Archive

  • A slap in the face for justice

    THE feelings of exasperation, annoyance and frustration expressed today by police and East Lancashire MP at the slap-on-the-wrist sentence given to a teenage menace caught breaking an anti-social behaviour order will be shared by everyone aching for crime

  • Canal folk sail into uncharted waters

    A WHOLE new world will be opened up for boaters, walkers and cyclists with the launch next year of a multi-million pound link between the Leeds & Liverpool and Lancaster canals. Pauline Hawkins finds out how the development will boost East Lancashire

  • Lib Dem leader had his chance

    REGARDING your report "Cabinet lashed by the Lib-Dem Whipp" (LET, July 16) it is always interesting to hear the views of County Councillor David Whipp and his latest comments regarding the County Council's new Cabinet were particularly enlightening. I

  • Violinist tugged at heart strings

    WE have been privileged to view a splendid video by Stewart Bone on the magical evening of last September when Burnley's canal was the venue for a many artistic events which also included a grand and humorous opening by the playwright, Alan Bennett. In

  • Shame on dogs' ignorant owners

    REGARDING your article (LET, July 18) about derelict land off Watery Lane, Darwen, being transformed into a play area, as a local resident, I feel very proud to have neighbours who would like to make the area more popular by working extremely hard for

  • Council shuts its eyes to danger

    I DO not agree with the viewpoint in "alley 'danger' overstated" (Letters, July 19), which was summed up by the statement "The closing of this ginnel would greatly inconvenience a lot of people." Has the writer no consideration for those who live close

  • Distin no-go for Souey

    ROVERS boss Graeme Souness today revealed Paris St Germain defender Sylvain Distin is not heading for Ewood Park. Various reports in the national media had claimed that Souness was poised to make a £7 million offer for the highly-rated central defender

  • 'Who's Souness', says Crailsheim boss

    CRAILSHEIM coach Werner Rank today vowed his German part-timers will give Rovers a run for their money as the men from Ewood prepare to embark on the second leg of their pre-season tour tonight. After Monday night's 12-0 mauling of Austrian amateurs Abtenau

  • Centenary celebration

    MILL museum staff in Burnley will be raising a glass this week to celebrate the 100th birthday of their oldest resident. On Friday, the Number Two Lancashire boiler which provides the power to run Europe's last working steam-driven mill at Queen Street

  • Unions join forces against the BNP

    TRADE Unionists in Burnley have joined forces to campaign against racism and the threat they say is posed by extremists in the British National Party. Union members have formed a new group called Trade Unionists Against the Nazis and are planning a series

  • Will Black Cat get the cream?

    MOORHOUSE'S Brewery in Burnley is hoping that its Black Cat dark beer goes down a treat at this year's Great British Beer Festival. Last year it was voted Supreme Champion Beer of Britain by a panel of brewers, beer writers and journalists at the Great

  • Former miner could not get out of bed

    AN ex-miner who died in hospital could not get out of bed at all for the last 12 months of his life, an inquest heard. A Burnley inquest opening was told how John Leonard Moor, 76, was on oxygen night and day for almost a year but that stopped having

  • Cash drive to help former charity worker

    MONEY is being raised in support of disabled former charity worker Jeffrey Atherton, who desperately needs a custom-made £6,000 electric wheelchair. The ex-miner and Salvation Army officer is now virtually housebound in his specially adapted flat in Chatburn

  • Regeneration cash bid is turned down

    A £4 MILLION bid for cash to regenerate two deprived areas of Colne has been turned down. Officials from the Government Office for the North West rejected the bid, which would have been invested into the Vivary Bridge and Waterside wards. The Waterbridge

  • ail for teenager who took DVDs while on bail

    A THIEF who struck while on bail and the subject of community penalties has paid the price with four months in jail. Burnley magistrates heard how Neil Rainford, 18, took DVDs, Eccles cakes and a mobile phone. Rainford, of Every Street, Brierfield, admitted

  • 10 YEARS AGO: Dog s terror

    TWO children were recovering in hospital after being attacked by dobermann dogs in Blackburn. Kirk Hartley, seven, was jumped on by one dog in Whitendale Crescent and suffered serious wounds to his face and legs and Amanda Richardson, five, was bitten

