THE German dentists who set up a new NHS practice in the centre of Blackburn just over a fortnight ago must already be well and truly baffled by East Lancashire folk. After all, they were persuaded to come here by health managers desperate to do something
NO fewer than seven candidates will be chasing the support of residents in Bury, Ramsbottom and Tottington in the two weeks left until polling day. Nominations closed on Tuesday for the May 5 General Election, and campaigning has started in earnest for
LABOUR Bury North candidate David Chaytor got top marks when he invited Education Secretary Ruth Kelly to a Bury primary school. Mrs Kelly talked to parents at "Beadies", the after-school club at St Joseph and St Bede's, answering questions about the
THE BNP would step in to save the Re:d Centre from having its budget halved, says the party's Bury North candidate Stewart Clough. "The Re:d Centre has gone far beyond what was asked or expected," he said. "It has become a second home to hundreds of severely
BURY North Lib Dem hopeful Wilf Davison went on a tour of Ramsbottom and Tottington to explain how his party would improve the lot of pensioners. "Our policies are designed to remove the anxiety and restore dignity to people as they grow older," he said
WHAT a brilliant idea Preston council has come up with. It has introduced litter wardens to patrol town centre streets. When they see someone drop any litter they radio through to each other, and then announce over a microphone to shame the person into
I AM writing in response to your article about dog fouling. I am a member of a local match fishing group (Octoplus Blackburn). We organise one of the largest winter leagues staged in the country, which is run on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Your article
A WARNING has been issued after prescription drugs were stolen from a Leigh chemist. Staff at the pharmacy, on Railway Road, discovered the drugs were missing when they arrived at work on Thursday morning. It is believed the premises were burgled overnight
A 14-year-old girl has been raped in the grounds of a Burnley school by a teenage sex attacker. And police believe the same youth may have grabbed a 12-year-old girl in the same area five hours earlier. Police said the 14-year-old was attacked while walking
A GROUP of motorcycle fans have come up with a capital idea to raise money for a local hospice. The seven bikers, all members of charity group the Burnley Lions and also Pendle Motorcycle Club, are setting off on a tour of five provincial capital cities
COCKLERS are being asked to respect a ban on harvesting Morecambe Bay's once lucrative cockle beds. Chief fisheries officer Dr Jim Andrews says the by-law halting cockle picking will be policed by his staff. Dr Andrews says: "Every time we have closed
A MEMORIAL to thousands of East Lancashire servicemen who died in World War II has been scrapped amid fears it would be plagued by yobs. Today civic leaders and former members of the armed forces expressed their sadness at the move, which has followed
FROM next week police in Lancashire will issue fines of £40 to the parents of children aged 10 to 15 who take part in anti-social behaviour. Crime Reporter IAN SINGLETON looks at whether the new powers will be an effective deterrent or just punish poorer
MORECAMBE'S press for a place in the Nationwide Conference play-offs got an extra hand from an unlikely source on Saturday. With the Shrimps chasing points against league champions Barnet, goalkeeper Ryan Robinson suffered an horrific eye injury - and
A TEENAGE girl found in a dishevelled state on Morecambe promenade in the early hours of Sunday morning has sparked a police investigation. The 14-year-old was found close to the Eric Morecambe statue on the seafront at 1am by passers-by. She was distressed
GENERAL election posters are disappearing from all over Lancaster as mystery sign snatchers fight back against political fever. Scores of campaign signs from both the Labour Party and Conservatives have disappeared - and the problem has become so bad
THE new owner of the Ryelands Minimart is looking forward to a long and happy relationship with people on Lancaster's Ryelands extate. Paramjit Singh says that his first impression of Ryelands has been a good one - he has been made to feel more than welcome
A HOME where police seized more than 300 used needles in a kitchen drawer has been shut down for three months. The activities at a flat on Westminster Road in Morecambe had been keeping residents awake throughout the night. But last Friday magistrates
ON-LOAN Blackburn Rovers defender John Fitzgerald should be playing his final match for the Shakers on Saturday before heading off back to Ewood Park. But if Bury boss Graham Barrow has his way it won't be the last time the Gigg Lane faithful see him
