September 25, 2001
A new survey has put Hartlepool in the top ten of places to live in England.
The town was listed ninth in the quality of life league table and came higher than Islington in North London. The top ten also included the picturesque Malvern Hills in Worcestershire and towns in Oxfordshire and Mid Devon.
Analysts Experian based their list on the eight key issues they say define the quality of life in England and Wales in 2001.
They assessed crime levels, shopping, employment, disposable income, traffic congestion, affordability of housing, school performances and population density.
A spokesman said Hartlepool got a poor rating for unemployment, but scored highly for housing costs, shopping and traffic congestion.
A Hartlepool council spokesman said he was not surprised by the findings. He said there was a good feeling about the town, but there was still more to achieve to make Hartlepool an even better place to live.
Estate evacuated as bomb team moves in
September 25, 2001
Army bomb disposal experts moved in on Firthmoor estate, Darlington, yesterday after an arsenal of weapons and bomb-making materials was found in a semi-detached house.
People living in the six streets around Kexwith Moor Close were evacuated to the nearby Firthmoor Infant School and community centre as a hovering police helicopter watched on. The bomb disposal experts then carried out a controlled explosion on a home-made detonator.
Two men were arrested after eight policemen acting on a tip-off raided the house yesterday morning and found a dozen illegally held guns, including Sten machine guns and handguns. Weapon parts ammunition, low-grade explosives, chemicals and other unidentified substances were also found.
A specialist police team was today being brought in to investigate and carry out a detailed search of the house. Police say the cache appears to have no connection with terrorist organisations.
Neighbours are shocked that so many explosives could have been hoarded in the middle of a housing estate close to a school.
September 22, 2001
The Tyne Tees coastguard station at Tynemouth closed down this weekend, despite a 60,000-signature petition to save it.
The nearest station, at Bridlington, Humberside, which will now take over Tyne Tees' responsibilities, which stretch up to the Scottish border.
Objectors claimed lives would be endangered by the move but the Government says digital technology at Bridlington will enable watch officers to monitor a bigger area more cheaply.
Workers salted away crisp cash prizes
September 21, 2001
Security at Walker's crisp factory in Peterlee has been stepped up after cash prizes were stolen from bags on the production line.
Two workers have been sacked following a disciplinary hearing at the Stephenson Road plant. Seven others have been suspended. Factory bosses started the investigation after £20, £10 and £5 notes went missing.
The cash, put into lucky packets of crisps as part of a Moneybags promotion, had been deliberately removed.
September 20, 2001
Newcastle-based Gill Airways has ceased trading after bankers withdrew financing. More than 240 people will lose their jobs. The company has been flying out of Newcastle Airport since 1969.
September 19, 2001
A jobs crisis on Teesside is looming following the announcement of a third major chemical plant closure in less than a year.
The Basell plants at Wilton will close in the middle of next year with the loss of 160 jobs.
The company blames over-production worldwide of polypropylene which is used to make products ranging from crisp packets to car bumpers. A spokesman said there would be opportunities for some Teesside workers at its other UK operations at Milton Keynes and Carrington near Manchester.
Ineos, the company which took over ICI's Chlor Chemicals, announced in February it was to close its two plants at Wilton next June with the loss of 105 jobs. Last month BP announced it was to close its Wilton polyethylene plant which employs 81 people.
September 19, 2001
A replica of Captain Cook's ship Endeavour is being built at Whitby near the spot where the original was constructed 250 years ago.
The 40 per cent life size vessel is being built for Scarborough fisherman Colin Jenkinson. Whitby's latest tourist attraction will take parties of visitors and schoolchildren out to sea to give them a taste of what life was like in Cook's day.
The vessel is due for completion next March and will carry up to 40 passengers.
Ship builders Jim Morrison and John Oliver are building the boat with craftsmen at their Whitby Parkol marine yard.
Members of the public can watch work in progress and there will be a display of information boards outlining the history of the original Endeavour and of Cook's expeditions.
A full-size Australian replica attracted two-and-a-half million visitors when it sailed into Whitby in 1997
Flood warning to thousands of homes
September 17, 2001
Thousands of North-East households were warned today that they are in danger of being flooded in the coming months.
The Environment Agency has written to the 7,777 households in the region which it believes to be at risk from now until next April.
The areas most at risk are Ponteland, Morpeth and Ovingham in Northumberland and South Church, Lanchester and West Auckland, in County Durham.
Hexham and Corbridge in the Tyne Valley are also at a very high risk of flooding. Last year, floods in June, October and November, saw hundreds of homes and businesses flooded. Hexham town centre was flooded just last month. The Environment Agency said yesterday the only long-term solution was to stop building on flood plains.
In February an extra £20m was pledged to build and repair flood defences in the region after the National Audit Office called them the worst in the country.
River banks at Ponteland and on the River Gaunless at South Church were repaired with new flood warning systems covering 150 homes installed at South Church and West Auckland.
Record field for Great North Run
September 17, 2001
A record 40,000 competitors took part in Sunday's 21st Great North Run from Newcastle to South Shields - the world's biggest half marathon.
A minute's silence was observed before the start of the race in the wake of the terrorist attacks in America on Tuesday..
There was a double victory for Kenyan runners Paul Tergat and Susan Chepkemei who secured victories in the men's and women's races. Britain's Toushar Patel won the men's wheelchair event. .
Donald Naylor and Dan Leggitt made up the fastest Pantomime horse, running the race in just over 75 minutes to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis support. .
Hepatitis outbreak on Teesside
September 11, 2001
Teesside health officials were today appealing for calm after the 21st case of Hepatitis A in a year was confirmed in the Marton Road area of Middlesbrough.
Members of the public have been told that the outbreak of the liver infection - the biggest in a decade - is a community-based outbreak and not an epidemic.
Doctors say most people are not at risk of serious illness. The 21 cases have affected people across all age ranges.
The most common way people became affected with the virus is through faecal matter picked up on hands and transferred.
Residents are being urged to practice good basic hygiene to halt further spread of the disease. Mothers in the area are demanding to know why they were not warned earlier of the risks.
September 11, 2001
Middlesbrough is bidding again for city status. The Queen will announce four new cities early next year to mark her Golden Jubilee one each in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The Council has until October 12 to submit its new bid which will build on last year's unsuccessful application.
It will stress the modern features of the town, its culturally diverse population and the fact that the town is home to a university, a Roman Catholic Cathedral, a mosque, a Hindu temple, and a Premiership football team.
The bid will also highlight Middlesbrough's place in history through the growth of the iron and steel industries, bridge building around the world and as the birthplace of Captain James Cook.
Cities across the world with bridges built in Middlesbrough have given their support to the bid.
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