An engine which may have powered a wartime escape mission from Norway to Holy Island has turned up in a Northumberland back garden.

Last month, The Journal told the story of five men who sailed across the North sea in 1941, in a bid to flee the German occupation of their country and join the war effort here.

The amazing journey of Sven Moe and his four accomplices took place in an open boat powered by a single engine.

A family of five escaped in the nick of time from a blaze which could have killed them.

Smoke was building up in the upstairs of a terraced house in Lambs Terrace, Amble, when dad-of-three Richard North, 44, was alerted just before 5am on Friday.

He helped his wife Roz, 44, and children James, 15, Callum, 12, and 11-year-old Natasha to safety and then dragged a burning mattress out of the house in to the front garden.

A presentation on plans to revamp the region's hospitals takes place in Northumberland next week.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is proposing a new specialist emergency care hospital near Cramlington for people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside, improvements to Wansbeck and North Tyneside general hospitals and rebuilding community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle.

A presentation on the plans takes place at a meeting of Warkworth Parish Council on Thursday, June 4 at 6.30pm in the Memorial Hall on Castle Street.

Willington Quay Saints passed up the chance to replace Forest Hall in fourth spot of the Re-Max Northern Alliance Second Division and finished fifth after losing 4-2 at Amble.

Amble, who have struggled for most of this campaign, have ended with a successful run and saw off the Saints with goals by Adam Shanks (hat-trick) and Connor Miller. Willington's scorers were player-manager Trevor Ford and David Smith.

Champions Amble United, eight points clear, and runners-up South Shields United earlier secured the promotion places in the Division.

After dragging themselves out of the Northumberland League relegation zone, Doug Potts (pictured) has told his Warkworth side to bat with more venom.

Grabbing just their second win of the season in six attempts against Kirkley on Saturday, Warkworth captain Potts said his side must sustain their bowling efforts but build on lacklustre batting.

Lynemouth are Morpeth Sunday League Division One champions, but runners-up Traveller's Rest, Choppington closed their league campaign with a point as Amble Pier 81 held them to a 3-3 draw. Chris Glass, Darren Riddell and Josh Hay netted for Pier 81, with Mark Miller, David John Kilpatrick and Stephen Young scoring for the Lewin Cup holders.

Red Row Brick Club bounced back from their defeat in the Lewin Cup final last week to beat Stobhill Social Club 4-1. Ronnie Warwick bagged a hat-trick and Stuart Dunn also scored. Ashley McAlpine replied for Stobhill.

The final reckoning for the Morpeth Sunday League Division Two table will have to wait until next week after Blackthorn Rovers v East Chevington was postponed until next Sunday.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs were seized in a year-long crackdown by police vying to rid rural Northumberland communities of drug barons.

The Journal can today reveal the scale of the drug problem that plagues the county's isolated countryside, with a massive haul of drugs confiscated by police specialists.

Earlier this year a top judge said drug dealing gangs were targeting rural villages in sophisticated cannabis production operations.

The game of musical chairs at the top of the SG Wealth Management Northumberland League continued with Alnmouth & Lesbury regaining top spot.

Alnmouth were almost back to full strength for their trip to Bates Cottages, and they certainly had too much power for their hosts even though Michael Fenwick hit a defiant 64, including nine fours and one six, when the Cottagers took first knock.

Bosses at Northumberland's new super council are being recommended to stick with its controversial 0845 single telephone number.

County hall chiefs have been urged by campaigners both locally and nationally to change the 0845 6006400 number, which has been provided since April 1 for all people who need to contact the unitary authority.

Rubbish police could confiscate bins if householders fill them with the wrong items.

Northumberland County Council hopes to crack down on contamination in recycling wheelie bins using hard-line tactics.

Householders who repeatedly ignore warnings to stop throwing waste food, nappies or dirty items into the bin which is supposed to be for dry, clean, recyclable materials, will have their bin confiscated.