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The next stage of the major overhaul of Bedlington town centre has been given the green light by councillors.

A baby-faced road menace is finally behind bars - after blowing a final chance to keep his freedom by crashing a car while banned from the roads. Craig Shaw was warned last year that his feet wouldn’t touch the ground if he offended again when a judge sentenced him for sparking a police chase. But within six months he got behind the wheel to deliver a takeaway for a friend, lost control on a roundabout and smashed into a lamppost. Now the 19-year-old, who fled the scene but was caught by DNA on the car’s airbag, has been locked up at Newcastle Crown Court. It was on October 16 last year that police were called to the site of the crash on the B1505 at High Pit, Cramlington, Northumberland. A lamppost had been hit with such force it was bent over at an angle.

A beloved community club could be forced to close before celebrating its 70th birthday, if it can’t end a campaign of terror by vandals. The volunteers who run Bedlington Terriers FC say they may have to shut the club because of the astronomical cost of repairs They say their clubhouse has suffered three attempt break-ins, leaving doors and locks seriously damaged. Intruders have also “wantonly smashed” glass in the club’s floodlights, rendering them “not fit for purpose”, volunteers who run the Northern League Division Two club, from the grounds at Doctor Pitt Welfare Park, claim, Chairman Ronan Liddane said: “We’ve been hit by vandals over the last few months repeatedly breaking into the park, destroying fences, damaging locks, they’ve broken into our little hospitality box, smashed a television, fired pellet guns at our floodlights. “The police really can’t do much because we don’t have any CCTV - which we can’t afford because we’ve got to pay to repair the damage.

The GCSE results at Bedlington Academy today show significant improvements across the board, with the number of grades 9-7 (old A*-A grades) awarded having more than doubled from the previous year.

The investment firm behind two major North East funds has invested more than £1m in local businesses in just a few months. NEL Fund Managers is one of the only investment houses to be awarded two of the five funds that make up the £120m North East Investment Fund. After being given responsibility for the Small Loan Fund and the Growth Capital Fund back in April, the company has invested more than £1m in the region’s firms. The milestone was passed when NEL invested £10,000 in Bedlington-based JNCS Business Services, through the Small Loan Fund. The cash is being used by JNCS to improve its manufacturing process around the TorqTag device, which improves safety within the oil, gas and power industries. Dr Yvonne Gale, chief executive at NEL Fund Managers, says: “We’re pleased with the volume of enquiries that have come in so far around investments from both these new funds, and to have got past the million pound mark within just a few months of their launch.

A man remains unconscious more than three days after he was involved in an alleged brawl outside a Wetherspoon’s pub. The 56-year-old suffered a serious head injury during the incident at the Red Lion on Hartford Road, Bedlington, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Emergency services arrived at the scene to find the man laying unconscious and he was taken to hospital where he remains. Detectives arrested another 56-year-old man and a 33-year-old man in connection to this incident. Both men have since been released under investigation. A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Police investigating an assault in Bedlington are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

A man is still unconscious 36 hours after an alleged brawl outside a Wetherspoon’s pub in Bedlington . The 56-year-old suffered a serious head injury during the alleged fight, which happened outside the Red Lion on Hartford Road in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police and paramedics arrived and the suspected victim — who was laying unconscious outside the pub — was taken to hospital for treatment. Detectives arrested another 56-year-old man and a 33-year-old man in connection to this incident. Both men have since been released under investigation. A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Police investigating an assault in Bedlington are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

This is the tear jerking moment a brother proposed at his sister’s wedding. The heart warming moment happened at the wedding of Charlene McGhee who wanted to share her special day with her brother, Antoni Kerr, and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Rebecca Stafford. Many brides might not want the limelight taken off them, but Charlene, of Stakeford, helped orchestrate the entire thing. During the bouquet toss, Charlene gathered her friends at Blyth Comrades Social Club but instead of throwing it into the group, she turned around and went directly to 21-year-old Rebecca. Moments later, Antoni appeared and got down on one knee to propose to his shell-shocked girlfriend. Antoni, of Bedlington, said: “I was very, very nervous. I had told her mam and dad last year when I asked for permission [to marry her].

Police investigating an assault in Bedlington are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The most dangerous spots for cash point muggings and thefts in the North East have been revealed. Newcastle comes out on top with the most crimes close to an ATM over the last decade, according to recent data. Northumbria Police recorded 207 thefts or robberies in the city, more than a hundred more crimes than second-placed Gateshead. The figures translate to one in every 1,432 residents suffering at the hands of thieves in the last decade. This is particularly high compared to other large cities such as Leeds (one in 5,143), Birmingham (one in 5,459) and even London (one in 6,340). The research compiled by MoneySuperMarket through Freedom of Information requests shows Northumbria Police is the fifth busiest force for cashpoint thefts and robberies nationwide, with 801 crimes recorded in the last decade.

