Live: Breaking news, traffic and travel across Teesside

The Evening Gazette's live breaking news blog brings you regular updates, pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Teesside and North Yorkshire traffic, travel, weather, crime and council news for today, Thursday 27 February, 2014.

You can contribute to the live blog by posting your comment below, and you can also tweet us @EveningGazette to share breaking news stories, pictures and opinions.

Our Teesside breaking news live blog begins at 07:00am every weekday and is updated throughout the day and into the evening.

Bittern: Hundreds gather to see locomotive pass through Eaglescliffe

26 Feb 2014 17:21

Bittern was travelling from Shildon through to the National Rail Museum in York to join Mallard and other locomotives

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Gallery: Bittern locomotive passes through Eaglescliffe

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Dozens of people visited Eaglescliffe Station today to see Bittern pass through on its way to York.

Onlookers included Dave Pearson, from Ingleby Barwick, who was one of tens of thousands of people who visited Bittern and five other A4 locomotives - including the famous Mallard - when they were brought to NRM (National Railway Museum) Shildon last week.

“It (Bittern) stopped just outside the station and turned round in the sidings and then off it went,” said Dave, 67, a retired engineer.

It was an amazing experience for Dave, who is a member of the North East Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG).

His love of trains has been passed on to his son, Richard, who turned his hobby into a job now working as an operations manager at Shildon.

“He went over to Canada to bring one of the trains over and he was kept very busy when the six were on show at Shildon,” said Dave.

On July 3, 1938 the A4 class locomotive Mallard raced down Stoke Bank at 126mph to set a new steam locomotive world speed record.

It is a record that still stands today.

The National Railway Museum has been celebrating the 75th anniversary of Mallard’s achievement.

Almost 120,000 visitors attended the Great Goodbye event at NRM Shildon between February 15 and 23 to celebrate six A4s altogether on one site.

Former NE Arts Council director Mark Robinson appointed interim director of mima

26 Feb 2014 16:59

Move comes after former director Kate Brindley stepped down from £63,000-a-year job to move to gallery in Bristol

poet mark robinson...for dave whetstone

Mark Robinson has been appointed as the interim director of Middlesbrough art gallery mima.

The move follows the announcement of director Kate Brindley's departure from her £63,000-a-year job after nearly five years at the Middlesbrough modern art gallery.

She is to join the Arnolfini Centre for the Contemporary Arts in Bristol.

Mr Robinson's appointment has been agreed with Arts Council England and Teesside University, which is taking over the day-to-day running of mima under a new partnership with Middlesbrough Council .

It has already been stated that the switch in management will not lead to a different type of art being displayed.

Mr Robinson, who lives in Eaglescliffe, is a former executive director of the Arts Council in the North-east.

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Gallery: Previous exhibits at Mima

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He takes on the mima role on an interim basis until a full-time replacement for Ms Brindley is appointed, and he will assist in the recruitment process for the new director.

“I’m really pleased to be able to help take mima through to the next stage of its development," he said.

“I look forward to working with the staff, the council and university to put everything in place for an even brighter future for mima’s work with artists, audiences, and the community.”

York Potash: £167m underground conveyor belt will mean more Teesside-based jobs

26 Feb 2014 15:52

Conveyor system will transport potash over 45km from mine near Whitby to Wilton - slashing the environmental impact of the project

Chris Fraser, managing director and CEO of Sirius Minerals

The company behind a major potash mine and Teesside processing plant says new plans to transport raw materials will lead to more Teesside-based jobs.

York Potash wants to replace a 45km pipeline, to transport potash from the mine near Whitby to port operations at Wilton, with a conveyor system that will slash the impact of the project.

They claim the Mineral Transport System (MTS) which will add around £167m to the project’s cost, will “significantly reduce” construction footprint and environmental impact and lead to a “shift in jobs towards Teesside.”

Redcar Lib Dem MP Ian Swales has welcomed the new transport system for the project, which will create an estimated 1,000 jobs and thousands more in the supply chain.

The company plans to construct the MTS using tunnel boring machines and continuous mining equipment, removing the need for widespread excavations which were a dominant feature of the pipeline construction.

The MTS will remove all direct construction from designated sites like SSSIs and protected moorland habitats, compared to the 13 hectares which would have been required for the construction of the pipeline.

Chris Fraser, Managing Director and CEO of Sirius Minerals (pictured above), said: “Teesside becomes more important for us now, the key change is the crushing, grinding and slurry preparation process at the minehead now moves in a different form to Teesside.

“When the ore arrives on conveyor belts it will be crushed, this results in a shift in jobs towards Teesside, although we haven’t quantified that yet.

“The intention is also to maintain the MTS from Teesside so maintenance crews and monitoring will be at that end of the process.”

Redcar & Cleveland Council will also have a “much more significant part to play” in the planning process, he said, as the Wilton storage facility for the project will come under a straddling planning application with the authority.

The company has been re-evaluating “all aspects of the project” to reduce impacts wherever possible, following their deferral of the mine planning application last year.

York Potash will submit its new planning application by July, and the “vast majority” of it will now be determined by the North York Moors National Park Authority and Redcar and Cleveland Council.

