Almost £15,000 worth of legal bills have been handed out in court to people who failed to remove waste from their garden or yard. Newton Aycliffe magistrates heard on Wednesday that the 16 defendants were initially given community protection warnings by Durham County Council neighbourhood wardens and given seven days to clear the accumulation...

A local school came up with a novel way to promote reading over the summer. Students at Woodham Academy were invited to join a Reading Club, which granted them the opportunity to win a Kindle electronic reading book, books and book vouchers, if they agreed to keep a reading log over the six-week break. The school – whose reading efforts...

Parents are trying to raise money to send a youth team to a tournament in Skegness. St Mary’s Under-8s in Bishop Auckland have organised an 80/90s rock tribute night at The Big Club in Aycliffe next month to help raise the £1,300 needed to fund the lads’ trip next May. ‘Alexander’s Palace’ will perform tribute acts to Journey, Bon...

Students from Greenfield Community College have travelled to Krakow, Poland as part of their History studies. The Year 9 and 10 students travelled to Hotel Wilga, which was lovely place by a little tributary river near Krakow where they could take in some of the amazing architecture of this beautiful Polish city and some Polish ice...

A Newton Aycliffe conference centre built on the back of a £9m inheritance marked its 10th anniversary with a special celebration. As revealed in the July-August issue of Aycliffe Today Business this summer, The Work Place is the brainchild of Jane Ritchie, who spent her own working life as a careers adviser and was awarded an MBE for her...

By Donna Campbell This report will cover two weeks of racing due to holidays and what a fortnight it has been. On September 5, Mark Wade was the only member of the club who ran in the Marske Autumn Coast Road Race. These races take place regularly throughout the year. Mark completed the race in 18.08. Next up was the Great Tees 10k...

The family of a man who died in hospital after an incident in Newton Aycliffe have described him as their “best friend” who was “loved by everyone”. Iain Lee died yesterday in James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. The family of the 31-year-old have today released a statement paying tribute to a man they said was...

Engineering students at Woodham Academy achieved record results with this summer’s exams. Not only was the pass rate 100%, but students overall gained one and a half grades above similar students nationally. Woodham Academy engineering teacher, Peter Groves, attributes students’ success to the rich and engaging curriculum in...

A major new conference has been announced for the oil and gas industry next month, which will take place at the Xcel Centre on Aycliffe Business Park – reflecting a growing confidence in the revitalised sector. Durham-based NOF Energy is hosting the inaugural Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition to highlight the growing number of commercial...

A man has died in hospital more than a week after being injured in Newton Aycliffe town centre. Iain Lee, of Newton Aycliffe, died at lunchtime today (Wednesday) at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. The 31-year-old had been in hospital since the early hours of Saturday, September 8, when he suffered serious head injuries...