia to help officials fit a filter to make water safer to drink. The 20-year-old was horrified to discover
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Youngsters given a taste of working life during two-day event
MORE than 200 youngsters tried life as a hairdresser, builder and businessman yesterday. Students from Parkside Comprehensive School joined pupils from neighbouring primary schools for The Sky Is the Limit two-day event. Parkside, in Willington, hosted
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Award for pub's oasis in the heart of the city
A PUB that created an oasis full of exotic birds and vivid blooms beside a busy city road has earned an award. The Queen's Head, on the corner of Sherburn Road and Gilesgate, in Durham, looks unassuming enough from the front. But hidden away at the back
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Event on medical services
PEOPLE can learn more about the healthcare services on offer in their district at an open evening later this month. Staff from the Harrogate Health Care NHS Trust will be on hand at St Aidan's School, in Harrogate, to speak and educate residents of all
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Swimmer aiming for success Down Under
A NORTH-East sporting protege has won a scholarship to train in the world's greatest swimming nation. Teenage swimmer Chris Alderton has won a two-year placement at a boarding school in Southport, Australia, to study for the country's equivalent of A-levels
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Conlon looks to end scoring drought
Misfiring striker Barry Conlon will today set about the task of ending a personal goal drought against the team who tried to sign him during the summer. The 24-year-old, who scored 17 goals last season, has not found the net since the opening day defeat
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Try a new activity with free scheme
learning opportunities in unusual subjects including flash animation, golf, manicure and literacy will be available to individuals across the North-East throughout September. The ongoing Bite Size Intros campaign is running for a second time following
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Firefighters prepare to take safety message door-to-door
FIREfighters are taking a safety message from door to door. In a bid to reduce the number of deaths from fires in the home, Cleveland Fire Brigade aim to call on everyone living on Teesside. There were 172 casualties and 1,377 house fires in Middlesbrough
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Privately-run health plan under attack
GOVERNMENT plans to set up private health treatment centres could undermine NHS hospitals, according to a leading North-East consultant. Sunderland psychiatrist Dr Paul Miller, who chairs the British Medical Association's consultants committee, said the
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Competition reveals photographic talents of police force staff
STAFF with the North Yorkshire police force have been demonstrating their prowess with the camera. The force's first in-house photography competition proved to be a runaway success and is now expected to become an annual event. The organisers were swamped
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Permanent postal vote for residents
THOUSANDS of people living in Hambleton are being given the opportunity to register for a permanent postal vote in a move to get more people voting in elections. Electoral registration forms are being sent to all 37,500 homes in the district. Hambleton
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Thieves raid charity base
THIEVES have stolen children's games and videos worth hundreds of pounds from a small charity's base. Burglars broke into a clubhouse that provided a lifeline for children in a run-down part of Newton Aycliffe, on Tuesday evening. The Burn Hill Children's
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Boundary shake-up means uncertain future for town
A MARKET town may be moved to a new council area if local government changes are given the go-ahead. Under the proposals, Masham may lose its links with the Harrogate district. District councils have put forward recommendations to the Boundary Commission
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Road widening urged to ensure pedestrian safety
A CAMPAIGNER is fighting to have a road widened where she says pedestrians have to step aside to allow cars to use the pavement. Ripon city councillor Rosemary Curlewis, who is frustrated that action was not being taken to widen Coltsgate Hill off North
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Bovis will highlight return to normality
Analysts predict Bovis Homes will become the latest housebuilder to highlight a return to more normal sales levels when it reports half-year figures on Monday. Concerns over interest rates and the shadow of military action against Iraq have played their
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Beaten to death - but no one will be tried for killing him
THE grieving family of a man found battered to death learned yesterday that no one will be put on trial for killing him. Wayne King, 30, and his brother John, 32, along with David Wright, 31, were originally charged with murdering Stephen Hunter. But
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Welsh winger feeling heat
WINGER John Oster insists the pressure of Sunderland's spectacular fall from grace will be nothing compared to that generated by Wales' crucial Euro 2004 qualifier against Italy at the San Siro tonight. Oster was a peripheral figure on Wearside last season
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A role that's simply divine
Landing the part of the new vicar in the long-running radio soap The Archers was a dream come true for lifelong fan John Telfer, he tells Steve Pratt. WHEN John Telfer heard The Archers were looking for a new vicar, he lost no time in contacting the producers
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North county's £5.5m in unclaimed lotto wins
A NORTH-EAST county is second only to London in failing to claim National Lottery jackpot wins. Figures released yesterday revealed that more than £575m in prize money has never been collected. Statistics covering the past three years suggested big winners
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£23,000 worth of cocaine seized in raid
POLICE seized more than £20,000 worth of drugs in a teatime raid on a housing estate on Thursday. Eight uniformed and plain-clothed officers discovered the haul and more than £4,000 in a property in Walker Drive, Woodhouse Close Estate, Bishop Auckland
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Is this job too hot to handle?
THE concern expressed over the imminent arrival of redundant warships to Hartlepool is understandable. At face value, there appears to be no economic sense in the decision to send the vessels thousands of miles across the Atlantic rather than scrap them
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Northants hit Durham's promotion hopes
THE end came swiftly for Durham at Northampton yesterday as their last four wickets fell in seven balls and they lost by an innings and 85 runs. They were always going to lose after their first innings batting debacle, but there was resistance from Martin
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Historic camp misses out in TV poll
AN historic North-East prisoner of war camp last night narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the BBC's acclaimed television show Restoration. The show - which has been described as a Pop Idol contest for old buildings - saw the Glass House at
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Police appeal after woman vanishes
POLICE were last night searching for a woman suffering from depression who went missing from her home. Judith Wildwood, of Southbank, in York, was last seen at her house at 9.15am yesterday and police said they were concerned for her welfare. The 46-year-old
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Back in the Grove again
Byker Grove seems to go from strength to strength as the teen Geordie soap returns next week for its 15th series - and one reason for its success may be that it is like one big, happy family. While long-running adult dramas grab all the headlines, teen
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Oasis just a Dream
THERE is no such thing as a racing certainty, however, defeat for Oasis Dream (2.15) in the £225,000 Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup at Haydock would be to say the very least a major shock. John Gosden's speedball has been installed as the white-hot 1-3 favourite
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Just like old times
'HE'S the kind of man you could punch if you had to live with him," said my wife regarding the unfortunate celebrity Mike Read who appeared in The Life Laundry (BBC2, Wednesday). "I thought you already lived with a man you felt like punching," I quipped
