WHEN the chief executive of five East Lancashire councils are, as is revealed today, calling on the Home Secretary Jack Straw not to let asylum-seekers be moved to their towns without them being told, it is clear that something sinister is going on --
MAY I explain to Mr M Hawtrey (Letters, May 25) why an early morning return to London by rail costs £155. Weekday trains leaving the provinces at 6.7am arrive in London at 8-9am, this being 'rush hour' when nearly a million people go to work. The last
MR W Armstrong, of the Royal British Legion (Letters, May 26), decries the actions of those who desecrated the war memorial in Bold Venture Park Darwen. Perhaps this behaviour and that in London the other weekend is because the war is so far away to youngsters
IN response to your report and editorial (LET, May 19), about school bus services in Lancashire, I feel that the article did not give the correct picture. The county council attaches the very highest priority to the task of getting children safely to
TWO Burnley and Pendle schools branded as 'failing' by Ofsted inspectors, today bounced back to re-take control of their own futures. Mansfield High, Pendle's biggest school and the 360-pupil Todmorden Road primary, in Burnley, have had 'special measures
CHRISTIAN Dailly was in the Scotland team which beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1 in a friendly at Lansdowne Road last night. Jason McAteer and Alan Kelly started for the Republic and Damien Duff came on as a second half sub.
AN HISTORIC porcelain mug featuring a portrait of Burnley's first MP Richard Shaw is being offered for sale on the internet by top auction house Sotheby's. The William Shackleton mug is printed in black with a portrait of the MP and a view of Holme Lodge
TWO Burnley and Pendle schools branded as 'failing' by Ofsted inspectors, today bounced back to re-take control of their own futures. Mansfield High, Pendle's biggest school and the 360-pupil Todmorden Road primary, in Burnley, have had 'special measures
STUDENTS from a Pendle high school who came third in the regional round of a youth parliament debating contest received their certificate by a man who knows a thing or two about heated debates. Pendle MP Gordon Prentice visited Edge End High School, Nelson
POLL tax protester Coun Chris Nightingale decided to pay some of his community charge bill -- using a cheque written out on a sponge cake. But his £63 payment was rejected by Hyndburn Council because they could not process it. Council finance director
RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has condemned the Government over the elite universities scandal, which he believes has uncovered "problems that exist in the education system." The storm began when Tyneside comprehensive student Laura Spence was rejected
A DEAL has been struck to help East Lancashire firms tackle the legislation minefield. First Business Support of Rawtenstall has been awarded a contract to supply advice to East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce members. Around 1,000 local firms will now
A STAFF team are celebrating a double accolade. Walton Lane Nursery School in Nelson was recently singled out for special praise by chief inspector of schools Chris Woodhead. Now it has been awarded the Investors in People staff training and development
A £25.5million buyout deal of a leading store chain has been completed. Day & Nite Stores, which operates convenience shops across East Lancashire and has a major warehouse in Blackburn, has been acquired by Birmingham-based T&S Stores. Day &
Confidence in the internet MOST local firms expect to generate at least a quarter of their sales over the internet during the next five years, according to a survey out today. And businesses in the region are more optimistic about e-commerce than their
MORE than 20 charities set up stalls at Darwen's annual Petticoat Lane market. And June Shorrock and Joyce Barnes (pictured) of the New Gardeners Football Team stall were celebrating after scooping the trophy for the best dressed stall. The event, which
POLICE in Darwen found around £8,000 worth of stolen goods when they searched a house in the Birch Hall area of town -- and now they want to reunite some of the equipment with its owners. Stolen goods including televisions, high-fi gear and musical instruments
A VICAR today pleaded with vandals to leave his church alone after a spate of 'despicable' attacks on the building. Thugs have targeted St James's CE Church, Darwen, by smashing windows and causing other damage. The incidents have prompted police to launch
SHOPPERS' heads turned when they came face to face with a huge sculpture of a brain. The sculpture entitled "Get A Head in Life -- Grey Matters" was created by the thoughtful contributions of people throughout the borough who took part in workshops during
A BOY accused of attacking a toddler was placed into the care of the local authorities when he appeared before magistrates. The 12-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been told he cannot go out in public unless he is accompanied by an
POLICE probing a racist attack are appealing for two witnesses to contact them. Th appeal follows a vicious attack on a motorist who was travelling along a Blackburn road on Sunday evening. The 33-year-old Asian man was confronted by a gang of youths
CUSTOMERS of collapsed suite firm Uno in East Lancashire have lost tens of thousands of pounds. The group, which launched its empire in Blackburn but crashed into receivership three months ago, owed a total of more than £30million according to receivers
