TRAVELLERS at a site in Blackburn have been told to clean up their act during a two-day ‘Beatsweep’ operation. Loose animals, flytipping and graffiti were all addressed by police, the council and other partners at the site in Ewood Triangle
THE latest thriller by crime writer Sharon Bolton has been inspired by ghoulish goings on in an East Lancashire town. In 1997, Sharon Bolton’s sister Louise Cooper and her family bought a plot of land beside a churchyard in Crawshawbooth and set about
A PREGNANT woman was taken to hospital after she was involved in a two-car smash on the M65 during tonight's rush hour. The accident happened after the car she was travelling in collided with another vehicle along the eastbound carriageway
A LOUT who hit an innocent man over the head with a ‘fearsome’ lump hammer in an early hours attack is starting a four-and-a-half-year jail term. Stephen Drury, 33, had set on Steven Jones, who he had earlier seen in a pub, outside a kebab shop.
OLDER people’s champions in East Lancashire have welcomed long-awaited plans for the care of the elderly - but have warned they will have to be funded properly. Labour has announced it wants to introduce a compulsory tax to pay for a universal
COUNCIL bosses have been accused of turning Blackburn market into a “closing-down sale” after a last-ditch bid to delay its move was thwarted. A special council was called to debate the plans, which will see the current Ainsworth Street site demolished
ONE lane of the A56 at Huncoat has been closed after a trailer jackknifed and three tree trunks fell on the road. Road police attended the scene following the incident around 2.30pm. Nobody was harmed. The carriageway was cleared and re-opened
YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to Stand Out In Darwen as a new inspirational campaign is launched. In the coming weeks, posters and leaflets will be splashed throughout the town promoting Darwen Academy and the borough council’s scheme to raise aspirations
THERE have certainly been worse weeks. Back to back wins, including a well deserved derby victory over the old enemy, as well as the reopening of my local have certainly given me something to smile about. They say life begins at 40, so having
One of Chorley’s oldest and most historic buildings is under threat, with an architect’s report warning it could ‘completely collapse'. St Laurence’s Church, which has stood in Chorley town centre since 1362, is ‘gradually sliding into Hollinshead
There is only one thing worse than losing out to your bitter local rivals. And that is doing so without putting up enough of a fight. Sadly, that is what happened at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon. Whereas the visitors looked up
BEHIND the door of a terrace house in Rossendale lies the artistic legacy of a man whose entire life was dedicated to his art. Painter and teacher Dave Pearson created at least one piece of art for every day of his adult life until his death aged 70.
ACCRINGTON Stanley's home game against Barnet tonight has become a crucial fixture. Three straight defeats – including Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Bournemouth – have left the Reds seven points outside the play-off places and this twice postponed fixture
Lancashire ended their two-week tour of Barbados on a high as half-centuries from Stephen Moore and Mark Chilton helped them get the better of Yorkshire. The Red Rose lifted the War of the Roses trophy after gaining a first innings lead by finishing
Stonyhurst College U14s won the Lancashire Schools Plate Final at Rochdale Rugby Club after beating Kirkham Grammar 38 -12. Kirkham Grammar provided strong opposition, and at half-time the score was 12-7 in their favour. But Stonyhurst played extremely
BROWNHILL Arms were untouchable yet again in the Elite Blinds seven-a-side League after winning the title without dropping a single point for the second year running. Brownhill Arms were crowned Division Two champions in the Witton Park-based league
THEY lay on extra buses at Walton-le-Dale Arts College such is the popularity of gymnastics with its Blackburn and Darwen-based pupils. Three nights a week they stay behind to practise their floor and vault routines before being ferried back
BLACKBURN Martial Arts and Kickboxing Club has reached a major milestone and written a new chapter in to its history. For the club marked its 40th anniversary by moving in to new premises. Ray Parker, eighth dan, the club’s original
CHLOE Curtis certainly gets a kick out of her chosen sport after gaining a black belt at the age of just six-years-old. But the Great Harwood Primary School pupil is no stranger to doing things early as she was only two and half when she first
DESPITE slipping to a narrow defeat, Blackburn manager Rick Whalley has paid tribute to stand-in coach John Morgan for his efforts at the Ramsgreave Drive club. Blackburn have won twice in recent weeks under his guidance and spirits are high thanks to
COLNE clinched a dramatic last-gasp victory over West Park Warriors to win for only the second time this season. In the last play of the match, winger Dean Sykes touched down in the corner after a wonderful piece of vision by fly half Callum Kinnane.
