WITH his winning white smile and onscreen charm, you could be fooled into thinking weatherman Dave Spritz has a perfect life. The Chicago TV forecaster may be at the top of his profession but off-screen his life is more of a tornado than a calm sunny
The Final Destination films have so far kicked off with a horrific plane crash and a devastating freeway pile-up. It's off to the funfair now, as an out-of control roller coaster provides the latest fix of carnage for the teen horror series. The Final
A TASTE of the Continent was shipped into Ramsbottom over the weekend, filling the Civic Hall in Market Street with intrigued shoppers and bringing an eclectic range of sights, sounds and smells from across the Channel. Hundreds of people packed the
BUSINESS leaders have called for a permanent base for council meetings describing the current situation as a shambles.' Chamber of Commerce bosses and councillors raised concerns about the different venues being used to hold official Rossendale Council
A COLNE doctor has prescribed pedal power as the best way to raise money for Burnley-based Action for Autistic Spectrum Disorders (AASD). Bob Palmowski, 49, is the only person from Lancashire taking part in an exclusive three-day 190-mile cycle challenge
KEN Livingstone has been banned from acting as the elected Mayor of London for a month by a little- known body called the Adjudication Panel. Its equally obscure parent body called the Standards Board for England, (SBE) is a New Labour quango that was
A LIFELONG Burnley fan walked 40 miles across Lancashire but had enough energy at the end of it to score a penalty at his beloved Turf Moor. Alan Greenfield raised almost £500 for The Christie Hospital, Manchester, and the Pat Seed cancer appeal in Garstang
CLARETS legend Andy Payton said today he was delighted he would always have a foot in the door at Turf Moor after the club bought his Golden Boot. And he admitted it was an honour to be finally be recognised by Burnley for his goalscoring exploits in
BURNLEY FC were playing away from home but there was still a very important fixture at Turf Moor on Saturday as Jenny and Norman White tied the knot. The happy couple, from Burnley, who have been together for 35 years, exchanged their wedding vows in
A PIONEERING scheme aimed at ensuring residents in Burnley behave themselves has won recognition. Police have praised the Good Tenants Scheme after the 1,000th member signed up to the initiative. The project was launched last year to make sure tenants
BURNLEY'S problem-plagued Contact Centre was today at the centre of a new row after officials forgot to put enough money aside to clean it. Council bosses first came under fire in January last year when the cost increased to around £750,000, from an
ARSONISTS have been blamed for a series of blazes in the Cog Lane area of Burnley over the weekend. Firefighters took more than five hours to put out one fire early on Sunday morning. The fire is believed to have been started deliberately in one of
CRAIG Bellamy has often been portrayed as an errant schoolboy in the past but the Welsh firebrand is turning out to be the model student in the eyes of his manager and mentor, Mark Hughes. When he's not terrorising opposition defences, Blackburn Rovers
GARRETH O'Connor is facing a race against time to give manager Steve Cotterill more options ahead of this weekend's Turf Moor clash with Championship leaders Reading. The former Bournemouth midfielder aggrevated ankle ligaments early last week, ruling
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes described Andy Todd as immense' after the Rovers skipper answered his critics with a magnificent defensive performance to thwart Thierry Henry and his Arsenal team-mates. Todd was savaged in the tabloid press after the two
STEVE Cotterill had warned of the consequences if all 11 players do not perform to the peak of their powers. Victories are inevitably beyond them and it becomes a battle to pick up precious points. That, in a nutshell, sums up another frustrating day
THE £50m heist in Kent wasn't the only daylight robbery to take place this week. Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman offered his sympathy to Burton Albion after his side somehow snatched three points when one was the best they deserved. "I feel
THE first round of the new Superbike World Championship proved one to forget for Foggy Petronas Racing. Australian Steve Martin finished both races in 18th place, while new team-mate Craig Jones suffered two crashes. The battle for the honours provided
Morten Gamst Pedersen, who damaged his hamstring in the act of scoring the winner against Arsenal, will have a scan today to access the full extent of the damage. But his manager Mark Hughes fears he could be missing for three weeks. "A hamstring