RICHARD Green continued his impressive form for Lancashire's second team on the first day of their Championship match against Derbyshire at Dunstall. The 24-year-old seamer followed up four wickets against Middlesex at Blackpool last week with 5-42 to
CHERRY Tree were winners and losers amongst the inticracies of the Jennings Ribblesdale League rules -- but still finished the weekend at the top of the table as they chase the title they last won three years ago. The 1997 champions had Edenfield nine
HAVING suffered deserved humiliation after trying to foist Labour loser Frank Dobson on Londoners, Tony Blair is said to have ditched plans for more locally-elected mayors. Good -- it will save a lot of expense and political pantomime. But will he go
Today I am signing off after more than 15 years as editor of your regional evening newspaper. In that time I have been honoured and privileged to oversee your favourite news provider. I have also enjoyed providing these daily Opinion columns on local,
WHEN they arrived in East Lancashire a year ago, refugee families were so traumatised by the war in their Kosovo homeland that were they almost too frightened to speak. But the joyful sound of traditional Albanian folk music and dance rang out within
MY grandparents were both in England: Mom in Burnley and Pop in Keighley, Yorkshire. They had four children, including my mother, Beatrice Devitt, born in 1906 in Burnley before emigrating to Canada in 1913. Officials can find no record of my mother's
CUSTOMERS of collapsed suite firm Uno in East Lancashire have lost tens of thousands of pounds. The group, which launched its empire in Blackburn but crashed into receivership three months ago, owed a total of more than £30million according to receivers
Former Rovers boss Roy Hodgson has been appointed the new manager of FC Copenhagen. The ex-Inter Milan chief was officially unveiled at a Press conference yesterday -- less than a month after resigning from his post at Grasshoppers Zurich. "It's going
GRAEME Souness today quashed further speculation linking Damien Duff with a move out of Ewood. The Republic of Ireland international is believed to be a top target of Geordie boss Bobby Robson. But Souness insists he is going nowhere -- despite prices
EWOOD boss Graeme Souness today revealed that Rovers are starting to close in on a number of transfer targets. So far, things have been quiet on the transfer front at Ewood since Rovers completed their First Division programme. But Souness is about to
BLACKBURN Rovers are considering plans to stage some of their reserve team fixtures away from Ewood Park next season. Concerns over the state of the pitch have forced the club to view the possibility of giving Ewood a mid-winter break. And that means
A DRUG addicted thief whose exploits were 'doomed to failure' was found with a pair of scissors taped up when he was stopped. Burnley magistrates heard how Peter Wright, 33, had previously been kidnapped for some time in "most unpleasant circumstances
FEARS that profit-seeking landlords may house asylum seekers in East Lancashire's slum properties without telling local authorities have prompted council chiefs to lobby the Government over its policy on refugees. The Home Office has struck an 80-refugee
A GOVERNMENT veil of secrecy was costing the sick thousands of pounds, according to health watchdogs. The Department of Health was refusing to publish the prices of the 100 most commonly prescribed drugs -- despite claims that 74 of them cost less than
PUPILS from Clitheroe's Moorland School have raised more than £1,200 with their annual sponsored walk. The proceeds of the walk will be divided between the East Lancashire Hospice Appeal and school funds. The kindergarten pupils did several laps around
CLITHEROE rang with the sound of calls of "hear ye" when the Town Criers championships arrived in town. Organised by Clitheroe Town Crier Roland Hailwood, the contest boasted 17 town criers from across the country including Cornwall, Devon, Surrey, Yorkshire
BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent is hoping to secure Glen Little's long-term future at Turf Moor. Little has 12 months to run on his existing contract but has been offered a new deal by Ternent. The winger has recently been the source of transfer speculation
NEW Jaguar cars have been to ends of the earth and back thanks to a Blackburn firm. Special test chambers designed by engineers at Clive Hurley are being used to assess the car's performance in conditions found in areas ranging from deserts to the arctic
MUSIC fans lapped up the atmosphere at Darwen's Music Live festival. Every taste was catered for as dozens of bands took to the stage at venues in town. Folk, rock, indie, pop and brass bands rubbed shoulders with exotic samba bands and medieval music
KEVIN YOUNG is the new editor of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph. Mr Young (pictured), who is married to Heather with two children Grace, nine, and Eve, six, will take up his position on Monday, June 5. Deputy editor of the Telegraph and Argus in Bradford
MUTTIAH Muralitharan could be back at Old Trafford next season. The Sri Lankan spin wizard, who was unavailable this year because of international commitments, has already been lined up by Lancashire to return as their overseas player in 2001. Sourav
WHETHER or not it is an attempt to catch up with Tory leader William Hague's grab for votes by promising to lock up asylum seekers, does not the government's appointment of a special squad of immigration officers to track down the thousands of bogus refugees
NOTWITHSTANDING the allegations that four out of five of Lord Burns' inquiry team, who will shortly publish the government-commissioned report into the impact of a ban on fox hunting, are pro-hunt fifth columnists, what intrigues me is the assertion they
