The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
300 JOBS SET TO GO IN COUNCIL CUTS
COUNCIL tax in Newcastle will rise by almost 5% next year as more than 300 local authority jobs are slashed, under latest budget cut plans. Newcastle City Council has unveiled new cost-cutting proposals designed to close a deficit of more than £47...
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‘MASIE FOUGHT WITH EVERY OUNCE OF STRENGTH SHE HAD’
A “LITTLE FIGHTER” from Wallsend who spent a decade defying medical predictions has died at the age of 13. Masie Barrass had lived with Alexander disease, a rare progressive genetic illness, for 10 years. The brave youngster was diagnosed with the...
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12-YEAR-OLD HELD AFTER BONFIRE NIGHT CHAOS
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy is among 17 people to be arrested in connection with chaotic scenes that unfolded on Bonfire Night in the Meadow Well estate in North Shields. Violent disorder broke out on November 5 on Waterville Road involving a large group of...
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TARGETED ALMOST EVERY DAY
A NEWCASTLE city centre shop owner has told how his business has been a constant target for shoplifting from groups of youths. Haile Tesfu told The Chronicle how Millan Express, located within a unit at Haymarket Metro station, is dealing with...
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SHAMEFUL
Building attacked after ‘misinformation’ about its future Politicians blast ‘disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’ scenes
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NEIGHBOURS’ ROW SEES MACHETE ATTACKER SENT TO JAIL
AFTER more than two decades of being at the head of the game when it comes to hairdressing, as well as getting its own TV series on the BBC, a popular Gateshead salon is to close its doors. But any regulars at Longlox super salon need not worry as its...
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UNDERCOVER IN DARKNESS
PLAIN clothes police officers will be on patrol on Bonfire Night in a bid to prevent the ugly scenes of disorder that erupted last November 5. North Shields’ Meadow Well estate was described as being ‘like a war zone’ as hooded yobs hurled fireworks...
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Illegal fireworks worth thousands seized by police
THOUSANDS of pounds worth of illegal fireworks have been seized by police in North Shields. In the build up to Bonfire Night, police worked alongside North Tyneside Council’s Trading Standards team and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service to visit an...
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THE BABY I SHOULDN’T HAVE LOST
A North Shields woman was sent home from hospital twice despite a consultant warning she should remain on the ward until her baby was born. Devastatingly, by the time she got back to hospital the next day, doctors could not find her baby’s...
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SCAMMERS USED AI TO TARGET US, SAY OWNERS
A TYNESIDE family were targeted by a scammer using suspected AI pictures after their dog went missing. Shelly Wilson, 45, was devastated when her two-year-old Chow Chow Chan disappeared from her daughter Kendal Reay’s garden in Hebburn, South...
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FLYOVER IS DOWN – BUT THE BILLS ARE STILL GOING UP
THE expected cost of demolishing the Gateshead Flyover has now passed £32m. A new report has detailed how the price of removing the A167 Gateshead Highway almost doubled from initial estimates. The concrete structure was closed in December 2024 due to...
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£15 OFF
JACKDAWS when huddled conspiratorially on crenelated battlements summon dark thoughts of the nation’s favourite backstabbing TV show. With sinister grey cowls draped over glossy black plumage as luxuriant as the Winkleman coiffure, these knowing-eyed...
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KING KEV HONOURED
FOOTBALL icon Kevin Keegan is set to be awarded Newcastle’s highest honour. The legendary former Newcastle United player and manager will be put forward for the Freedom of the City next week, following his death earlier this year. ‘King Kev’ will...
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HAUNTED BY PRIEST’S SEX ABUSE WHEN I WAS A CHILD
ABUSED repeatedly by the perverted priest entrusted with his care, Michael Ord suffered the trauma of his ordeal in silence for four decades. Too young to fully understand what had happened to him, he told no one how Father David Taylor had repeatedly...
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STORM BATTERS THE NORTH
STORM Boelo brought chaos to the North East as gusts of wind reached 84mph, bringing power cuts and disruption to rail, air and road journeys. Yellow weather warnings issued by the Met Office covering the whole of the North East and amber warnings...
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FREE£3 SHOP BET
THE Pope will miss a planned trip to Assisi next week on doctors’ orders as he continues recovering from thoracic surgery, the Vatican said. Leo XIV had been due to attend a gathering on Tuesday, marking the 40th anniversary of St John Paul II’S World...
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HUNT FOR RAM RAIDERS
THE eyes of the music world were on Newcastle last night as one of the industry’s biggest and most famous accolades, the Mercury Prize, was being handed out in the North East for the second year in a row. And once doors had opened at the Utilita...
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CRASH DRIVER BANNED
A WOMAN who caused a car crash in Newcastle that left a police officer with serious injuries has been fined and banned from driving. Jacquline Robson was behind the wheel of a BMW when she pulled out into the path of a police car that was responding...
