Candidates for the Northumberland Youth Parliament are in their final days of canvassing for the election which is being supervised by the democratic services team at Northumberland County Council.

The results will be announced at County Hall, in Morpeth, on Thursday, and council chief executive Steve Stewart, will act as returning officer.

He said: "This is a great opportunity for young people to get a taste of local democracy and understand how the process works.

"I'd like to wish all the candidates the very best of luck and I look forward to congratulating the winners on the day of the count."

The driver of the car slammed into the back of an ambulance and then hit a fire station car, a police vehicle and a fire engine.

The multiple accident happened on the A1 near Clifton, Morpeth when emergency crews from all three services were attending a road accident involving three cars which had left the road. Paramedics had just placed a patient from the earlier accident into the back of their vehicle when the car slammed into them.

They are being were urged to ignore celebrity chefs and keep the invasive American signal crayfish off the menu.

An American 'signal' crayfish, right, and a native British crayfish

The River Wansbeck in Northumberland is one of the last strongholds of native white-clawed crayfish in England.

A progress report on the review reveals hundreds of people have made their views known on whether parking fees should be imposed across the whole county - rather than just in selected towns.

More than 560 people have signed three separate petitions calling for an equal policy across the board, with charges being made in all principal towns.

Previous issues of the Golden Guide have gone down so well with the over-50s that there was a waiting list for the latest 5,000-copy print run.

The free booklet, which is produced by community information specialists Clever Clogs Publishing in partnership with Age Concern Northumberland, the county council and care trust, has also been given a new design.

An initial six-week pilot Friday market was held in Morpeth in October and November last year, prompting anger from councillors in neighbouring Blyth who claimed it would harm trade at that town's established market on the same day.

Now county council bosses are launching a second trial, which will be carefully monitored before a decision is made on whether Morpeth will have both a Wednesday and Friday market.

County Hall officials say a second trial is needed during the quieter months.

The plan, which will set out to drive changes and secure growth in the local economy, is being drawn up by the county council and its partners.

The Northumberland Economic Strategy sets out current key economic factors and identifies various trends that will lead to changes in the economy.

The Banks Group wants to extract an additional two million tonnes of coal from the 750-acre Shotton mine west of Cramlington - which was given the green light by the Government despite strong local opposition.

The latest plans, which would extend the life of the site by two years, will go on display at three public exhibitions.

We are running two presentations at 11.30am and 1.30pm, followed by the opportunity to discuss, with our experienced staff, the job vacancies and career prospects in further detail.

For further information on our Recruitment Fair and our other opportunities available or for an application pack call the HR & Training Team on 0845 140 00 88.

The money from the Department for Transport has been proposed for upgrades at Belford, Morpeth, Cramlington and Alnmouth stations.

The proposals would create improved junction access at Morpeth railway station, allowing buses to stop and fully integrate with the rail interchange. Work could start as early as March 2010 if the scheme is approved.

The Liberal Democrat MP was revealed to have claimed expenses for cleaning his home, laundry, a new television and kitchen equipment when the furore over expenses broke.

He was also listed as claiming around £1,200 a month in rent on average.

The company has joined forces with CWP Property Development and Investment in a bid for the Dark Lane site in Low Stanners, Morpeth, to create 355 parking spaces.

The facility would also link to a park-and-ride service at its proposed Stobhill store.

But town centre developer Mark Dransfield, who created the £35m Sanderson Arcade, has already pinpointed the site for a supermarket and car parking.

The bidding war for the 1.3 hectare plot between Sainsbury's and Dransfield will now be decided after Northumberland County Council has held interviews with interested parties on February 11.

Officers are using bluetooth technology to send reminders about local policing meetings and information about what officers are doing to tackle local concerns and how people can contact their local policing team.

Neighbourhood Sgt Dave Simpson said: "This Bluetooth messaging is just another way of letting everybody know what is happening in their area and informing the public about what is being done about their concerns.

BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time recorded a session in Stannington as guests of the Hardy Plant Society's North East group.

Show chairman Eric Robson and panellists Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Biggs were able to solve a range of gardening queries, covering issues about plants, flowers and vegetables.

Anne Wood, of the Hardy Plant Society's North East group, invited the programme and was one of the 13-strong team to organise the event.

University professor Michael Kehoe was in the dock for the second time on the charges.

Kehoe, of Morpeth, is facing five charges of making indecent photographs, or pseudo-photographs of a child.