Mr Swales said: “This is fantastic news as it will bring jobs to our area while keeping inconvenience and disruption to a minimum. This solution almost completely removes the need for over ground construction and protects our beautiful countryside. I wish York Potash the best of luck with the project and look forward to following its progress in the future.”

Israel’s settlement increase proves adoption of apartheid policy

Settler protests in the E1 area are a reflection of Israel’s increasing apartheid policy, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Mustafa Al-Barghouti said.

Israeli settlers protested in the E1 area, adjacent to the Beit El settlement, which is located in the hills of East Jerusalem and near Al-Beireh, a Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank. Israel is planning to annex this Palestinian area and add it to the Beit El settlement, Al-Barghouti explained.

Early this week, Israeli occupation distributed evacuation orders to about 350 Palestinian residents in the area calling them to leave with their homes and their animals. All of them are Bedouins who have been living in the area for decades, or since before the Israeli occupation.

This area, Al-Batghouti reiterated, is Palestinian land and the Israeli plans there aimed at devoting occupation and apartheid policy.

Al-Barghouti said the Israeli government has legalised a massive settlement project that would displace at least eight Palestinian villages in the area in order to set up a settlement belt that would undermine any chance to establish a viable Palestinian state in the future.

The official, who is the head of the Palestinian National Initiative party, stated that Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian lands has increased 135 per cent during the ongoing round of peace talks.

He said the Israeli occupation does not want peace, but is exploiting the time of the talks in order to expand settlements. He called for increasing the popular resistance to undermine the occupation plans

Plans for 550 homes on land at Ingleby Barwick are unanimously rejected

26 Feb 2014 15:57

After hearing from residents opposed to the scheme, every member of Stockton Council’s planning committee voted against the plans

Map shows where the 550 homes would have been built

Plans for 550 homes on land at Ingleby Barwick have been unanimously rejected by Stockton Council’s planning committee.

Councillors had been recommended by planning officers to turn down the scheme, which attracted 44 letters of objection and just two in support.

And the committee decided 13-0 to go with the officers’ recommendation , citing highway, archaeological and green wedge concerns as the reasons for refusal.

Councillors were told the benefits of the application, by Jersey-based Tivot Investments, were that it would “boost significantly the supply of housing, including affordable housing perovision, and contribute to achieving economic growth through investment and job creation.”

But after hearing from three residents opposed to the scheme, every committee member voted against it, with Councillor Steve Walmsley calling the plan “an absolute nonsense that wants kicking out.”

Evening Gazette Wedding: A guide to your big day

Chris was appointed editor of the Evening Gazette in January 2012. He is also a former Gazette news editor. Chris has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and has previously worked in senior positions in Newcastle, Exeter and Nottingham.

Eston man appears in court in connection with central Middlesbrough stabbing

26 Feb 2014 13:22

Anthony William Young charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a knife in a public place

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Katie Lunn

Police on Aire Street in Middlesbrough

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A man appeared in court today in connection with a stabbing in Middlesbrough.

Anthony William Young, 26, stood in the dock at Teesside Magistrates’ Court accused of carrying out the knife attack on another man.

Young, of Barmouth Road, Eston, was arrested after a 28-year-old man suffered stab wounds to the stomach during an early hours incident in Aire Street, Middlesbrough.

The victim was taken to Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital where he is said to be in a “stable” condition.

The arrested man also suffered injuries and received treatment at Stockton’s University Hospital of North Tees.

Police had been called to Aire Street in the early hours of Monday and a cordon was put up around a house where a window had been smashed.

Today Young made a brief appearance in court charged with two offences, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a knife in a public place.

There was no application for bail and Young, who spoke only to confirm his details, was remanded in custody until March 12, when he is due to appear at Teesside Crown Court.

Oasis to release original demo tape to mark 20 years since iconic debut album Definitely Maybe

26 Feb 2014 13:16

Recordings of eight tracks to be issued on a limited edition cassette

Definitely Maybe by Oasis

Manchester rockers Oasis are to release their original demo tape, which they created to drum up interest in the group, as part of the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of their debut album.

The band recorded the songs in 1993 with only eight copies made to hand out, including early versions of tracks such as Columbia, Rock ’n’ Roll Star and Married With Children, which were later given an official release.

The recordings of the eight tracks are now to be issued on a limited edition cassette as the band’s early recordings are remastered to mark two decades since debut Definitely Maybe.

Oasis came to an end in 2009 after guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher quit the line-up, after years of friction with his brother Liam, the group’s singer.

They are now releasing new versions of the first album and its two successors (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and Be Here Now, which will also feature unreleased and rare recordings.

The Definitely Maybe album, coming out on May 19, will be issued in various formats including a box set and a three-CD version, which also includes songs from the demo. In addition there are live acoustic versions of hits such as Live Forever.

Fans were told via Twitter to expect an announcement, which led some to speculate that the group may reform for the anniversary, although the Gallagher brothers - who are still not on speaking terms - have consistently said there were no plans to get back together.

Liam said recently: “There is no band. So, no, I won’t be getting involved, anyway. If there is a reunion, I won’t be in it.”

