THREE men who stole £7,500 in a masked raid on a building society are behind bars for a total of 15 years. Burnley Crown Court heard how Aaron Mahoney and Robert Matthews, both 29, were masked and one was armed with a crowbar when they carried out the
A 26-year-old man was assaulted in Francis Street, Darwen, at 2.30am on Sunday morning. The man was punched in the face and fell to the floor after being approached by a group of men. While he was on the floor he was kicked in the body. Offenders were
IT’S been another successful year for St Bede’s High School when it comes to their sporting achievements. The Blackburn school has triumphed in a wide range of sports, picking up both individual and team honours on the local and regional scene. The
VICKY Garnett has brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “busy working mum”. The single mum of four has just gained a first class degree in health and psychology which she studied for three years, as well as working as a full time nurse,
THE annual Barnoldswick Barons Summer Tournament has a reputation of producing quality football — some much so that Premier League scouts were out in force. Manchester United, Everton and Bolton Wanderers were all represented at the fourth annual competition
BEARDWOOD High School have made easy work out of a hardball cricket competition. The Blackburn school beat St Bede’s in the final of a two day competition which was held at Darwen Cricket Club. The Year Seven/Eight tournament was organised by Blackburn
THE credit crunch has forced the promoters of a key housing regeneration scheme in Burnley to go back to the drawing board. Work is already underway on blueprints to bring a sprawling site off Cog Lane near Accrington Road back into use as part of Burnley
TWO East Lancashire bobbies will be hoping to be a force to be reckoned with when they take part in the Police Rugby League World Cup. Stuart Meeks, from Great Harwood, and Blackburn’s Michael Kearns have been selected for Great Britain to play in the
COUNCILLORS have spoken of their delight after three Hyndburn parks won national awards. The prestigious Green Flag Award, which recognises the country’s best run parks, has gone to Oakhill and Mercer Park for the past three years. This year, Gatty
ONE of Paul Robinson’s former mentors has backed the England star to rebuild his career after sealing a £3.5 million move to Blackburn Rovers. Eric Steele, who was recently appointed as Paul Ince’s new goalkeeping coach, already knows Rovers
CHRIS Eagles today ended his seven-year association with Manchester United to become Burnley manager Owen Coyle's sixth summer signing. The 22-year-old has penned a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, and insisted the backing of the Clarets
PENDLE youngsters will be consulting each other on the design of state-of-the-art adventure play areas set to be built in the borough. The new facilities, aimed at 12 to 16-year-olds, will be introduced at locations close to Waterside Youth
A WOMAN accused of a £10,000-plus benefits fraud has been cleared, and a court was told the Department for Work and Pensions now owed her cash. Burnley Crown Court heard how the department had over calculated the overpayment to Urvasi Patel, 36. She
BURNLEY have completed the signing of Manchester United winger Chris Eagles on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be in excess of £1million. Eagles, 22, joined United at the age of 14 but has failed to establish himself as
A BURNLEY thug has been jailed for four years after admitting his part in a violent town centre attack and robbery. Andrew Harbourne, 19, of Clever Street, was one of five people who beat a man unconscious and left him for dead in a
A BLACKBURN-based charity which provides shelter and support for young people is trying to lead by example by introd-ucing a no-smoking policy amongst staff. Seven out of 12 staff at Nightsafe, which operates the ‘Fusebox’ day centre, two hostels and
PLANTERS which were controversially moved from Darwen Market Square and repositioned near a motorway junction have been vandalised. Police said that vandals approached the tiered planters, which are on the approach to junction four of the M65, and tipped
