Archive

  • Now help the others

    IT all started right here. A Morecambe couple's successful battle to get the European Commission to back their cause all began two years ago on the front page of the Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen. Last week we brought you exclusive news as Euro bosses

  • The striplets!

    BLACKPOOL'S newest arrivals - three cuddly, rare Siberian tiger cubs - have delighted keepers at Blackpool Zoo who are now showing them off to the public. The trio called Tammy, Turlough and Tasmin are part of the European Tiger Breeding Programme and

  • Almost there!

    Lancaster City 2 Lincoln Utd 0 MORE than 500 people turned up at Giant Axe on Saturday to see Lancaster City leap even further towards their promotion dream. A 2-0 win over second-place Lincoln Utd in the clash of the season saw the Blues take a 13-point

  • On her bike ...

    BLACKPOOL cyclist Sue Leonard is set to pedal her way across rugged mountains and sweltering, barren desert plains in a 250-mile bike ride across the Holy Land. Sue's five-day challenge, taking her through Israel's Negev Desert and across the Ramon crater

  • Gold Bond jackpots increased

    BLACKPOOL Football Club has fought back against the effects of the National Lottery by notching up increased sales in its fundraising schemes. While other clubs are losing out to National Lottery fever, Blackpool has reversed the trend with the highest

  • Still selling at 83

    OTHERS can only watch on in wonder, as one of the oldest salesmen in the country continues to clinch deals with the big companies. Gerald Taylor is a grand young 83 and an inspiration to his colleagues at Telecom EC where he works on telesales. The sprightly

  • Cash aid: Call for caution

    A HYNDBURN councillor called for caution as the council backed a second bid for government cash. Following their success in securing £3.8m from the Single Regeneration Budget, the Hyndburn Partnership, which includes the council, is hoping to attract

  • 'Resign' call to chairman in drug group's grant rumpus

    CRITICS are calling for the head of a top Labour councillor following the following the failure of a drug help group. Liberal Democrat Mozaquir Ali says Eddie Fisk, the chairman of the council committee which backed the collapsed Parents in Pain group

  • £10m school under fire

    A PUBLIC meeting is to be held in protest at plans for a £10 million school. Hundreds of people are expected to attend St Francis Church Hall. They are expressing concern at the plans by St Wilfrid's School to build on the Feniscliffe playing field site

  • Child of courage dies

    AN ARMY of charity fundraisers who worked tirelessly to help a local toddler overcome a mystery breathing disorder are mourning his sudden death. Five-year-old Daniel Carrie's illness meant he had to be connected to a ventilator 24-hours-a-day from just

  • Mercy mission to Bosnia

    AN Accrington fire chief will next week lead a group of firefighters on a mercy mission to rebuild a Bosnian kindergarten. Station Commander Colin Cunliffe and a team of 15 will set off for Tusla on April 1, taking with them individual skills and construction

  • Think again plea to planners

    RESIDENTS are calling for planners to return to the drawing board over a new housing development. They are demanding a better road system, a new primary school and extra community facilities to be included in the 400-house package for Sefton Farm in Clayton-le-Moors

  • Farmers keep beef on menu

    BEEF will definitely be on the menu at the next dinner of the Leigh and District branch of the National Farmers' Union. That is local farmer's leader Jonathan Tonge's promise in response to the latest furore over mad cow disease warnings. Astley farmer

  • Reel-in your memories of the flicks

    THE last reel may have long since gathered dust or been thrown on the scrapheap, and the last curtain closed, but memories of the cinema and theatre in Leigh, Tyldesley, Atherton, Astley and Golborne are still fresh for many local people. And it is these

  • Take a midnight hike!

