Archive

  • Before Beeching

    From Keith Sowerbutts, Oswald Street, Accrington. Went for a walk the other day And paused on a bridge for a blow Remembered the railway lines ran underneath, Cause, that's before Beeching, you know. When engines of class would steam up the line

  • Waste centre rules are load of rubbish

    AS a citizen of Blackburn who "does my bit" by recycling as much as possible through my local council collections, I was astounded to be told that I could only use my recycling centre for one visit per month. As my husband and I use a small works van

  • The culture vultures...

    BURNLEY players were yesterday given the full day off to unwind and relax after comfortably routing Selezione Verona XI 7-0. Instead of gruelling sessions in unbearable heat at their Sport Hotel Veronello training base, almost all the Clarets squad

  • Wife headbutted after drinks

    A NELSON father-of-two headbutted his wife and threatened her with a rolling pin after she wanted to carry on a day-long drinking session, Burnley magistrates heard. Neil Wood, 35, later told police he had had about 17 pints, but was not drunk, knew

  • Benefit cheat spared prison

    A MOTHER-of-three who was facing jail after involvement in a £4,100 benefits fraud walked free from court. Burnley Crown Court heard how Kelly Hunt, 25, was claiming handouts as a single mum while living with her partner. Hunt, of Glenroy Avenue, Colne

  • Tracey’s a winner in council tax draw

    BURNLEY resident Tracey Knowles scooped first prize in a council prize draw. Tracey, of Amersham Grove, won £100 in shopping vouchers after she signed up to pay her council tax by direct debit. Councillor Peter Doyle, Burnley Council's executive member

  • Sports festival aim ‘fun for all’

    PADIHAM residents are getting ready for a 10-day festival of sport in the town. The annual Padiham Sports Week kicks off tomorrow night with organisers promising fun for all the family. And events co-ordinator Alan Smith said he was hoping the sun would

  • Summer break means a lot of hard work

    WANT TO wind up an MP? Have them almost foaming at the mouth? And get the same reaction whether they are Tory, Labour, Liberal Democrat? Tell them you are jealous of their 76 day 11 week summer holiday, and ask them what they will do with all this spare

  • ‘Cutting fire services will cost lives’

    COUNCILLORS in Pendle have called on fire chiefs to scrap plans to close stations and axe crews in the borough which will costs lives.' Lancashire Fire Authority is proposing a number of alterations to provisions in the county after studying call out

  • Town councils get residents’ support

    THE people of Pendle have backed plans to create town councils in Nelson and Colne. Residents were asked for their views on the idea, which would help to give them more of a voice on local issues that affect them. Councillors and officials took to the

  • ‘Four-award’ march for apprentice

    BRIERFIELD apprentice Nicola Walsh is keeping her fingers crossed after being nominated for four awards. The 18-year-old has been shortlisted by Pendle Training, the group responsible for her apprenticeship, for the Business Admin Advanced Apprentice

  • £2.3m leisure plan set for nod

    PLANS for a £2.3million expansion at a Pendle leisure centre are set to take a major step forward when the application goes before councillors. Leisure bosses want to extend Nelson's Pendle Wavelengths as part of the bid to breathe new life into the

  • Hughes set for talks with pair

    Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes is set to hold talks with Brett Emerton and Lucas Neill when the pair return from an extended summer break next week. Both players have been offered new deals but they have yet to commit their futures to the club

  • McCarthy set to join Rovers by weekend

    BENNI McCarthy is poised to become a Blackburn player later this week. I can reveal the club have now reached an agreement with both Porto AND the player, so his long awaited transfer is expected to go through before the weekend is out. Rovers agreed

  • Death ‘not linked to fall’

    THE death of a 96-year-old from heart failure was not linked to an earlier fall, an inquest heard. Evelyn Collens, formerly of St Peter's Close, Clayton-le-Dale, fell out of her wheelchair at Nazareth House, Blackburn, where she went for day care. After

  • Health schemes praised by PM

    BLACKBURN Rovers and Burnley FC were praised by Prime MInister Tony Blair in a ground-breaking speech. The PM's public health speech, which was given in Nottingham yesterday, highlighted a scheme run by the football clubs which aims to improve supporters

  • Deputy steps in after head quits

    A Blackburn school whose head quit during an audit investigation has appointed her deputy as acting head. Heather Jamison left Witton Park High School and Technology College, Blackburn, at the end of term less than a year after taking over. And today

  • Survey on pros and cons of Rossendale

    ROSSENDALE Council is enlisting the help of local estate agents and borough residents to find out what makes people want to go there, and why people leave. The information is being collected as part of a migration study to help the council to gain a

