A MOUNTAINEER who spotted a thief climbing into his van has offered a £100 reward for the return of stolen gear. Mike Pringle left his van parked in the Barton Street car park, Blackburn, on Saturday and returned at 2.15pm to find a thief rummaging in
SHOPPERS at Colne market hall could win £25 with their most unusual photographs of other markets from across the world. "We thought it would be interesting to see what other markets look like," said market hall manager Ian Varley. "It may also be useful
A GANG of armed robbers fired at least one shot and forced terrified shoppers to run for cover before escaping with a large amount of cash from a busy supermarket. Rawtenstall Asda on Bocholt Way was packed with customers when four or five masked men
COUNCIL chiefs have virtually no cash to meet the estimated £1.4 million cost of tackling Pendle's sinking back streets, it was revealed today. And councillors have been told that the local authority cannot legally carry out the work even if it had the
THE Bishop of Burnley found himself on the same wavelength as an Islamic centre when his microphone picked up Muslim chants during a confirmation service. The Rt Rev Martyn Jarrett was confirming youngsters at St Silas Church, Blackburn, when the public
WATER and sewerage bills could rise by more than a third over the next five years unless the pace of environmental improvements is slowed down. Water industry regulator Ofwat's North West Customer Service Committee has written to the Director of Water
BURNLEY plan to follow the off-field blueprint for success displayed by Bradford City and Watford in the hope of following them into the Premiership. Watford have long held the tradition of being a buoyant family club, while Bradford have made massive
FIREFIGHTERS have blasted vandals who put a woman's life at risk after starting two fires on a Blackburn estate. The arsonists set fire to a wheelie bin and left it outside the front door of the pensioner's home in the early hours. The resident of the
Accrington Camera Club meet Rishton Prime Centre, 7.45pm. 'Definitely Not Digital (or dinosaurs are not extinct, not in Accrington)' by Alf Hoole. 'The Great Universe' - a lecture by Patrick Moore, Burnley Mechanics, 7.30pm. Jazz Evening, Holden Arms,
FURIOUS residents have called for a public meeting over plans to rehouse patients from a medium secure unit just half a mile from their homes. The neighbours in Mitton Road, Whalley, fear they may be at risk from plans to move the 12 patients from the
MAJOR multi-million-pound plans to take Blackburn into the 21st century were set to go ahead. A blueprint which would free 16 acres of prime development land in the Blackburn station and Boulevard area was about to come off the drawing board. British
NICK Dougherty has been named as the captain of the England Boys team who began the defence of their World Boys Team title in Japan today. The 17-year-old Shaw Hill ace played a starring role at the championships at Asahi Kokusai Toyjo Golf and Country
NOXIOUS racists are suspected of trying to stir up trouble over the plan to turn the former Park Lee Hospital in Blackburn into an Islamic school. But though the anonymous leaflets they distributed led to nearby householders turning up at a public meeting
GARY Lacy could be set for a Lancashire recall after winning the latest event on the Mitsushiba Northern Order of Merit. The Ashton-in-Makerfield ace hasn't featured on the county scene for the last three years. But he gave selectors a timely nudge by
IT WAS something of a shock for Pendle Forest star rider Graham Waddington, of Briercliffe, when he was beaten for the first time in two years in his own club's regular weekly time trial. In the hilly 11-mile event based on Thornton-in-Craven and Barnoldswick
THE two homes for the elderly in Blackburn which were closed by the council have had cash spent on them for the Kosovo refugees. On one, there is a sign still on the wall saying "Laneside HFE." Does that mean that when the refugees go home, they will
THE Ladies National 25-mile championship was held in Lancashire on Sunday morning on a course between Preston, Rufford and Southport. Winner of the British title was three-times previous title holder (1995-1997) Yvonne McGregor of Yorkshire with the excellent
LANCASHIRE were scrapping for survival at the Oval today after a late, late show by England opener Mark Butcher. Six more wickets for Muttiah Muralitharan, and an opening stand of 95 between Mike Atherton and Mark Chilton, had almost undone the damage
THE point which Mrs Sylvia Noble (Letters, May 20) makes about abortion is valid. Abortion in humans is technically a relatively simple process because there is usually a single foetus and pregnancy is diagnosed early. In animals, this is rarely the case
ANDY Samuels won the Lancashire Evening Telegraph sponsored Harold Ryden Trophy for the second time at Burnley Golf Club last night - and then admitted it was all down to his caddie. Had David Wilson not three-putted on the 18th green in Saturday's qualifying
PARENTS whose children will attend Burnley Hargher Clough Junior School got a chance to look round the premises. They also talked to headteacher Peter Booth about the future of primary schools in the borough which has been under discussion because of
I WRITE with indignation after reading Roy Davies' remarks (Letters, June 7) regarding Darwen's Petticoat Lane Market. I myself, with the help of a friend, had a stall at the event which raised £338 for a local football club (New Gardeners FC) and wish
RENT arrears owed by council tenants in Burnley at the end of the financial year were about 40 per cent up on a year ago. But the figure of £530,575 may not be an accurate position, councillors were told. Head of housing management Margaret Duthie said
NORMALLY (predictably), I take exception to John Blunt's ramblings but now it is your turn! In your editorial (LET, June 3) you focus on teachers and performance-related pay. As a retired teacher, I object to the facile comparison with other workers.
