A row has blown up after a council used money intended to help jobs blackspots to fund a horse show.

Blyth Valley Labour MP Ronnie Campbell (pictured) branded the summer event 'a weekend out for toffs'.

He strongly criticised Northumberland County Council - which is in the midst of making budget cuts totalling £40m over two years - for earmarking £80,000 to stage the high-profile equestrian event.

A new bridge will be built over the River Blyth as part of an ambitious £5m "active travel" project in Northumberland's most heavily-populated area.

The bridge will carry walkers and cyclists across the river under plans to create a major new network of green travel routes, cut car use and promote healthier lifestyles.

It will be built near Humford Mill as part of a £2.3m scheme to improve walking and cycling links between the towns of Bedlington and Cramlington. The new bridge is a key element of a revised package of sustainable travel initiatives, building on £1.35m of Big Lottery funding which was allocated to Northumberland in 2007.

A drink driver who rammed a car carrying a young family off the road after texting at the wheel has been banned from the roads.

Diane Douglas, of Mayfield Avenue in Cramlington, smashed into the back of a car on the A19 on August 9 last year while on the way back home from a party in a pub.

Despite her own car being heavily damaged in the incident, the 52-year-old then drove off with smoke coming out of the bonnet.

Members of Cramlington Community Forum are taking to Manor Walks Shopping Centre to ask local residents about their concerns.

The 'Talking about Cramlington' event will take place next Saturday, 13th February from 10am- 4pm.

People can post their views on display boards post-it' notes, covering topics such as learning, environment, health, transport, community issues and jobs.

The community forum are also looking for forum volunteers to help run the event in two-hour slots. Contact CVA Blyth Valley at info@cvabv.org.uk or 01670 353623 to let them know when you would be able to attend.

Parking fees levied on drivers visiting Northumberland towns has emerged as the hottest topic in the initial stages of a major review aimed at developing a county-wide parking strategy.

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.

She battled with cancer and now has a different fight on her hands.

Christine Stoker is fighting to find the crooks who ransacked her home and robbed her of £7,000.

Christine and her husband Kevin are taking the law into their own hands to trace the thugs that broke into their home in Thornley Avenue, Cramlington, and stole her children's Christmas presents and treasured jewellery.

Meet Flick the border collie - one seriously lucky pooch. The dog narrowly escaped death when a game of "fetch" left a foot-long wooden spike embedded inside her throat.

Leaping to catch the piece of wood thrown by her owner Gordon Smith from Bedlington, the pet tripped and all 13 inches were plunged deep into her neck.

Distraught Mr Smith, 73, came running to Flick's aid, but was at first mystified when the stick was nowhere to be seen.

Her nose was bleeding and she was crying and shaking, but the stick had sunk so deeply into her flesh that Mr Smith wasn't aware of just how serious her injury had become.

A mining company's bid to extend the working life of a massive opencast site in Northumberland will be unveiled to local people next week.

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.

Cramlington paralympian Stephen Miller is about to take on his most ambitious charity challenge yet. The triple gold medal-winning champion will attempt to take his club-throwing skills to a new level this month.

In an audacious feat held at Gateshead Stadium, Stephen plans to "throw a mile", meaning he will have to throw the club around once every minute to cover the distance.

The event will raise money for Comic Relief's Sport Relief charity, for whom Stephen recently became an ambassador.

Changes are being proposed at an opencast mine because coal is being extracted more quickly than expected.

Mining and development company the Banks Group is seeking permission to run dozens of extra lorries a day out of the Shotton site near Cramlington.

It also wants to extend the site's stocking area, because coal heaps are getting higher than screening mounds.