Archive
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Retiring from the road on her 100th
YOU may think Madeleine Thompson would be the perfect candidate when it comes to qualifying for cheap car insurance. She can be justly proud of having maintained a clean driving licence and never having suffered any accidents or endorsements. But, despite
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Pupils found armed with knives
THREE knives were confiscated from children hours before gangs from rival schools met for an arranged fight, police said yesterday. The weapons were found on pupils from Carmel RC Technology College and Branksome Comprehensive School, both in Darlington
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Is this a choice too far?
DO you wish your daughter had been a son? Would you have preferred your little boy to have been a little girl? Probably not. Most of us haven't a clue which sex our child is until it's born. Often those who have the chance of knowing don't want to know
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Don't call me supersub, says Brown
SUNDERLAND'S latest young star Chris Brown has revealed how he has no intention of allowing the supersub tag to stick - despite manager Mick McCarthy continually using the 20-year-old as an impact player. The striker grabbed his sixth goal of the season
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Judge speaks out
A JUDGE told of his horror at reading the list of previous convictions of a man in court. David Gascoigne's offending started at the age of ten with theft and affray, and went on to amount to 43 offences - many committed before his 14th birthday. Gascoigne
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North-East will receive £178m for housing
THE North-East will receive more than £178m in the next three years from the Government to invest in housing. The money, which will be allocated through local authorities and housing associations, is part of £5.5bn being spent nationally. Jonathan Blackie
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Takeover bids lift Eidos shares 26%
Cyberbabe Lara Croft was at the centre of a takeover tug-of-war last night after two bids were tabled for her London-based creator. Shares in Eidos rocketed 26 per cent after rival computer games maker SCi Entertainment stepped in with a £76.1m offer
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Melanoma cases may triple in
CASES of a deadly form of skin cancer will treble in the next 30 years unless warnings about sunburn are heeded, according to researchers. In a stark warning to Britain's sun worshippers, Professor Brian Diffey, of Newcastle University, revealed figures
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Businesses need a second Tyne Tunnel
BUSINESS in the North-East needs a second Tyne Tunnel, the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) said. The NECC has stepped up its support for the new route under the Tyne. Chris Jobe, chairman of NECC's Tyne and Wear committee, said: "The absence of
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Howey handed chance to earn deal at Pool
STEVE Howey will this afternoon be given the chance to earn a short-term contract at Hartlepool United. The former Newcastle and England defender will play for Pool's reserve side at Barnsley and is likely to sign until the end of the season ahead of
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Help find my sister for summer reunion
PEOPLE across the region are looking for help in tracing lost friends and relatives. Patricia Bradley, 58, is looking for her sister, who was adopted as a young girl. Her birth name was Beatrice Brown, and she was born on January 18, 1945, to Margaret
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Airport gets top marks in survey
Newcastle International Airport has come top in a survey of flight punctuality at airports across the UK, according to figures released today by the Civil Aviation Authority. During October to December 2004 the "on-time" performance of scheduled airlines
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Amberleigh House heads National list
Last year's winner Amberleigh House heads a list of 107 horses to stand their ground at the latest forfeit stage for the John Smith's Grand National. Ginger McCain's charge is set to face runner-up Clan Royal and third home Lord Atterbury again as those
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Rooney accused of attack in nightclub
A NORTH-EAST man has accused England striker Wayne Rooney of attacking him in a nightclub. Greater Manchester Police said it would launch an inquiry after the Teesside man, named in The Sun as Patrick Hanrahan, made a formal complaint against the £28m
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Inflation stays unchanged
INFLATION remained unchanged last month as higher food and transport costs offset slower price increases for items such as furniture. The annual rate of Consumer Price Index inflation remained unchanged at 1.6 per cent for the third consecutive month,
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Keep away or face jail
A JILTED lover has been warned he faces five years in jail if he breaks a restraining order imposed for harassing his former partner. Stephen Reddington, 33, of Ruskin Road, Darlington, was spared prison yesterday because he has not bothered former lover
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Hunt for man who tried to grab boy
A HOODED man who grabbed the arm of a ten-year-old boy in the street is being hunted by police. Although the boy struggled free when a passer-by appeared, he was frightened and ran home after the incident, which happened in Shildon at 7.40pm on Monday
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Parents want action over closure
Campaigners against the proposed demolition of part of a Darlington school are hoping to meet council bosses. Darlington Borough Council has revealed plans to pull down the infants' area of Corporation Road Primary School. The plan is part of a £350,000
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National Lottery gives £6m towards restoration of landmark building
