A WOMEN'S rugby team is looking to capitalise on World Cup fever to recruit younger members. Colne women's rugby team, now in its 13th season, has lost a number of players due to injury and pregnancy among other reasons. Coun Anne Kerrigan, who plays
WORK on the latest model of the world's most advanced jet fighter has started at BAE Systems, Samlesbury. The Carrier Variant (CV) of the F-35 Lightning II has gone into production at the defence giant's plant near Blackburn, which employs about 5,000
BURNLEY Youth Theatre is set to begin research for a counter-terrorism project. The project will explore young people's views and opinions, and aims to provide an insight into terrorism through the medium of drama. The piece, written and directed by
WIFE killer Robert Lund could be out of jail in three years - if he tells his victim's family exactly what happened on the night she died. The 55-year-old was jailed for 12 years by a court in Albi, southern France, on Friday, after being found guilty
A DEVOUT Christian came home drunk from watching football and flew into a rage because a cross had been turned upside down, a court was told. Hyndburn magistrates heard that Michael Edward Bee blamed his partner's 19-year-old son who, he claimed, was
A NORMANDY landings veteran from Bacup has died aged 83. Peter Cooke, of Ramsay Street, Bacup, died peacefully in Burnley General Hospital. He was a signalman on HMS Rodney and then spent time on the HMS Ascania off Juno Beach when the Normandy landings
REGENERATION plans for a park moved a step closer after planners scooped tens of thousands of pounds of lottery money for a funding bid. The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Alkincoats Park, in Alkincoats Road, Colne, £49,700, which together with £50,000
TWO yobs who attacked a pub boss and a policeman, leaving the officer paralysed in the road "waiting to die," have each been jailed for six years. Daryl Aspin, 17, and Aaron Cheema, 18, had pelted off duty sergeant Anthony Doherty with rocks and punched
A GROUP of young people have recorded their own CD and DVD. The young people, who all have a history of care, recorded the collection of poems and songs this week at Cellar Bar, in Blackburn. The songs, poems, and rap music focus on leaving care, and
A SET of double yellow lines are to be removed after they were put on a private cobbled road by mistake. The lines were painted on the road outside Darwen Catholic Club, in Wellington Fold. Adrian Taylor, the club's president, said that yellow lines
A LARGE pile of rubbish that blocked a road was traced back to the operator of a Burnley taxi business, a court was told. Broken bed settees, household rubbish, wooden cabinets, and papers blocked Airdrie Crescent, Burnley. And the rubbish was traced
PARENTS of disabled children in Blackburn and Darwen are receiving more help than ever before - thanks to a raft of new support groups formed with the help of a local project. Blackburn with Darwen Education Development Trust's parenting fund project
EAST Lancashire men are drinking themselves to an early death, shock figures have revealed. An in-depth assessment of drinking culture across the country has found some men in the area are reducing their lives by an average of 15 months through excessive
AMBITIOUS plans to transform Accrington are being put into place by a team of expert regeneration specialists. Hyndburn Council has contracted Manchester-based planners URBED to look at public spaces, transport routes, parking and other aspects of the
ANOTHER link of the West Pennine Moors Bridleway Loop near Helmshore, will be opened on Tuesday. The latest section, the Moor Road bridle way, is part of the 56-mile circular route scheduled for completion in Spring 2009. The work has resulted in the
A DAD turned on police called by his ex-partner as he harmed himself, Burnley magistrates heard. The court was told how David Thomas Allen, 38, hit one officer in the face leaving him with an eye injury and grabbed another by the arm and squeezed tightly
STRUGGLING market traders have been granted rent reductions. Stallholders at Nelson and Colne's market halls could pay as little as half their previous tariffs, after a Pendle Council survey highlighted rent levels in the two boroughs were higher than
A COMMUNITY health boss has pledged to save a million years of life by stopping East Lancashire people "dying before their time". The vow was made at a health and well-being summit at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors, this week. East Lancashire
A COUNCIL is taking action to reduce the number of empty properties in Blackburn. The council has approved its Empty Property Strategy and Action Plan. Currently, 5.9 per cent of houses in Blackburn are empty, compared with 7.3 per cent in Burnley and
Police called to a domestic disturbance in the early hours of the morning tried to pacify a 39-year-old woman who was crying and alleging that her partner had been unfaithful. Hyndburn magistrates that heard when the partner suggested they go to bed
A MASTER brewer who was appointed managing director of an East Lancashire brewery has left the company after just a year in charge. Brian Hickman, a former production and distribution director for the Blackburn brewery, departed by mutual agreement.