AN 18-year-old youth took umbrage when police, called to a disturbance, told him he was not old enough to drink and threatened to arrest him. Carl Stoiles, who had been carrying a can of beer, was abusive, carried on swearing despite being warned and
"A WOMAN was savagely attacked early today close to where a series of assaults have taken place. Several women have been attacked in the Padiham Road area of Burnley in recent weeks and in one incident a teenager was raped. The latest attack happened
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Brian Kidd should get his wish for a fully fit squad to start the new season as the club's walking wounded forego a summer break in search of a return to the fray. Jeff Kenna, Billy McKinlay, Christian Dailly, Garry Flitcroft and
PRIVATE cash will be used to build a new state of the art fire station in East Lancashire for the new millennium. The station will be built on Hyndburn Road to replace the existing base on Manchester Road, Accrington, which would be closed down. It will
VOLUNTEERS at a nature reserve can now be warm while they work! Gaskell Textiles of Accrington has donated bodywarmers and pitchforks for workers at the Foxhill Bank nature reserve in Oswaldtwistle. The 14-acre woodland is run by the Lancashire Wildlife
THE generosity of local people and businesses in helping keep a special school's minibus on the road was recognised at a presentation ceremony at the school. Pupils at Townhouse School, Nelson, which helps youngsters aged between five and 19 who have
A NELSON and Colne College student was almost lost for words after picking up third prize in the Lancashire Languages for Tourism awards. Gina Smith, along with fellow first round winners Yvonne Calvey and Thomas Broomhead, is studying languages as part
CHEMISTRY students from Nelson and Colne College have received a trophy after winning a place in the national finals of a schools competition. First year chemistry students Helene Duerden, Rebecca Taylor and Mark Turner, all 17, took top spot in the North
WACKY Pendle popsters The Rubbish will have one ear firmly glued to the radio today as they wait to hear if their music will receive national airplay. For the five-piece band from Nelson, whose catchy tunes have built them a solid local following, have
GUIDE Caroline Dean is the proud owner of the movement's highest award for young members. The 20-year-old student is the first Darwen recipient of the Queen's Guide Award badge which was presented during a special service at St Cuthbert's Church, Darwen
A GANG of armed robbers fired at least one shot and forced terrified shoppers to run for cover before escaping with a large amount of cash from a busy supermarket. Rawtenstall Asda on Bocholt Way was packed with customers when four or five masked men
BENEFIT claimants in Blackburn and Darwen are being promised a better service from the council in future. Computers are being upgraded to ensure that claims are processed more quickly and efficiently. Preparation work has already started and when the
SHADOW minister Cheryl Gillan came to Blackburn to meet members of the town's Asian community. Mrs Gillan was met by local Conservative officials before she was taken to the home of Coun Abdul Bhikha in Balaclava Street. Coun Bhikha became the first ever
YOUNG bookworms from Blackburn have received certificates from the reading club which promises to make books fun for children. Megan Dawson, Ryan Dullenty, Colette Jukes and Rachel Jackson were the first children to reach their reading targets at the
GOD save the Queen from further rage. The old girl has had me expectorating plumage on two occasions this week. First. Sir Alex Ferguson. You would have thought one Fergie had been enough for her to associate with. My understanding is that knighthoods
A HOME care boss who went to comfort a bereaved friend drove home after drinking four glasses of home brewed beer. Anne Faith Mulligan, 45, was seen weaving across the road by an off-duty police officer and was two and a half times the legal limit when
A WIDOW who found a miniature diary wants to return it to its owner, 20 years after she first discovered it. Violet Godwin (nee Almond) of Ambleside Close, Blackburn, found the diary in a drawer at her late mother's house in Daisy Street, Blackburn, in
COUNCIL tenants in Blackburn and Darwen will be asked to vote on whether they want their homes to remain town hall-run. Housing chiefs look set to hold a poll to give residents the chance to choose between retaining the council as landlord or opting for
RACIST outsiders have been accused of hijacking a residents' meeting to stir up trouble over a planned Islamic school. Concerned Councillor Ashley Whalley said anonymous leaflets were given out in the Higher Croft area of Blackburn telling residents that
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Brian Kidd should get his wish for a fully fit squad to start the new season as the club's walking wounded forego a summer break in search of a return to the fray. Jeff Kenna, Billy McKinlay, Christian Dailly, Garry Flitcroft and
WILLIAM Hague has climbed down and offered Nigel Evans a better job after the Ribble Valley MP quit the Tory front bench over not being put into the Shadow Cabinet. Mr Evans told his party leader that he was quitting the front bench because he had not
YOUNG entrepreneurs have won the North West final of a business competition after producing a board game that netted a huge dividend for shareholders. The Paragon Young Enterprise team from Ribblesdale High School, Clitheroe, devised the game Witchways
Valerie Cowan Surfs the Net FANS of the hit American fantasy series Buffy the Vampire Slayer turned to the internet when TV executives made a last-minute decision to pull the final episode of the current series. Due to be shown on US TV networks last