Blackburn Rovers boss Mark Hughes was understandably delighted with his side's ninth home win of the season in the Premiership. And he believes the belief his players will have gained from both the result and performance can only stand them in good stead
CRAIG Bellamy reckons Blackburn Rovers are now equipped to mount a charge for the Champions League following Saturday's stunning victory over Arsenal at Ewood Park. Rovers jumped up to fifth position in the Premier League table - and three points behind
STEVE Cotterill has vowed to put his players under the microscope in a bid to get Burnley back to winnning ways. Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Coventry was the third in succession, leaving the Clarets with just one win in 10 Championship matches since they
LANCASHIRE'S Jimmy Anderson was today drafted into the England squad as the tour of India lurched into further disarray. Captain Michael Vaughan packed his bags for home after a recurrence of a right knee injury. And paceman Simon Jones this morning
IF you're confused by computers or turned-off by technology then a Ribble Valley computer open day could be for you. The Rural Computer Centre at Northern Rural Partnership is having an open day with taster sessions, advice and support from their tutors
A WOULD-BE mugger who terrorised his teenage victim and threatened to kill him is behind bars. Burnley Crown Court heard drunken father-to-be Ryan Joseph, 26, left Damien Bell in tears and in shock after pouncing in the early hours as the 19-year-old
A "wife-beater" who struck for the third time against his partner is behind bars but she wants him home, a court was told. Martin Holden, 36, who had been attending a domestic violence programme, attacked Jacqueline Tate in the early hours of New Year's
TOCKHOLES annual gala could be at risk unless more people join in and help, a Village Hall committee member has warned. Barry Hall said that although there had been "renewed enth-usiasm" in the committee, there were still not enough people attending
OK, you've had your fun but come on you great British voters, surely the joke's wearing thin by now. How can you seriously keep putting Penny Smith through to the next stage of The Two of Us? This is after all a singing competition and let's face it
A BUSINESSMAN who set up a website selling hangover prevention patches has defended the product after health experts said there was no evidence it worked. Des Ingham, owner of Darwen-based Bermuda Marketing, imports B-FORE patches from Australia and
AN argument after a night out ended with a 35-year-old man storming round to his girlfriend's flat and breaking a window, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Lee Hoole had been ordered out of the taxi they had been sharing after a row
COMMENT from my mum: I'm definitely the oldest person in here,' as she hurled yet another bowling ball towards the skittles at the end of our lane. To mark her 70th birthday we had decided to treat her to a game of ten pin bowling. She had only ever
A GROUNDBREAKING scheme launched in East Lancashire's schools after the September 11 terror strikes is in jeopardy because education chiefs cannot guarantee funding. The Lancashire Council of Mosques' "Understanding Islam" project was born in 2002 months
THE person responsible for the death of little Levi Bleadale should be given a life sentence. It is disgusting the way the law protects the guilty and the innocent suffer. The family lose a child, and the law says basically bad boy, don't do it again
IN reply to Mr Pratt (LET, January 20) I still stand by my original letter. I am not saying it is a "sad, sad life my dear" I am simply saying adolescents aged 16-19 are totally underestimated and should not be thought of as weekend binge drinkers, although
TORY Councillors Pearson and Raseta (February 9 and 15) were upset by the comments from Coun Kate Hollern, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, when she said opposition councillors are not good enough to provide an effective challenge to the ruling
AN East Lancashire school is seeking sponsorship to ensure a planned ski trip to the Alps remains on course. Thirteen pupils from Tor View School, Haslingden, are off to Torgon, Switzerland, on March 18 for a six-day skiing adventure. The school in
AN ABDUCTION inquiry has been called off after the suspected kidnappers admitted it was joke gone wrong. Three 13-year-old girls contacted police earlier this week to say a man had tried to force one of them into the back of a van in Swallow Drive, near
A FATHER-of-13 has been jailed for five years after being caught with drugs worth £44,000. Mohammed Pervez, of Pendle Street, Accrington, was jailed at Burnley Crown Court after pleading guilty to supplying heroin between last September and October and
NORTH West Air Ambulance have appealed for more donations to plug a £300,000 funding gap. Charity chiefs said the organisation needed the additional money to pay for the running of its new helicopter, Katie, which it received in December 2005. The new
