ACTORS have been rapped for smoking on stage after complaints from angry theatre-goers, who were forced to go outside to light up. Members of the cast even puffed on cigars at the end of their production of Abigail's Party at the Thwaites Empire Theatre
A MAYOR was prevented from attending to his civic duties - after a tractor blocked the road to his home. Mayor of Pendle, Coun Allan Buck, became involved in a standoff with neighbouring farmer Jimmy Moles at around 9.30am on Saturday, outside his
Two men were taken to hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation after a house fire in Barnes Street, Clayton-le-Moors. Two square metres of floor boards were destroyed by fire, there was severe smoke damage to a rear bedroom, and the first floor
NEWSAGENT Mohammed Hanif Ansary, 40, of Whalley New Road, Blackburn, was remanded on bail by Blackburn magistrates after pleading guilty to breaching conditions of bail. The court heard Ansary has been ordered to stand trial at Preston Crown Court on
AN HISTORIC former police station is set to be demolished to make way for the final piece of Blackburn's new orbital road. Council chiefs will need special permission from the Government to knock down the Georgian grade two-listed building in King Street
POLICE have been told to get out to emergency calls more quickly - by the Chief Constable. The Government has set a target for officers to reach an emergency within 15 minutes in 90 per cent of all cases. But Lancashire Constabulary is only getting
BLACKBURN Rovers star David Dunn returned to school to talk to pupils about the importance of discussing their problems. And he told them he had never felt so low as when he split up with girlfriend, Emmerdale soap star Sammy Winward while he was living
A Darwen pub has undergone a £300,000 makeover by Daniel Thwaites Brewery. The George has been equipped with a high-tech plasma screen and three big screens and sound systems. Brand new signage now greets customers to the Hollins Grove venue and a modern
A PARTYGOER whose car had been moved while he was asleep "foolishly" decided to drive it back. Blackburn magistrates heard police had already been called to the event in Snape Street, Darwen, and when they stopped Mark Peter Fisher he staggered out of
BLACKBURN Hawks put an end to their disappointing run of defeats with a sensational victory over ice hockey giants Paisley Pirates. Hawks battled hard against an intimidating Paisley outfit and netted a last-minute winner to secure a 3-2 victory over
DANCERS at an academy will be jumping for joy when a borough's first citizen visits one of their sessions. Blackburn with Darwen Mayor Coun Maureen McGarvey, will visit the Zoe Taylor Dance Academy at Shadsworth Leisure Centre on October 24. The academy
A HANDBOOK guide for young people in Lancashire has been released. Packed with information on everything from leisure to education to, and relationships to the environment, the What Now? book is aimed at people aged between 16 and 25. The guide, which
TRIBUTES have been paid to a popular busine-ssman who died after a heart attack. Neville Gee, 58, of Oslo Road, Burnley, died at his home on Friday morning. Mr Gee, managing director of the Neville Gee Employment Agency in Hargreaves Street until two
SOCCER stars of the future will benefit after Burnley was selected to take part in a four-year Football Association development programme. Under the FA scheme, a grassroots revolution should take place in the junior game locally, from increasing the
BUDDING film-makers at a Burnley primary school can start the camera rolling thanks to an energy recycling scheme. Hapton School in Manchester Road won a camcorder by collecting old batteries in a competition run by Lancashire County Council, to divert
ANNE Barker has never considered herself to be a woman in a man's world despite finally ending one of the longest male bastions in football. For Anne has been elected on to the Lancashire Football Association's full council - the first woman to do so
DARWEN traders are to hold a crisis meeting to discuss the road network they say is ruining business. They say the £1.4m traffic scheme, aimed at improving traffic flow from the junction of Bury Street and Duckworth Street through to the Circus,
TOMMY Hannon and James Brookens will be chasing the hat-trick in Darwen's Borough Pairs snooker tournament as this season gets under way. But they didn't win it last year! Simple explanation is that the tournament was shelved last season for a variety
A TEENAGER was set upon by a gang who stamped on her with stiletto heels in a vicious attack outside a Blackburn off licence. Now the mum of 13-year-old Katy Daley has started a petition calling for the closure of the Top Shop Off Licence in Shadsworth
THERE probably hasn't been a more dramatic conclusion to the Craig Heaton Memorial Trophy in its 17-year-history. Sir John Thursby had a fighting chance to win the Burnley Inter Schools Year Eight competition until Blessed Trinity's demon bowler Tom