A VILLAGE schoolmaster left a secret fortune to his friends and family. Former headmaster Joseph Walker, 84, left almost £1 million to be shared out between 30 people. His secret wealth was amassed through selling stocks and shares. Mr Walker and his
GED Furey finished joint 12th with a four-round total of 288 in the Glenmuir Club Professional Championship at King's Lynn, Norfolk. The Pleasington pro fired rounds of 72 and 70 to make the cut, before two further scores of 74 and 72 earned him a share
THERE'S no doubt that, with its record of inflation-busting charges, North West Water's bills are not the family favourite - and that the prospect we see today of them going up by a third more over the next five years will be greeted by more groans. But
I AGREE wholeheartedly with Mrs H Hamer (Letters, June 1) about the disgusting filth humans spit out. Dogs can't help it while filthy humans know what they are doing. I'd sooner see dog foul any day instead of that filth. MRS M MORRIS, Borough Road, Darwen
ANDY Samuels embraced his mother, Meriel, on the 18th green after clinching the Harold Ryden Trophy at Burnley Golf Club last night. The 43-year-old Burnley member won the Lancashire Evening Telegraph-sponsored title for the second time after a titanic
BURNLEY and Pendle hospices have joined forces for the second annual Sunflower Stroll on Saturday. The Rossendale walk leaves from Bacup Leisure Hall at 1.30pm and follows the Irwell Valley to Burnley, stopping for refreshments at the Deerplay before
THE North Lancashire Road Club claimed their best team win this year on Sunday morning when three of their members all produced 58-minute rides to easily take the award in the Preston Wheelers 25-mile time trial at Garstang. Held in reasonable weather
IN reply to the reader who wrote (Letters, June 9) regarding the reporting of an unlicensed vehicle to the police and no action being taken, I can beat that. I reported a driver for having no road tax since November last year, and he is still driving
CLAIMS that drug users and dealers were deliberately re-housed on neighbouring housing estates in Burnley have been denied. Barclay Hills, Griffin and Holmestrand tenants' group had expressed concerns about what they described as the council's policy.
THE Princess Royal's trip to East Lancashire later this month has been extended to include a visit to a pioneering youth project and a seminar at Burnley Football Club. Princess Anne will now take a look at Youth Works East Lancashire, Burnley, and stop
THREE doormen have been cleared of starting trouble at a Burnley nightclub. Victor Docherty, 28, the only defendant whose fate was left in the hands of a jury, was found not guilty of affray, unlawful wounding, assault causing actual bodily harm and two
GARDENING and tree planting schemes along with play areas for children were the ideas put forward by residents who want to improve their neighbourhoods in Hyndburn. The Community Action Partnership, a group set up to help regenerate Barnfield, Spring
BURNLEY plan to follow the off-field blueprint for success displayed by Bradford City and Watford in the hope of following them into the Premiership. Watford have long held the tradition of being a buoyant family club, while Bradford have made massive
AN EXCITING summer programme of fun activities for youngsters has been launched by Hyndburn Council. Young people from eight to 19 can take part in everything from cricket and conservation to dancing and drama as part of the council's Just For Fun programme
A NEW chief executive has been appointed at a Blackburn law firm. Sue Christopher joins J & J Sharples from the Legal Aid Board where she was senior account manager. The appointment follows the takeover of the Blackburn firm by David Phillips &
Food News, with Amanda Killelea YOU are what you eat, so they say, and it is true that diet can play a major part in the development of diseases. Now dieticians are joining forces with shopkeepers in an area threatened by health problems to make sure
SOAPBOX: Today, Lancashire County Council education chairman HAZEL HARDING speaks about the annual clamour for school places. IT'S an estate agent's dream. A family house in pleasant area, near to a primary school. But after contracts are signed the family
TWO new tenants are set to move into a mill complex. The second phase of the redevelopment of the India Mill Centre in Darwen is almost finished with two tenants contracted to take office space. The first phase of the renovation, being carried out by
PROFITS at packaging group RPC have jumped by 18 per cent. The firm, which owns a major site at Guide, saw sales increase from £240.2million to £269.3million, with pre-tax profits up by 18 per cent to £18.2 million. Its UK division saw profit margins
AN event to raise awareness of young suicide has been held in East Lancashire. The conference, in Nelson, was organised by the Rawtenstall-based national body PAPYRUS - Parents for the Prevention of Young Suicide - and funded by East Lancashire Health
A RETIRED Nelson accountant became depressed and hung himself two days after entering a nursing home, an inquest heard. Fred Wilmore, 86, was found hanging from a cord attached to a window in his room at Brierfield House, Brierfield, early on Friday May
A FLIGHT in a light aircraft and a tour of Pendle Hill in a 1940s open top tourer car were among the more unusual items which went under the hammer at a millennium fund-raising night. The event brought in more than £1,700 for an adventure playground appeal
THEY say every cloud has a silver lining, but Jeff Crook's was lined with mother of pearl. Jeff had to do some work on his Blackburn house when he discovered damp in one of the rooms that hadn't been touched for more than 30 years. But when workmen removed