THE company that owns two of East Lancashire’s biggest nightclubs has been slammed for encouraging binge-drinking with ‘happy hour’ promotions. Luminar, which is Britain’s biggest nightclub operator and owns the Lava and Ignite establishment
A LANDLORD has had to fork out £3,000 after rubbish dumped in an alleyway was traced to one of his houses. Council workers turned detectives to root through the sacks of rubbish let in Stansfeld Street, Blackburn, and find clues as to where the garbage
TWO men have been arrested in connection with the alleged abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl. The youngster is said to have been attacked in a car parked in Barden Road, Accrington, at around 6.30am on Saturday morning. Police
A GARAGE worker is appealing for the return of a pet parrot after thieves stole the bird during an early morning raid. Mittu, an African grey parrot, was taken from Antley MOT Centre in Accrington at 3.18am on Friday - leaving only a single
THERE can’t be many players who clock up more miles than those competing in the Inter Town Team Summer Snooker League. From Padiham to Earby and Colne to Skipton, teams are literally driven to get a game of snooker. The league, which is now in its third
JET-heeled Joe McDonald has broken a Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School sprint record – a record that has stood since he was just one year old! Joe clocked 11.39 seconds to set a new best time in the Under 15s 100m during the Blackburn school’s recent
THE Burnley Sunday League held its annual awards night recently where team and individual honours were handed out. And it was a case of highs, lows and ‘if onlys’. Healywood United were crowned Division One champions, beat-ing George IV in to runners-up
LEWIS Bradley showed he is a chip off the old block as he helped Nelson to an eight wicket victory in the Lancashire League Second XI Cup final. While dad Michael’s heroics usually come behind the wicket, Bradley junior proved his worth in front of the
Panorama’s look at the rising price of petrol couldn’t have arrived soon enough, if you ask me. The question, and the title of the programme Can We Afford To Fill Up, has been on everyone’s lips for weeks. The answer is obvious, No. But most of
Ann Golding has stood down from her role of church warden at St Lawrence with St Paul’s Churches in Longridge. She has served for six consecutive years which is the maximum allowed under the 2001 Churchwardens Measure. She will continue her
Residents from Colne joined up with other members of the East Lancashire CND Group to attend a recent Peaceful Demonstration at the US National Security Agency (former RAF) Menwith Hill Satellite Communications Base in North Yorkshire. The Event coincided
The Dall Street Resident's Association Pilot Scheme "Sleep safely campaign" Has finally come to the installation stage of the Carbon Monoxide detectors. Residents of Dall Street have had their advisory letters put through their doors on Monday 28th
CYCLISTS are being invited to take on the Lancashire Loop Cycle Challenge to help raise thousands of pounds for charity. The loop takes cyclists through the Ribble Valley, Bowland Fells and the Lune Valley via quiet countryside lanes and picturesque
Councillor Jeff Sumner has secured a further Community Skip for the residents of the Ward. TIME 10am Friday 1st August 08 through to 10am Monday 4th August 08 VENUE. Alongside Play building on the Burnley Wood Recreation Ground off Dall Street/Glebe
YOUNG people who find themselves in young offenders institutions are unlikely to be the easiest individuals to deal with. They are in such places because their behaviour has offended and the idea is that they should learn the error of their ways and
SEVENTY young drivers from Burnley completed a course to help make the borough’s roads safer. The seven-week programme was set up by the Burnley Road Safety Action Group and addressed concerns following anxious residents’ worries about young drivers.