    LEIGH MP Lawrence Cunliffe is demanding a full inquiry into claims that a mother and her four years-old son were forced to set-off walking five miles home from Wigan Infirmary in the middle of the night because she had no money for a taxi. He claims the

  • Nick's third Oscar

    TWENTY five years ago Nick Park was a typical Preston schoolboy at St Cuthbert Mayne High School making home movies in his spare time. Now he's just won his third Oscar for his latest Wallace and Gromit adventure, A Close Shave. As he received the award

  • North End face tough battle

    PRESTON will be aiming to keep the promotion charge on track when they face second-from-bottom Scarborough on Saturday. North End desperately need to put together a winning sequence - and there's no better time to start! Their recent home form has been

  • The eyes have it

    THE eyes have it for a student from Preston, Emmalou Johnson. For the attractive 19-year-old (pictured) has just won the regional heat of the 1996 Miss Beautiful Eyes competition. Emmalou, who studies Media and Business at Manchester University, took

  • Phillipe defends title

    PHILLIPE Junivar will be defending his men's singles title at the Preston Table Tennis Championships at Ashton-on-Ribble High School, Preston, on Sunday, March 31. Challengers are past champion Tony Rigby, Michael Malcolm, Barry Crook, Barry Hodgson and

  • Residents get the hump

    ANGRY residents on a quiet Preston housing estate are demanding action to stop motorists speeding through and endangering lives. People living in Holme Slack Lane and Manor House Lane claim drivers are using the area as a short-cut to avoid traffic lights

  • Fit for a queen

    AMBITIOUS Rebecca Ellison of Wellfield High School, Leyland, has been chosen as this year's Leyland Festival Queen. The pretty 16-year-old is a keen dancer and mathematician and has ambitious plans as an amassador for Leyland. She'd love to set up her

  • Police arrest nine in dawn drugs swoop

    A POLICE crackdown on crackheads has proved successful in the war against drugs on the streets. At the time of going to press, Blackburn Police had arrested nine suspects for possessing drugs after several dawn raids as part of Operation Weed. The CID

  • Bamber Bridge 1 Marine 4

    IT'S a long time since there was such prolific goalscoring at Irongate ... and it still ended in another draw! Hardly time to savour the atmosphere when Marine went in front through Graham Rowlands. It took half an hour for Bridge to get on level terms

  • Harwood not down and out yet - ex-boss

    MICK Higgins, who parted company with rock bottom Great Harwood Town last week, still believes they can avoid the drop. But he says their task of staying in Unibond League Division One has been made that much harder because he was not allowed to finish

  • Bury move to fifth in table

    BURY moved into fifth place in the table on Tuesday night with a 2-0 victory over in-form Hereford. A mistake by United's 'keeper, and Michael Jackson's powerful finishing gave the Shakers a deserved win in an otherwise disappointing match. But manager

  • The news from Blackburn, Down Under

    HERE'S the the news from Blackburn - not Blackburn, Lancashire, but the latest from a suburb Down Under which shares our town's name. Blackburn High School, from Melbourne, e-mailed the Citizen with their latest campus news. They've christened the school

  • 'Reds' can't be trusted

    JP VERNON is entitled to his opinions on Winston Churchill, World War Two and the British Communists (Letters, March 20), but I wonder why he fails to mention the Soviet and British Communist appeasement of Nazi Germany which gave Stalin half of Poland

  • Librarian books new post

    BEHIND the success of the Open for Learning Centre based at Unsworth Library in Bury, Christine Almond is enjoying a fairytale ending of her own. Christine has achieved the perfect double. Not only has she earned the rare honour of being made a Chartered

  • N-ice show comes to town

    A HUGE ice rink is being created in the Guild Hall, Preston, for its production of Beauty and the Beast. Twelve tons of ice will form the 1600 square foot rink for the spectacular. The new £3 million musical ice ballet's music and lyrics have been written

  • Don't book in haste

    TRADING Standards chiefs in Preston are urging people not to rush into booking their holidays - as it could avoid disappointment later. Last year they dealt with 3,500 calls from the public complaining about everything from the accommodation, resort,

  • Bat girl slams Council

    FED up with the way Bury's land reclamation schemes have been going Angela Graham, the Bury-based chairwoman of the South Lancashire Bat group, has sent a strongly worded letter to director of development services, Ian Cheetham. Marked for the attention

  • Bury 0 Preston North End 0

    NORTH END sneaked back into pole position at the top of the league after a disappointing bore-draw against Bury at Deepdale on Tuesday night. Preston dominated proceedings from start to finish registering ten corners compared to Bury's three - but they

  • Abbatoir bosses confident they can ride the storm

    LOCAL abbatoir workers - fearful of job cuts in the wake of the beef crisis - have been told: 'It's business as usual.' More than 100 slaughterhouse employees at Great Harwood-based Slingers Wholesale Meat Suppliers are carrying on working as normal.

