August
The Army is on standby as foot-and-mouth disease spirals out of control in the North East; Thousands are left without power as storms and lightning strikes bring down high voltage cables; Sunderland's Metric Martyr gets an ironic accolade; Saltburn Pier is evacuated after an unexploded bomb is found on the beach and the Transporter Bridge is groomed for TV stardom.
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Lecturer guilty of village hate campaign
A retired Open University lecturer is found guilty of running a 12-year poison pen letter campaign in the tiny village of Manfield near Darlington.
Three men are killed in a blast at a Teesside power station.
Production at Nissan's Washington plant is slashed by more than ten per cent.
North-East showbiz stars throw their weight behind a campaign to save Newcastle's historic Odeon cinema.
Foot-and-mouth spirals in North-East
A cluster of foot-and-mouth outbreaks in the North-East threatens to spiral out of control. Government scientists confirm a new case of foot-and-mouth disease in Northumberland. It is the first case in the region for nearly three months.
The Army is on standby to help the mass slaughter of beasts infected with the disease in the county.
The disease is threatening the entire fabric of rural life in the UK, says a report from The Countryside Commission.
Latest figures show almost 2,000 confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth, with livestock from more than 9,000 farms - almost 3.8m animals - culled.
Pig farmer Bobby Waugh whose animals at Burnside Farm at Heddon-on-the Wall in Northumberland were among the first to be infected in the foot-and-mouth epidemic appears before Tynedale Magistrates.
A County Durham war hero who faced a pauper's funeral is instead laid to rest with full military honours.
Thousands without power as storms bring down major cable
Thousands of North Yorkshire homes are without power after a high voltage electricity cable falls into a field near Boroughbridge. A lightning strike in Stockton-on-Tees leaves hundreds of homes without power.
Wartime bomb clears Saltburn pier
Jinxed Saltburn Pier is evacuated after an unexploded First World War bomb is found on the beach.
Ironic accolade for Metric Martyr
The battle against metric measures by Sunderland greengrocer Steven Thoburn takes a bizarre twist as he is shortlisted for the title of European of the Year.
Durham Cathedral is voted Britain's best-loved building.
Gardener plots world record bid
A County Durham leek grower comes close to breaking the world record - with a pair of leeks 4ft high.
Beach crowds share dolphin magic
Astonished onlookers watch in amazement as a dozen dolphins frolick in the sea at Saltburn.
TV spotlight on Transporter Bridge
Teesside's Transporter Bridge is closed to prepare the historic landmark for its latest taste of stardom. The bridge will be the backdrop for part of the new series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet!
Copyright (c) 2000-2001 Sue Kelly