A Bedlington care home has been praised by inspectors for the care it offers residents.

Staff and students at Bedlington Academy were all smiles earlier today as they celebrated a bumper crop of A-Level exam results.

Clashing dustbin lids and hammering containers, the cast of Stomp certainly didn't go unnoticed when they arrived in Newcastle on Wednesday morning. The energetic performers quickly drew a crowd outside the Theatre Royal as they gave a high-impact - and very noisy - performance with clattering and banging on makeshift drum-kits, dancing and somersaults. The cast members, including local talent Jamie Welch, were giving a taster of Stomp ahead of its opening on Thursday for a three-day run at the Theatre Royal. Jamie, from Bedlington in Northumberland, has been in the cast of the popular show for two years during which he has toured across Europe but this will be his first time in his home region with it - and he was delighted to be bringing it to Newcastle. "It's great," he said. "This is my first time back in the North East with the show I do for a living and I've got a mix of family and friends coming." While the show - snippets of which featured during the closing ceremony at the 2012 London Olympics - has been around since 1991 - and has built up a loyal fan-base - this week marks the first time it has been back at the Theatre Royal for about two years and audiences are being promised a performance that is faster and funnier than ever.

These are the North East care homes and services which have been ordered to improve by a health watchdog. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have handed out two ratings of ‘inadequate’ in the region over the past month, with more rated as ‘requires improvement’. All information comes from reports published by the CQC. We’ve rounded up the results for reports with either of the bottom two gradings below: Inadequate Report published: July 25, 2018

A fund-rasier organised by the family of a teenager who was the victim of a car crash in a Bedlington street will take place exactly one year after her death.

This is the noisy haul which made life hell for neighbours in Bedlington. More than 20 din-creating items, including televisions, HiFi systems, loudspeakers and musical instruments were seized from a home in the Northumberland town, where residents had been making a racket day and night. On Thursday the council’s Housing and Public Protection Service, alongside officers from the Bedlington Neighbourhood Policing Team, swooped on the house, which had a noise abatement notice served earlier this year. But the council says the notice was “ignored”, so officers entered the property by force and removed all equipment capable of producing amplified sound. Northumberland County Councillor John Riddle, cabinet member responsible for public protection, said: “Today’s action clearly demonstrates the Council’s commitment and determination to protect local communities from irresponsible individuals and our intention to use the full force of the law when needed. “We will not tolerate the small minority whose anti-social behaviour affects the quality of life for the rest of the community.”

This is the moment two cruel thieves raided a family-run cafe in Northumberland. The masked pair made off with around £800 from Coffeelicious in Bedlington after rifling through the till and charity boxes in the early hours of Wednesday. Devastated owner Gemma Robson discovered the break-in the following morning and quickly checked her CCTV to see the burglars in action. Police have now launched an investigation. Gemma, who runs the cafe with husband John, said: “It’s my business, it’s like my home. This is how we make our living and we work so hard. “For someone to come in and think they can get away with this is infuriating.”

It was tee-time for care home residents as they tried a new activity.

A woman has appeared in court charged with the murder of Sunderland teenager Scott Pritchard. Karen Tunmore, 36, of Killingworth, North Tyneside, appeared at Bedlington Magistrates Court - sitting at Newcastle Crown Court - on Saturday. The teen’s death sparked one of the biggest manhunts in Wearside’s history when he was found bludgeoned outside his Sunderland home in 2004 and left to die. At the time his leg was in plaster after suffering a bad injury and he could only walk with crutches. Scott was confirmed dead on arrival at Sunderland Royal Infirmary, aged just 19, and detectives have been investigating the case ever since. Nobody was convicted in relation to the case at the time, but the investigation has remained open.

This is the moment a burst pipe sent water shooting 20ft into the air in a Northumberland town. The water main burst near Hartford Gardens, in Cramlington, on Friday morning and the supply was eventually shut off at around 7pm. Dramatic drone footage captured by Jason Carrick showed the water shooting into the air and across a nearby field. His partner Donna Scott, 32, said they were shocked when they discovered the water pipe had burst. She said: “It started on Friday morning and was still pouring out in the evening. “Northumbrian Water weren’t on the scene until about 3pm and they said they couldn’t turn it off because it supplies water to Morpeth and Bedlington.

A group of students spent time visiting former battlefields from the First World War.