10 YEARS AGO

Paws for THOUGHT: Cattery owner Jeff Oliver decided to take legal advice after his application for an advertising sign for his business at Brockalee Farm, Bardon Mill, was turned down by the council’s development control committee.

Noisy outbreak: The leader of Northumberland County Council was the subject of a formal complaint after he told a resident to shut up in a meeting. Coun. Jeff Reid faced an investigation by standards watchdogs after telling a local resident to keep quiet.

food furore: A severely disabled Prudhoe pensioner who relied on a home help providing evening meals at weekends was told by county council staff to get a takeaway instead. The 76-year-old wheelchair user, who had received home help for 10 years, was shocked to find out the council would only be providing the three meals every other weekend.

foul image: A letter to the Hexham Courant drew readers attention to the excessive amount of dog fouling taking place in Haltwhistle, and the impact it had on the environment and public health.

slippery incident: A 17-year-old girl had to be cut free from a car after it skidded off the road and crashed near Langley. She was airlifted to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

25 YEARS AGO

en route: A suspected nuclear convoy wound its way up the A68 towards Scotland. The 15-vehicle convoy of nuclear warheads for submarines included five transporters, a fire tender and army vehicles.

not fair: Prudhoe was set to lose its annual town fair because two of its organisers resigned after criticism from town councillors. The committee said that the sixth annual fair was to be cancelled.

crime catchers: Spy cameras along Hadrian’s Wall were mooted by a crime-busting coalition of police and tourist organisations. The idea focused on hidden cameras inside the Wall’s most vulnerable tourist car parks to prevent rising crime.

runaway suspect: The driver of a stolen lorry leapt out on to the A69 at Greenhead during a police chase and left the driverless vehicle to career out of control. The lorry, which was carrying thousands of pounds worth of paint, was travelling at 30 to 40mph before it hit a crash barrier. The driver got away on foot.

50 YEARS AGO

tropical fusion: Tynedale’s newest cocktail bar, the ‘Bar Afrique’, opened at Broomhaugh House Hotel in Riding Mill. The owner decorated it with axes, arrows and spears after 20 years’ working for ICI in West Africa.

chatterbox claims: Field Marshall Sir Francis Festing told the British Legion’s annual dinner at Hexham that there was far too much talk in the world and not much action.

75 YEARS AGO

petty pedestrians: Five people were fined by Hexham magistrates’ for obstructing a footpath. A policeman said they had been chatting next to a shop window in Prudhoe for ten minutes, forcing pedestrians to step into the road.

100 YEARS AGO

strike off: A strike at West Wylam Colliery was averted when management agreed to give more household coal to workers – but the miners, still dissatisfied with the quality of the coal, were asking for help from Prudhoe and Mickley men.

land lent: A meeting at Haydon Bridge asked that the Lords of the Admiralty hand over a piece of land in the village to use as a recreation ground and war memorial site.

toilet trouble: A miner from West Wylam, whose idea of fun was to blow up a toilet, was fined 10s at Hexham Petty Sessions. The defendant admitted planting gelignite in the earth closet outbuilding in Prudhoe, dislodging several bricks and blowing out a three foot square door. The accused said he had done it as a joke.

125 YEARS AGO

Home please: The hopes of Hexham Conservatives were dashed after their election candidate announced that he would rather stay nearer his home and campaign in Berwick instead.

lords loss: Hexham’s Liberal MP, Miles McInnes, told a meeting that the House of Lords should eventually be replaced by a second chamber with no hereditary members.

150 YEARS AGO

water warning: Attention was paid to the dangerous and unprotected state of the banks of the little river which runs through Matfen. Residents warned there was a great danger of serious accidents happening to passers-by during dark nights, and it was recorded that several people had fallen into the water, though happily escaping with light injuries.

shutter shock: A serious accident occurred to an old woman in Hexham. While passing a nearby shop, a shutter was dashed against her by the wind, which had the effect of knocking her down with great violence.