A TROUBLED teenager who glassed a man, ripping his cornea and leaving him needing surgery, has been jailed for 12 months. Candice Smith, 19, who also attacked a 17-year-old girl in her own home with accomplice Toni Crossley, 22, the same night, drank
GREAT Harwood Rovers may have ended up as losers but when it comes to grit and determination there was only one winner. For while Rovers were on the wrong side of an 8-0 defeat against a very talented and in-form Clitheroe Wolves side they never stopped
BLACKBURN marched confidently into the third round of the EDF Senior Vase with a clear win over a committed Anselmians side. The visitors did the damage in a high quality opening 25 minutes by which time they had raced into an 18-3 lead thanks to tries
IT WASN'T pretty but Rossendale got back to winning ways after an ugly' VDF Senior Vase victory over Bolton. Dale were always in control and ran in four tries against a resolute Bolton side. But in truth it could have been so much more had it not been
A HIGH street retailer is creating 29 jobs in Blackburn this Christmas. Mark and Spencer is taking on seasonal staff at its store in King William Street. A number of different positions are available but all workers must be prepared to work a minimum
A THIEF who snatched a woman's handbag when she put it down in a takeaway has been spared jail. Burnley Crown Court heard how Peter Hodgson-Smith, 24, was now working and trying to kick his drug habit. A judge said custody for a short time would take
COUNCIL tenants in Ribble Valley are invited to "meet the board" on Thursday. They can meet the people who will be running the housing company, Ribble Valley Homes, if their homes are transferred from Ribble Valley Borough Council to the independent
A CHURCH service is being held in East Lancashire to mark the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act coming into force. The Bishop of Burnley, the Right Rev John Goddard will lead a 'service of hope, healing and remembrance' in the town's St Andrew's Church
A NEW service for women who suffer domestic abuse and violence is set to be launched in Burnley. The drop-in service, to be launched on Monday, October 22, at the Retreat and Recover Centre in Hammerton Street, will support women looking to escape abusive
A TALENT show which was cancelled after the postal strike delayed entries is set to go ahead. Organiser of Nelson's first N Factor talent show, Councillor Donna Caley, cancelled the show when only two entries were received before the October 5 deadline
A LANCASHIRE dental patient has spoken of car-rying out 14 separate tooth extractions with a pair of pliers, researchers said. The revelation was made in the biggest survey of its kind, which found many patients are going without treatment or trying
This was the scene as former Darwen man Robert Lund entered the court room in the French town of Albi yesterday, accused of murdering his wife Evelyn. Friends and family of Evelyn, who was born in Rossendale, were also in court yesterday to witness
DETECTIVES have issued security advice to householders after two attempted burglaries in Darwen. The first happened at 2.30am last Tuesday when an intruder tried to break into a house in Turncroft Road, Darwen. The second was between 10 and 10.30pm
A SUSPECTED cannabis farm has been found in a three-storey house in Stacksteads, police have said. Police said what is believed to be cannabis plants and plant-growing equipment were found at the house in Newchurch Road, Bacup, yesterday morning. A local
YOUR club needs you! That's the rousing message from Burnley's operational director Brendan Flood. The Rossendale-born businessman has expressed his disappointment at recent attendances for Championship against Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town. While
ANOTHER set of international games, another blank weekend for club football. And with it, the opportunity to reflect on the opening weeks of the season. One's perception of how the campaign is shaping up thus far largely depends on whether you're a glass
A NEW housing estate made up of 45 affordable homes will be built in a village after councillors gave proposals the go ahead. The development at Petre Wood Farm, Whalley Road, Langho, will see the construction of 24 apartments and 21 two storey homes
TWO local teams are hoping to write themselves in to the record books and raise the profile of girls football. Rossendale Mavericks and Fearns Community Sports College will attempt to stage a 24-hour football match and earn a place in the Guinness Book
NEWSAGENTS were threatened during two separate knifepoint robberies in Blackburn. Police say they are linking both incidents and appealed for witnesses to come forward. The latest incident happened on Monday at 2.30pm when a man entered Morgan's
St Wilfrid's RC Primary School, Longridge, came first overall in the Longridge Schools' Cluster Group cross country competition. Ella Roberts was first for the girls, while Liam Green first and Joe Harrison second for the boys. Other team members were
Saint Charles school hall, 7pm, all welcome. But dont ask me whats on the agenda!!!!!