THREE people were taken to hospital after a car crash on Eden Street, Blackburn, at 8.30pm last night. A white Toyota Corolla collided with a red Nissan Micra. The male driver of the Nissan was described as being in a ‘stable’ condition and his
PUPILS at a Hyndburn school enjoy it so much they want to go in even when they are ill, Ofsted inspectors found. Inspectors visited St Nicholas CE Primary in Church this month, and deemed it ‘a good school where pupils make good progress in
BLACKBURN Rovers chairman John Williams has confirmed that the club are in negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur over a deal for winger David Bentley. The England international has made public his desire to leave Ewood Park, but after turning
AN apprentice is taking to the seas for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Aaron Reilly, a 28-year- old mechanical engineer from Fort Vale engineer-ing, will be sailing a yacht at the prestigious regatta in Cowes Week. He will join company founder Ted
POLICE are warning householders to be vigilant following a spate of sneak-in thefts in Burnley. Officers say the thieves have been simply walking in through unlocked doors or climbing through open windows in order to steal. The crime
A LANCASHIRE SAS soldier killed in Iraq last year has been named for the first time after a coroner overturned earlier rulings giving him anonymity. The move to name three killed SAS troops calls into question the Ministry of Defence’s policy of trying
PATIENTS are reminded that outreach health services are being made available in Darwen town centre. Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Primary Care Trust (tPCT) and the borough council are working together to make healthcare advice and support even easier
A NELSON-based construction firm has issued a stark warning to youngsters as the school holidays begin. Bosses from Barnfield, which is based on the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate, have told kids to keep away from its building sites, including developments
A WEEK is known for being a long time in politics. For a community festival a month is much, much longer. Celebrate Blackburn, which came to an end at the weekend, featured over 50 different events during July. As a replacement
A BURNLEY man has appeared before magistrates charged with battery after an incident involving a pump-action shotgun on Saturday. Anwar Khan, 32, was arrested by police following an incident in Gordon Street and later charged with two offences
We asked people in Blackburn - including some local dignatories - what they thought of Celebrate Blackburn. Here are some of the responses. Jack Straw, Blackburn MP I thought it was really sad when they cancelled the Mela and Arts in the Park. Both
CELEBRATE Blackburn is here to stay despite none of this year’s event reaching full capacity, according to council bosses. The month-long festival replaced the Blackburn Mela and Arts in the Park, a decision which drew furious criticism from
Tom Bradshaw, from Blackburn, remains third in the 2008 Henderson Formula Palmer Audi Championship after the latest two races at Brands Hatch last weekend (July 26-27). Bradshaw, aged 19, claimed fourth place in both 16-lap races on the 2.7-mile ‘Grand
Clarets and Northern Ireland great Jimmy McIlroy was given a standing ovation before Burnley’s pre-season friendly at Glentoran last night. McIlroy and club talent spotter Billy Bingham both received applause before kick-off as they emerged from the
POLICE have renewed their appeal for information after a 29-year-old man was punched in an unprovoked attack as he walked down a Darwen street. Officers are linking the attack with another in which a 49-year-old man was left with a suspected broken shoulder
CHRIS Eagles could be moving a step closer to completing a move to Burnley. Despite being prominent in Manchester United's pre-season campaign, scoring against Kaiser Chiefs and Portsmouth on their tour of Africa, the 22-year-old is ready to end his
FURIOUS taxi drivers have forced council bosses into a climb-down over plans to send them to college. Burnley cabbies last week reacted angrily to proposals which would see them enrolled on a £180 B-tec course in customer service. Now town hall chiefs
POLICE in Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley are to be the first in the country to introduce digital recording and storage of suspect interviews. The Government has approved that the digital pilot be carried out in Lancashire’s eastern division
BURNLEY boss Owen Coyle will continue to run the rule over Latvian Under 21 international Aleksandrs Solovjovs this week. The 20-year-old Olimps Riga left winger, who has attracted interested from Chelsea, Zenit St Petersburg and Blackburn Rovers,
PROBLEMS were caused for train passengers travelling between Clitheroe and Manchester this morning due to a signalling fault. Rush hour trains in both directions were cancelled or delayed for up to 45 minutes due to the signalling problem at