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TWIN TYNE TARGET
TWO new bridges could be built across the Tyne, under a new masterplan to revamp the heart of Newcastle and Gateshead. A new vision has been unveiled to build 16,000 new homes, boost transport links, and unlock billions of pounds of investment in the...
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I’VE HAD ENOUGH
A shopkeeper says it is no longer safe for him to run his store after being kicked as he lay helpless on the floor. The Venus Express shop, in Gateshead, has been at the heart of its community since the 1970s. But Jaafar Jaafar, who has run it for the...
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NO RELIEF IN SIGHT
THE long-awaited Blyth Relief Road has been thrown into jeopardy after the Government confirmed it would not be funding the scheme. It had been hoped that the £55m scheme, which has been granted planning permission, would alleviate serious congestion...
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BRIDGE GAP
THE Tyne Bridge will be closed for 10 days as its restoration nears its “centrepiece”. Council bosses have announced that the bridge will be closed throughout the October half-term holidays, to allow engineers to prepare for a critical phase of...
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‘WE WILL FOREVER THANK THEM’
A TEENAGER who survived a crash on his e-scooter has reunited with the North East Ambulance Service paramedics that helped save his life. Davide-daniel Tiblea, now 13, sustained life-changing injuries in the collision back in March, when he was just...
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‘I WOULD HAVE BEEN A GONER’
STANDING in front of the blackened ruins of what she thought would be her “forever home”, Katie Ramsay knows she is lucky to be alive after her nightmare neighbour’s dangerous arson. The 59-year-old was at home with her disabled husband when Stephany...
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MUM AND BROTHER CLEARED OVER FIRE TRAGEDY
TRAGIC teenager Leah Casson’s mum and brother have dramatically been cleared of killing her in a fire. The 18-year-old died in a blaze at her home in Vicarage Street, North Shields, in the early hours of January 16, 2023. Her mum, Danielle Johnson,...
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WILL SERIAL MOTOR MENACE EVER LEARN?
A SERIAL motor menace drove on a footpath and the wrong way along a busy road while taking police on a dangerous chase on a stolen motorbike. Mark Campbell was banned from the roads in September last year for drug-driving. A court at the time heard...
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Tributes to thrash metal legend Cronos
TRIBUTES have poured in after the death of Newcastle music legend and “thrash metal” pioneer Conrad Lant. The co-founder, frontman and bass player of heavy metal band Venom has died at the age of 63, it has been announced. For almost 50 years Lant,...
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Prize attraction
IF you haven’t yet got your ticket for this year’s Mercury Prize in Newcastle you really need to. And that’s because a whole host of big name performers have just been confirmed for the prestigious event, including RAYE, Suede, JADE, Newcastle’s own...
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Family’s tributes to man killed on hospital ward
THE family of a man with a “quiet strength”, who was killed on a mental health ward in Newcastle has shared a touching tribute. The loved ones of Michael Matthews have shared emotional words, after a coroner found that there were “failures to monitor”...
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TRAGEDY OF MAN SENT AWAY FROM THE RVI
A NEWCASTLE dad who died due to a severe head injury had been escorted out of A&E at the Royal Victoria Infirmary by security hours after he arrived, with a visible “bloody gash” on the back of his head. That’s according to evidence heard at an...
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The council chair says sorry after ‘shut up’ remark
NORTH Tyneside Council’s chair has apologised to High Borrans campaigners after saying “oh shut up” amid public outcry last week. Coun Wendy Lott, chair of North Tyneside Council, has apologised for a remark made as Friends of High Borrans campaigners...
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‘If me talking about it helps just one person then it will have been worth it’
FORMER Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll says he was sexually assaulted ‘a few years ago’ in a traumatic attack. Speaking in his new autobiography, the 37-year-old says it’s scary to think about the incident and that he even debated revealing it...
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Force’s sad farewell to police horse Pep
TRIBUTES have been paid to a much loved and well respected four-legged member of Team Northumbria Police. Police horse Pep has sadly passed away. Pep, who has helped protect the North East since she joined the force in 2023, has made a lasting...
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LACK OF PLAN TO PREVENT VIOLENCE
A CORONER has heard how a mental health inpatient who killed another man in hospital had not received a written care plan and was not allocated a “key nurse” – among other procedural failings. Michael Matthews was violently attacked in his room on the...
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‘Tax changes will destroy holiday lettings industry’
THE boss of a major UK holiday letting agency has warned Government plans could unleash a “tidal wave” of destruction on the industry. Richard Bond, the owner of Finest Retreats, said plans for a tourist tax and new rules around council tax could make...
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Quayside vision unveiled
Business and Agenda Editor PLANS for an open-air performance area and public park on the Gateshead Quays have been unveiled. The £24m scheme aims to improve the area while authorities try to progress larger proposals for an arena on the site. The...
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Speedy e-bike menace left woman with serious injuries
A TEENAGER riding an electric motorbike dangerously through Newcastle city centre left a woman crossing a road seriously injured. Shantho Rahman, who was 17 at the time and was uninsured and had only a provisional driving licence, had turned off the...