  • Lions tamed

    WARRIORS U8s were neck and neck at half-time against Lunt Heath Lions, but they gathered their strength and produced the convincing 52-22 win. Tries were by man of the match James Lloyd (4), Chris Tuson (4), Daniel Aspinall and Jonathan Walker who also

  • Coventry Crusaders 91 Bury WildCats 85

    ALTHOUGH injuries and absences reduced the WildCats down to only seven available players they almost conquered the Crusaders in this end of the season shoot-out. Mike Nichols threw down the gauntlet with a three pointer that touched nothing but net. The

  • Mercy man's thanks before Romania trial

    AID worker John Boast, who is facing child smuggling allegations in Romania, has thanked the people of East Lancashire for their support on the eve of his trial. The former Great Harwood businessman is due to appear at the beginning of legal proceedings

  • Woof justice!

    FOR the second time in two weeks a home 'inspector' acting for Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary at Edenfield has been slammed for turning down a good berth for a dog. But this time the 'inspector' was the sanctuary's chairwoman, Doctor of Psychology Muriel

  • Politicians latch on to causes

    IF there's one thing that really galls me it's the whirlwind of activity the various political parties create from the day they declare their prospective parliamentary candidates in the race up to a general election. Suddenly they latch on to, or create

  • Shareshops appointed

    TWO East Lancashire stockbrokers have been appointed to act as Shareshops for the Government sell-off of Railtrack. Hedley & Co of Blackburn and James Brearley & Son of Blackburn and Burnley, are now accepting registrations for the share offer

  • GOLF: Awesome Foursome

    CLITHEROE pair Paul Dwyer and Stuart Andrew pushed Wayne Riley and Gary Smith all the way before going down 2 and 1 in the third round of the Sunningdale Foursomes. Australian Riley is a recent winner of the Portugese Open and former Scottish Open champion

  • Labour's blow for party democracy

    NEW Labour delivered another swipe at the party's old guard today with plans to put the party's election manifesto proposals to the entire membership in an autumn referendum. At a stroke, the move deflates the power of the trade union block vote and Left-wing

  • Employers will need convincing on exams shake-up

    THE BIGGEST shake-up of school exams for more than 40 years is about to take place, with the government's endorsement of curriculum adviser Sir Ron Dearing's year-long review of 16 to 19 education. But will the reforms raise standards - when, in essence

  • Our green heroes!

    AN impressive cast of environmental superheroes assembled for East Lancashire's own green Oscars. And the big stars of the green scene were honoured with Grimewatch awards. The award ceremony at Witton Park High School in Blackburn marked the end of another

  • Fears over Mad Cow dump

    FEARS over Mad Cow-diseased animals buried in Burnley were highlighted by councillors. More than 25 headless carcasses of cattle slaughtered after contracting BSE were dumped five years ago under 10ft of rubble at Rowley tip, close to the River Brun.

  • Luckless Miners find a Dud

    LEIGH MINERS find it difficult to believe stories about the water drought in Yorkshire. They found the Dudley Hill field was a swamp on Saturday - and lost their way with a slippery ball amid the mudbath. Hill won 14-10, leaving Miners deep in the National

  • Heath lands Mahorn

    TURF Moor boss Adrian Heath landed his first Burnley signing today - Tottenham Hotspur striker Paul Mahorn. And Heath continued his transfer deadline day search for new faces. He was hoping to sign a defender and a midfielder. Heath was locked in last-minute

  • Swimmers mourn death of Olympic heroine

    MARGERY HINTON, one of Tyldesley's legendary sporting figures, has died. She was 80. World record swimmer and three-times an Olympian, she was in 1981 nominated for the Gold Medal by the French Ministry of Sport. Ironically, she never received her award