ROSSENDALE missed out on the chance of completing the league double over high-flying Chester thanks largely to the visitors rock solid defence. In spite of the low scoring game it turned out to be a thrilling encounter which was not decided until the
A LONGRIDGE soldier met the Countess of Wessex before leaving for some of the toughest training in the Army. Major James Faux, who is currently stationed in Germany, described the Countess as “brilliant”. The 38-year-old met the Countess, who is married
A RIBBLE Valley cricket fanatic has broken the world record for the longest bowling run-up in history. Salesbury Cricket Club’s Jason Rawson completed the run-up, at 1.6miles long, from the Shajan Indian restaurant, on the A59, up to the Ribchester Road
PLANS to redevelop the grounds of a top East Lancashire art gallery at a cost of £120,000 have been announced. Bosses hope the work will encourage more people to visit the Haworth Art Gallery in Baxenden. Yvonne Robins, from the gallery
PEOPLE in a deprived part of Burnley are to get more access to computers and the internet following the opening of an online centre. South West Burnley Community Enterprise Centre, in Valley Street, is part of a national initiative to help an extra one
A GROUP of Church of England Bishops, including the Bishop of Blackburn, has accused the government of discriminating against Christians. In a letter to the Sunday Telegraph, they claimed traditional Christian beliefs are being sidelined.
THE controversial fire control centre for the North West has already cost £2.5million — but won’t be up and running for at least a year. The centre in Warrington, which will replace Lancashire’s call centre, was built in July 2008. But
FIFTY million pounds — that’s an awful lot of money for a bus route! I feel sure there are many more important things that could be done with a sum like that – why, we might even get things going that could put the town back on to the road to some sort
THE Iqbal brothers (LT, March 20) should have got five years for wasting police time. Stupid and irresponsible at best, or embryonic terrorists: either way, five years is what they deserved. D PRATT, Accrington.
The people in power tell us how good this bus lane is going to be. From what I remember, the first article I saw said it was a £50million one-way high speed bus lane to save nine minutes. Why don't they pay some of the national debt off instead of
IN regard to the planned 30m bus lane, what an absolute waste of time, effort and money. It just highlights the stupidity of the people who came up with the idea. What planet do the clowns at the council live on? The money will be far better spent on
DENTAL hygiene has been poor in East Lancashire for many years. So the latest figures which reveal our children’s teeth are the fifth worst in England should not come as a shock. The problem seems to be a lack of education as parents continue to let
A CHURCH celebrated its 250th anniversary with a special exhibition at the weekend. Haggate Baptist Church, Burnley, threw open its doors to the public last Saturday to mark the milestone. An exhibition was staged featuring old photographs and memorabilia
A business which recycles metal and unwanted items is moving to larger premises. SAMS (Scrap Art Material Store) is a social enterprise business in Blackburn, which recycles unwanted goods and materials from businesses. It is switching from its base
BURNLEY-born Sir Ian McKellen, 70, has been crowned the Empire Icon for his long and varied film career at the Jameson Empire Awards 2010. The actor, who won an Oscar for his role as real-life filmmaker James Whale in Gods And Monsters, and loved by
THREE children have been caught on camera climbing on an expensive digger after breaking into a building site. The boys, aged around 10, were photographed on the former Lucas Aerospace Wood Top site in Cog Lane, Burnley, on Sunday afternoon. One of
CONCERN is mounting over the possible ‘underspend’ of a £10million housing regeneration fund given to Pendle Council. The remaining £3million of the fund must be spent before the end of the financial year at the end of the month, or be lost. Coun Mohammed
BEN Hobday has been selected to compete in the prestigious British Open Show Jumping Championships in his first season as a senior rider. The former Haslingden High School pupil will compete against some of the sports biggest names at the NEC
THERE are more than 14,000 people currently on housing waiting lists across East Lancashire, new figures have shown. Bosses at homeless charity Shelter, which collected the figures, said that every council in the region is failing to meet affordable
I WILL not say I’ve never heard of the Tory MP Sir John Butterfill, though I’ve certainly never noticed him. When he was ‘caught up’ in the latest lobbying-for-cash Sunday Times sting, he was described in the press as a senior backbencher, but looking
ST STEPHEN’S netball team will fly the flag for Burnley in the SPAR Lancashire Youth Games after winning the High Fives borough qualifier. The super Saints beat St John the Baptist RC in to second place with Wellfield Primary School taking third place
EAST Lancashire children’s teeth are among the worst in the country. The North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), a thinktank which uses official NHS data, found that one borough’s record on child tooth decay was the fifth worst in England