AMBULANCE chiefs have backed moves to merge the county authority with three others but have warned services must not suffer. The Board at Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust is to support plans to scrap it for a larger North West authority. But
For the fifth year running, Christ Church, on behalf of Churches Together in Longridge, welcome the return of Presto Puppets who will perform "Beauty and the Beast" on Saturday, at 2.30pm. Tickets are adults £3, children £2.50. The show will be followed
A SENIOR hospital consultant has hit out at claims that patients' lives will be at risk if one of the area's A&E departments shuts down. Dr Geriant Jones, clinical head of medicine, anaesthetics and accident and emergency at East Lancashire Hospitals
A man who died after collapsing in a theatre bar minutes before TV's Tony Robinson came on stage has been named. John Chapman, 48, of Union Street, Low Moor, Clitheroe, fell to the ground in the bar of Burnley Mechanics Theatre on Wednesday night. He
A COUNCILLOR arrested on suspicion of being in possession of indecent images today pledged to carry on with his duties despite the probe. Sunnyhurst councillor Dave Smith said he was returning to Darwen this week to carry on his ward work. Coun Smith
HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope has pledged to lobby ministers for a law change to help frightened residents fight anti-social behaviour in Accrington. People living in the Woodnook area met Mr Pope in a bid to solve problems that have led some residents to
A PREMATURE baby has lost his fight for life after doctors fought to keep him alive for almost 12 months. Hasam Waqas, was born at 31 weeks and six days and as a result had medical problems from birth, which prevented him from ever being discharged
AMATEUR footballers in East Lancashire have teamed up to form the area's first all-deaf soccer team. And those behind the team are wanting more players to swell the squad's ranks as it applies for extra funding to secure its future and realise its immediate
COUNTY Council bosses have admitted they were left red faced' after one of their lorries appeared to have broken its own heavy goods ban on the Grane Road. The 12-tonne county council engineering lorry crashed off the road on Friday afternoon, causing
A BLACKBURN man has died after his car caught fire following a crash near Clitheroe. Police officers are investigating the cause of the crash about 6am yesterday on the A59 between Barrow and Clitheroe. A member of the public reported the incident to
THE brother of a man being held in France on suspicion of his wife's murder today challenged police: "Prove he is guilty or release him." The move came after it was revealed that Robert Lund, who has been on remand for a more than a year, faces at least
INVESTIGATING the death of former Blackburn woman Evelyn Lund in France has been an extremely lengthy process. She disappeared in December 1999 but it was almost two years before police found her body inside her car at the bottom of a lake five miles
BLACKBURN Hawks have no time to dwell on missing out on the English National Hockey League title. Hawks are looking to put last week's bitter disappointment behind them and get back to winning ways in their double header of games this weekend. The Arena
MANY thanks to all the ice hockey fans who contributed to the collection for Kidneys for Life at Blackburn Arena on January 29. Over £500 was raised for the Manchester Royal Infirmary-based charity. More fundraising events have been planned and details
I TOTALLY agree with Margo Wicks' letter (LET, February 12) concerning the inefficient refuse service in Blackburn and surrounding areas. I have written to Hyndburn Council twice, stating that rat infestation is a probability because of its inability
THE person responsible for the death of little Levi Bleadale should be given a life sentence. It is disgusting the way the law protects the guilty and the innocent suffer. The family lose a child, and the law says basically bad boy, don't do it again,
IN reply to Mr Pratt (LET, January 20) I still stand by my original letter. I am not saying it is a "sad, sad life my dear" I am simply saying adolescents aged 16-19 are totally underestimated and should not be thought of as weekend binge drinkers, although
BURNLEY'S problem-plagued Contact Centre was today at the centre of a new row after officials forgot to put enough money aside to clean it. Council bosses first came under fire in January last year when the cost increased to around £750,000, from an original
THE brother of a man being held in France on suspicion of his wife's murder today challenged police: "Prove he is guilty or release him." The move came after it was revealed that Robert Lund, who has been on remand for a more than a year, faces at least
