Archive
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Abu Hamza: Making a mockery of the law
IT is not unusual for journalists or disgruntled members of the public to become exasperated with the courts system and the way justice is administered. But when the most senior judge in England and Wales is in a rage over the inadequacies of the
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One lane of A1 northbound has re-opened
A SECTION of the northbound A1 in North Yorkshire, closed by flooding, has re-opened. One lane of the northbound carriageway at Hackforth, just south of Catterick , was re-opened to traffic at 3.45pm today after round-the-clock work by the Highways
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Annfield Plain Cricket Club granted permission for training nets
COUNCILLORS have backed a retrospective planning application for a controversial training facility at a north Durham cricket club. The practice nets at Annfield Plain Cricket Club, which were targeted by arsonists last month, were granted permission
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Respectable dog walker captured on CCTV ripping up railway's flowerbeds
A respectable-looking man walked onto a railway station platform and proceeded to rip up flowerbeds and hanging baskets. Police are hoping somebody will recognise the culprit, who was captured shredding the blooms on CCTV at Bedale Railway
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Villagers turned off by Sunday power cut decision
VILLAGERS have criticised a power company for planning to switch off their electricity supply on Sunday – when most people are at home preparing their weekend meal. Resident of Edmundbyers, near Consett , County Durham, were reacting to a notice
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Theatre Review: Three Men In A Boat, Darlington Civic Theatre
FOLLOWING a day when torrential rain and floods made the headlines, I settled back to enjoy Tuesday’s opening night of Three Men In A Boat at the Civic Theatre. And like a crackling log fire and a hearty broth in a good, old-fashioned pub, this
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Homely girls
Homefront (ITV1, 9pm) Wartime Farm (BBC2, 8pm) Heroes of the Sky (Channel 5, 8pm) CLAIRE SKINNER is no stranger to high-profile roles. She’s the long-suffering mum in TV sitcom Outnumbered, and also starred in last year’s Doctor Who Christmas
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Blast from the past
THINGS must be getting desperate if the Tories are bringing out their old cabinet war horses. First, former Prime Minister John Major was wheeled out to tell television interviewers the British economy may have passed its “darkest moment”.
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Busy bees
I HAVE read with interest the correspondence about bee hives on allotments in Hurworth (Echo, Sept 20). However, many of the writers have got their facts wrong. In this country bees do not swarm to attack. They swarm to relocate, the most common
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Slow mover
I AM frustrated and amazed at just how poor the traffic flow through Darlington really is. Now working in Darlington, after many years of working in Stockton, I am dumbfounded to find that I could get to Stockton from my Whinfield home quicker
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Andrew Mitchell
THERE is nothing unusual about having a bad temper at the close of the working day. Arrogant belief in your own superiority over those you consider your social or academic inferiors is the norm for many people. It’s not very nice but no one got
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Apology
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT leader Nick Clegg has apologised to the nation that his party has failed to deliver on pledges it made at the last General Election. The underlying problem, however, has been a failure to identify who they were entering power in
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Respect
THE film Life of Brian did not cost the lives of anyone or provoke the burning of flags or buildings. The people who made the film received no death threats. Yet when Muslims preach hatred for the West or against our police or armed forces
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Armed police
I FIND the shooting of two female police officers Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes absolutely appalling. They were just doing their duty when they were shot and killed. This outrage has prompted renewed calls for police to be armed but, in this
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Labour’s awful dilemma
TWO depressing studies should send an icy shiver down Labour spines, as the party basks in healthy pre-conference poll leads. The first warned that another £14bn of spending cuts will be required in the next parliament – on top of £10bn already earmarked
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Why was A1 awash?
