CONDITIONAL DISCHARGE: A teenage shoplifter has been given a conditional discharge for 12 months after pleading guilty to stealing a bottle of vodka from Asda in Stockton on April 24. Jack Copping, of Nursery Gardens, Yarm, also pleaded guilty to possession of a small quantity of cannabis when he appeared before Teesside Magistrates court today (Monday). He was given the same sentence for the drug possession and told they would run concurrent. The 18-year-old was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

MINI-BEAST HUNT: NATURE lovers will be aiming to discover a whole host of bugs and other insects at a special event in Hartlepool this weekend. A Mini-Beast Hunt is to be held at the Spion Kop Local Nature Reserve, an historic cemetery site on the Headland formed from a combination of sand dunes and ship ballast that now provides a unique habitat for a rich variety of flora and fauna. The mini-beast hunt which is being organised by the Wild Green Spaces in Hartlepool Team will take place on Sunday (May 19) from 10.30am to noon.