A tanning salon owner has been jailed after a teenager suffered horrific burns while using a sun bed. Ryan Sihra was given a 40-week prison sentence after admitting failing to carry out statutory age and safety checks at the business on Middlesbrough’s Linthorpe Road. The teenager later described her ordeal as ‘14Continue Reading

A pioneering approach to breaking the destructive cycle of children caught up in, or at risk of, crime that is being trialled in Middlesbrough should be adopted across the UK according to an influential national report. Over the last nine months Middlesbrough Council has partnered with national charity SHiFT toContinue Reading

Tees Valley residents are set to benefit from energy efficiency upgrades after nearly £14 million was awarded to a consortium involving Darlington, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton councils. The funding – totalling £13,953,865 – comes from the government’s new Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme, which could help up toContinue Reading

Members of the public are being invited to suggest issues they’d like Middlesbrough Council to investigate. The move is part of the Council’s wide-ranging Scrutiny process which puts topics affecting local people and the area they live in under the microscope. Subjects covered often relate to Council services, but topicsContinue Reading

One of Middlesbrough’s family favourite visitor attractions is back with a bang at the weekend. The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum (CCBM) re-opens on Saturday (April 12) with an  amazing line-up of Easter entertainment including a brand new ‘Living History’ event. Easter events at the CCBM from this weekend: Egg ScrambleContinue Reading

Spring cleaning’s well under way and gardens are starting to grow – but that’s no excuse for inconsiderate and illegal dumping. That’s the message from Middlesbrough Council chiefs as they sound a warning over the penalties faced by those caught fly-tipping. While some responsibly hire skips and workmen to helpContinue Reading

An installation of 675 roof mounted photovoltaic solar panels has commenced at Middlesbrough’s Rainbow Leisure Centre. The panels are funded via a grant of £459,400 from the second phase of Sport England’s £60 million Swimming Pool Support Fund. Leisure Energy was appointed by the Council as Principal Designer and Principal ContractorContinue Reading

State-of-the-art upgrades have been unveiled at one of Middlesbrough’s hugely popular community hubs as part of a major investment programme. The high-tech improvements at Thorntree Community Hub & Library mark the final phase of a three-year project made possible through the Libraries Improvement Fund. The Hub’s IT area has been completelyContinue Reading

Motorists are being warned of a brief period of disruption while essential works are carried out to a central Middlesbrough building. Temporary lane closures will be in place next week around the junction of Borough Road and Linthorpe Road while a survey and structural works are undertaken at The Crown.Continue Reading

Businesses have been warned they face tough action after a string of Middlesbrough stores illegally sold corrosive substances to a teenager. Retailers are being told to clean up their act after all those visited during a Trading Standards operation failed to carry out the required checks. One premises even askedContinue Reading

A MIDDLESBROUGH resident has praised a specialist team for preventing her from being admitted to a hospital and bringing care closer to her home.      Mavis Ann Connors, 88, was rushed to the emergency department at The James Cook University Hospital after having two falls within 24 hours and noticing aContinue Reading

A Middlesbrough Councillor is appealing for donations to help orphans in some of the poorest parts of the world. Councillor Joan McTigue has joined forces with fellow councillors for similar appeals in the past and is urging local people to give generously in her latest campaign. The charitable drive wasContinue Reading

A 23-year-old loan shark who preyed on vulnerable customers, charging ‘crippling interest’ and threatening them when they couldn’t pay has today been given a suspended jail sentence. Hakeem Suleman, of Eastbourne Road, Middlesbrough, admitted illegal money lending and money laundering between October 2019 and May 2023, when he was arrestedContinue Reading

Tributes have been paid this week following the death of a popular and long-serving former Middlesbrough Councillor at the age of 82. Geraldine Purvis represented the town’s Brambles & Thorntree ward between 2011 and 2023. During her time on the Council Geraldine served on a number of committees and scrutinyContinue Reading

Nicky Francis, 48, a fitness manager at Middlesbrough’s Neptune Centre is taking on the national Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Breast Cancer Now. She will be joining an East Region team of colleagues and partner suppliers from award-winning operator Everyone Active  – the company which manages leisure centres forContinue Reading

Teesside councils are pledging to intensify efforts against negligent landlords after concerns emerged over the low number of prosecutions for housing safety breaches in recent years. Data obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by Public Interest Lawyers revealed that between 2019/20 and 2023/24, only one landlord was prosecuted inContinue Reading

A problem property at the centre of drug dealing and other crime on a Middlesbrough estate has been shut down. The bad behaviour associated with the home on Dunsley Close has caused misery for those living in Berwick Hills in recent months. But after hard work from the Council’s EastContinue Reading

Two alleyway dumpers who fly-tipped in central Middlesbrough have been hit with court fines. Furniture was dumped in separate cases at Portman Street and Wicklow Street, investigations by Middlesbrough Council’s Environmental Neighbourhood Safety Team found. After a report that mattresses and other furniture had been left in an alleyway atContinue Reading

A 31-year-old Middlesbrough man, identified as Mr. X, has been left without essential care for over eight weeks after a sudden decision by Middlesbrough Social Services to halt his support. The decision, which came without prior notice, has left Mr. X—who suffers from multiple chronic health issues—in a vulnerable andContinue Reading

CCTV is to be installed at a row of shops after council wardens were “attacked by thugs wielding sticks”. The incident took place earlier in the year when staff visited Spencer Beck shops, off Allendale Road, in Ormesby near Middlesbrough. Conservative Curt Pugh, who sits on Redcar and Cleveland BoroughContinue Reading

The cost of in-home care has become a contentious issue in the North East, with residents in Middlesbrough and Darlington facing vastly different financial demands for similar services. The disparity has raised questions about fairness and the financial pressures placed on vulnerable individuals. In Middlesbrough, a 23-year-old receiving essential in-homeContinue Reading

 group of primary schools across Teesside, Hartlepool and County Durham have teamed up with UNISONto acknowledge the fantastic work undertaken by school support staff. ‘Stars in our Schools’ is an annual UK-wide celebration, co-ordinated by UNISON, to recognise the invaluable contribution by the likes of teaching assistants, catering and adminContinue Reading