THE image which appeared on the front page of The Northern Echo yesterday will be remembered for many years to come by the people of this region. The A1, one of Britain’s most important routes, was turned into a river by one of the most sustained
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Alcohol pricing leaves a bad taste
North-East pub chain owner Tony Brookes believes many of our favourite watering holes will be forced to close unless supermarkets are stopped from selling beer at knockdown prices. This is an edited version of a letter he has sent to MPs, Camra and
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Pardew signs new EIGHT year deal with Magpies
NEWCASTLE UNITED manager Alan Pardew has signed a new eight-year contract along with the three most senior members of his backroom team. Pardew, John Carver, Steve Stone and Andy Woodman have all agreed the incredible new deals which now take them
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Lorry driver arrested following serious accident on northbound A19
POLICE are currently dealing with a collision on the A19 north-bound carriageway near South Kilvington, Thirsk . A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: "The collision was reported at 2.10pm today and involves a HGV which struck a Vauxhall
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ROAD CLOSURES: North Yorkshire - updated Thursday, September 27, 1.15pm
FLOODING continues to affect many roads in North Yorkshire. Many minor routes are closed, others are only passable with extreme care. River levels are being continuously monitored. NORTH YORKSHIRE (Updated: Thursday, September 27, 1.15pm) Selby
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Battersea's oldest dog re-homed in Durham
A RENOWNED dogs’ home’s oldest canine resident has been re-homed more than 250 miles away in the North-East. At 19-years-old, Blackie was the oldest dog ever to arrive at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, in London – currently in the national spotlight
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Man airlifted to hospital after being crushed by crane load
A MAN is in hospital after suffering serious injuries when he was crushed by a crane load. The 52-year-old suffered severe injuries to his back, chest and abdomen in the industrial incident in Coxhoe, County Durham, at about 1.30pm on Wednesday
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John Terry handed £220,000 fine and banned for four games for abuse of Anton Ferdinand
JOHN Terry has been banned for four matches and given a £220,000 fine for using insulting words which included a reference to Anton Ferdinand's colour or race following an FA independent regulatory commission hearing, the FA have confirmed.
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Bench destroyed by vandals
A BENCH to commemorate the Queen's diamond jubilee and 2012 Olympics has been destroyed. Councillors at Bishop Auckland Town Council heard on Tuesday night how vandals had set fire to the bench in the town’s Recreation Ground during the Summer holidays
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Councillors back castle redevelopment
COUNCILLORS have thrown their weight behind multi-million plans to redevelop Auckland Castle into a major tourist attraction. Members of Bishop Auckland Town Council heard from Rowena Hackwood, chief executive of the castle on Tuesday night about
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Theft of thousands of pounds worth of fencing
POLICE have appealed for information following the theft of £3,000 worth of fencing from a farm at Haswell Plough. Thieves removed 60m of treated timber fencing and 20 fencing posts from land at Low Row Farm, Messine Terrace, Haswell Plough, east
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Funding plea to help relaunch market
COUNCILLORS are hoping to secure £10,000 to help take control and relaunch Bishop Auckland’s struggling market. The town was unsuccessful in gaining funding from the Portas Pilot scheme earlier this year, which aimed to help rejuvenate struggling
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Easingwold murder accused in court
A 26-YEAR-OLD man smiled to magistrates as he was charged with the murder of a delivery driver. James Brabbs was appearing at Northallerton Magistrates Court for a preliminary hearing over the killing of Mohammed Saleem Khan, 37, on Sunday.
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Police officer knocked off bicycle in Darlington
A POLICE sergeant is in hospital with a suspected broken arm after being knocked off his bicycle as he rode to work this morning. The incident took place at about 7.50am, in Abbey Road, Darlington. A spokeswoman for Darlington police said the
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Family's terror in knife robbery
POLICE are hunting a gang of knife-wielding masked raiders who attacked a family in their home and stole thousands of pounds. The four men smashed through the front door of a property in Redworth village, near Newton Aycliffe, as a couple
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Hepper and Fox ready to renew battle on Sunday
Hartlepool 'S Borough Hall is set for an exciting rematch this Sunday – but with the added extra of a northern area title on the line. Darlington's promising Neil Hepper is set to make his fifth appearance since turning professional and is keen
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Parnaby enjoying a new lease of life at Boro
SEVENTEEN months is a long time in football and would feel even longer if your playing carer had effectively come to a stand-still. After making his long-awaited return to the professional stage, though, Stuart Parnaby is ready to roll again.
