By Martin Walker Newton Aycliffe Police have launched a festive crackdown on shoplifting in the town – and have already made arrests. The Christmas initiative, named Operation China, has heralded a number of results, according to Neighbourhood Police Team Sergeant Mark Edwards. In his latest blog on Aycliffe Today, Sgt Edwards...

Glen Robertson previews Aycliffe’s trip to Penrith… It has been claimed that Newton Aycliffe’s game against Darlington last weekend was the Royal Blues’ cup final, but just one week later the club face a much more important game away at Penrith. While a first-ever visit of Darlington to Moore Lane Park in a competitive game was...

By Martin Walker Popular Newton Aycliffe Councillor Enid Paylor has sadly passed away. Mrs Paylor, a Great Aycliffe Town Councillor and Durham County Councillor for the town’s West Ward, died at around 3am on Tuesday (11th December), leaving her husband Terry and two sons. Tributes have already been coming in to Aycliffe...

A 25-year-old man received face and head injuries during an unprovoked assault in Newton Aycliffe this week. The man was attacked by two men on Emerson Way, near the junction of Pease Way, while walking home at 9.30pm on Tuesday, December 12. One attacker is described as being white, skinny and around 6ft tall, with dark cropped hair and...

Reduce, reuse and recycle for an eco-friendly Christmas 2012. Durham County Council is offering residents the following tips and advice on how to go green this festive season. • Choose an artificial Christmas tree rather than a real one so that you can use it year after year. • If you do opt for a real tree, try sourcing it from a...

Aycliffe NPT Sergeant Mark Edwards continues his regular blog on Aycliffe Today… Hello again, Hope everyone is managing to get by with the extreme cold conditions we are currently experiencing. These last few days have seen some really bad icy fog conditions making driving conditions treacherous. I’m normally not one for...

Our panel of three football writers give their predictions on Newton Aycliffe’s game this weekend… Three points are awarded if our ‘experts’ pick the exact score, 1 point awarded if they get the result correct. Paul levelled with Glen by picking last week's victory, but missed the winning scoreline. Glen Robertson - 10 Paul...

Local planning authorities should decide whether big wind farms are allowed to go ahead, Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson has told the Commons. Mr Wilson said his constituency was already at capacity for the number of wind farms the landscape could sustain. Moving a 10 minute rule motion, Mr Wilson proposed the Planning Act 2008 (Amendment)...

Back in 2008, Miss Wass of Woodham Academy piloted a cross-curricular visit to Berlin which was a huge success and has since gone on to become an established  visit for students. This visit is always oversubscribed because of its educational value as well as being extremely enjoyable. Woodham Academy is delighted to be able to offer...

Schools from across County Durham will come together next week to bury a time capsule to mark the county’s contribution to this very special year for sport. In the run up to London 2012 and the introduction of the National School Games, schools were inspired to compete at many levels in competition throughout the year. The time capsule...