A father of two who couldn't accept his wife of 19 years leaving him has been spared immediate jail after mounting a campaign of harassment. Burnley Magistrates heard how Nicholas Wayne Smith, 39, flouted court orders, repeatedly sending his estranged
LANCASHIRE County Council has been short-listed for Beacon Council status for its work on improving access. The Beacon Scheme identifies excellence and innovation in local government, and aims to share good practice so councils can learn from each other
A GROUP of teenage 'Emos and Goths' who gather in Blackburn have said people should not be afraid of them. And they said they congregate in Church Street on Saturdays because they have nowhere to meet where they feel safe. A group of between 30 and
A DARWEN book is helping to raise funds for charity. Houses of the Gentry in Nineteenth Century Darwen', by L A Hull, is the latest tool being used by fundraisers to collect money for Breast Cancer Care. The book provides information about houses, the
AN engineering firm is axing 55 jobs at its manufacturing site in Blackburn. Presspart Manufacturing, on Whitebirk Industrial Estate, has told staff around a quarter of its workforce is to be made redundant. The company is a world leader in deep drawn
ORGANISERS are planning to make this year's Blackburn Bonfire the best ever. And the organisers are looking for donations of wood for the bonfire on November 3. This year's event in Witton Park at 7.30pm is being organised by Blackburn Rotaract, the
A DRUGS gang which masterminded a commercial distribution operation from a house in a Burnley residential street is beginning jail terms totalling almost 20 years. Main man Masood Akbar, 26, who was arrested after two months of police observations,
AROUND 60 Darwen traders attended a crisis meeting to discuss the town centre road network which they claim is ruining business. They said the £1.4m traffic scheme, aimed at improving traffic flow from the junction of Bury Street and Duckworth Street
BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw gave a new warehousing a smashing opening - by taking a sledgehammer to the door of Number 10. The Justice Minister officially opened PVC-U stockist GAP's new 45,000sq ft warehouse at Shadsworth Business Park, Blackburn. And
RAMSBOTTOM'S Brighter Business Solutions are testing their daredevil instincts by taking part in the Marie Curie Big Zip Challenge. The team hopes to raise over £500 for the cancer charity, in order to qualify for a ride on the specially constructed
THE wife of former footballer Colin Hendry is back in hospital after a recurrence of the illness which threatened her life five years ago. Denise Hendry contracted a blood infection in 2002 during a liposuction procedure at a private clinic. She later
EXTRA work needs to be done to get dozens of youngsters in Burnley and Hyndburn off the jobs and training scrapheap, according to councillors. If more effort is not made to tackle the problem in Burnley and Accrington then Lancashire County Council could
EVERYONE watching England's rugby World Cup semi-final match last Saturday must have noticed the national anthem being sung with much pride and gusto by the team, and one wonders why our overpaid footballers can't do the same when they are performing
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 WORK in Colne and commute on a daily basis on the train as I thought this was the greener option, however I have decided to travel by different methods now and basically simply care more about my sanity than my carbon footprint. Take today for instance
I AM writing to express my frustration at trying to park in supermarkets. I have a seven-month-old baby and find the baby and child spaces invaluable, however quite a number of selfish people insist on parking in these spaces when they have no children
TWO electricity cables with 133,000 volts of electricity passing through them caught fire at an old power station site. The fire at Blackburn Road, Padiham, was very close to the River Calder. As soon as firefighters released the cables carriying a
A FIREWORK is believed to have caused a fire in a wagon carrying approximately 40,000 wine glasses. The Polish lorry driver had parked the articulated HGV he was driving in Princess Street, Blackburn, last night (sat). At around 10pm the driver, who
A 22-YEAR-old Nelson man suffered 'serious multiple injuries' in a crash with a coach on the A59. The man was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital after he was freed from his blue Vauxhall Vectra by firefighters. Police believe the Vectra had been turning
Teh Children of St. Mary's CE School played an active part in the Harvest Festival Service which took place at Mellor Parish Church. They acted as welcomers, collectors and read the lessons. Music was provided by the school orchestra and the children
OWNERS of a Ribble Valley restaurant are celebrating after being recognised for their use of local produce. Stosie Madi and Kathy Smith run Weezos in Parson Lane, Clitheroe, which has been named the Les Routiers 2007 best restaurant in the North. Opened
Police cordoned off parts of the cathedral grounds in Blackburn on Saturday as officers investigated an alleged offence. Police closed off the alleyway leading to Church Street and an area to the left of the main entrance at around 9am. The investigation
A UNIQUE website that aims to generate £100,000 a year has been launched. Software consultancy Purepages Group, has developed The YShop to raise funds for the Blackburn branch of the YMCA. The Yshop is a website which allows people to buy goods online
