Tyne Tees Peterlee News

Police are appealing for help from the public to trace a missing 82-year-old from the Horden area.

George 'Slogger' Williams is believed to have left his home in Cresswell Avenue at around 11.45am and has not been seen by his family since.

Officers are particularly concerned because George suffers from a number of medical conditions and can become easily confused.

Mr Williams walks with a walking stick and he is described at 5 foot 5 inches tall, of slim build and wearing a green jacket, blue polo shirt and trousers and black shoes.

Anyone with information is being asked to call Peterlee police on 101.

• UK
• Peterlee
• Horden

An 83-year-old woman has died in a house fire in Peterlee. Fire crews were called to the bungalow on Langdale Place just after 1 o'clock this morning.

Fire fighters were called by Careline, who monitored the pensioner's home.

They arrived to find the fire already well developed and crews had to force the door to gain entry. The fire was quickly extinguished but the elderly occupant was pronounced dead at the scene.

• UK
• Peterlee
• house fire

The Pasmore Apollo Pavilion in Peterlee has split opinion among the community since the late 60s. But now, two renowned Swedish artists want to copy it. They are planning on recreating every detail of Victor Pasmore's pavilion, at Tensta Kuntsthall art gallery in Sweden.

• UK
• Art
• Peterlee

Twenty six workers at Walkers regional distribution centre in Peterlee are to ballot for industrial action over pay.

It follows discussions between the GMB union and the company, which is part of PepsiCo.

Union members have rejected the pay offer, and officials complained that the talks had taken too long.

PepsiCo issued a short statement:

Drivers, represented by the GMB, have chosen to ballot for industrial action over the terms of a planned pay increase.

We are disappointed by this development as we feel the salary increase represents a fair and competitive pay package for our drivers at Peterlee. “

• UK
• Peterlee

Students in County Durham are snubbing the American style prom for an alternative party. Why? Because they want to make sure everybody feels they can go. Proms can be very expensive and not everyone is comfortable in a posh frock.

So The Academy at Shotton Hall in Peterlee is throwing out the rule book. Staff held a fair called 'Reinvent' to show pupils what the options are, whether it's vintage, second hand or a traditional gown... their message is 'come along, anything goes'.

• UK
• Peterlee
• School

A Meccano enthusiast has been showing off his model of a Teesside landmark - just before he dismantles it.

It took Joe Etheridge, who is president of the North East Meccano Society, almost a year to build this version of the Newport Bridge.

The model is four feet high, made up of thousands of parts and has five motors.

It was built in the study of Mr Etheridge's Peterlee home and has won him several construction prizes.

Its creator now needs the parts for his next project - an excavating machine.

• UK
• Peterlee
• Teesside

A Meccano model of Teesside's Newport Bridge, which took an enthusiast a year of painstaking work to construct, is about to be dismantled.

The Newport Bridge Model, comprising thousands of parts and including five motors, was built in a small study at Mr Etheridge's home in Peterlee, County Durham.

It won fifth prize in an international competition in Skegness and has scooped a number of other prizes.

• UK
• Peterlee
• Teesside

300 temporary workers will finish their final shifts at the Caterpillar factory in Peterlee.

The company's blaming the cuts on the world-wide recession and a lower demand than expected for its trucks.

Unions say they're disappointed.

It leaves about a thousand workers at the site.

• Business
• Jobs
• Peterlee