BURY Football Club are hoping to bring to an end a player-signing embargo that threatens to leave them handicapped going into next season. With the Football League introducing the transfer window system, bringing them into line with the rest of Europe
YOUNG movie-makers from Colne could be walking along the red carpet for their very own premiere at a London film festival. Teenagers from Tum Hill in Waterside have been busy making a short film called Journey of the Casey 5 highlighting their campaign
AN 11-year-old boy was subjected to a terrifying sexual attack lasting up to 10 minutes outside a busy snooker hall. A man and a woman dragged the terrified youngster into bushes at the side of Rileys Snooker Club in Whitefield and indecently assaulted
LIKE two thirds of their age group in England, 26,900 16 to 18-year-olds study at their local college in Lancashire. Despite the wonderful service they receive, the Government funds these young people at least 10 per cent less than schools - an average
ONE in four people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and Government plans to reform mental health law could lead to many more of them being detained and treated against their will. Now an all-party parliamentary committee scrutinising
I FORESEE that the outcome of the forthcoming General Election will result in a massive vote of no confidence in British politicians and the democratic system in Britain. The largest vote will be cast by those who choose not to take the responsibility
LANMORE Fishing Club took on Heysham Port Angling Club in a local challenge match at Tewitfields. Both teams fielded 15 anglers, so it was a good turnout for both clubs. The weather was sunny but a strong wind made it quite tough to fish on one side of
JIM Harvey is calling on Morecambe's Red Army to travel in numbers to Tamworth on Saturday for one of the biggest games in the club's history. If the Shrimps win at the Lamb they will be in the Conference play-offs and Harvey believes the fans can act
PHIL Wilson wants to see his Lancaster City side finish their first season in Conference North with a flourish. The Dolly Blues were never in real danger of going down - but any doubts were cast aside by Saturday's excellent 2-0 win over Gainsborough
FOUR teenagers were hit by police final warnings after going on a ball-bearing gun shooting spree in the centre of Lancaster. The youths, aged 17, 16, and two 15-year-olds, were arrested in Cheapside on Sunday. They had been firing the potentially dangerous
How many people from Bury will intone, on this 90th anniversary year of the infamous campaign of 1915: Where IS Gallipoli? writes Howard Mallinson It is, of course, in Turkish Thrace, across a narrow strip of water from ancient Troy - the strategic waterway
STEVE Cotterill insists he will take no pleasure in Nottingham Forest's downfall. Burnley travel to the City Ground tomorrow aware that avoiding defeat would condemn the former European Cup winners to relegation and League One football next season. Even
THE irony of Nottingham Forest's fate is not lost on Gareth Taylor. To avoid a toppling like a Giant Redwood, Forest - seven points from safety - know they must win all three of their remaining Championship games. Two of the teams standing between them
POLICE are hunting for a knife-wielding would-be robber who tried to steal a chain saw blade from a Lancaster DIY store. The white man, in his 40s, was about five feet six inches tall with a ginger moustache and was wearing a dark woollen hat and a green
STEVE Cotterill insists he will take no pleasure in Nottingham Forest's downfall. Burnley travel to the City Ground tomorrow aware that avoiding defeat would condemn the former European Cup winners to relegation and League One football next season. Even
AMBITIOUS Blackburn manager Mark Hughes has set his sights on a push for Europe next season after completing phase one of his Ewood revolution. Rovers are now all but mathematically assured of Premier League football again next season following Wednesday
AMIR Khan will face Cuban legend Mario Kindelan at the Reebok, on Saturday, May 14. The 18 year-old, who was out-pointed by Kindelan in the Olympic final at last year's Games, will face his great rival in Bolton after the Cuban team finally agreed to
CALL centre bosses are hoping to boost the industry's image by encouraging careers advisors and teachers to promote it as a good job. Call centres are often perceived in a negative way but Capita's TV Licensing contact centre, at India Mill, Darwen, is