Tees Valley Mohawks coach can't hide frustration at home defeat

26 Feb 2014 12:25

Mohawks dropped to ninth in the table after losing a low-scoring game 65-59 against Worthing Thunder

Karen Brown

Jorge Ebanks in action for Tees Valley Mohawks against Worthing Thunder

Tees Valley Mohawks coach Steve Butler couldn’t conceal his disappointment after his play-off chasing side dropped potentially crucial home points.

Butler’s side had returned to form in impressive fashion to ignite their bid for a place in the end-of-season EBL National League Division One play-offs.

But they dropped to ninth in the table after losing a low-scoring game 65-59 against Worthing Thunder at Teesside University’s Olympia Building in Middlesbrough.

Mohawks couldn’t seem to get out of the blocks early on as Worthing went into a quick 8-2 lead.

The gap increased to 18-4 after five-minutes but Butler’s side ended the first quarter with the score standing at 18-9 to the visitors.

Missed lay-ups, turnovers and forced shots by the hosts allowed Worthing to extend their lead still further in the second period with Terrell Bell dominating under the boards and scoring around the basket.

Mohawks managed to get to double figures in the quarter only just and they went into the locker trailing 38-19.

They enjoyed a better third period and started to accumulate points but were unable to stop the flow at the other end of the court.

They lost the quarter narrowly 19-18 then started the final session looking like a new team.

They scored freely through Tyrone Nelson, Jorge Ebanks and Alex Greven.

And they finally started to defend well with Worthing rushing and losing their composure.

Their improvement looked like it might pay off with the deficit down to just a single point with two minutes of the game remaining.

Tom Ward hit a big basket for Thunder but with just 24 seconds left Mohawks had the ball to tie it up.

However a turnover cost them dearly as Worthing hit the free throws to win by six points.

“I’m so disappointed as we need to win our home games,” said Butler.

“We played well for 12 minutes. We were terrible in the first half and eight minutes into the second half we looked out of sorts, not like the team that had just beaten the league leaders the previous weekend.

“Worthing played well but we can’t just not turn up for a whole half and expect to win a Division One ball game.

“I know my squad is better than we showed against Worthing but we need to address this in training and get back to what was working well over the last couple of weeks.”

Mohawks have two chances to get back to winning ways this weekend.

On Saturday they visit Bradford Dragons and on Sunday launch their new Middlesbrough College partnership with a home clash against Leeds Carnegie.

Tip-off is 3pm at Middlesbrough College and a carnival atmosphere is expected with music, dance performances and shoot-out competitions.

Four local schools will be attending to boost the attendance.

Ticket prices are £4 adults and £2.50 children with a family ticket discount of £10 for two adults and two children.

There was double disappointment for the Mohawks at the weekend as their second team lost 102-78 at home to Rossendale Raptors in a bottom versus top Division Three (North) clash.

UN: Palestinians in Syrian camp are ‘traumatized’

DAMASCUS, Syria: The chief of the United Nations relief agency supporting Palestinian refugees said Tuesday he is “deeply disturbed and shaken” by the despair and destruction he’d seen in a besieged camp in the Syrian capital.

The Yarmouk refugee camp, located in southern Damascus, is an opposition enclave under the tight blockade of forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. More than 100 people have died in Yarmouk since mid-2013 as a result of starvation and illnesses exacerbated by hunger or lack of medical aid, according to UN figures.

Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner General of UNRWA, was visiting Yarmouk as the relief agency resumed food distribution there. UNRWA shipments to the camp have been disrupted for months, sometimes cut off for weeks at a time, and Yarmouk has suffered from crippling shortages of food and medicine.

“I am deeply disturbed and shaken by what I observed,” Grandi said in a statement. Palestinian refugees to whom he spoke in Yarmouk Monday were “traumatized by what they have lived through.”

The extent of damage to the refugees’ homes was shocking, he also said, adding that many Palestinians in Yarmouk need immediate support, particularly food and medical treatment. Yarmouk is the largest of nine Palestinian camps in Syria. Since the camp’s creation in 1957, it has evolved into a densely populated residential district just five miles (eight kilometers) from the center of Damascus. Several generations of Palestinian refugees have lived there.

About half of the camp’s 150,000 residents have fled since fighting erupted in mid-December 2012, according to estimates of UNRWA, which administers Palestinian camps in the Middle East. Some sought refuge in neighboring Lebanon, and others found shelter in UNRWA schools in Damascus and other Syrian cities.

When the uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011, most Palestinians stayed on the sidelines. As the revolt turned into a civil war that reached Yarmouk in December 2012, most residents backed the rebels and some even took up arms to fight Assad’s troops and pro-government Palestinian fighters.

Also on Tuesday, the leader of a powerful Al-Qaeda-linked jihadi group in Syria gave a rival Al-Qaeda breakaway group a five-day ultimatum to seek arbitration by leading clerics or be expelled from the region. Abu Mohammed Al-Golani, leader of the Nusra Front, warned the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant that it would be driven both from Syria and “even from Iraq” if it rejected the results of arbitration “under God’s law.”

The threat came in an audio message produced by the Nusra Front media arm Al-Manara Al-Baydha and was posted on militant websites Tuesday. Al-Golani’s ultimatum came two days after the killing of Abu Khaled Al-Suri who acts as Al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahri’s representative in Syria. He was believed to be assassinated by two ISIL suicide bombers.