  • Terrified staff locked themselves in store-room

    ST HELENS POLICE are hunting two men who robbed Threshers off-licence in Chain Lane armed with what is thought to be a gun wrapped in a black plastic bag. The raid took place at about 9.20pm on Tuesday, March 26 and officers want to hear from anyone who

  • Drugs test doctor is struck off

    FAMILY doctor Geoffrey Fairhurst who used elderly patients as guinea pigs in drugs tests has been struck off the medical register after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct. The senior practitioner, who was alleged to have used some patients

  • What are you doing in my car?

    A YOUNG mum returned from a shopping trip to find a thief sitting in her Volkswagen Polo on the Safeway car park. The incident happened at about 4.45pm on Thursday. Karen Johnson, from Junction Road, Rainford, had been buying food for her young niece's

  • Pilks to shed 1,900 jobs worldwide

    PILKINGTON has announced the 'progressive' loss of 1,900 jobs worldwide and some of those redundancies could be made at the company's Eccleston site. The redundancies are part of the company's restructuring programme and the majority of losses will be

  • Let's keep a sense of proportion

    SO now we know. The reason for all the oddball behaviour in homo sapiens during the past ten or so years is down to 'Mad Cow' disease. Well that's a relief. I had long ago decided that other, more insidious influences like unemployment; the erosion of

  • New maintenance plans for roads

    UNDER a new arrangement announced by Minister for Railways and Roads John Watts, Greater Manchester could see either the public or private sector bidding to maintain its motorways and trunk roads. Two motorways serve the Bury area which also has its share

  • Saints set for Super League blast-off

    THE launch of the Super League and with it the dawn of an exciting new era for Rugby League finds Saints making the long trek to Derwent Park, Workington, on Sunday, kick-off 3pm. And the omens are that a soaring Saints side, boosted by their march to

  • Denis Whittle talks with Shaun McRae

    'WE wuz wrong!' So said Saints' boss Shaun McRae after Bradford Bulls' emphatic victory over Leeds in Saturday's Silk Cut Challenge Cup semi-final. WHITTLE: So now we know the Bulls face Saints' on April 27, but was their win such a great surprise? McRAE

  • All change for patients

    EAR, nose and throat patients in Burnley and Pendle who need to stay overnight will, from Monday, have to travel to Blackburn for treatment. The change is part of a move to integrate eye and ear services at Burnley General Hospital and Blackburn Royal

  • April in Vitry awaits VIPs

    A PARTY of Burnley people have been promised a warm French welcome when they travel to the twin town of Vitry. More than 100 are making the journey for an Easter break with families across the English Channel. Among the visitors will be some VIPs, including

  • County moves to calm mad cow fears

    LANCASHIRE County Council moved this week to reassure the public over dumping of mad cow carcasses as fears about BSE swept the nation. Worries surfaced again that infected material was being dumped at Burnley's Rowley tip after the discovery of a possible

  • Nelson to help tragic town

    THE people of Nelson are pulling together for a big fund-raising effort to help the residents of tragic Dunblane. People, organisations, businesses and shops are all offering to do what they can for the grief-stricken Scottish village. Efforts will centre

  • It's maritime time

    OH landlubbers of Lancaster, its time to get that mainbrace out and give it a good old splicing ready for the city's annual Maritime Festival. The celebration of the days of sail when Lancaster was one of the country's foremost ports will run for four

  • Lawrie takes drugs fight on to video

    A CRUSADING clergyman from Padiham has made a hard-hitting film to teach young people about the evils of drugs. The Rev Lawrie Adam interviewed drug addicts and dealers to produce a gritty campaign video which will be used by prisons, schools, colleges

  • Almost there

    MORE than 500 people turned up at Giant Axe on Saturday to see Lancaster City leap even further towards their promotion dream. A 2-0 win over second-place Lincoln Utd in the clash of the season saw the Blues take a 13-point lead at the top of the Unibond

  • Cash boost for hospital

    WITH the paint only just dry on the Royal Lancaster Infirmary's new £27 million Centenary building, the hospital has received another cash boost. Last week it was announced that more than £600,000 has been made available to create brand new units in the

  • Hands off!

