Source: The Journal

THOUSANDS of pounds worth of caravans were seized and a man arrested after organised crime gangs were targeted in a police raid.

A team of 25 officers swooped on the village of Woodstone, Fence Houses, with the aim to break the stolen caravan chain operating in and around Durham.

Police entered two caravan park compounds, targeting people believed to be involved in buying and selling stolen goods, including cars, caravans and motor homes.

A convoy of nine police vehicles drove through the village before reaching Leisure Caravans in Woodstone.

A man was arrested on suspicion of theft and money laundering and two caravans, worth up to £10,000, were taken away for investigation.

The keys of a Mercedes, worth around £70,000, was seized and the car taken away for analysis. Police began searching 600 caravans in storage on the site.

The alleged thief was identified by members of the public.

He was yesterday being questioned on suspicion of stealing caravans and money laundering.

Last night police had successfully searched and recorded the chassis numbers of 300 caravans but still had another 300 to check.
Details of the vehicles were sent to CRIS – a Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme which checks if a caravan has outstanding finance, is written off or stolen.

The raid was organised as part of Operation Tweed, within Operation Sledgehammer, a campaign which aims to crack organised crime groups in and around Durham.

And officers were hoping that the operation yesterday will have increased the public’s confidence in the police and helped to break up the sale of stolen goods.

Neighbourhood Inspector Paul Anderson, of Durham Constabulary, said: “We have got a few organised crime groups in Durham City. They are groups of people who carry out unlawful activity to make money.

“But as a result of community information we were able to organise the operation.

“I can assure members of the public that we act upon all information and that every little bit helps. It may just be the final piece of a jigsaw or open other avenues for us to investigate.

“If people do have any further information then I would urge them to get in touch and we will act upon it.

“The message I want to get out to criminals is that if you carry out unlawful activity, we will target you.”

Leaflets were distributed in nearby areas to inform people about the raid. And now Chief Inspector Colin Williamson is urging the public to report anybody they suspect to be involved in the black market.

He said: “Today is not just about trying to crack down on crime but it about reassuring the public that we do act on the information we receive.

“It’s about making a positive impact on the community.

“We want to tell people after we received information this is what we do about it.

“We also plan to tell the community what we are doing.”

Images taken at Joe’s Pond on 25 May 2010.

Durham Wildlife Trust

Saturday 5th June 2010 11am – 4pm

Free Admission

Learn about wildlife and have fun, with displays and activities for all ages, including rare breed livestock, birds of prey display, conservation exhibits, face painting, tradition crafts, live music and daning, refershments and much more. FREE – no booking requried. Some activites may charge.

 

For further information call Cheryl Nicholson on 0191 512 8948

 

Event information may be subject to change or cancellation, please check before travelling. Sunderland City Council makes every effort to maintain the accuracy of the information on this website but cannot accept responsibility for any error or alteration to details which may occur.

  

Here are some spectacular images from Fence House, taken on the 7th of January 2010.

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FINDING yourself one on one in a cage with someone who wants to cause you severe pain would be most people’s worst nightmare.

But in that cage – and with that someone – is where arguably the North East’s most successful martial artist feels most at home.

Four months ago, Ross Pearson swept all before him in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s “Ultimate Fighter” event in Las Vegas, to earn a six-figure UFC contract.

Today, though, he is loosening up for a day’s training in a chilly, no-frills gym in his native Sunderland which more than lives up to its name: Spartan.

The surroundings also bear out Ross Pearson’s nickname. Never mind the glitz and gloss of Vegas, this guy really is the “Real Deal”.

At 25, Pearson is a relatively young fighter in UFC terms, but he came of age in winning the ninth series of The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas in June, overcoming fellow Brit Andre Winner in the final.

Having started fighting at the tender age of six when his mam took him to Taekwondo lessons, he has never looked back.

So much so that Pearson is one of the biggest names of the fastest growing martial arts sport in the world – if not the biggest physically.

For while the Fencehouses lad may pack a punch, he is officially a lightweight in the ultra-competitive, fast-growing world of UFC.