'It makes you wonder what it's going to take to make Boro change - clearly it isn’t working'

26 Feb 2014 11:51

Reproduced in full: BBC pundit Steve Claridge's assessment of Boro's goal drought on the weekend's Football League Show highlights

One person clearly not impressed by Aitor Karanka’s tactics is television pundit Steve Claridge.

Following the Football League Show highlights of Boro’s 0-0 draw with Leeds, the former Leicester striker was asked about Boro’s goal drought.

For those who missed it (starts after 34 mins and 50 seconds of the show), here’s his forthright answer:

“They (Boro) are playing a system where the players clearly either don’t understand what is required or are not good enough to implement that.

“If you are a manager going into a football club, you go into that football club, assess the players and you try to work out the best system that suits those players.

“You don’t try and foist a system upon players who obviously can’t or don’t understand what is required to implement that system.

“They (Boro) passed the ball around and Leeds allowed them to. All Leeds had to do was keep their shape.

“They (Boro) can’t break sides down. They had a lot of possession in areas where they didn’t hurt Leeds.

"I can’t remember a shot in the first half from either side.

“And you look at it and think ‘they just don’t understand how to play this (system)’.

“Clearly the players don’t get this and yet they continue to play that way.

“I’m thinking ‘after two or three games and not scoring a goal maybe we need to change something, maybe I (Karanka) have to do something different’, but he hasn’t and it’s gone on and gone on.

“The game got better second half, they looked a little bit better in the second half, certainly with the introduction of Adomah and Ledesma, both forward thinking players who understand how to play wide in that system.

“But it’s been an awful long time and still they continue to go down that road.

“It does make you wonder what exactly it is going to take to make them change because clearly at this stage it isn’t working.”

Nifco boss Mike Matthews to fly flag for manufacturing at Economic Forecast Breakfast

26 Feb 2014 11:00

Panel of experts from the world of business and industry will debate what the future holds for the global and national economy

Nifco boss Mike Matthews, who is also North East Business Executive of the Year

The boss of one of Teesside’s leading manufacturers is gearing up to champion the sector at a North-east business event.

Mike Matthews, Nifco European operations officer and managing director of Nifco UK based at Eaglescliffe, will be a panellist at the Economic Forecast Breakfast event on Thursday, April 10.

Wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin, in conjunction with the Evening Gazette and The Journal on Tyneside, is supporting the event at Ramside Hall in County Durham.

A panel of experts from the world of business and industry will join leading market strategist, Ben Gutteridge - head of fund research at Brewin Dolphin - to debate what the future holds for the global and national economy.

Mr Matthews will be joined on the panel by Dr Joanna Berry, director of engagement at Newcastle University Business School; Catherine Walker, NewcastleGateshead Initiative’s inward investment director and Rachel Turnbull, chief executive officer of TT2, which operates the Tyne Tunnels.

Nifco UK manufactures injection-moulded plastic products and recently said turnover is set to reach £75m by 2016 as its growth continues.

Mr Matthews said: “Manufacturing is a cornerstone of the North-east economy and I am absolutely delighted to be flying the flag for the sector at the Economic Forecast Breakfast.

“I believe that, whatever the industry, the North-east has the right people and natural assets to be a world-leader. We are proving it at Nifco UK, and with the right leadership, other businesses can do just the same.

“I am extremely proud to be from the North-east. The support that our parent company Nifco Inc has given to us here in the UK stands to prove that we are a force to be reckoned with in this corner of the country, able to compete on a national and international stage.”

A former apprentice, Mr Matthews has made his way from the shop-floor to the helm of one of the North-east’s leading manufacturing businesses.

He was named North East Business Executive of the Year at the Evening Gazette and The Journal’s glittering awards ceremony in November.

The Darlington-born businessman joined Nifco in 1986.

He was appointed to his current position as managing director in 2008, making him the only non-Japanese board member of Nifco’s international board.

Following a move to £8.5m premises just under two years ago, work on a second facility at Eaglescliffe is close to completion. The expansion plan will increase capacity and see the introduction of research and development facilities.

Mr Matthews is also on the board of SEMTA, the organisation responsible for engineering skills for the future of the UK’s most advanced sectors.

He also works closely with the North East Skills Alliance for Advanced Manufacturing, a recently formed collective made up of champion employers, the North-east’s 12 local authorities, SEMTA, business membership organisations, training providers and the National Apprenticeship Service.

And Mr Matthews has formed links with schools across Teesside to encourage the next generation to come through the ranks, as well as working with training providers to support apprentices into work.

Nifco UK recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Teesside University which will see the two organisations work closely on skills, innovation and research.

Emerging Middlesbrough AC starlet Josh Cowperthwaite is crowned English champ

26 Feb 2014 10:30

Josh Cowperthwaite has won the Under-13 boys’ English National Cross Country Championship title in Nottingham

Josh Cowperthwaite

By Rick Betts

Middlesbrough AC (Mandale’s) rising distance star Josh Cowperthwaite has won the Under-13 boys’ English National Cross Country Championship title.

