TWO men needed hospital treatment for cuts after an alleged glassing incident in a pub in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, on Friday.

One, who is in his late twenties, needed 17 stitches to an eye wound, and the other had cuts to the hand, police said. The incident took place in The Derby, at about 6.30pm. Bishop Auckland police said yesterday that a 22-year-old man had been charged with a section 18 wounding offence and had been bailed to appear in court on May 29.

Pedestrian killed: An 18-year-old boy from the Coulby Newham area of Middlesbrough was killed after being involved in a collision with a taxi. The teenager was walking along the A19 southbound, near to the exit slip road for the A66 eastbound, when the incident occurred at 4am on Sunday. It is not yet clear what happened and police are appealing for witnesses to the incident. The 34-year-old taxi driver, from Eston, was taken to Middlesbrough General Hospital, suffering from severe chest injuries. His condition last night was said to be comfortable. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact PC Paul Hunter on (01642) 301558.

STAR lunch: Hartlepool and District Hospice Appeal Committee is holding a celebrity lunch in the Sir William Grey Suite at the town's Historic Quay on Tuesday, May 28, at noon. Former EastEnder Leslie Grantham (Dirty Den) and former Brookside star Sandra Maitland (Mandy Jordash) will attend the lunch to help towards the building of a new purpose-built hospice in Hartlepool. Tickets for the event are £13,50 per person and include a two-course lunch with tea or coffee. They are available by contacting Kevin Kidd on (01429) 288335.

LORRY CRASHES: A sliproad to the A1(M) near Darlington was closed yesterday morning when a lorry overturned. The accident happened at the A167 junction 59 and the area was congested for several hours while traffic police arranged for lifting gear to be brought to the scene. No one was hurt in the accident and there were no other vehicles involved.

CASH CHANCe: The Local Heritage Initiative is offering grants of between £3,000 and £25,000 to pay for up to 95 per cent of any volunteer project aimed at celebrating the past or looking to the future of an area. For details, call (0870) 9000401.

Short story: A short story competition is being held on the subject of volunteering. Entrants must be aged 16 or over and can submit either fiction or non-fiction. There is no word limit. Closing date is Friday, May 31. The winners will be awarded book tokens. For details, call (01325) 254663.

PIZZERIA PUZZLE: The cause of a blaze which badly damaged a pizza takeaway and upstairs offices, in Stockton Road, Sunderland, is being investigated by police and fire experts. Part of Stockton Road was closed while fire crews tackled the blaze at Dan Dino's, shortly after 7am yesterday

BOAT BLAZE: A fishing vessel under renovation in South Tyneside Angling Club's boathouse, in Wapping Street, South Shields, was destroyed in a late-night fire on Saturday. Police are investigating the cause.