An historic County Durham bridge is due to close after an assessment found it is no longer able to support pedestrians in its current condition. Whorlton Bridge, near Barnard Castle, will be closed to all users from Saturday 5 December until further notice. Opened in July 1831, the Grade II-listed structure and Scheduled Monument is the...

Newton Aycliffe-based automotive component manufacturer, Gestamp, has donated £1,000 and hundreds of re-usable water bottles to local secondary school, Woodham Academy, to help with the current Covid situation. Gestamp supplies most major car manufacturers and employs 1,200 people from the local area. The firm’s HR manager Brian Rees...

People hoping to make a difference to green spaces can plant trees in their area with the help of a new funding grant. Durham County Council has made funding available for community groups, parish councils, schools, and individuals who want to help revitalise local green spaces and combat climate change. The grant coincides with National...

Teesworks has confirmed that a comprehensive bid will be submitted on behalf of the region to become the country’s first and largest freeport. Ahead of a virtual event organised by PD Ports on Wednesday to help shape a future bid, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen outlined to more than 60 senior regional business leaders how the bid for freeport...

By Joe Ramage Newton Aycliffe goalkeeper Adam Pickford will be the only player welcoming the enforced Covid break after the season re-start was put back. The Northern League confirmed that the 2020-21 season will resume on December 16, after the North-East was placed into Tier 3. Pickford has been a mainstay in Colin Stromsoy’s side...

County Durham community groups can now apply for funding to help make their neighbourhoods cleaner and greener. Volunteers can apply for a grant of up to £500 from Durham County Council, as part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) It’s Your Neighbourhood campaign. The campaign encourages communities to come together to make...

More than £6m has been paid to businesses across County Durham in the last two weeks to help them deal with the effects of local and national coronavirus restrictions. Since 12 November, Durham County Council has processed over 3,000 applications and awarded 4,145 grants totalling more than £6.5m. This includes more than £2m of support...

Durham County Council has been praised for having one of the top climate change action plans in the country. The local authority is among 13 local authorities that have the best climate change action plans for addressing food emissions, according to a new study. The council has been named following research by Sustain, which looked into 92...

Newtonian Nige Slatcher has smashed his target to run 100 kilometres during lockdown 0.2 – as well as surpassing his fundraising target. The chairman of Newton Aycliffe Juniors FC committed to the fundraising feat during the period of the second Covid lockdown. He has set up a Go Fund Me page and is hoping to raise £500 each for the...

Roads policing officers are once again taking part in a national campaign to target drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol over the Christmas season. From Tuesday 1st December, officers from the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit (CDSOU) will carry out random vehicle stops and intelligence led enforcement in a bid to...