Clinching the crown turned what has been a great cross country season so far into a fantastic one for the young Teessider.

Cowperthwaite’s winning performance was the stand-out achievement from more than 20 Teesside athletes who took part in the picturesque grounds of Wollaton Hall in Nottingham.

Although the race took place in blue skies and sunshine, some runners lost their spikes due to the poor weather earlier in the week which made the ground underfoot heavy.

Cowperthwaite was in fantastic form, taking the lead early on in the race after only 400 metres.

He continued to dominate the race, ultimately winning by 11 seconds from Jamie Harper (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers).

Luke Pettit was another runner in great form in the race, finishing in a very creditable 32nd place while Oscar Brown was 86th.

Cowperthwaite’s win means so far this season he has won the North Eastern, Northern and National cross country titles which is a feat not achieved before in his age-group.

Courtney Johnson was the club’s only representative in the girls’ section of the Under-13 age group.

She ran well to finish well up the field in 240th place in a race involving more than 430 athletes.

The largest Teesside contingent was seen in the Under-15 age group with athletes representing Middlesbrough AC and New Marske Harriers.

Nathan Baker was the star turn for the boys, having his best run of the winter season to finish in 18th place in a high quality race.

Joshua Allen was 98th, Jay Hedger 210th and Callum McDonald 274th.

The Middlesbrough AC team finished 18th overall.

New Marske Harriers were well represented in the race by Hassan Ben-Tiba, who continued his consistent season by finishing high up the field in 56th place with team mate Reece Curtis just behind in 62nd place and Ben Bergstrand 262nd.

In the Under-15 girls’ event, Middlesbrough AC fielded a full team with Libby Hedger 97th, Rebecca Kitchener 137th, Eve Russell 239th, Josie Green 240th and Ellie McLernon 288th as the team finished 24th overall.

A resurgent Phillipa Stone had her best race of the year so far with a fine 20th place finish in the Under-17 women’s section, a feat made all the more remarkable considering she will still be in this age group for next year’s cross country season.

Matthew Bailey ran in the Under-17 men’s section and finished in the top half of his race in 107th place from a field of over 272.

Middlesbrough and Cleveland Harriers’ Greg Jayasuriya competed in the largest race of the championships.

With more than 1,600 athletes taking part in the senior men’s championships, Jayasuriya excelled himself by finishing 114th.

Jayasuriya’s team-mate Chris Rumsey ran well to finish in 429th place while club stalwart Gordon Baird was 1,104th.

Dow blames tough market conditions for decision to idle production

26 Feb 2014 10:25

Staff at Dow Amines and Chelants business at Seal Sands have been told production will be idled within weeks

Staff at a Teesside chemicals plant have been told production will be idled within weeks, amid plans for a “strategic review” at the facility.

The Dow Amines and Chelants business at Seal Sands will idle production around the beginning of April due to “increasingly challenging operational and market conditions”.

The firm, which employs 29 on Teesside, has told staff it needs to undertake a strategic review of the Seal Sands site to assess the way forward for the plant and bosses are “investigating all options for the site”.

Bosses hope to have a “more defined way forward” by the summer.

The facility makes liquid chelant products and sodium sarcosinate, which is used in a range of processing and manufacturing industries such as paper production.

But a lack of cost-effective and reliable raw materials in the highly-competitive sector has led to the review.

A Dow spokesperson said: “The option to idle the facility comes on the back of increasingly challenging operational and market conditions; lack of cost effective and reliable raw material supply, alongside overcapacity in the liquid chelant sector. This makes it a predominantly price and volume driven market.

“As a result, Dow needs to undertake a strategic review of the site at Seal Sands.

“Over the coming weeks, it will assess all possible options and potential paths forward for the facility.”

Employees will continue to report to work while the facility is idled, the firm added.

“At this stage we do not envisage any organisational changes as a result of the idling and whilst the review takes place.

“The business has committed to reaching a path forward as soon as feasibly possible; understanding it needs to be thorough and diligent in its investigation and review of all possible options.

“We anticipate to have a more defined way forward in the third quarter of 2014.”

The firm used to own another site in Billingham and one in Middlesbrough. These were bought by Chemoxy in 2011.

Building work to start on major new office development next to Infinity Bridge in Stockton

26 Feb 2014 10:10

43,000sq ft grey brick and glass building will form part of the £100m Northshore riverside regeneration scheme

How the new Northshore block is expected to look when complete

Building work will start this month on a major new riverside office development in Stockton.

The facility will form part of the £100m Northshore riverside regeneration scheme and will be the HQ for new social housing group Thirteen.

The 43,000sq ft grey brick and glass building will be situated next to Infinity Bridge.

Plans for the development were approved by Stockton Council in December and construction is expected to be completed by January next year.

Simon Dew, senior development surveyor at Muse Developments, said: “This is a significant development at Northshore and marks the delivery of our first commercial phase.

“The development of this landmark head office follows the delivery of the award-winning Vivo residential scheme and a recent announcement regarding the development of a new Innovation Centre, also commencing on site in spring 2014.

“With construction of the second phase of residential Vivo continuing at pace and 80,000 sq ft of commercial buildings due on site this year, Northshore is one of the North-east’s major regeneration schemes.”