  • FIVE YEARS AGO: Children warned

    LOCAL children were warned about the dangers of climbing on to a factory roof in Burnley by being given a tour of the building. Management at Pendle Aeroform Ltd decided to show the youngsters how they were at risk of falling through the roof into vats

  • Homes plan sparks residents' anger

    Homes scheme sparks fears GREEN CONCERNS: Land off Church Road and the Stour Road estate is the target for a 21-home development A PLAN to build homes on the fringe of a conservation area has raised concerns about the environment and road safety. Numerous

  • Fraud case may be reconsidered

    THE case of a serial fraudster who avoided a prison sentence because of 'good behaviour' may be referred back to a Crown Court judge, the Crown Prosecution Service revealed today. Kelvin Clark, who has more than 70 previous convictions for fraud and theft

  • Engineering

    jobs to go FORTY-SIX engineering jobs are to go and a question mark hangs over the future of a factory which opened six months ago. Leigh-based Peter Miles Engineering last week announced redundancies, most of which are based at the firm's new Hindsford

  • Dismay at sentence

    POLICE and an MP today blasted magistrates after a teenager caught breaching an anti-social behaviour order was told to serve just 24 hours in jail. And to the dismay of officers, who have led the country in requesting ASBOs, teenage troublemaker Lee

  • Looking back at market history

    Picture is a window in time to market's history LEIGH'S new Albion Street outdoor market opened last month, bringing an end to seven months of heartache for traders. Stallholders were forced out of their enclosed site near the Spinning Gate Centre to

  • Sex bias claim of economics expert

    AN international economics expert has told a tribunal that she was ignored for a prestige job because she was a woman. Dr Barbara Ingham, 56, of Waddington Road, Waddington, said in one year alone nine men were appointed as professors above her and she

  • Man found hanging opposite blackpool tower

    A MAN was found hanged from the railings on the promenade opposite Blackpool Tower this morning (July 25). His body, found by a council worker on the beach at 6.30am, was recovered with the help of fire and rescue services. Police were trying to trace

  • Greek star may not be last forward signing

    BURNLEY manager Stan Ternent may have five strikers at Turf Moor -- but he hasn't ruled out signing more. The Clarets confirmed that Greek Under 21 international Dimitri Papadopoulos has joined Burnley in a £500,000 three-year deal yesterday. The 20-year-old

  • Grabbi set for blast off

    ITALIAN goal-ace Corrado Grabbi was today given the all-clear to make his debut against German part-timers Crailsheim tonight as Rovers kick-off the second leg of their pre-season tour. The £6.75 million signing from Ternana had to sit out Rovers' 12-

  • Preparing for future

    HIGH School students had their first taste of work when 12 year olds had the opportunity to take part in an Industry Day at Westleigh High School. Employers put 150 pupils through their paces sampling a variety of jobs including Army, health service,

  • Student work on show

    THE work of Wigan and Leigh College access art and design students has gone on show to the public. A free exhibition has been mounted in the Derby Room and Turnpike Gallery, Leigh Library until Tuesday. Opening times are Monday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am

  • Market woman verdict

    RETIRED market stall proprietor Jean Rostron, 76, of Westland Avenue, Darwen, died of natural causes, an inquest heard. Mrs Rostron died of bronchopneumonia as a result of milo-fibrosis but at the time of her death in May doctors had not been certain

  • Getting skates on for a treat

    A GROUP of Danish Scouts who had to cancel their tour of Lancashire because to the foot and mouth outbreak got their skates on for a special treat. The 22 youngsters from Voersa and Saeby went to Blackburn Ice Arena, courtesy of their friends at Hoddlesden

  • Prisoner facing tighter secure unit

    A PRISONER who gave himself up after more than two weeks on the run is to be returned to a more secure unit, prison chiefs have revealed. Burglar Lee Holden, of Vernon Street, Darwen, handed himself in to staff at a Preston prison on Monday night after

  • Premises bid to be a jobs boost

    DARWEN is set for a jobs boost after the announcement of plans for new industrial premises. Forty new vacancies look set to be created if council bosses give the go ahead for the engineering and manufacturing factory which is due to be built in Spring

  • Day to remember!