NATIONAL Lottery chiefs yesterday confirmed they will help save one the region's landmark buildings. The Heritage Lottery Fund approved Harrogate Borough Council's renewed bid for £6m to help it restore the Royal Hall. Together with £2m from the council
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'Jam jars can be recycled too'
AN APPEAL has been issued to Hartlepool residents to recycle glass. Council officials fear people may be throwing glass away because they forget or do not think it can be recycled. Glass made up eight per cent of all waste in the town and, although about
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Town centre attack on man investigated
POLICE are investigating an attack in a North-East shopping centre which left a man semi-conscious. Officers were called to the Cornmill Centre, in Darlington, just after 2.15pm on Monday after reports of two men beating up another outside Ottakar's bookstore
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Man cleared of exposing himself to neighbours
A MAN was yesterday cleared of exposing himself to neighbours from his living room window. Research organic chemist Gareth Cardus was accused of performing a sex act in the bay window of his home in Sherburn Village, near Durham, on four dates
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Shamed judge is banned from law
A DISTRICT judge who was sacked for being drunk was yesterday banned from practising law for three years and ordered to pay more than £15,000 over serious financial irregularities. A tribunal heard that David Messenger, 50, of Scalby Road, Scarborough
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Council pledges to reinvest £2.6m
A TEESSIDE council has been handed more than £2.6m in Government grants as a reward for its improved performance. Stockton Borough Council is one of 15 councils across the UK that piloted a Local Public Service Agreement (PSA) scheme. The council said
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Ice dancers prepare to wow crowds
A NORTH-EAST theatre stage has been turned into an ice rink for some of the world's most skilful skaters. The 500-seat Gala Theatre, in Durham, is hosting Cinderella on Ice featuring The Russian Ice Stars, including the Sydney 2000 Olympics gold medallist
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GNER to put rail prices up after deal
RAIL ticket prices are to go up after GNER last night won the biggest deal in European rail history to run East Coast Main Line services. The York-based firm said it would invest more than £125m to deliver a "bigger and better railway, running extra services
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Arson theory on yard fire as blaze burns a second day
A MAJOR fire at a North-East industrial estate continued to burn into the early hours of this morning -two days after the blaze started. Crowds of people turned out to watch on Monday evening as flames leapt 70ft into the air after 500 tonnes of rubbish
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Hugh Mackay move puts 200 jobs at risk
THE carpet maker to the Queen has gone into administration again, putting up to 200 jobs at risk in Durham. The news is another blow for the city following LG Philips' decision to end production there with the loss of 800 jobs last month. Hugh Mackay
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Grainger Trust makes bid for rival
BUOYANT North-East plc Grainger Trust has made a cash offer of £58m for a London rival. City North Group, which has a property portfolio of 350 units with an average value of about £247,000, has agreed to be taken over by Newcastle-based Grainger. The
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Thieves wheel off with safe
Thieves stole a safe and wheeled it away in a supermarket trolley. They struck at the offices of housing organisation Erimus in Crossfell Road, Middlesbrough, at 6am yesterday. Police are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the thieves pushing the
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No one saw horsewoman fall
A RIDER who died when she fell from her horse was wearing an old-fashioned hard-hat, an inquest heard. Rachel Cross, 42, of Over Nidd, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, died when she fell from her horse in a country lane in December 2003. Recording a verdict
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Jaw broken in violent attack
POLICE are hunting four attackers who left an 18-year-old man with a broken jaw. The teenager, from Thornaby, needed surgery after he was set upon by four men in what police described as "a violent and unprovoked attack" in the town. The man was kicked
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Appeal for witnesses to glassing
POLICE are appealing for information after a woman was allegedly glassed. The incident happened at about 12.30am on Sunday in the main bar of The Attic, in Mosely Street, Newcastle. There was an argument between three women when it is believed one was
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£1m for landslip repairs approved
EMERGENCY Government funding is being made available to help a community affected by a landslip. The top of Loftus bank, in east Cleveland, will have to be reshaped and the damaged road repaired following a landslide last summer. Loftus relies on the
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Firefighter cleared of wrong-doing after party engine probe
A firefighter has been cleared of wrong-doing after a "party fire engine" turned up in the street of a fatal blaze just hours after a man died. The converted engine arrived in Douai Drive, Consett, Durham, on 4 February where James Young, 87, had died
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Vigilant staff win praise
POLICE have praised staff monitoring a town's security cameras after they helped tackle suspects in two crimes over the past week. Staff at Careline, in Chester-le-Street, saw two youths who were acting suspiciously in Front Street last Thursday. Community
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Flab that's killing kids