The Gazette reported last week on the merger of social housing groups Fabrick and Vela, which includes Tristar Homes, Erimus Housing, Tees Valley Housing, Housing Hartlepool, and supported housing specialist Norcare.

The combined business, renamed Thirteen, will oversee 32,000 homes across the region.

A total of 436 of the new company’s staff will be based at the new office block.

Mike Clark, chairman designate of Thirteen Group, said: “Northshore is an excellent location for the head office of the new group, situated in the heart of the Tees valley, where we serve so many communities.”

Stockton Council’s Cabinet member for regeneration and transport Councillor Mike Smith said: “This is yet another exciting stage for Northshore which is now developing at pace.

“It is fantastic to see this mixed development come to life with people working, growing businesses and living there.

“Northshore will certainly complement the new Stockton town centre once its transformation is complete.

“People living and working at Northshore will be within easy reach of the wide range of independent shops, businesses, leisure facilities and eateries in Stockton town centre as well as the host of nationally acclaimed events which are held annually within the town centre and on the riverside.”

UN official points to ‘apartheid’ in Palestinian areas

Israel adopts policies in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip which amount to racial discrimination and apartheid by systematically repressing the Palestinian people and confiscating their land, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the Palestinian territories Richard Falk said.

Falk said: “The Israeli occupation violates Palestinian rights and carries out ethnic cleansing against them in East Jerusalem. Israel also violates the Palestinians’ rights with regards to employment, education, freedom of movement and residence, expression and assembly.

“Despite Israel’s decision to disengage from Gaza in 2005, the enclave is still occupied under the Israeli blockade which illegally controls the borders, airspace, coasts and particularly hurts farmers and fishermen.”

Falk described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, run by the Hamas government, as horrible due to the acute shortage of fuel.

In his latest report to the UN Human Rights Council after spending six years in his post, he recommended the council’s member states consider banning imports from settlements in the West Bank.

The report included a special analysis of Israeli policies entitled “acts potentially amounting to segregation and apartheid”. In it he says: “Israeli security forces use excessive force and unlawful killings as part of their plan to dominate the Palestinians.”

According to the report Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to military laws while Jewish settlers are subject to civil law.

The report notes to the International Court of Justice ruling nearly ten years ago of the illegality of the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank which Israel insists on calling a “security barrier”.

Falk wrote in his 22-page report: “The Israeli measures to divide the occupied Palestinian territories and confiscate their lands are indisputably racial. The combined effect of the measures aimed at ensuring security for Israeli citizens to facilitate the expansion of settlements and the annexation of land is systematic segregation, discrimination and repression of the Palestinian people to dominate them.”

There was no immediate reaction from Israel, which boycotted the council it accuses of bias for 19 months, returning in October 2013.

Falk is an American professor of international law who is known for his controversial views.

After taking office in May 2008 Falk described the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip of committing the same atrocities of the Nazi regime during wartime Europe. Months later, he was detained at Ben Gurion airport and deported by Israeli authorities after being barred from crossing into Palestinian areas to carry out his investigation.

The United States and an organisation called UN Watch, which Falk described as a pressure group loyal to Israel, have demanded his resignation. Falk said in June that he would not resign and accused his critics who accuse him of being anti-Semitic of aiming to divert attention from his scrutiny into the Israeli policies.

Falk said in his latest report that companies and countries should investigate the real beneficiaries of the “Israeli settlements and other illegal Israeli activities” and take the necessary steps.

He said: “Given that the European Union continues to be one of the most important trading partners with the settlements with annual exports valued at $300 million, the ban on the settlements products would have a big impact.”

His prior appeals for divestment achieved results and encouraged governments to be more vigilant including Royal Dutch Haskoning which ended its engagements with the Jerusalem municipality to build a wastewater treatment plant in East Jerusalem, as well as the Swedish-Norwegian Nordea Bank which excluded Israeli Cemex company from its investment portfolio because it extracting non-renewable natural resources from the Palestinian territories

'How Boro needed the Carling Cup when they met Arsenal in the semis at Highbury'

26 Feb 2014 10:00

After a poor start to the season, top flight survival was far from certain, writes Philip Tallentire. The Carling Cup had been a nice distraction

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Carling Cup win 2004: Semi-final, first leg: Arsenal 0 Boro 1

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How Boro needed the Carling Cup 10 years ago.

Steve McClaren’s side ended 2003 just three points and three places above the Premiership drop zone.

Boro made an awful start to the campaign, taking just one point from the first five fixtures to sit level bottom with Wolves.

They did manage to pick up some vital wins but, as 2004 dawned, top flight survival was far from guaranteed.

The Carling Cup was a nice distraction, however, with wins over Brighton, Wigan, Everton and Spurs - the last two following penalty shoot-outs - earned Boro a crack at the Arsenal.

With the Gunners pushing for the title, it looked like McClaren’s men had landed the worse possible opponents in the last four, with mid-table dwellers Bolton and Aston Villa meeting in the other semi.

With an FA Cup fourth round clash also on the horizon, Boro were looking to put down a marker at Highbury 10 years ago.