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Match Report: Manchester United 2 Newcastle United 1
Final Score: Manchester United 2 Newcastle United 1 THE long wait goes on for a Newcastle United win at Old Trafford and any hopes of a run to the latter stages of the League Cup have been dashed for a further year. Yet this third round
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Magpies stronger despite cup exit says Pardew
MANCHESTER UNITED ended any hopes Newcastle United had of winning the Capital One Cup last night but Alan Pardew believes the experience of Old Trafford will help his squad focus on other goals. Pardew was left frustrated by the Magpies' third
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A66 closure prompts drainage concerns
AN MP has publicly raised the possibility of contractors being brought back to improve drainage on the A66 after it was closed for a second day yesterday. The main road into Teesside was blocked due to flooding at the Long Newton Junction, near
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How many lives does Catts have left?
CATS, it is commonly perceived, have nine lives. The question Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill must ponder, in the wake of his side's Capital One Cup victory at MK Dons on Tuesday night, is whether Catts should be afforded similar longevity.
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Training centre reunion marks 45th year
LEADERS from the manufacturing and engineering scene will come together next month, at an event arranged by a specialist training centre that is celebrating its 45th year in business. S.W Durham Training (SWDT), a Newton Aycliffe-based company that specialises
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Work starts on £9m expansion to retirement village
WORK has started on a £9m scheme to create what are believed to be the first zero carbon retirement bungalows in the country. Phase one of the scheme at Middleton Hall Retirement Village will see six of the planned 35 independent living homes built at
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Yorkshire looking for a new name
Yorkshire are looking for a new name in one-day cricket - and they are keen for their members and supporters to help them choose it. The White Rose county yesterday put a message on their website saying that the team's name for Clydesdale Bank 40 and
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MP joins town's fight against closure of bank
MANAGERS have been branded arrogant as they push ahead with plans to close a town’s only bank. HSBC will close its branch in Main Street, Shildon , County Durham, on October 12, despite local protests. Protestors say the plan will leave Shildon
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Clean-up operation underway but misery lingers on for many
A HUGE clean-op operation began yesterday after flood defences failed to stop damage to dozens of homes and businesses in North Yorkshire. Firefighters remained in Gilling West, near Richmond , for a second day with water still a foot high in several
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Why couldn't the A1 cope?
THE Highways Agency last night pledged a “full review” of the circumstances which led to one of the region’s major arterial routes – the A1 – being closed by flooding for two days. Click here for live traffic and travel updates
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Broad backs England batsmen to deliver
Stuart Broad is confident England will carry no mental scars into their ICC World Twenty20 Super Eight match against West Indies. The captain himself is sporting a cut in the middle of his forehead, after a swimming-pool collision with Tim Bresnan and
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Fanatic's threat to railway
A TRAIN fanatic sent letters threatening to bomb the world’s busiest steam heritage railway and target its passengers, a court has heard. North Yorkshire Moors Railway enthusiast Nicholas Cawthorne posted a stream of poison pen letters to staff
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University accepts sheik's £2.5m gift
THE region’s leading university has accepted a £2.5m donation from a Kuwaiti sheik forced to quit as the country’s Prime Minister amid corruption allegations. Sheik Nasser Al-Muhammad Al-Sabah, a member of Kuwait’s royal family, gave Durham University
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MEP will not seek re-election
TRIBUTES have been paid to a longserving politician, who has announced that he will be standing down at the next election. North-East MEP Stephen Hughes was first elected as a member of the European Parliament in 1984, initially representing the
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Daughter who stole her mother's savings is jailed
A DEVIOUS daughter who stole her mother’s savings then faked a burglary at their home was jailed by a judge who blasted her “dreadful betrayal”. Kerry Blenkinsopp, 34, said she spent the money on “basics” for her new house – a cooker, washing
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Flood hit man: "I just couldn't leave my home"
THE day after the floods forced hundreds of people from their homes Chris Webber met one couple who refused to give in to the rising waters. Aa the water crept into their home, firefighters and police suggested Anne and Terry Harper should
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Woman was 'pumping sewage out for hours and hours'
A WOMAN whose home was deluged with raw sewage is claiming it was due to recent flood defence work. Angela Whitlock, from River View Road, Ripon , said the £14.4m flood defences completed by the Environment Agency in Ripon, last year, were to blame
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Oar inspiring show stayed afloat despite all the rain
THE cast of a stage production ironically entitled Three Men In A Boat have described how they braved Tuesday’s floods to ensure the show went ahead – just. Christopher Brandon, who plays George in the production at Darlington’s Civic Theatre,