    A ST ANNES businesswoman, whose shop encourages people to browse through its arts and crafts, fears it may lose its individuality because of a spate of thefts. Lindsay Mason, who runs Out Of Our Hands on the Crescent, says many shop owners in the area

  • Chase me!

    FOR many years Blackpool has revelled in producing pier shows of the highest quality and 1996 promises to be bigger and better than ever. Duncan Norvelle's hilarious "chase me" antics last year had the South Pier rocking with laughter as he stole the

  • Scrapyard gets baler

    A NEW £500,000 baling machine has been lifted into place at a Blackburn scrapyard. The German baler, which crushes steel cuttings ready for furnaces at steel works, is at T Lethbridge's scrap metal merchants, Gorse Street. Converted for the new archive

  • Les named as new mayor

    AFTER 13 years as councillor for Grange Park, Les Kersh is set to become Blackpool's new mayor. In May, Councillor Kersh will become the resort's first ever mayor to come from Grange Park - the estate where he has lived for the past 35 years. When he

  • David's Russian language barrier

    A STUDENT from Leigh is appealing for Journal readers to come forward and help him improve his RUSSIAN! David Shuttleworth, 26, of Gordon Street, is currently studying Soviet Studies and Russian at Portsmouth University and is finding it difficult to

  • Eye-spy TV bid

    NEW TECHNOLOGY could cut crime in Darwen if a proposal to establish a video security system in the town is given the go-ahead. Blackburn Borough Council and Lancashire Police are putting together a joint bid for government cash to install closed circuit

  • Splashing out for new font

    PEOPLE who have been baptised at St Nathaniel's Parish Church in Platt Bridge are invited to take another dip - into their pockets! A major internal revamp at St Nathaniel's means the parish needs to find £30,000 towards the cost of work. Moving the font

  • Firefighter goes back to school in Bosnia

    A DARWEN firefighter is to help rebuild a nursery school for children whose lives have been shattered by Bosnia's civil war. Terry Ashworth will join 15 other firefighters who are flying to Zagreb on Monday to start their mercy mission. Mr Ashworth, 38

  • Tony and Nick 'sign on'

    LOCAL History officer Tony Ashcroft of Leigh Library and Archivist Nicholas Webb from Leigh Town Hall will be signing copies of their new book 'Around Leigh' at the library's new local history service point on Tuesday (April 2) at 2.30pm. It will also

  • Hetty thump, our Noel's on t' telly!

    A TALENTED choirboy is set for television stardom after being chosen from hundreds of hopefuls to appear in a popular BBC series. Noel Hunwick,14, will star in the Hetty Wainthropp Investigates detective drama which returns to our screens early next year

  • £1,000 prize beats cold front

    THE outlook looks brilliant for locals who help the elderly beat the cold. Weathergirl Sian Lloyd showered Wigan and Leigh Pensioners' Link with awards signalling their reign as national Coldwatch champs. The group scooped a £1,000 prize and certificate

  • Postal problem has Cyril on his bike

    AN Atherton pensioner is angry that his letter box is being used for postal deliveries to other parts of the town. And 78 years-old Cyril Young says he is "getting knackered" after rolling out his mountain bike to do the postman's job for him. Explaining

  • Double death riddle

    A DOUBLE death riddle involving a middle aged couple was today being investigated by police. The couple, believed to be Mr Michael Horner and his wife Hazel, of Highercroft Road, Lower Darwen, were both found dead in their home late last night. The 54

  • Croft makes £1m move to Rovers

    GARY Croft's £1 million move from Grimsby to Blackburn Rovers was wrapped up before today's tea-time transfer deadline - subject to the usual medical requirements. And Grimsby Town boss Brian Laws claimed that Rovers were signing a "diamond" in the versatile

  • 'Guinea pig' GP struck off

    DOCTORS throughout Britain have been urged to shop their colleagues after a family GP who used his patients as guinea-pigs for drug trials without telling them was stuck off. Dr Geoffrey Fairhurst from Lowton, was told his name would be taken off the

  • Top of the class

    PRESTON North End are top of the class --and that's official! No fewer than four PNE stars were picked for the prestigious Third Division Select XI. Pictured clockwise Andy Saville, Simon Davey and Ian Bryson along with defender Russ Wilcox (not pictured

  • Steptoe and son!