Supersize Kids (C4): THE C4 campaign to draw attention to children's bad eating habits, and improve them, continues. After Jamie Oliver exposed unhealthy school dinners, we faced the obvious results, Supersize Kids. Bethany is six years old and weighs
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Backing Monty for a place in the Masters
THERE will be an unfortunate absentee at The Players Championship tomorrow: one Colin Montgomerie. But I'm sure he will be quite happy to sacrifice that in favour of a place in the US Masters early next month. Augusta, starting on April 7, deserves to
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Men convicted of attempted robbery
Four men convicted of an attempted armed robbery were jailed for a total of 46 years yesterday. PC Phillip Clapham gave chase when he saw Paul Sherrington, Ian Hart, and George Appleby fleeing the Shotton Colliery Post Office after a bungled raid on June
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Comment from The Northern Echo: A prize won at a high price
ALTHOUGH it is far from perfect, GNER was clearly the people's choice to continue running services on the East Coast Main Line for the next seven years. As rail operators go, it has performed well and its bid had the cross-party support of politicians
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Family shock at shooting
THE family of a sword-wielding man who was shot dead by police after he drove the wrong way along a busy road last night said he was a compassionate charity worker. Armed police shot Simon Murden, 26, of Beverley, after he approached them with a sword
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GNER to put rail prices up after deal
RAIL ticket prices are to go up after GNER last night won the biggest deal in European rail history to run East Coast Main Line services. The York-based firm said it would invest more than £125m to deliver a "bigger and better railway, running extra services
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Zenden's Boro future in the balance
MIDDLESBROUGH have been urged to open contract talks with Dutch star Bolo Zenden or risk losing him to the continent in the summer. Zenden, who signed a 12-month deal at the Riverside last year after making the switch from Chelsea, is out of contract
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Minister defends 'army for good'
MORE than 600 extra doctors and 1,400 extra nurses have been recruited in the North-East and North Yorkshire in just 12 months, official figures showed yesterday. Health Secretary John Reid said the figures proved the Government was boosting the NHS's
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There's no excuse for this savagery
IT HAS emerged that down in East Yorkshire, the Holderness Hunt chased a fox for four miles. The hunt says it was unable to stop the hounds, which finally killed the fox with the usual savagery: no flushing out and shooting. If allowing a pack of dogs
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Church to show The Passion
A CONTROVERSIAL Hollywood film depicting the death of Jesus is being shown in a North-East church. The rector of a Wearside church will screen Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday. The Reverend Doctor Ian Wallis would usually hold
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Zenden's Boro future in the balance
MIDDLESBROUGH have been urged to open contract talks with Dutch star Bolo Zenden or risk losing him to the continent in the summer. Zenden, who signed a 12-month deal at the Riverside last year after making the switch from Chelsea, is out of contract
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'There are no clean people in this'
RAYMOND Chandler wanted to write his book a decade ago. He even got as far as talking to a publisher, but his family called him up and pleaded with him not to go ahead, so he relented. And there he might have left it, had it not been for Martin Bashir's
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Breathless from the blue reliever
THE Blessed Margaret, to some surprise, features just five times in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations which sits, inverted, on these shelves. It's the 1996 edition; the other feller doesn't even get a mention. One of Lady Thatcher's more agreeable aphorisms
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Breathless from the blue reliever
THE Blessed Margaret, to some surprise, features just five times in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations which sits, inverted, on these shelves. It's the 1996 edition; the other feller doesn't even get a mention. One of Lady Thatcher's more agreeable aphorisms
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Coach firms Shearings and CHG to merge
TWO of the biggest names in coach touring confirmed yesterday that their £200m merger deal was complete. Coach Holiday Group (CHG), which owns Wallace Arnold, is to merge with Shearings to form one of Europe's largest coach holiday companies. Wallace
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United pay the price for a reduction in TV coverage
Manchester United counted the cost of a slide in media income yesterday after profits for the first half of its financial year more than halved. The figure of £12.4m for the six months to January 31 was down on the £26.8m of a year earlier, reflecting
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Drax power plant to join stock market
The UK's largest coal-fired power station is poised to list on the stock market by the end of this year, it emerged last night. North-Yorkshire based Drax wants creditors to back the proposed move which would give it an enterprise value of more than £1.5bn
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Abbey not paying bonuses for fund
ABBEY said yesterday it would not be paying an annual bonus on its with-profits fund for the third year in a row. Instead it will abolish exit penalties on many policies - which are imposed if a customer takes money from their bond early, before the end
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Soaring fuel prices will not hit easyJet profits
