Gavin Ledwith

St Aidan’s Catholic Academy in Sunderland reported strong GCSE results, with 57% of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in both English and mathematics and 79% achieving grade 4 or above. Both figures exceeded national averages. Pupils also received 78 grade 9s across subjects, including 14 each in English, religious studies and mathematics, and 12 in history.

Hetton Academy has reported a strong year-on-year improvement in its GCSE results, with 80.3% of students achieving a pass in English and maths. Principal Vicky Pinkney and senior executive principal Andrew Murphy praised students and staff for their hard work, while thanking parents and carers for their support.

Neil Cook, 46, was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to three years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to setting three fires at a house in Murton following a dispute with the homeowner over a car. No one was inside, but the property was rendered uninhabitable and neighbouring homes were affected. Police linked Cook to the crime through data from his electronic tag and CCTV showing the vehicle used to travel to the scene. He was also charged with burglary, which he denied; that charge remains on his file.

Sean Forster, a 38-year-old father from Peterlee, died after his Yamaha 600cc motorcycle collided on the A167 near Ferryhill on August 5. His family paid tribute to him as a devoted dad and said he had been happiest since joining the biking community. A female passenger in her 20s suffered life-changing injuries and remains stable at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. Durham Constabulary is appealing for witnesses and footage of the motorcycle before the collision.

The Sunderland Echo reports on seven defendants who received suspended custodial sentences in the first week of August, with cases largely heard at Newcastle Crown Court. The visible section covers Scott Baines, sentenced for causing serious injury by dangerous driving; Ryan Cannon, sentenced for repeatedly breaching an interim sexual risk order; Peter Greenhalgh, sentenced for dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance after injuring a child passenger; and Lincoln Hudson, sentenced for his role in an attack at Sunderland’s Park Lane interchange. Their sentences included rehabilitation requirements, unpaid work, driving bans and community orders.

B&M’s store at Hylton Riverside Retail Park in Sunderland will close on August 17, 2026, for a refurbishment and reopen at 8am on August 22. The retailer says the enlarged and improved shop will offer a wider range of groceries, health and beauty products, homeware, electricals, DIY supplies, toys, games and gifts, following customer feedback requesting a bigger store with more products.