Last houses on rundown Swainby Road estate in Stockton are razed to the ground

26 Feb 2014 09:25

Most of Swainby Road estate now clear of nearly 190 houses and flats on Norton Road, Swainby Road, Danby Road and Ayton Place

The bulldozers go in for the final phase of demolition in the Swainby Road area of Stockton

The final demolition of homes on a rundown estate has taken place as part of a regeneration project.

Scores of homes have been razed in the Swainby Road area of Stockton under multi-million plans.

In a £10m regeneration programme that will take five years to complete, the last six houses at 218-230 Norton Road have been demolished.

Most of the Swainby Road estate is now clear of nearly 190 houses and flats on Norton Road, Swainby Road, Danby Road and Ayton Place.

Around 170 new homes will be built to replace the properties.

Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton Council’s Cabinet member for housing and community safety, said: “We are pleased the regeneration of the Swainby Road area is progressing well and this latest demolition is a further step towards the redevelopment of the area.

"The majority of the site is now cleared and we are now working on the next phase to provide residents with a range of good quality housing for sale and rent.”

Stockton Council first announced plans for the rundown estate in 2009.

Residents who spoke to the Gazette at the time were broadly supportive of the proposals.

All Swainby Road residents affected were told that they would be rehoused and given priority once the new homes were built.

Earlier this month residents were invited to a consultation event to find out more about the range of new family homes planned for the Swainby Road estate.

Construction is likely to begin in the autumn and it is anticipated that the scheme will take five years to complete.

Residents will move in on a phased basis starting at the end of this year.

Man charged with wounding with intent in connection with central Middlesbrough stabbing

26 Feb 2014 09:17

26-year-old man also charged with possession of a sharply pointed article after the incident on Aire Street in the early hours of Monday

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Katie Lunn

Police on Aire Street in Middlesbrough

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A man has been charged with wounding with intent in connection with a stabbing in Middlesbrough.

The 26-year-old has also been charged with possession of a sharply pointed article after the incident on Aire Street .

As reported a 28-year-old man was stabbed in the stomach in the early hours of Monday.

He was taken to James Cook University Hospital where he was in a stable condition.

Stockton charity The George Hardwick Foundation loses local contract to national organisation

26 Feb 2014 08:55

George Hardwick Foundation lost out to Sanctuary Supported Living for three-year contract to deliver outreach support for carers

The George Hardwick Foundation

A Stockton charity has lost a local three-year contract to continue delivering outreach support for carers.

The George Hardwick Foundation will no longer provide a service in partnership with Stockton Council and the local NHS to support people who provide unpaid care to friends, family or neighbours.

It lost out to the national organisation, Sanctuary Supported Living, following a “rigorous and robust” tender process.

A joint statement from Stockton Council and the NHS Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Clinical Commissioning Group said an “extensive consultation” was carried out to strategise how carer support services will be provided up to 2017.

“We understand that the organisations that were not successful will be very disappointed,” it read. “Our tender process is rigorous and robust and we have a duty to award contracts to the tender that offers the best combination of quality of service and value for money.”

It added: “We will work closely with carers to ensure a smooth transition from the existing services to the newly-commissioned services.”

Sanctuary Supported Living will launch their service in April.

As well as providing outreach support, it will also offer a community hub and 24-hour advice.

Sanctuary Supported Living managing director Chris Munday said: “We’re delighted to have won the contract and are looking forward to making a start on supporting carers in the Stockton area.

“With the supported living schemes we operate in Stockton for people with a range of needs, as well as our successful carers outreach service in Middlesbrough, we have a wealth of experience in the area to help clients.

“This service is about putting the needs of carers first and ensuring they have support available to care for those to closest to them.”

Stockton Council cabinet member Councillor Ann McCoy added: “Our thousands of carers across the borough perform a truly remarkable role and we look forward to working with Sanctuary to deliver a range of high quality services to help and support them in all that they do.

“Sanctuary are already involved in delivering a number of services in Stockton and the Tees Valley area and are well-placed to deliver these services at a time when significant national changes are being made to how carers’ services are commissioned and provided.”

The George Hardwick Foundation did not want to make a comment.

Redcar dad 'completely floored' after family cars destroyed in suspected arson attack

26 Feb 2014 08:10

Dad-of-four Iain Paton's Vauxhall Zafira and his dad's rare Cavalier - due to be appear in car shows - were destroyed in a fire

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Ian Cooper

Cars destroyed in Redcar arson attack

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A dad was "floored" after two of his family’s cars - including a rare Vauxhall due to be appear in car shows - were torched in a suspected arson attack.

Iain Paton’s Vauxhall Zafira and his dad’s rare Cavalier were destroyed in a fire in the early hours of yesterday.

He discovered the damage when he went to leave his Redcar home just hours after.

“At first I thought the windows had been smashed in but when I went over to have a proper look and saw the shells I just hit the deck,” said the dad-of-four.

“It completely floored me.”

“The Cavalier is my dad’s car - he has had it for 14 years,” he added.

“It was due to be resprayed so we could take it to the National Vauxhall Rally in Northampton and a few other shows.

They are getting quite rare now and the car was one of the last built. You don’t see many on the road now.”

