Residents of County Durham are being reminded that a wide range of council tax discounts are available for those in special circumstances. Homes which include someone with severe physical disabilities could be eligible for reductions and carers can also be excluded when calculating council tax depending on the circumstances. Care leavers...

The Tees Trail Winter 5k Race number three, also known as the Santa Run, took place at Preston Park last weekend. There was a lot of ice about and it was raining so not very pleasant conditions, but the marshals did a tremendous job guiding the runners round the dangerous bits, which the runners were grateful for. Apart from this there was a...

Council staff are celebrating after scooping a top prize at a national awards ceremony. Durham County Council’s Building and Facilities Maintenance team was announced as Most Improved Performer in Building Maintenance at the 2017 APSE Performance Networks Awards in Blackpool. The awards, which were presented by radio presenter Lorna...

Virgin’s state-of-the-art Azuma train made its inaugural visit to the Highlands this weekend as preparations to transform cross-border rail services gather pace. The iconic train, which takes its name from the Japanese word for “east”, will be rolled out on Virgin Trains’ east coast from next year, ushering in a new era of comfort and...

A Newton Aycliffe man provoked an online storm after he jokingly claimed to have re-sold Peter Kay gig tickets for a profit. Brendan Hindle, originally from Aycliffe who now lives in Kensington, West London, took to Twitter to boast he’d sold on the tickets for a profit of more than £1,000. But his prank was met with a barrage of abuse on...

A high value 4x4 vehicle has been stolen from a farm near Newton Aycliffe. Two men stole a £12,000 John Deere Gator XUV from a barn at Ricknall Grange Farm, on Ricknall Lane, at around 9.50pm on Saturday (December 16). The suspects, who are described as being ‘heavy set’, gained access to the land by cutting open a large section of the...

BBC Breakfast presenter Steph McGovern praised the work of South West Durham Training in preparing the young engineers of the future as she led celebrations for the centre’s 50th anniversary. Recalling her time at Black & Decker in Spennymoor under the Year in Industry scheme as a teenager, the Middlesbrough born business journalist...

Members of the public are being invited to apply to serve on Durham County Council’s Audit Committee. The council is seeking to appoint a new co-opted member to serve on the committee until 30 April 2019. The role of the committee is to approve the final accounts and advise both full council and the Cabinet on audit and governance...

Santa’s traditional Christmas Eve Tour around Newton Aycliffe. Please note, times are approximate... ROUTE 1 3.45 pm St Oswalds 4.00 pm Welbury 4.10pm -5.10pm Washington area Wycliffe Armstrong Wren Whitehead Hutchinson Hylton Matthew Wolsey Richardson Trevor Gardens St Aidans Felton 5.10pm -5.20pm Neile Defoe Trevor...

A controversial plan to create a new bypass route linking Newton Aycliffe to the A66 is included in an ambitious 30-year transport vision for the region. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has worked with leaders from across the North to agree the 30-year plan to transform the region’s transport infrastructure. Transport for the North’s draft...