EAST Lancashire has six of the best when it comes to schools - government education chiefs have revealed. The super six feature among 1,476 UK schools on Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools' Annual Report, which lists schools branded outstanding
POLICE and wildlife groups are tackling an increase in deer poaching as demand for venison rises in the run-up to Christmas. With a stag carcass fetching up to £150, the deer population is under increased pressure from poachers who sell meat to unscrupulous
IT'S nice to know there are more people who agree that Blackburn with Darwen Council is wrong in what it is doing to Darwen town centre, the leisure centre and site of the new academy. I totally agree with Coun Alan Cottam and Mr W J Taylor that they
CONSULTANTS are set to start work on ways to make Turton Tower more profitable in a bid to save the historic building. A feasibility study was kicked off in September but it has been decided specialists are now needed to work on the necessary changes
DARWEN traders claim takings have halved since the town's road works started - and say the work has not been completed on time. The traders said that each day the traffic system, which was due to be completed last Friday, was delayed, hundreds of pounds
A MENTAL health nurse has been suspended over an allegation that he had an inappropriate rel-ationship with a vuln-erable female patient. Liam Whittaker, of Blackburn, became involved with a woman at Brierley Court independent hospital in Moston, Manchester
A COST-CUTTING plan to close a tourist information centre, branded "the life blood" of the Ribble Valley, has been blasted as a "harebrain" scheme. Councillors said they were outraged at the controversial move over Clitheroe's Tourist Information Centre
A RELATIVE of a mother and four daughters killed in a tragic house fire has led community tributes to the family he loved. Barry Khanam fought back tears as he spoke to those who gathered at Accrington's Moorhead High School for a memorial service to
WHO said accountants are boring? Danielle Oddie is certainly doing her best to dispel the myth. Danielle, 18, is a new recruit at PM&M Chartered Accountants, which has offices in Blackburn, Clitheroe, Burnley and Nelson. But when she isn't working on
A LONG-LOST father has saved his wayward son from jail after the pair were reunited after almost 20 years. Brendan Devlin found troubled criminal Daniel, the teenager he last saw as a six-month-old baby, after reading about one of his court appearances
MARK Hughes returns to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs tonight looking to take another step on a road he hopes will lead to another European final. It was here in Rotterdam 15 years ago where Hughes the player famously fired Manchester United
BLACKBURN defender Andre Ooijer faces a race against time to be fit for tonight's UEFA Cup tie. The Dutchman is rated only 50-50 after picking up a knock in Sunday's draw with Spurs. However, if he is passed fit, Ooijer looks set to retain the captaincy
BLACKBURN Rovers' European ambitions were almost grounded yesterday by a catering van at Manchester Airport! The plane that was due to be taking Mark Hughes and his players to Rotterdam got damaged after a catering truck crashed into it on the tarmac
IAN Craney has become the second Accrington Stanley player in just over a month to be loaned out. The highly-rated midfielder has joined League One promotion hopefuls Swansea City on loan until January with a view to a permanent deal. Craney follows
WE'VE had Eric and Ernie, the Two Ronnies and more recently the Hairy Bikers. Now TV has unearthed another great, if slightly unwitting, double act - Oz and James. Whoever came up with the idea to pair up wine expert Oz Clarke and Top Gear's James May
ACCRINGTON will be lit up by the glow of festive lights and an explosion of festive fireworks tomorrow night as the annual Christmas light switch-on takes place in the town centre. Hyndburn Mayor Coun Mohamed Rahman will be joined by Take That tribute
AN online entrepreneur has set up a business to allow people without computers to trade on the internet. Graham Roberts, 25, of Bury Fold Lane, Darwen, has set up a virtual' shop on internet trading website eBay, running from his home. He can be hired
BARNOLDSWICK has a centrepiece Christmas tree for the first time in two years after councillors spent £40,000 decorating West Craven. The tree was scrapped after problems with vandalism in 2004 but bosses have decided not to let yobs spoil the fun this
PARENTS who park illegally when dropping their children off in school are being given on-the-spot fines by police. Officers handed out £30 fines and verbal warnings to parents at Christ the King school, Calderbrook Avenue, Burnley, after repeatedly warning
BURNLEY Council has been criticised for promoting a free Christmas parking offer - for car parks that are already free. In a press release sent to the Lancashire Telegraph the council said it was "giving shoppers in Burnley a festive treat in the run
AN EAST Lancashire park which has suffered years of neglect could be restored to its former glory with £1million of lottery cash. Memorial Park in Padiham is one of Burnley's six heritage' parks and a holder of the prestigious Green Flag award since
BOSSES of a theme park where an East Lancashire teenager fell to her death from a ferris wheel have admitted breaching health and safety laws. Salma Saleem, from Nelson, plunged 30ft from the ride at Gulliver's World in July 2002 and bosses of the park
CO-OP bosses have been given the go ahead for a new late shop, despite residents' fears it could attract gangs of youths. Earlier this year, the retail group was refused planning permission to demolish the Oaktree pub, Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn,