  • Trade ‘won’t be hit’ by town revamp

    TRADERS have been assured that work to transform Darwen market square will be put on hold during the town's food festival and Christmas. Borough bosses vowed to work around the busiest trading times to avoid a loss of trade for businesses and stall holders

  • Vicar acts over headstones

    A Chatburn vicar is contacting families after a number of headstones were intentionally toppled because of health and safety fears. Canon Rodney Nicholson of Chatburn Christ Church, Sawley Road, warned people to keep away from damaged or fallen headstones

  • Elderly woman robbed at home

    AN 83-YEAR-OLD woman was confronted by a robber in her home who stole her purse containing more than £1,000. The offender broke in to the pensioner's home in Brighton Terrace, Darwen, through the back door. The woman confronted the raider who snatched

  • PETE EASTWOOD

    CALLING all former workers of Unilab, the old electronics firm which was based at Skew Bridge, Blackburn. Ex-supervisor Pete Eastwood is organising a reunion and wants to see you there. The firm, which was taken over twice, by Philip Harris and

  • Gray the model professional

    YOU would assume, on their day off, the last thing on Burnley players' minds is another run-around in 90-plus degree temperatures. But step forward Andy Gray, who was working up a sweat running up and down the picturesque country roads near the club's

  • Courts want Saturdays off to save cash

    COURT chiefs want to save £100,000 by scrapping Saturday and bank holiday courts in Burnley and sending suspects to Blackburn. The courts Service is looking at the changes, involving people in custody from Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. The move has

  • Residents fear more horror deaths

    RESIDENTS on a housing estate on which three sisters perished in a house fire have joined the fight to save one of Padiham's fire crews. People on Stonemoor Bottom, Padiham, have urged fire chiefs not to press ahead with plans which could see one of

  • Pensioner attack: Two arrested

    TWO men have been arrested by detectives hunting raiders who pushed Brierfield pensioner Dorothy Hodgson head-first down the stairs of her home. The 74-year-old grandmother of two had to have 30 stitches in her lip, chin and head when she said she

  • Water used to protect treasures

    BURNLEY'S heritage is to get its own unique identity as part of modern plans to protect the town's past. For crime and heritage chiefs have joined forces to bring in a new security system to preserve historic artefacts in the 600-year Towneley Hall and

  • Man stabbed in ‘row over fruit’

    A MAN was stabbed in his stomach and back after a fight broke out in a shop in Brierfield. Witnesses today claimed the man was stabbed when an argument broke out over the price of a case of fruit. However, police said they still did not know the motive

  • World's oldest football contest saved

    BURNLEY'S historic Hospital Cup has been saved after a U-turn by East Lancashire's hospital bosses. Health chiefs who last month said they could no longer support the 123-year-old trophy have made a last-minute decision to back the world's oldest football

  • Cotterill sets defence new goal

    STEVE Cotterill is demanding more goals from his Burnley defenders next season. The Clarets boss believes there is enough ability among his back-line players to grab more than their fair share and help out the club's main goal-getters. But hitting the

  • Accrington Stanley 1 Blackpool 0

    NEW recruit Jay Harris made a strong claim for a place in manager John Colmeman's starting line-up for the Reds' Football League return in just over a week's time. The former Everton trainee finished superbly to earn Accrington Stanley a 1-0 win over

  • Sparky enjoys Owen revival

    IT might be two months before Blackburn Rovers' UEFA Cup campaign gets underway, but Mark Hughes and his players are already rubbing shoulders with the cream of European football. Aside from their pre-season dates with Hamburg and the Greek champions

  • Bronze joy for Leonard

    SIXTEEN-year-old Alison Leonard won a bronze medal at the Norwich Union World Junior Trials and Under 20 and Under 23 AAAs Championships at Bedford. Competing in the under-20s 800 metres against women up to three years older, it was her most competitive

  • Hyndburn lack home comforts

    HYNDBURN missed a golden opportunity to consolidate their place in Northern Division 1W of the Young Athletes League when they were handed a home tie for the final fixture, but they couldn't muster the victory which would have seen them safe. They played

  • Fog’s Shock

    Former world superbike champion Carl Fogarty dusted off his gloves and helmet for another appearance at the Lancashire Twin-Shock Grand National meeting at Clayton-le-Dale, near Blackburn. And although he didn't win, he finished a close second to Mark