    SLEEPY Glazebury sprang in to life on Saturday when the annual gala was held in the north Cheshire village. Because of foot and mouth restrictions, the favourite fun day venue of Lately Common was switched to the village primary school playing fields,

  • Dancing to beat cancer

    BELLY dancers have been strutting their stuff to beat breast cancer. Members of Golborne Egyptian Dance class, who meet on a Thursday evening at Golborne High School, have been helping raise money for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Dancers from

  • Riverside park will be a wildlife haven

    WORK has begun on a £14,000 scheme to transform a local riverside park into a haven for wildlife. Contractors with heavy equipment moved on to the Stacksteads Riverside Park on Monday to start the work, which is expected to take between two and three

  • Bathers warning

    SWIMMERS are being warned to keep away from canals, rivers and lakes. The hot weather warning to stick to official swimming pools comes from British Waterways as temperatures rise this summer. Canals and rivers might look inviting places to take a dip

  • US trip student better by degree

    CAMBRIDGE MAN: Stuart Benjamin A FORMER Astley student has graduated from Christ College, Cambridge, and jetted off to the US to celebrate. Stuart Peter Benjamin, 21, of Thanet Grove, Leigh, has gained a BA (Hons) 2.1 in computer science and social political

  • Conspiracy to murder charge

    A SIXTH man has appeared in court charged with conspiracy to murder Zubair Qayum, 21, of Halifax. Restaurant owner Mohammed Tufail, 47, of Mayfield Avenue, Kings Cross, Halifax, is charged that at Accrington between January 1 and May 22, he conspired

  • Out-of-this-world sculpture bids to bring us all together

    NO -- aliens haven't landed in Blackburn Cathedral grounds -- the disc shaped 'Healing of the Nations' sculpture is the work of artist Mark Jalland. The 21ft diameter copper disc symbolising the human race, will be fixed to the east wall of the Cathedral

  • War work is blamed for death

    A 72-year-old woman who worked in the offices at a Blackburn gas mask factory more than 50 years ago died as a result of exposure to asbestos. An inquest heard that retired medical secretary Phyllis Lewis had no major problems until earlier this year

  • Boss Paul races to dry land

    A COMPANY director on an adventure of a lifetime has nearly finished his 2,311 mile yacht race to Brazil. Paul Westhead, 36, from Chorley will step back on dry land in the next few days after his six week stint in the Times Clipper 2000 Round the World

  • Patient missing for two weeks

    POLICE today confirmed they are in constant touch with the family of missing Calderstones patient Andrew Sutcliffe in a bid to trace him. The 18-year-old went missing from the Burnage area of Manchester two weeks ago today while on a home visit to his

  • Trader fears works will cut profits

    A BUSINESSMAN claims a plan to shut part of a street while road improvements are carried out could cost him trade. Council officials today revealed that they will have to close one entrance to Fleming Square, which links Darwen Street and Mincing Lane

  • Search continues for baby caller

    A CHILLING message left on a Blackpool health visitor's answer machine has sparked an intensive investigation to check up on the safety of hundreds of young children and babies in the Marton area. The highly distressed woman said: "I need to speak to

  • Police in online link-up

    COMPUTER lines are to be installed in the homes of members of Lancashire Police Authority so they can access the internet. The authority's website or intranet, an internal website, will hold details of members and police officers, agendas, minutes of

  • Democracy rules - or does it?

    I AM honestly happy that Councillor Par'vaiz Awan (Letters, July 12) now admits that he was mistaken about the opinions of the British National Party and now appreciates the fact they are actually a misunderstood organisation. I also honestly believe

  • Landlady hurt

    A LANDLADY is recovering after being attacked by two raiders who burst into the Queens Arms on Elliott Street, Tyldesley, at 8.30am yesterday. The pair escaped with cash. Both men are white, around 6ft tall and dressed in dark clothes. Anyone with information

  • Integration the only answer

    OVER the past few weeks, we have seen a number of groups looking to resolve the recent disgusting events in Burnley. And the focus seems to be on areas of neglect, racial tension due to a lack of understanding of different cultures, and a small element

  • Female cashier in raid terror

    A WOMAN cashier was threatened after two masked men raided an off-licence, stealing cash from a till. The pair struck at 8.20pm on Saturday entering the shop in Oak Street, Leigh, before threatening counter staff with an unidentified weapon. They ran