A GP has backed plans to move the children’s ward from Burnley to Blackburn insisting it will provide ‘outstanding care’. Dr Mike Ions, who practises at Pendle View Medical Centre, Brierfield, believes better care will be provided by moving the 15-bed
BRIAN Laws hopes Chris McCann will feature in Thursday’s reserve derby against Blackburn Rovers at Accrington’s Crown Ground. The midfielder missed the second string fixture between the two clubs at Leigh last night. The 22-year-old is
THOUSANDS of shatter-proof glasses and tamper-free bottle tops are to be handed out to pubs and clubs in the Ribble Valley in the run-up to the World Cup in a bid to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime. Special pink bottle tops that prevent unattended
A FIFTH suspect wanted over the robbery of a jewellers in Blackburn has featured on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme. Scott Raphael, 24, from the London area, is being hunted by Lancashire police investigating the robbery at Ancient and Modern jewellers
A GANG who mowed down two Accrington police officers while trying to snatch high-powered cars in Burnley have been warned they face lengthy jail terms. Raiders from Bradford were cornered by Lancashire Police in Cliviger last June when a Ford Focus
SAM Allardyce has warned Rovers fans ‘don’t expect much summer business’ after insisting his current squad are already on the brink of completing a ‘great season’. The Blackburn Rovers boss conceded limited finances will again play their part
A MARATHON runner from Blackburn is set for the the challenge of a lifetime as he takes on six marathons in six days. David Ward, 35, of Lower Darwen, will compete in the world’s ultimate marathon, the Des Sables expedition in Morocco, to raise
TWELVE people have been charged after incidents at Sunday’s East Lancashire football derby. A total of 42 people were arrested throughout the match at Turf Moor, which saw Rovers supporters rip up 150 seats smash toilets in the away end, and
IN-FORM Colne aim to maintain their impressive Vodkat League Premier Division run tonight when they face New Mills at Holt House. Nigel Coates’ men are unbeaten in 11 matches but that record faces a stiff examination against a New Mills side sitting
ROSSENDALE United aim to continue their climb away from the basement of UniBond Division One (North) when they entertain Harrogate Railway Athletic at Dark Lane tonight. The Stags are one point ahead of rock bottom Ossett Albion with the same number
CLITHEROE are in UniBond League First Division North action tonight when they welcome Colwyn Bay to Shawbridge. Peter Smith’s Blues saw their hopes of reaching the play-offs take another hit on Saturday when they were beaten 3-1 at Skelmersdale United
BARNOLDSWICK Town have signed Liam Garbutt from near neighbours Colne FC. Barlick, who are pushing for promotion in their first season at the Vodkat League First Division level, have been chasing Garbutt for several weeks.
RAMSBOTTOM United are in Vokdat Premier Division action tonight as they welcome Ashton Athletic to the Riverside.
BOSSES at the Burnley Mechanics have pulled off a comic coup after being selected by comedian Dylan Moran for a warm-up gig. The Irish star of Channel 4’s Black Books has chosen the Manchester Road venue to try out new material ahead of a European
THE finishing line for this season’s League Two campaign is now in sight, and with only nine matches left we sit in 14th place, seven points off the play offs but more importantly for me 22 points above the relegation zone. So while it’s
BURNLEY boss Brian Laws says he is prepared to take criticism from supporters if it means taking the burden away from his players. Laws is just two months into his tenure at Turf Moor but fans were angry with a perceived lack of fighting spirit
AT least as far as national interest goes, Accrington Stanley’s clash with Barnet tonight will be a rarity – a match that is more about the referee than the players on the pitch. Tonight is the night when former FIFA referee Mark Halsey will
A NEW £4 million fund — the first of its kind in the country — has been launched to support renewable energy projects in the North West. Grants of between £200,000 and £500,000 are available for charities, social-enterprises, community groups and ‘
MILLIONS of pounds may be invested in the Valley to turn long-awaited schemes into a reality. Rossendale Council is one step closer to receiving £12.5 million to redevelop the Valley Centre, establish a Rawtenstall to Manchester commuter rail link and
ANGRY residents will protest after more than 25 trees were chopped down in three Brierfield streets. People who live in Garden Street, Chapel Street, and Castle Street, plan to ask councillors on Pendle Council’s Brierfield and Reedley Committee why
BOOZING could be banned in the streets of Barrowford. Town hall chiefs want alcohol control zones after the village was identified as one of Lancashire’s street drinking ‘hot spots’. Anti-social behaviour including littering, noise,
BURNLEY defender Clarke Carlisle has launched a stinging attack on his own fans after trouble flared at the derby match. Carlisle slammed the ‘small percentage’ of Clarets yobs who behaved ‘barbarically’ during the game. He said he was
BOSSES at Burnley FC said a major investigation was now under way into the way the controversial East Lancashire derby with Blackburn Rovers was managed. It comes as police said that urgent action had to be taken to ‘save lives and avoid