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Project draws on Metro fleet for its inspiration
THE original fleet of Tyne and Wear Metro trains are currently featuring in an art project in Newcastle city centre. The urban installation has seen the subway tunnel underneath the 55 Degrees North roundabout be converted into a 75 metre long...
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THREE HELD AFTER ‘GUN FIRED IN STREET’
WATCHING on as police carried out fingertip searches on their usually quiet street, neighbours have told of their fears after a gun was allegedly fired outside their homes. Specialist search teams could be seen at work on Henshaw Place in Fenham,...
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I THOUGHT I HAD FLU – BUT IT WAS LEUKAEMIA
A MAN who dismissed his loss of appetite and tiredness as the flu was diagnosed with leukaemia. Dan Wright, 33, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) last October. In the weeks prior, he had suffered from flu-like symptoms and assumed he...
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Artist’s tribute to Toon legend Keegan
AN artist from Gateshead who was personally inspired by Kevin Keegan is creating a special tribute to the Newcastle United legend. Ronnie Pattison has picked up his paintbrushes to make the emotional artwork, with half of the proceeds going to The Sir...
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PM joins record Great North Run field and jokes: ‘I can hardly give up halfway round, can I?’
ANDY Burnham made history on Sunday as the first serving Prime Minister to complete the Great North Run. In a huge surprise for crowds at the Newcastle start line yesterday morning, Mr Burnham arrived to run the world-famous half marathon for a fourth...
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Dog of wor in the Lions’ den
NEWCASTLE United fans have their very own ‘football dog’ Arlo, who travels to every away game on a coach driven by his owner John Rush. Operating North East Coach Travel alongside his daughter Jenna, John is able to bring his five-year-old Pointador...
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‘My son might be non-verbal, but his mam’s not’
A Newcastle mum led a march through the city centre as part of her push for more funding to support children with mental health difficulties or neurodiversity. Chantelle Connelly said she has herself experienced long waits for care when it comes to...
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Little Isla taking on Junior GNR in support of charity
FIVE years ago brave little Isla Turnbull from Kenton underwent a first-of-its-kind-operation. In July 2021, doctors at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary turned to a surgery normally only used on children with severe neurological issues nearing the...
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‘I WANT THEM TO GO BOOM’
A BOMB hoaxer who told police he wanted to blow up illegal immigrants was found with a fake improvised explosive device in his kitchen cupboard. Sean Mccrystal had grown frustrated at watching TV news about people coming into the country while he was...
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SAYERS SLASHED WITH TUNA TIN LID BY DOUBLE MURDERER
A DOUBLE murderer slashed John Henry Sayers with a makeshift blade while both men were locked up in a North East prison. Sayers was on remand at HMP Frankland when he was attacked by Hussain Bah last year. Bah, who is serving a life sentence for...
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BIRTHDAY PRESENTS DESTROYED
A family from Wallsend have spoken of their devastation after a house fire destroyed a bedroom shared by the two youngest daughters, just weeks after one of their birthdays. The blaze broke out on Edge Way at around midday on Wednesday, when Rebecca...
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TIPPING POINT
THREE illegal waste dumps across the North East are being investigated after almost 3,500 tonnes of rubbish was left. The Environment Agency is looking into the three sites at Callerton, in Newcastle, Peterlee, in County Durham, and Hartlepool, all of...
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MY LITTLE GIRL COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED
THE Tyneside father of a toddler brutally murdered by her own mother and her new partner has condemned the missed chances to save his “little angel”. Two-year-old Isabelle Welsh died after enduring a ‘sadistic’ campaign of violence and abuse inflicted...
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Singer Jamie launches her career with a little help from Sir Paul
FOR 21-year-old Jamie Beth music has been part of her life from the age of four but she is now launching her career after graduating from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and receiving song-writing advice from Sir Paul Mccartney. Now under...
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Festival-goers forced to make a lightning exit
REVELLERS at a music festival were left frustrated after being evacuated from the site due to concerns over lightning. Those attending Party in the Park in Morpeth were told to leave the event on Sunday evening due to a thunderstorm. They were asked...
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Noughty
THE stars were out in force on Saturday and so were the eye-catching outfits as the rain held off for the return of Noughty 90s festival to Newcastle. And we were there to get some of the best dressed fans who got down early doors. Always a great...
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A LIFE FILLED WITH LOVE
MOURNERS came together to say an emotional goodbye to a six-yearold girl who died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. Bonnie-leigh Angela Spence was diagnosed with terminal rhabdoid sarcoma cancer after a lump developed on her arm. The...
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JUMPING FOR JOY
STUDENTS across the North East have been celebrating A-level success after receiving their results yesterday. Dame Allan’s School student Eddie Seery is among those celebrating an outstanding set of A-levels after securing a place at the University of...
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