    HAROLD Steptoe is alive and well and living in Preston - well at least you'd think so if you met scrap metal dealer Bob 'WIllie' Wilson. And now everyone can read about the 70-year-old larger than life character in a 350-page book which documents his

  • Splash down for pensioner

    A BAMBER Bridge, Preston, pensioner will be celebrating his 70th birthday with a splash - and it's all for a good cause. Lively Ernest Young is doing a 5,000 metres swimathon in a bid to raise hundreds of pounds for charity. The retired builder will be

  • Bury gets first bus lane

    TO ease traffic flow and create safer travel along one of the busiest roads in Bury the Borough's first official bus lane has been opened. In future, at peak periods between 7.30am and 9.30am and 4pm and 6pm, the lane will be in operation along Rochdale

  • Arctic role

    A TEAM of Preston sign language interpreters are jetting off to the Arctic with hundreds of deaf people. Members of the Mary Cross Trust will brave the arctic conditions as they face their greatest challenge yet - signing in Lapland. Course leader Val

  • Bury look at schools' mini bus policy

    TRAVEL by mini bus and the laws relating to hiring and driving them were contained in a report to Bury Metro's Education Committee which met last night (Wednesday) to agree a policy for the use of mini buses by education establishments and services in

  • Jobs at cost of green fields

    I AM writing following recent articles concerning Wigan's decisions to approve the industrial development at Stonecross Lane, Golborne. Wigan's main argument in approving this development is that it will bring jobs to the area. No-one would disagree that

  • Cardiff 0 Preston North End 1

    ANDY Saville blasted in his 25th goal of the season as North End carried out another smash-and-grab job to take all three points at Ninian Park. The PNE hot-shot was determined to make amends for his red card last week and answered the critics in the

  • Preston's new mayor

    THE future Mayor of Preston is a woman of tradition with a strong public spirit and a long history in politics. Councillor Audrey Scott has this week been unanimously nominated by the Conservative group to become the next Mayor. And the native Prestonian

  • Farmer pleads for calm

    A PRESTON farmer is urging people not to over-react to Government claims that 'mad cow' disease may have been transmitted to humans. David Clarke, chairman of the National Union of Farmers in Lancashire, has called for calm and rubbished claims there

  • BRI will be ENT inpatient centre

    BLACKBURN Royal Infirmary will become a specialist Ear, Nose and Throat Inpatient centre from next week. And on Monday, as part of a local health authority shake-up, patients who have to stay overnight for eye surgery will have to travel to Burnley. Health

  • Rovers swoop for Grimsby ace

    WHAT could be a commentator's nightmare could also be a dream double signing for Ray Harford after making a transfer deadline swoop for Grimsby's Gary Croft. The England Under 21 international is set to complete a near £1m move to Rovers today (March

  • Cancer victims terror

    A CALLOUS thief broke into a pensioner's bedroom while she slept - robbing cash she had tirelessly raised for a Preston cancer charity. Ethel Cracknell, 71, who has just won her own battle against cancer, woke to find the burglar next to her bed stealing

  • Old house gets new life

    AFTER a chequered history Heaton Grove, the once-stately mansion on Manchester Road, Bury, has risen like a phoenix from the ashes and will go into the 20th century with a new role in the community. Fairclough Homes are well on with work which has included

  • Cafe's pongs on the record

    A RECORD shop and restaurant have fallen out of tune over an unwanted exchange of music and smells. And now The Ministry Of Vinyl is ready to quit its position in Lord Square, Blackburn. Shop boss Ronnie Brown only moved his music business to Lord Square