  • Dismay at sentence

    POLICE and an MP today blasted magistrates after a teenager caught breaching an anti-social behaviour order was told to serve just 24 hours in jail. And to the dismay of officers, who have led the country in requesting ASBOs, teenage troublemaker Lee

  • Rovers fans kicked out

    SEVERAL hundred Rovers season ticket holders are being forced to give up their seats for the first home game of the season against Manchester United. Supporters in the Darwen End are being kicked out to make way for thousands of fans descending from Old

  • Racist attack was 'mistaken identity'

    PENSIONERS Kenneth and Margery Ling woke to find racist graffiti painted all over their new garage doors. But the couple, who are in their late 70s, reckon the attack was a case of mistaken identity - with the vandals really aiming to target the homes

  • Need for helpers on 21st birthday

    THE Weavers' Triangle Toll House museum in Burnley, is 21 years old on Thursday but its future is in the balance unless younger helpers can be found. It was on July 26, 1980, that the museum in Manchester Road was opened by journalist and broadcaster

  • Teenzones to tackle trouble

    A £740,000 scheme to keep teenagers out of trouble is to be launched in Burnley. Council bosses last night gave the go-ahead for the creation of Teenzones -- outdoor areas to give youngsters something to do and cut down on complaints of street corner

  • Praise for ignoring rise in race tension

    RESIDENTS in Accrington have been praised for helping to stop the racial tension which built in the town following the Burnley riots from turning into violence. Councillors and police chiefs have applauded locals for not responding to a series of firebombings

  • Call to end oppression

    By Lesley Richards A HINDLEY campaigner has joined the fight to end the brutal oppression and persecution of practitioners of an outlawed way of life in China. Thirty-two-year-old Anthony Langstone, a follower of Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual practice

  • Meningitis warning after baby's death

    'Monitor the child. In the early stages even doctors are unable to tell' A FAMILY struck by tragedy for the second time laid their baby daughter to rest as medical chiefs issued a meningitis warning. Ten-month-old Chanelle Corbett-Barker, who died on

  • Guard plan rejected at vandal-plagued castle

    COUNCILLORS have rejected plans to hire security guards to patrol vandal-plagued Clitheroe Castle -- opting instead to work with youth workers to get 'to the root of the problem.' Members of Ribble Valley Council's community committee were asked last

  • Unsightly property owners facing action

    OWNERS of unfinished and untidy developments in the Ribble Valley face being prosecuted if they do not fall in line with a crackdown launched by the borough council. Ribble Valley Council's planning department wrote to parish councils for details of all

  • We'll sue, vow angry clean-up farmers

    A LEADING Lancashire farmers' union representative today said the Government could face legal action if farmers were forced to pay for the clean-up operation at foot and mouth hit farms. Thomas Binns, vice chairman of the National Farmers' Union in Lancashire

  • New look and a different story

    BURNLEY manager Stan Ternent relied on a new look Clarets line-up to make sure there was no Isle of Man misery this summer. Last July, Burnley went down in the Manx history books with the unenviable distinction of being the first professional side to

  • CRICKET: Hegg supports grieving captain

    WARREN HEGG led Lancashire into their C&G quarter final at Blackpool today with a message of support for John Crawley. The Red Rose skipper was again missing because of the recent death of his mother, with the funeral tomorrow. "It's an honour to

  • LOCAL CRICKET: Scorecards and results

    A LOOK at the Ramsbottom Cup and Ribblesdale League scores. Ramsbottom Cup: RIBBLESDALE WANDERERS 192-9 GREAT HARWOOD 193-4 RIBBLESDALE WANDERERS J Rain c Dobson b Simpson...24 S Nawaz lbw Haworth...39 M Davies c M Cheesbrough b Haworth...11 D Howard

  • What's the difference?

    THAT Romanian asylum-seeker artist, 51-year-old John Sarti, has found time to create some 300 collages during his 10 months in Nelson -- enough for him to stage an exhibition at the town's library -- is a tribute to both his imagination and industry.