And, having cracked America, he is understandably delighted with his progress.

“To get into the UFC was a dream alone but to win The Ultimate Fighter, as prestigious as what it is, was massive for me. It was an awesome feeling to fight on a live stage in Las Vegas and a dream come true for me. Vegas is the fight capital of the world and to fight there is amazing.”

Pearson, who was an amateur boxer throughout his teens in Sunderland, became only the second Brit in the history of The Ultimate Fighter to be crowned champion and to earn the lucrative UFC deal.

The Wearside scrapper first started mixed martial arts as an 18-year-old and his dedication and desire for success has seen him reach great heights at such an early stage in his career.

After turning professional in December 2004, Pearson has claimed victory in nine of his 12 competitive fights, two of which were by knock-outs.

And Pearson currently finds himself in an intense training programme back in his home town as preparation for his next fight against American brawler Aaron Riley in Manchester on Saturday, November 14.

Riley has a wealth of experience, with 40 competitive fights under his belt, and Pearson knows he will have to be at his best to win what he describes as “the toughest fight of my career”.

“Aaron Riley is a tough competitor and is known for being able to take a beating and still come back and win. He gets in there and makes it messy and on paper it’s a very tough fight,” he added.

Pearson is putting all his efforts into November’s clash, training five hours a day, six days a week.

And although victory is his main focus, he also wants to show the fighting world exactly what he is capable of.

“I’m looking to win this fight and win this fight impressively. I’m just starting my career in UFC and I’m looking to improve and impress,” he said.

Victory would complete a fantastic year for Pearson, but he is keeping his feet on the ground, wanting to be a role model for younger kids and encouraging young fighters to stick in and follow their dreams.

“I feel like a bit of an inspiration to younger kids, and if you’ve got a dream go ahead and follow it. I just found something that I love doing and stuck at it.”

Catch Ross Pearson at UFC 105 at Manchester’s MEN Arena on 14^th November.

Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk or watch it live on ESPN from 8pm.

http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport

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The upnorthcombine.com has provided a free service to many of its users since 2002. As time has past measures for a new and better up-to-date system was needed as the old system became rather slow and impractical. However there release of their new and improved online portal has generated a new interest along with developers working around the clock creating new and exciting features for their users, such as custom designed programs and interactive tool bars. The website is aimed at the heart of the every fanciers needs within the community, therefore there online forum is an online discussion group, in which participants with common interests (i.e. assessment) can exchange open messages. Think of a forum as a web-based listserv, where you can post an inquiry and your peers can post responses in a threadlike fashion.

Enter the Forum

Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre is situated adjacent to Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate in Houghton-le-Spring and is Durham Wildlife Trust’s headquarters.

The Visitor Centre at Rainton Meadows offers a shop, café, informative displays, a classroom, conference room and a viewing station where visitors can spend time watching birds feeding in the winter months.There is also a Wildlife Garden with spring and summer meadows and examples of what can be done to attract wildlife to your own garden.

The Nature Reserve is a haven for wildlife and has a variety of habitats including grassland, scrub, mature woodland and ponds. Mute swan, skylark, short-eared owl, brown hare, lapwing and many types of wildfowl are regularly seen at the site.

Within Rainton Meadows is a 4 hectare Site of Specific Scientific Interest known as Joe’s Pond. A haven for bird watching, the hawthorn and willow scrub surrounding the Pond provides shelter for over 140 species of birds. Fox and roe deer can also be seen around the Pond.A series of events are hosted here throughout the year, details of which can be found on our events page, or in the visitor centres.

Rainton Meadows and Joe’s Pond can be found by following the brown signs from the A690 between Durham and Sunderland. By bus, the services 222 and 220 regularly leave Park Lane in Sunderland, or the bus station in Durham and set down at the nearby Mill Inn. There’s a short walk under the A690 continuing until you reach the last roundabout of the industrial estate. The entrance to the Reserve is called Mallard Way.

Contact us on 0191 584 3112 for more details

With thanks to  Mervtheswerve’s Photos from Fliker.

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