STEVE Cotterill has issued a rallying call to Burnley supporters - insisting they can act as a 12th man at Turf Moor. During the club's annual general meeting last night, the Clarets boss said he would love to see Burnley attract 20,000 gates at every
BURNLEY have paved the way for extra investment at Turf Moor to try to fulfil their dreams of reaching the Premiership promised land. Shareholders at last night's annual general meeting voted unanimously to approve removing the restriction on the number
BRETT Emerton believes Blackburn Rovers can emulate the achievements of his former club Feyenoord and go all the way in the UEFA Cup this season. The Australian international was part of the Feyenoord side that won the competition in 2002 after they
AN accident caused delays on the M65 yesterday after a lorry blocked two lanes between junction three Riley Green and junction four, Lower Darwen. The incident happened around 9.10am when a lorry carrying chemicals crashed at the scene of a previous
BUSINESSES on an industrial estate have clubbed together to buy state-of-the-art technology that will help them identify suspicious vehicles arriving on the site. Companies on the Altham Business Park and Altham Industrial Estate have voted for a self-imposed
POLICE in Lancashire have begun trialling hand-held electronic fingerprint readers designed to identify suspects at the roadside. Experts hope that the Lantern mobile finger print analyser will save massive amounts of police time and money by allowing
RAWTENSTALL'S newest Police Community Support Officer is a chip off the old block. John Pepper will patrol the town centre and Longholme areas as part of the neighbourhood policing team, but it is not the 21-year-old's first brush with the law - he was
RESIDENTS will know when to baton down the hatches against flooding thanks to a new warning scheme. Water Street in Earby was left under water in August 2004 when both houses and shops were flooded. After the sudden deluge, residents launched a campaign
THE Christmas programme at Alston Hall, Longridge, runs from December 3 to December 19. The day programmes include a two-course festive lunch and afternoon tea. The evening events include a three-course festive dinner. December 3 begins with A Winter
TRADERS are concerned over a Christmas shopping train which is providing the first direct rail link between East Lancashire and London in almost a decade. The service, that will call at Blackburn, Accrington, and Burnley on Saturday, is believed to the
RAIN has stopped play for junior football teams who use an all-weather pitch, forcing them to search for a new temporary home ground. Despite being labelled an all-weather pitch, the surface of the astro turf at the Primetime Centre, Norden High School
GREEN for stop and red for go - highways workers turned the world on its head with a signpost blunder. Lancashire County Council has been caught out after giving off the wrong signal to motorists in Edenfield. A traffic lights warning sign on the Blackburn
POLICE have said their investigation into a crash involving a taxi skidding into a parked car will settle a dispute over whether the road was gritted. A row was sparked earlier this week after police said the road had not been gritted prior to the accident
CHRISTMAS is coming so the last thing I needed at this funds-conscious time is a good kicking from the DVLA. My fault entirely, forgot to SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification, for the yet to be fined) the motorcycle I have in my garage. Within days
A FEW thoughts on the latest application for a mosque in Clitheroe. Why should I support Muslims in England when I never hear them speaking up in support of Christians who are being treated abominably in some Muslim countries? When will we have Christian
THE traffic congestion in Darwen, besides being a major irritant to drivers passing through the town, has another by-product in that the level of emissions belching out from all these vehicles must be driving pollution up to a very worrying level. This
NORTHERN Foods, the parent company of Baxenden-based Hollands Pies, has agreed to sell part of its business for £160million - but the deal will not affect its East Lancashire business. The move has seen the firm reach an agreement with a finance group
ATTEMPTS to block a controversial private health scheme which hospital bosses warn could damage NHS services are "ground-less", Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has said. She said a union would not be able to stop a plan she put in place to have a private
A RIBBLE Valley photographer received the Royal seal of approval when the Queen chose one of her pictures as a birthday present. The Queen, who celebrated her 80th birthday with a visit to ther Ribble Valley last spring, was given a photograph depicting
A CHURCH group is putting on a production of 'Oliver!' in a bid to ensure African children can have some more' of life's essentials. Based on Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist, the musical is being held at Barley Methodist Church, Main Street, starring
RHYTHM and blues legends Dr Feelgood are bringing their high-energy act to Blackburn on November 23. The band have a reputation for putting on killer gigs in the area, with a packed show at Burnley Mechanics last month and a storming set at Burnley
Wigan Warriors have unveiled their new home kit for the 2007 Super League campaign. The JJB-manufactured shirt sees a new slant on the cherry and white hoop design with a V-neck, embroidered crest and black piping. This will be worn with red shorts
LANCASHIRE'S Andrew Flintoff put his summer injury nightmare behind him to take a two-wicket haul on day one of the Ashes series. But the England captain's efforts failed to prevent Australia making a blistering start as they finished the day on 346-