A blaze at a mid-terraced property in Nelson destroyed an upstairs bedroom and also damaged two adjoining homes. Fire crews were called to the fire in Smith Street at around 4.45am yesterday, and reported that the first floor of the property was well
A NELSON-based construction firm has issued a stark warning to youngsters as the school holidays begin. Bosses from Barnfield, which is based on the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate, have told kids to keep away from its building sites, including developments
PASSING on the baton! This was a phrase used at the Christening I attended last week and it’s stuck in my mind. The gentleman officiating used it to describe the continuation of religion from parents to the child, but I thought that’s what we all should
POLICE have revealed a description of a woman who was found injured under a road bridge. The woman, believed to be in her 40s and from Rochdale, was found on Grane Road under the Haslingden bypass bridge at 5am on Saturday. Her car was found nearby
Our Government seems in a bit of a mess, I’m almost feeling sorry for Gordon. Glad to see that our MP Jack is tipped for No 10 and I must say I’d feel a lot more confident if he were there. It’s sad when the country feels so down, most of it may be
A COUPLE have been thanked in person by the Prime Minister at his Downing Street home for the voluntary work they under-take in East Lancashire. Florence and Keith Tomlinson, who work with Lancashire Crim-estoppers and North West Air Ambulance (NWAA)
A BREWERY chain which owns a number of pubs in East Lancashire and employs 1,000 people in the North West is facing closure over an unpaid tax bill. Cains Brewery, based in Liverpool, runs more than 100 pubs nationwide including The Last Orders in Blackburn
ONCE again Darwen faces traffic chaos. When will our masters learn to take note of what their customers really want? It is manifestly obvious to anyone living in Darwen that this ludicrous bus lane is not wanted. Has the person who devised the scheme
WILL Blackburn with Darwen Council tell me why they won’t help Blackburn Sea Cadets find a new home? The Sea Cadets have willingly given their time for many years freely to the Town Council for Mayoral Sunday, Remembrance Sunday and they help out at
I WENT out today (Sunday, July 27) with my two young children and my nieces aged two and three years, as the day was set to be glorious. Unfortunately, we were continually interrupted and somewhat disappointed by some very thoughtless dog owners who
A MEDICAL student who jumped to his death the day after he discovered he had failed his course seemed calm when he was told the news, an inquest heard. Amir Mahmood, 25, of Victoria Drive, Haslingden, suffered multiple injuries after he fell from the
A DOCTOR has been cleared of sexually assaulting three women patients on a hospital gynaecological ward. A judge at Burnley Crown Court said there was insufficient evidence to convict Mannan Masud, 41, who was working at Burnley General Hospital. Dr
AT a time when the British people are having to tighten their belts with rising food prices and huge increases in energy bills, the Prime Minister pledges one billion pounds to Africa in foreign aid and only this week pledged 30 million pounds to Palestine
A BURNLEY school has been deemed ‘satisfactory’ after an inspection by Government inspectors. Three officers carried out the report at Cherry Fold Community School in Cog Lane, where the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities
PADIHAM Sports Club continues its 60th anniversary celebrations with the return of a very popular sporting festival. Sport in Padiham — which runs from August 1-10 — will include a host of sports including football, cricket bowls and martial arts. And
BLACKBURN boss Paul Ince is weighing up a possible swoop for Brett Emerton’s Aussie team-mate Mark Bresciano. The Rovers chief sent scouts to watch the attacking midfielder play for Palermo in a friendly match against Eintracht Frankfurt at
AN INQUEST will today take place into the deaths of a 60-year-old man and 25-year-old woman who were discovered in a Pendle home. Alan Murphy and Sobia Hussain both died from asphyxiation at a house in Rakeshouse Road, Nelson, in January.
A MAN has been accused of breaking a sexual offences prevention order after being pictured surrounded by children at a fun day event. Convicted sex offender Richard Mason, 20, was photographed in the Lancashire Telegraph with a group of youngsters and
A DEPRIVED area of Burnley has been targeted by vandals, arsonists and fly-tippers repeatedly in the past two weeks. Residents have now been urged to be vigilant in a bid to catch the yobs who are causing trouble in the Cog Lane area.
THE “barbaric” restraint technique used on a 14-year-old Burnley boy before he died in custody has been outlawed by judges. Carol Pounder said a ruling by senior judges proved staff at a young offenders institution were acting unlawfully when