Budget airline easyJet said it was winning the battle to shield its profits from soaring fuel prices. Operating margins during the six months to March 31 will be broadly in line with last year. Oil is 50 per cent more expensive than a year ago and the
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Market report
Gains by water and gas companies helped lift the FTSE 100 Index into positive territory yesterday and narrowed losses that saw it dip towards the 4900 level early on. Broker upgrades left a string of utility firms at the top of the Footsie risers board
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Prince Charles joins train's crew on footplate for north visit
PRINCE Charles donned workmen's overalls to ride the footplate of a steam locomotive on a visit to the North yesterday. Charles abandoned the comfort of the Royal Train carriage for part of his trip around Yorkshire and Cumbria. He climbed on the footplate
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Armed robbers found guilty
FOUR men have been convicted of an attempted post office robbery that ended with an off-duty policeman being threatened. PC Phillip Clapham pursued the three masked men he saw fleeing from the Shotton Colliery Post Office, County Durham, on June 10, last
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Liddle's career on line as decision day arrives
DARLINGTON skipper Craig Liddle last night conceded the odds of playing again are stacked against him - but has vowed not to hang up his boots without a fight. Liddle will see a specialist in Manchester this morning, where he will be told whether or not
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Residents urged to clean up stream
RESIDENTS are being urged to don their wellies in a mission to clean up a small stream near Darlington. A series of work days to clear up Cocker Beck, in Cockerton, and surrounding area, start tomorrow. The clean-up has been organised by Darlington Borough
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Dioxin scare leads to riverside closure
A POPULAR riverside area has been closed after cancer-causing poisons were discovered on the land. Saltmeadows, on Gateshead riverside, is a popular spot for people walking their dogs, fishing and cycling. Signs warn people to keep off the land. The Keelman's
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District council will experiment with two leaders to improve performance
A RURAL council is hoping a change to its political structure will help improve its performance. Teesdale District Council, in County Durham, looks set to experiment with having two leaders. In a Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) last year, the
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Hall owners are counting on the weatherman
OWNERS of a Medieval manor house attraction hope the weather forecasters can pull a rabbit out of the hat during the Easter break. Last year's damp summer left seasonal takings well down on expectation at Crook Hall, in Durham. Maggie and Keith Ball have
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Sex offenders reach record levels
THE number of registered sex offenders on Teesside has reached record levels, according to figures from The Teesside Violent and Sex Offenders Unit. Since last year there has been a 20 per cent increase in the number being tracked by the unit, which is
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Mining claims decision welcomed
CAMPAIGNERS for former miners were celebrating last night after the Government acted to stamp out exploitation by lawyers taking a slice of their compensation. The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, pledged to regulate solicitors and other claim-handling
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Shamed judge is banned from law
A DISTRICT judge who was sacked for being drunk was yesterday banned from practising law for three years and ordered to pay more than £15,000 over serious financial irregularities. A tribunal heard that David Messenger, 50, of Scalby Road, Scarborough
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Don't say anything negative to this scary man...
WITH his pierced skin and head-to-toe body decorations, he is an unlikely role model for children. But schools across Teesside have been embracing the message of a tattooed American. Known simply as The Scary Guy, the 51-year-old has been visiting schools
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Retiring from the road on her 100
YOU may think Madeleine Thompson would be the perfect candidate when it comes to qualifying for cheap car insurance. She can be justly proud of having maintained a clean driving licence and never having suffered any accidents or endorsements. But, despite
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Restaurant owners fined over waste
TWO restaurant owners have been fined for failing to have adequate waste disposal arrangements for their business. Sunder Rajam Narishiman and Selva Carmichael, the owners of Carmichaels, near Newcastle Quayside, were each fined £1,250 and £300 costs
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Caving enthusiast died doing the sport he loved
A CAVE diver drowned 500ft underground after becoming tangled in ropes. Colin Pryer, 29, had undertaken a cave dive in the Yorkshire Dales when he became tangled in ropes on Sunday. Mr Pryer, from Newcastle, had been with his partner Gemma Jones preparing
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250,000 reasons to honour norman
A BUSKER has been given the freedom of the borough of Redcar and Cleveland. Wheelchair-bound accordian player Norman Evans has raised more than £250,000 for charity in the past 25 years. Yesterday Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council honoured him by giving
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Liddle's career on line as decision day arrives
DARLINGTON skipper Craig Liddle last night conceded the odds of playing again are stacked against him - but has vowed not to hang up his boots without a fight. Liddle will see a specialist in Manchester this morning, where he will be told whether or not