  • Floral fun at church

    FLOWERS, strawberries, song and prayers will feature at Atherton Bag Lane Methodist Church flower festival celebrations this weekend. Tomorrow, from 7pm to 9pm, flower donations in memory of family and friends are being accepted. The following day (from

  • New contract would signal firm's big expansion

    DARWEN is set for a jobs boost after the announcement of plans for new industrial premises. Forty new vacancies look set to be created if council bosses give the go-ahead for the engineering and manufacturing factory, which is due to be built in Spring

  • Drunken boy, 14, rescued

    A TEENAGER who fell into the river in Bocholt Way, Rawtenstall, fought with his rescuers. Det Sgt Stuart Barlow said: "The youth had got drunk and fell backwards into the river. "When members of the emergency services went to help him, he took exception

  • Village fete success

    LOCALS turned out in force to support the seventh annual Water village fete. Diane Myrtle, one of the founders of the event, said it was hoped that last year's total of £2,300 would be exceeded. The money would go towards local charities. She said: "It

  • Scoop the poop

    DOG owners in Rossendale are being urged to clean up after their pets. The council is supporting the National Canine Defence League "Poop Scoop" week, handing out information and free scoops. Rossendale dog warden David East said: "We are backing the

  • Exhibition will celebrate park centenary

    AN exhibition will open next week to celebrate the centenary of Whitaker Park, Rawtenstall. The event will be held at Rossendale Museum in the park from Saturday, August 4, to September 9. The museum is open from 10-5pm Monday to Friday, from 10am-5pm

  • Safety probe into 'bargain' scooters

    TRADING standards officials have launched an investigation into the safety of children's scooters after a shop owner said he couldn't guarantee them because they were so cheap. Roseann Kyle, of Hardman Avenue, Rawtenstall, complained after buying three

  • Scouts speed up for races

    LOWTON St Mary's Scouts and Cubs entered their speedy creations, Sparrow and Sparrowhawk, in the National Scoutcar races at Scarborough but this time, did not get among the awards. The races, for pedal cars built by Scouts using old cycle parts, reach

  • David is borough's man in Angers

    A LANGUAGE student has become the new ambassador to the borough's French twin town, Angers. David Kemp, 22, has been appointed by Wigan Council to be the latest representative in the Loire Valley city for the next 12 months. He has just graduated from

  • Go-ahead for festival

    A HORSE festival will go ahead next month, despite fears over foot and mouth. The Jeep National Riding Festival is being run on Saturday, August 18, in conjunction with Moss Stud Arena, Astley, after organisers consulted leading equestrian and countryside

  • Profit brings bonus for leisure workers

    PAY bonuses of up to £600-a-head will go to council leisure staff in Burnley after they raced to a £44,000 profit in the year. The baths and recreation centres team who agreed to take cuts in pay and conditions in order to win the leisure contract from

  • Two face charges over takeaway explosion

    TWO men were due to appear in court today charged in connection with an explosion which destroyed an Indian takeaway in Blackburn. Majid Hussain, 23, of Montague Street, Blackburn, is charged with conspiring with Zaheer Iqbal Ali to commit arson at the

  • MS sufferer died of pills overdose

    A DEPRESSED multiple sclerosis sufferer who died after an overdose of medication may not have been trying to end her life, an inquest heard. An inquest was told how Patricia Hall, 42, had attempted suicide on at last two "major occasions," before - but

  • Microwave system is 'harmless'

    A NEW £1.5m system will allow Lancashire Police computers to communicate through microwaves -- and senior management have pledged it will be safe. The force is set to introduce the new structure over the next two years in a bid to increase the capacity

  • Late goal bursts Stanley

    ACCRINGTON STANLEY'S first pre-season friendly of the summer ended in defeat last night when Nationwide Second Division side Bury scored a late goal at the Crown Ground. In a match that was anything but friendly, there were few scoring chances. The Reds

  • Driver carjacked

    MASKED thieves escaped with a £6,000 Volvo after forcing the driver out of the vehicle at the Warner Brothers' Cinema, Pilsworth, at 7pm yesterday. Police are appealing for witnesses to call 0161 856 8248.

  • Gang hunted

    ASIAN men are being hunted by police after robbing a man early today. The 25-year-old victim was confronted by the four men in Shepherd Street, Bury, at 2am. One produced a baseball bat and the victim threw his wallet containing £80 at them. Witnesses

  • Engine blast

    WORKMEN were injured when a Range Rover engine exploded at a scrapyard off Pimhole Road, Bury, at 3.30pm yesterday. David Ormes, aged 40, and Mohammed Aslam, aged 45, suffered burns to their faces, necks and arms and were taken to Bury General Hospital