  • Time is right for final Countdown

    TERRY Martin chalked up his first victory of the season when he won the Countdown Rally in Cumbria. Martin, from Blackburn, beat second-placed Ed Dentice and Tom Wilcox by two minutes, with third place going to SD34 Championship leaders Dan Willan and

  • Lang keeps cool at top

    AN ice-cool performance in sweltering conditions has put Jonny Lang top of the class in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Victory in race two and a second in race one at Snetterton cemented the Barrowford businessman's lead at the top of the GTC

  • Wayne’s fresh start

    WAYNE Thomas is desperate to make up for lost time after serious injuries ruined his first season with the Clarets. Defender Thomas was on the sidelines for most of Burnley's 2004/05 Championship campaign. He was first out for almost three months after

  • ‘Questions’ over cause of death

    A NARRATIVE verdict was recorded at an inquest into the death of a Sabden woman after investigations brought "more questions than answers". Dilys Wood, 69, of Lamb Road, Sabden, died in Blackburn Royal Infirmary after suffering from multi-organ failure

  • Pet cat loses leg in attack

    TWO devastated sisters have spoken out about the horrific injuries their family pet suffered at the hands of a "potential cat killer". Rebecca and Amie Giddins, of Spa Garth, Highmoor Park, Clitheroe, are now nursing their seven-year-old cat, Splash,

  • TV review: I Love You. And You. And You, Channel 4

    MOST MEN would agree one wife is more than enough to keep them on their toes. But not Jerome who we met on last night's C4 documentary I Love You. And You. And You. Jerome lives with his wife and two girlfriends, and spent the duration of the show looking

  • Volumes to say on ‘good reads’

    PEOPLE are invited to discuss their favourite books during a book club at Darwen Library. The First Saturday Book Club looks at the advantages of reading, and discussing, books in an informal setting. Library staff attend, and members choose the books

  • Natasha ‘inspires’ teacher's triathlon

    A TEACHER is to take on a gruelling athletics challenge in honour of an "inspirational" former pupil who has cystic fibrosis. Gareth Lane, 32, said he was taking on his first triathlon challenge after being touched by the courage of 11-year-old Natasha

  • Villagers lose fight on waste ‘dumping’

    DEVASTATED Huncoat residents have admitted defeat in a row over plans for a waste treatment plant in their village after government officers refused to intervene. The decision now means that the controversial project at the former Huncoat power station

  • Midwives’ union warning over cuts plans

    PREGNANT women could be at risk because of bed cuts at East Lancashire's hospitals, a midwives' union has warned. The Royal College of Midwives said cash-saving cuts will further push an "overstretched workforce" and warned that safety may well be compromised

  • World leader joins Stanley fan club

    THE latest signing for the Accrington Stanley fan club has been announced, as a world leader joined the team's global group of supporters. Maltese Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi was presented with a personalised iconic red and white football shirt

  • Stars turn out for Darwen man's wedding

    WEDDING guests got the chance to rub shoulders with the rich and famous when a Darwen man got married and invited his celebrity pals to the reception. As the senior lifestyle promotions manager for adidas, Gary Aspden often finds himself chatting to

  • Landmark to power business

    A LANDMARK new building in Blackburn will transform land which has been derelict for 25 years and could create as many as 200 jobs. Blackburn Enterprise Centre will be constructed on the land next to Tesco supermarket, Hill Street, Blackburn, over

  • Minister steps in over stranded baby

    THE Home Secretary has intervened in the case of a Blackburn mother and baby who are stranded in Pakistan. Dr John Reid has ordered his department to re-consider whether 11-month-old daughter Zulaikha Shafqat and her mother Saleena Ali, 21, can return

  • Artwork a waste of electricity

    IT seems odd to me, in these days when we are being encouraged to switch off our TVs rather than leave them on standby, that our local authority is proposing to erect a piece of public art at Sudell Cross, Blackburn, which uses electricity purely for

  • Israel not to blame for conflict

    ANYONE who condemns Israel for "over-reacting" during the attack on Lebanon and "responding disproportionately" does not understand military tactics. Lebanon has admitted it is powerless to disarm Hezbollah. The only solution is for Israel to do it.

  • Help to recycle IT!

    COMPUTER equipment no longer wanted by Lancashire businesses is set to be made available for use within the community. The Defra Business Re-use Fund (BRF) and Lancashire Voluntary Community and Faith Sector have struck up a partnership. A joint

  • Changes are just the job!

    More than half of North West workers are willing to give up 3.5 holidays abroad to change careers With Summer get-aways often triggering life changing decisions, new research reveals that over half of North West workers (55 per cent) are so eager to