  • Politicians disagree over nursery vouchers

    NURSERY education vouchers get the thumbs up from Bury South MP David Sumberg - but prospective parliamentary Labour candidate David Chaytor is fiercely against the scheme! The Minister of State for Education, in answer to questions from Mr. Sumberg,

  • Injured Paul winning fight for a future

    ACCIDENT victim Paul Foster is winning a battle against his severe injuries in a courageous bid to complete his studies. Paul, 22, was paralysed in a holiday accident three years ago, when he fell 30 feet from a hotel balcony in Crete. He fractured his

  • 5 YEARS AGO: Arson attack on flats

    ARSONISTS launched a petrol attack on some newly-built luxury apartments, reducing them to a blackened shell and causing up to £250,000-worth of damage. Police were today hunting the firebugs who wrecked four out of eight flats in Balfour House, on the

  • 10 YEARS AGO: Savage cuts to service

    HEALTH authority members slammed the Government and their regional bosses who insisted on an extra £1 million savings in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. The most savage spending cuts the district service had ever seen slashed almost £2.5 million from

  • 1,700 NW jobs go in merger

    WATER and electricity giant United Utilities today stunned workers by announcing 1,700 job losses in the North West. And the firm, formed by the £1.8 billion merger of North West Water and Norweb, said it was selling off its chain of Norweb shops which

  • Police seek witnesses to fatal crash

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a fatal road traffic accident which happened on the Rainford by-pass near St Helens at around 2.10am on Sunday morning. Officers say that a white Ford Sierra - the only car involved in the accident - 'showed loss

  • Village in a goal storm

    GOAL-CRAZY Westleigh Village B have hit the top on the crest of a strike storm. They smashed TWELVE past luckless Leigh Phoenix to leap clear of Higher Fold for No 1 spot in Division Two of the Leigh & District Amateur Football League. Village were

  • Praise for job skills scheme

    THE pioneers of a scheme to improve job skills in East Lancashire have been singled out for praise. The first 200 employers to take part in the Modern Apprenticeship scheme to improve skills in the area were presented with framed certificates. "You are

  • Picture row pensioner turfed off bus

    A FURIOUS son claims his 70-year-old widowed mother was thrown off a bus miles from home by an over-zealous driver who claimed the pensioner's bus pass was void. Philip Ashton says his mother, Mrs Kathleen Swift, from Clinkham Wood, was on her way to

  • Fungi fun

    THE wild mushroom season of 1995 was, without doubt, the best I have known for a great number of years. Never before, have I picked as many, cooking them in every way I know. During the height of the season, hardly a dish I prepared excluded mushrooms

  • Ten held in drugs swoops

    DRUG squad officers have arrested ten people following a three-day series of swoops. Over the past 72 hours drug squad officers have raided 14 addresses throughout Blackburn as part of Operation Weed. And today further raids were taking place involving

  • 'Return ethnic cash to community' call

    AN ETHNIC voluntary group has been urged to give back around £35,000 in unspent grants. Blackburn Conservatives are demanding the return of cash given to the borough's Ethnic Minority Development Association, formed to act as an umbrella agency for the

  • Wildlife wizard Alan is top Grimebuster

    ONE-MAN marvel Alan Quinton is today enjoying a taste of celebrity status as Grimebuster of the Year. The chemical plant worker scooped the prestigious environmental award at yesterday's Grimewatch awards. And within minutes he had been booked to open

  • Action group bid to cut crime

    LOCAL people of all ages are being invited by the Prestwich Community Safety Action Group to take part in a new initiative designed to try and cut crime. A range of events have been organised from a Community Safety Luncheon for the Elderly to a Home

  • Woodbank top the league

    TWO wins in four days swept Woodbank, of Bury, back to the top of the league as the three-horse title race threatens to go right to the wire under the Cheadle town floodlights on Wednesday. The Reds took an early lead when Ian Owens tucked away Peter

  • Bippo in ring with Zippo!