BLACKPOOL may end up bidding for one of four new mega-casinos if Labour wins the general election, according to the cabinet minister responsible for gambling. Visiting three local schools last week to support Labour's Joan Humble and Gordon Marsden in
AN 18-year-old girl who was harassed for eight weeks by an 80-year-old bus passenger today described how she became too afraid to travel alone. Natalie Heston-King, of New Wellington Close, Blackburn, said the behaviour of Stefan Forkasewicz had made
A FATHER campaigning for better care for disabled children today urged other parents to back him. Ray Heeks, of Blackamoor Road, Guide, wants families who have struggled to get treatment, care, and support, to contact him with their concerns. His two-year-old
FIFTY people a day are failing to turn up for appointments at an NHS dentists - just two weeks after it was heralded as a solution to the area's dental crisis. The no-show patients - accounting for up to a third of all treatment time -have left practice
UK Independence Party candidate Phil Silver took his campaign to the town centre streets of Bury on Friday (April 22). The former merchant seaman and special branch sergeant will explain why he believes Britain is better off out of the EU. He also promotes
A MARATHON running Blackpool fire fighter returned to work this week - and copped a Mohic-ban! Fire service bosses got hot under the collar and saw red when they spotted Steve Gregory's daring new hair style on Monday. Astonished Steve, 30, had his "fire
BLACKBURN St George's Day Celebrations, Blackburn town centre, from 11am. "Face Value" -- tributes to Genesis and Phil Collins, Thwaites Empire Theatre, Ewood, 7.30pm. Handel's "Messiah," Blackburn Cathedral, 7pm. Blackburn Artists' Society Spring Exhibition
POLICE are underfunded and strangled by red tape, targets and political correctness, says Veritas Bury North candidate Ian Upton. "How is it possible to enforce ASBOs when there arent the resources to cope with the volumes of incidents? When youths are
BURY North Tory candidate David Nuttall hit the Bury streets to explain how his party would crack down on yobs, binge drinking and anti-social behaviour. He was joined on the campaign trail by David Sumberg, former MP for Bury South and now a Euro MP
A LAW practice in Bury is calling upon prospective MPs to weigh up the benefits of Legal Aid. Bury Law Centre is urging politicians to set more money aside to provide legal help for the needy. As a member of the 'Access To Justice Alliance', the centre
I AM writing to clarify that a colour TV licence costs £126.50 and not £121, which was the fee for the last financial year ending in March. A black and white licence costs £42. If any of your readers would like further information on the concessions or
FOR the first time since reaching voting age I will not be using it in the coming General Election. With the prison sentence for the Blackburn councillor and other malpractices in other parts of the nation, I feel the game of politics (both nationally
I WRITE concerning the article in the LET (April 18) by Jemma Dobson on the appointment of "district matrons." It would seem that the introduction of such personnel is a ploy by the government in an attempt to show the electorate that they are actually
A 14-year-old girl has been raped in the grounds of a Burnley school by a teenage sex attacker. And police believe the same youth may have grabbed a 12-year-old girl in the same area five hours earlier. Police said the 14-year-old was attacked while walking
FIFTY people a day are failing to turn up for appointments at an NHS dentists - just two weeks after it was heralded as a solution to the area's dental crisis. The no-show patients - accounting for up to a third of all treatment time -have left practice
A NEW campaign is aiming to put a brake on motor cycle and scooter theft this summer. Police are teaming up with Frank Shepherd's motor cycle shop in Lancaster for 'Bike Security Week' from Monday. The Lancaster store will be offering security products
CHILDREN from Wray headed off to the Blue Peter TV studios in London this week - with life-sized scarecrows of presenters of the popular programme. Six youngsters appeared on the show on Monday after spending weeks making bales of hay into images of the
ANGRY Carnforth residents claim they are having to risk their lives crossing the main street - and nothing is being done about it. Local Jim Walker, who lives on Hunter Street, claims Lancashire County Council is not concerned for people's safety and
THE scale of environmental damage to Morecambe Bay after a two-and-a-half-year cockling bonanza is unknown, according to fisheries managers. The Bay's cockle beds shut on Friday after scientists from the North West and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee
FORGET plans for a landmark overlooking Accrington -- Oswaldtwistle has beaten them to the punch! Locals in the Stanhill area woke up yesterday to find the word 'OSSYWOOD' spelt out in giant white letters across a field off Stanhill Road. The lettering
THE First Battalion, The Border Regiment, is mounting a sustianed effort this year to locate previously serving members for the annual reunion being planned on May 13, as age is obviously reducing the numbers who attend each year. The informal dinner
I AM somewhat surprised by the unhelpful comments made by Cllr Barker, leader of Lancaster City Council, when he criticises Cllrs Archer and Burns for representing the views of residents in their area. The council took an arbitrary decision to close South
I AM heartily sick of new developments appearing here and there and everywhere with no thought as to the residents who have lived here all their lives. The traffic jams are now so ridiculous I wonder why I bother trying to get to work in the first place
I WRITE with reference to the recent letter from County Cllr Jean Yates. I cannot readily think of any land north, south, east or west of Lancaster, which would make a park and ride system successful. Therefore, why not make the present rail infrastructure
OPENING day losers Lancaster have St George's Day off as the rest of the Surridge Northern Premier Cricket League clubs look to make a start. With 13 teams in the league, each side faces two blank dates during the season - and this is Lancaster's first
LANCASTER beat the rain on the opening weekend of the Surridge Northern Premier Cricket League - but suffered at St Annes. The game finally started just before 3pm in almost Arctic conditions - but the players made light of the freezing temperatures to
HIGH class Lancaster City made sure of their Conference North survival with a display oozing quality, grit and determination to batter Gainsborough Trinity into submission at Giant Axe. The Dolly Blues turned in their best display of 2005 as passes sprayed
MORECAMBE avoided a Bee sting against Conference champions Barnet - and proved their willingness to battle their socks off in a Christie Park draw. With the Londoners in party mood on their first game since confirming a return to the Football League,
BATTLING Morecambe put their play-off destiny firmly in their own hands after beating a spirited Forest Green Rovers 3-1 on a nerve-wracking Tuesday night at Christie Park. The Shrimps now know that a win at Tamworth will guarantee an extension to their
MODEL railway collectors will be able to indulge their passion at a special fair at Carnforth Railway Station on Sunday. The event between 10am and 3pm will include an Antiques Roadshow style feature where collectors can find out how much their models
TWO burglars fled empty handed after being challenged by staff at a village store. A man walked into the Spar shop in Galgate at 12.15pm on Sunday and went into a storeroom. He opened an external door to let the other robber in - but the pair ran off
LEIGH Rugby League legend Alex Murphy joined the town's Labour parliamentary candidate to back his election campaign. The director of Leigh Centurions met up with shoppers in the centre of the town as Andy Burnham steps up his attempt to win a second
AN INQUEST has heard how a suicide bid led to the tragic deaths of a young Fylde couple while on their "dream" holiday in South Africa. Computer engineer Neil Pike, 35, and his fiance, nurse Christine Rowe, 30, both of Clitheroes Lane, Freckleton, were
A LEADING scientist from Poulton has published a book on what to eat to stave off cancer. Dr Clare Shaw's book Cancer: The power of food shows how home-cooking can help prevent bowel, stomach, breast, prostate and other diet-linked cancers. Readers won't
CIRCUS leaders say animal rights activists should stop urging people to shun a live show on the Fylde coast this week. The national Circus Friends Association have backed owners of the Bobby Roberts Circus in labelling the boycott - by the Captive Animals
FROM next week police in Lancashire will issue fines of £40 to the parents of children aged 10 to 15 who take part in anti-social behaviour. Crime Reporter IAN SINGLETON looks at whether the new powers will be an effective deterrent or just punish poorer
PATIENCE is a virtue Tigers' player-coach Tim Fourie has been trying to instil into his charges for the past two weeks. He now hopes its qualities, along with a positive mindset will bear fruit in the form of an improved performance against Coventry at
EXACTLY 90 years ago on Monday, thousands of Bury men and teenagers distinguished themselves in battle during the First World War and won undying fame for the Lancashire Fusiliers. On April 25, 1915, 11 officers and 350 men of the 1st Battalion Lancashire