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Group's £50m pension pledge
NORTHERN Foods pledged a £50m boost for its pension fund yesterday as it said the market for its products remained very competitive. The group, which employs 300 staff at its Dalepak frozen foods factory in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, will make the
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Raped by man who asked for a light
A WOMAN was raped by a man who asked for a light for his cigarette. The 50-year-old woman was in Newcastle city centre on Monday when she was approached by the man, who offered to take her for a drink. They were walking through Leazes Park at about 2.20pm
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Police call time on underage drinkers
POLICE are hoping to call last orders at a pub after officers found 40 underage youngsters at the bar - including a 12-year-old. Gateshead Area Command is trying to revoke the licence of the Balmoral Pub, in Balmoral Drive, Felling, following the incident
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Bogus caller steals from pensioner
POLICE are appealing for information after a bogus caller stole money from a pensioner. A woman in her late 20s called at a property in Rogers Close, Horden, Peterlee between 7pm and 7.30pm on Monday. She offered the 83-year-old victim raffle tickets
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Conference to bring £3m
THE North-East will benefit from a £3m boost when the National Union of Teachers hosts its annual conference this weekend. The event, at the Sage music centre, in Gateshead, which is one of the biggest in the conference calendar, will attract more than
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National Lottery gives £6m towards restoration of landmark building
NATIONAL Lottery chiefs yesterday confirmed they will help save one the region's landmark buildings. The Heritage Lottery Fund approved Harrogate Borough Council's renewed bid for £6m to help it restore the Royal Hall. Together with £2m from the council
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23/03/2005
THANKS: A VERY big thank you to all the kind people who sponsored us in our 5,000 metres swim at Billingham Forum Pool. We did it to gain our distance certificates but, more importantly, to raise money for the Cornel Romanian Rehabilitation Charity Trust
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Career advice from a soldier who has served his country
A SOLDIER has returned to his home town after serving in several countries, including Iraq and Cyprus, to talk to youngsters about careers in the Army. Private Christopher Longstaff, a former pupil of Longfield School, in Darlington, will be at the Army
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Don't call me supersub, says Brown
SUNDERLAND'S latest young star Chris Brown has revealed how he has no intention of allowing the supersub tag to stick - despite manager Mick McCarthy continually using the 20-year-old as an impact player. The striker grabbed his sixth goal of the season
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Rivals to be silenced by Putup or Shutup
PUTUP OR SHUTUP (4.00) has the class to silence his rivals in Towcester's John Brown Retirement Handicap Hurdle. A couple of seasons ago Kim Bailey's gelding looked as if the sky was the limit having stylishly opened his account at Ludlow, but not long
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Business briefs
An advisory service set up to help manufacturing firms has delivered a £112m boost to the industry. More than 50,000 firms have sought advice and 9,500 have been given "health checks" over the past three years. Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt
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Landlady loses smoking damage battle
A landlady has lost a landmark legal battle in which she claimed up to £400,000 compensation after insisting passive smoking in her bar made her ill. Michelle Muir, 44, said working at the New Derby pub, on Roker Bath Road, in Sunderland, had exposed
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Men told to take care of their health
MEN in Darlington over the age of 50 are being urged to pay greater attention to a health issue. One in three men over the age of 50 can expect to have problems with their prostate gland, but health chiefs have told men help is at hand. Darlington Primary
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Echo's Mynarski campaign reaches target
The Northern Echo's campaign to honour a forgotten Second World War hero has reached its target. The Forgotten Hero campaign, launched in summer 2004, has reached its target and has raised £26,000. Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski was 27 when he took off
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Pupils found armed with knives
THREE knives were confiscated from children hours before gangs from rival schools met for an arranged fight, police said yesterday. The weapons were found on pupils from Carmel RC Technology College and Branksome Comprehensive School, both in Darlington
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It's treble tops for Lee
Graham Lee, the leading rider at last week's Cheltenham Festival, continued his rich vein of form with a near 93-1 treble on Rogues Gallery, Manbow and Rayshan at Wetherby yesterday. After winning on his jumping debut at Musselburgh 13 months ago Rayshan
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Is this a choice too far?
DO you wish your daughter had been a son? Would you have preferred your little boy to have been a little girl? Probably not. Most of us haven't a clue which sex our child is until it's born. Often those who have the chance of knowing don't want to know
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It's a pretty cool day for Dame Tanni
BRITAIN'S leading wheelchair athlete Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson was close to tears when she collected her latest honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace yesterday. "I was fine until I saw my dad," she said. "It was really emotional." Dame Tanni, 35,
