ACTION to increase the number of intensive care beds for critically ill children was today blasted as "too little, too late" by a grieving East Lancashire mum. Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell today announced plans to provide 37 extra paediatric beds
NEIGHBOURS were shocked today after a bizarre double death in a quiet Burnley cul-de-sac. Brian Booth, 62, collapsed at his home in Somerford Close last night with a suspected heart attack and after telephoning for an ambulance his wife Marjorie ran to
A UNIVERSITY was today signing a five-year contract to carry out research with Russia - thanks to a freak snowstorm. The unique partnership was formed when student Fred Harris, of Bradda Road, Blackburn, ended up sharing a room with two Russians while
ARTIST Anthony Collins is hoping his paintings will persuade people to sign a petition to preserve St James Spire and the Peace Gardens in Burnley. Together with Sylvia Carthy, both of the Brunshaw area, Anthony has already collected more than 1,000 signatures
HEAD teachers today cranked up the controversy in education over class sizes, unveiling research findings at their annual conference that large numbers in the classroom do have a bad impact on standards. Most would agree. Plain logic says that the more
OF THE government's plan to curb the shortage of intensive care beds for critically ill children, too little, too late, is the verdict today of a bereaved East Lancashire mother whose 21-month-old sick son had to travel all the away to Stoke on Trent
HORRIFIED residents watched as a man armed with a baseball bat went on wrecking spree in an Accrington street last night. Police were called to a disturbance in Higher Antley Street, near Willows Lane, at around 8.30pm. The front door and window of a
BLACKBURN Rovers will carry the name of CIS on their new-look shirts next season, after chairman Robert Coar unveiled a multi-million pound four-year sponsorship deal at Ewood today. CIS (Co-operative Insurance Society), who are also involved with Rugby
ENGINEERING firms across East Lancashire have been challenged to bid for a part in the Eurofighter project. Companies keen to have a slice of the action, the biggest defence project in the country, have been asked to come forward with proposals to supply
READERS with strong views on adoption and the social workers involved now have a chance to air their thoughts - and be heard. This is because the long-awaited draft Bill covering adoption in this country and from abroad has recently been released by the
FIRMS are being urged to sell their wares - by joining in the fun of the 1996 Scanner Day. The fund-raising extravaganza on June 8 is promising to be one of the biggest charity events ever in East Lancashire. Organisers are hoping the Blackburn town centre
HOMEOWNERS will get help to replace lead water pipes thanks to a pilot scheme by Blackburn Council and North West Water. The scheme, which offers people in Blackburn and Darwen interest-free loans to carry out replacement work, was launched by the borough's
I FIRMLY reject the pitiful excuses given by Barbara Davies, of the Research Defence Society, for using animals in medical research (Letters, May 4). Out of all the millions of experiments performed on animals, some useful knowledge has been gained, but
A LIFE-SAVING firearms amnesty has been welcomed by Hyndburn police chief Superintendent Malcolm Rawcliffe. The month-long amnesty begins next Monday and members of the public are being encouraged to surrender weapons and ammunition at Accrington and
IREAD with some astonishment about the election of the new Mayor of Hyndburn, not, I hasten to add, because of his Pakistani origin, but because he and his advisers decided to fly the flag of Pakistan over a British civic building. Coun Mirza Yousaf emphasises
HAS Terry Venables blundered - big time? That may well be the view of many football fans around the country, as the build-up to the European Championship finals gathers momentum. The England coach omitted Blackburn Rovers winger Jason Wilcox from his
IWAS upset by the tone of the article 'Protest over mayor's flag,' (LET, May 23). I feel a certain amount of shame because of the attitude of the council tax payer of Willows Lane, Accrington. It is not disgraceful to fly the flag of the mayor's country
EAST Lancashire pub and club 'bandit' company AFM Leisure was taken over in a big money deal. Leeds-based Music Hire Group was rumoured to have paid about £2 million for the AFM operations, centred in Aqueduct Road, Blackburn. The deal was to slot together
A DROUGHT warning was issued today as Lancashire headed for the driest May in more than 100 years. With only two days until June, the area was poised for its driest May since records began, with less than half an inch of rain. The May average is 65mm
PADIHAM skipper Pankaj Tripathi is serving a shock two-game ban. The double suspension was served up by the Vaux Ribblesdale League after they were alerted following comments by Tripathi to a local newspaper about the umpires in Padiham's opening fixture
LANCASHIRE were playing for a money-spinning Roses semi-final showdown today. They resumed their bid to score 159 to beat Gloucestershire in the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter final at Old Trafford, which suffered three blows late last night, in the knowledge
SO the Union Flag is to be allowed to fly alongside the flag of Pakistan on Accrington Town Hall to celebrate the inauguration of Hyndburn's first Asian mayor. No doubt our own national flag will have been dragged out of the mothballs and flown in order
A FRANTIC mother today told of her fear that missing 11-year-old Daniel Sharples could have fallen into the hands of a child molester. Mother Jacqueline, who is eight and a half months pregnant, spoke of her worst nightmare: "I have been told that he
BURNLEY chief Adrian Heath has warned his out-of-contact stars: "Sign on the dotted line or find another club." Heath returned from the Netherlands last night following the Uitgeest International youth tournament and was straight back to business today
THE challenge of renovating the Blackburn YMCA building is all in a day's work for the new general secretary Peter Crossley. Peter, 28, who lives in Lancaster, has been working with the association for ten years since graduating from St Martin's College