The two cars were parked in a communal car park on Devon Close, near the Paton’s family home.

It is believed that the Cavalier was deliberately torched.

The Zafira - parked next to it - then caught fire as a result.

Fire crews were called to the scene and were spotted by a neighbour tackling the fire at about 4.30am.

It is not yet known what was used to start the blaze.

“I thought I was seeing things at first,” said Iain, who lives with wife Lisa, and children Rachel, 15, Luke, 12, seven-year-old Ryan, and Emily, 15 months.

“I saw that the front end of the Cavalier was all black and that the windscreen was broken.

“I then looked at the Zafira and saw the same thing again.

“They are shells.”

“The Cavalier was the target car,” added Iain, who works for a fleet management company.

“The Zafira has caught fire as a result.”

The Paton’s have now been left without their large family car.

“The Zafira was the family car. That is what we go out in as all together. We have only had it a year.”

“I am in shock,” he added.

“The police have been round and have had a look. Scenes of crime officers are also due to come round.

“I just hope whoever has done this gets caught.”

Cleveland Police are appealing to any witnesses or anyone with information about the suspected arson attack to call them on the non-emergency number 101.

Morning news headlines for February 26, 2014

LEE RIGBY KILLERS TO BE SENTENCED

The two Muslim fanatics who murdered soldier Lee Rigby will be sentenced at the Old Bailey today.

Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, mowed the young soldier down in a car before hacking him to death in front of horrified onlookers near Woolwich barracks in south-east London on May 22 last year.

They could face whole life jail terms after a key appeal court ruling last month found that the sentences can be used by UK judges.

RULING DUE ON NHS TRUST DISSOLUTION

The Health Secretary is set to announce his decision on whether the scandal-hit Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust should be dissolved.

Jeremy Hunt has the final say on plans to dissolve the trust and move key services to neighbouring hospitals.

In January, the health watchdog, Monitor, approved plans drawn up by administrators to downgrade some services at Stafford Hospital, despite opposition from local campaigners.

NURSE CUTS ’LINKED TO DEATH RATES’

Nursing cutbacks are directly linked to higher patient death rates in hospitals, a major study has found.

Every extra patient added to a nurse’s workload increases the risk of death within a month of surgery by 7%, according to data from 300 European hospitals in nine countries.

The situation is made worse by employing poorly qualified nurses, the research showed.

MILIBAND ’MUST RULE OUT COALITION’

Ed Miliband is coming under pressure from one of Labour’s biggest backers to rule out a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey urged Mr Miliband to say he would govern alone even if the party falls short of a majority in next year’s general election.

The intervention comes amid speculation that David Cameron could try to galvanise the Tory rank-and-file by making the same promise in the run-up to the poll.

MAN FACES COURT OVER FARM SHOOTINGS

A man will appear in court today charged with murdering a mother and daughter at a dog breeding farm.

The bodies of Christine Lee, 66, and her daughter Lucy, 40, were found on Sunday in Farnham, Surrey.

John Lowe, 82, was charged last night with two counts of murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

POLICE QUIZ EX-GUANTANAMO CAPTIVE

Police are continuing to question a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who has been arrested on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences.

Moazzam Begg, 45, from Hall Green, Birmingham, is suspected of attending a terrorist training camp and facilitating terrorism overseas, West Midlands Police said.

He was arrested yesterday morning along with a 36-year-old man from Shirley, in Solihull, and a 44-year-old woman and her 20-year-old son, both from Sparkhill, in Birmingham, who were held on suspicion of facilitating terrorism overseas.

LOST PROPERTY PAYOUTS TO PRISONERS

Prisoners have been awarded compensation over damaged stereos and missing socks, a watchdog has revealed.

Taxpayers’ money is being wasted on redress paid to prisoners for lost or damaged property, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) said.

Prison staff need to pay greater attention to their responsibility for prisoners’ property to avoid complaints being made, the Ombudsman added.

CANCER ’DROVE BLACK SKIN EVOLUTION’

Cancer may have driven the evolution of black skin early in human history, a study suggests.

Scientists believe dark skins appeared more than a million years ago to prevent our African ancestors dying from skin cancer.

The change occurred after ancient humans shed most of their body hair and ventured out into the sun-drenched African savannah.

CHARLES VISIT TO MARY ROSE MUSEUM

The Prince of Wales will tour the new Mary Rose Museum nearly 39 years since he first dived on the wreck site.

Charles, who is president of the Mary Rose Trust, will be accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall during his visit to the purpose-built museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Hampshire.

The centre opened last year, re-uniting the hull with thousands of artefacts for the first time since they were lifted from the seabed of the Solent in 1982.

IMMIGRATION CURBS DETER STUDENTS

Immigration curbs have “played disappointingly badly” in India despite prime ministerial charm offensives to show Britain welcomes students, the science minister has admitted.

Ministers have been working “flat out” to attract international candidates but Indian press coverage about reforms to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands by 2015 has been “surprisingly negative”, David Willetts said.

The Conservative appeared to suggest that while numbers from India were falling - a 38% drop between 2011 and 2012 - there continued to be a surge in applicants from China because of the way the immigration crackdown was covered by its more tightly-controlled media.