    CLOWNING around is all that little Gareth Ellis wants to do - even though he is only six years old! Actually he's nearly seven and has always wanted to be a clown. And now he's recognised as being Britain's youngest performer in his art. Working under

  • Plans for school a betrayal of trust

    IAM very much concerned that the governors of St Wilfrid's C of E High School, Blackburn, are proposing to carry out a feasibility study with a view to relocating on the Feniscliffe playing fields site (LET, March 14). Together with my vice-chairman,

  • PENRITH 0 CLITHEROE 0: Wembley wavering

    CLITHEROE seemed to have Wembley on their minds in this North West Counties' League First Division clash. Initially it looked as though they might snatch all three points from the clash and started the better with Paul Mullin going close, but his shot

  • Pie firm lays off 34 casual workers

    MORE than 30 staff at Holland's Pies have been laid off as the backlash against beef continues to savage East Lancashire's economy. The 34 temporary workers have lost their jobs as the Baxenden-based company tries to rebuild the shattered confidence of

  • Plans to protect historic Barlick

    MORE steps towards a conservation area to protect the nooks and crannies of Barnoldswick could be taken next week. The town centre and Town Head areas look set to be included in the scheme to maintain the town's unique character for years to come. Pendle

  • OLDHAM RES 1 ROVERS RES 1: Young guns!

    WHAT probably ranks as one of the youngest sides fielded by Blackburn Rovers at Pontin's League level, earned a deserved point against Oldham at Stalybridge last night. Oldham too fielded a team comprised mainly of younger players and the result was a

  • Everyone a winner

    GREEN winners in the Grimewatch challenge were rewarded with a variety of prizes. All winners received an attractive engraved crystal trophy and cash in some categories. All runners-up were presented with framed certificates. Alan Quinton, the Grimebuster

  • Call to kick out racism from town

    COUNCILLORS are being urged to give their backing to an anti-racism campaign in Burnley. Challenge fund cash could be used to pay for production and distribution of posters and leaflets, and a scheme to teach local organisations about race equality. Burnley

  • The witch guide

    LIFE in 17th century Lancaster is set to pull tourists to the area on the trail of the Pendle witches. A promotion to capitalise on the true story of the Pendle witches has been launched displayed at the British Travel Trade Fair in Birmingham this week

  • Beresford holds out for new deal

    BURNLEY goalkeeper Marlon Beresford is holding out on a new Turf Moor contract offer. The Lancashire Evening Telegraph can reveal that Turf Moor chief Adrian Heath has opened preliminary contract negotiations with the £1 million-pound rated goalkeeper

  • Water works chaos angers pub landlady

    AN ANGRY landlady has accused North West Water of causing chaos and wasting thousands of gallons of water in Rawtenstall. The company is replacing worn-out mains and contractors have been working in the town for five weeks. Margaret Ellis, who runs the

  • Green machine

    LANCASTER City Council has become a lean, green recycling machine according to figures released by a government watchdog last week. The Audit Commission - the body that keeps an eye on the way local authority's operate - has released its report for 1994

  • Heath turns talent hunt to Europe

    BURNLEY boss Adrian Heath has announced his plans to scour Europe for soccer talent after Saturday's humiliating away defeat. But plans to bring two new faces to Turf Moor in time for the transfer deadline appeared to have fallen through. Heath was interested

  • Help at last

    SEVERELY disabled children are finally to receive some urgently needed help following a lengthy campaign by parents. A cash boost of almost £33,000 will be spent by Morecambe Bay Health Authority over the next three years on respite care services for

  • Raid nets teen gang

    POLICE made a surprise night-time swoop on a gang of nuisance youths at a local trouble-spot. Around 20 officers rounded up teenagers outside Queen Street mill, Harle Syke, after secret surveillance was used to uncover the trouble-makers. Thirteen boys

  • Five in a row

    THE Shrimps crashed to their fifth successive Conference defeat on Saturday but the only question asked in the dressing room must have been, how did they do that? A fine all round performance from Morecambe limited Farnborough to just a handful of serious

  • Duo's new posts

    TWO new assistant solicitors have been appointed by Forbes & Partners in Blackburn. Mother-of-four Shirley Tempest will work in the firm's matrimonial department and Simon Farnsworth, who joined Forbes from Clitheroe Grammar School seven years ago