Would the real Accrington Stanley please take one step forward. Are we the fast-flowing, all-guns blazing, never-say- die team that has returned home with all three points from Wycombe, Bradford and Dagenham, or the plodding, undercooked side that allowed
THE national press still seem full of adrenaline over the election that never was, and futile opinion polls and even election leaflets are still appearing like confetti. I suppose they think that if they've ordered them they had better use them! Talking
THE first joint venture between schools in Darwen was hailed a massive success in bringing the community together. St Edward's Primary School, Earcroft Children's Centre and Kitten's Pre-School joined forces for an autumn festival, and a meeting is being
A mass clean-up of the Whitebirk area of Blackburn has been taking place. The clean-up involved residents the police, fire service, New East Blackburn, the community safety partnership, the town hall, the probation service, parking attendants and street
I can't believe that some people apply for a job, get it, and then start laying down rules they wish to work to. We now have the situation where a girl at the checkout in a big supermarket wants to be excused serving alcohol, chemists who won't 'deal
A STATE-of-the-art languages suite has been opened at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. The Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lord Shuttleworth, opened the Chatburn Road two-storey building which boasts a digital laboratory with 32 new computers, which is
THE talented players keep rolling off the Darwen Netball Club production line. For the club underlined its reputation as one of the best in the country by revealing its latest list of players who have gained county recognition. Darwen, frequent visitors
I was lucky enough to be a guest at the wedding of two good friends last Saturday. Now I do like a good wedding and this was certainly a belter. However, the downside to getting married during the football season is that the date can cause an unfortunate
A 15-year-old girl camping with friends in her back garden was assaulted by a drunken man. Blackburn magistrates heard that Christopher James Gregory turned up at the sleepover uninvited and started kicking the tent and shouting. He grabbed the girl
Robbie Savage said Wales are "going nowhere" and has criticised John Toshack's record with the national team. The Blackburn player, who will be 33 on Thursday, is in international exile after a breakdown in his relationship with Toshack. And the midfielder
If you have ideas and suggestion to help the youth of Rishton, The Friends of Rishton Youth will be holding their monthly meeting on Wednesday evening, the 17th of October at 6pm, in the center on the corner of Commercial Street and School street. All
RE operations being performed at Burnley and not Blackburn. Many people will not get any visitors because of the distance and the cost of public transport. We don't all have a car. Many people will fret because of lack of visitors and will therefore
I AM a professional driver of 40 years' standing and use the Whitebirk roundabout daily. It's a pity the roadworks have to be carried out at all. If drivers left more space between themselves and the vehicle in front, if they negotiated the roundabout
The postal service should be just that, a service. All the problems, resulting in a strike, are a result of changes being implemented as a result of a profit motive. The hospitals, police and fire service provide a good service without the need to make
I AM relieved to know only 12 live bullfights have been show this year on Spanish TV. Usually it is 40 or more which shows a falling interest among viewers. I hope the future sees a total ban in the barbaric sport of bullfighting in Spain and that tourists
RECENT objections to the proposed statue of former MP for Blackburn Barbara Castle, have been on the basis that there should not be statues to politicians and that there is sufficient to remember her by with the road named Barbara Castle Way. Both reasons
SIX Blackburn Rovers fans have been given football banning orders after fighting with each other at a European game in Germany. Another four Rovers supporters also face banning applications after Lancashire police officers were able to recognise the
BURNLEY'S Steve Jones has been presented with a chance to force his way into Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington's first team plans. Injury to Keith Gillespie has created an opening ahead of tomorrow's must-win Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden
AND so the den has been opened for business. Yes the dragons are back sitting next to their collective wads, terrorising the inept and looking to make a profit. Dragons' Den has become one of the key elements of the BBC2 schedules - and it's easy to
Time for fun whilst doing a bit for charity! On Friday 19th October, the children of St Johns CE will be celebrating Eid. Although the festival actually happened last week, we thought it would be fun to do it as a whole school, so that all the children
THE trial of a man accused of murdering a pensioner found in the cellar of a house is due to start today. Dorothy Carre, 64, had been missing since losing contact with her family in March 1999, when she moved from Bacup to Rochdale. Her remains were
ROBERT Lund told lies to cover up the murder of his wife Evelyn, a court heard. He was the only person who could have done it, examining magistrate Maitre Barthe told a packed courtroom at Cour d'Assises de Tarn, Albi, southern France. Evelyn's
THEY have booked delivery vehicles, buses and even a police car for parking on double yellow lines. But now it has been revealed parking war-dens are instructed to turn a blind eye to some Lancashire County Council vehicles when they are on "official
DAVID Bentley insists England cannot afford to use Moscow's artificial pitch as an excuse for failure in tomorrow's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier. The Blackburn Rovers midfielder will be hoping to his muscle his way into Steve McClaren's starting line-up