WITH the World Cup in Germany just months away, the search is on for Blackburn Rovers' Wildest fan'. Sure Sport For Men have launched a competition to find the club's most passionate supporter the person whose life revolves around 3pm on a Saturday, who
CRAIG Bellamy has often been portrayed as an errant schoolboy in the past but the Welsh firebrand is turning out to be the model student in the eyes of his manager and mentor, Mark Hughes. When he's not terrorising opposition defences, Blackburn Rovers
A PIONEERING scheme aimed at ensuring residents in Burnley behave themselves has won recognition. Police have praised the Good Tenants Scheme after the 1,000th member signed up to the initiative. The project was launched last year to make sure tenants
BURNLEY FC were playing away from home but there was still a very important fixture at Turf Moor on Saturday as Jenny and Norman White tied the knot. The happy couple, from Burnley, who have been together for 35 years, exchanged their wedding vows in
AMATEUR footballers in East Lancashire have teamed up to form the area's first all-deaf soccer team. And those behind the team are wanting more players to swell the squad's ranks as it applies for extra funding to secure its future and realise its immediate
BURNLEY'S problem-plagued Contact Centre was today at the centre of a new row after officials forgot to put enough money aside to clean it. Council bosses first came under fire in January last year when the cost increased to around £750,000, from an original
A NEW £500,000 nightclub will open in Accrington by Easter after planners gave the project the green light. Local businessmen Mohammed Mukhtar and Thair Iqbal are converting a former shop premises in Church Street into a two-storey venue which they say
A PREMATURE baby has lost his fight for life after doctors fought to keep him alive for almost 12 months. Hasam Waqas, was born at 31 weeks and six days and as a result had medical problems from birth, which prevented him from ever being discharged to
HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope has pledged to lobby ministers for a law change to help frightened residents fight anti-social behaviour in Accrington. People living in the Woodnook area met Mr Pope in a bid to solve problems that have led some residents to claim
A FATHER-of-13 has been jailed for five years after being caught with drugs worth £44,000. Mohammed Pervez, of Pendle Street, Accrington, was jailed at Burnley Crown Court after pleading guilty to supplying heroin between last September and October and
Steve Cotterill will meet chairman Barry Kilby again on Monday to resume talks over an extended contract for the Burnley boss. Discussions have been ongoing since last November in a bid to tie Cotterill down to a new long-term deal. Those talks intensified
CLARETS legend Andy Payton said today he was delighted he would always have a foot in the door at Turf Moor after the club bought his Golden Boot. And he admitted it was an honour to be finally be recognised by Burnley for his goalscoring exploits in
STEVE Cotterill has vowed to put his players under the microscope in a bid to get Burnley back to winning ways. Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Coventry was the third in succession, leaving the Clarets with just one win in 10 Championship matches since they
GARRETH O'Connor is facing a race against time to give manager Steve Cotterill more options ahead of this weekend's Turf Moor clash with Championship leaders Reading. The former Bournemouth midfielder aggrevated ankle ligaments early last week, ruling
THE first round of the new Superbike World Championship proved one to forget for Foggy Petronas Racing. Australian Steve Martin finished both races in 18th place, while new team-mate Craig Jones suffered two crashes. The battle for the honours provided
CRAIG Bellamy reckons Blackburn Rovers are now equipped to mount a charge for the Champions League following Saturday's stunning victory over Arsenal at Ewood Park. Rovers jumped up to fifth position in the Premier League table - and three points behind
There was a time when to become a successful 'metal' band all you had to do was make an unholy racket and roar indecipherable lyrics over the top. Modern rock fans, however, demand more. Opening the show tonight were London-based band Breed 77 (originally
TWO of East Lancashire's best known business and training firms are in talks over a merger. Nelson-based Northern Technologies Group and Blackburn's Training 2000 have been holding talks for several months to look at ways of combining the two. Northern
COMMENT from my mum: I'm definitely the oldest person in here,' as she hurled yet another bowling ball towards the skittles at the end of our lane. To mark her 70th birthday we had decided to treat her to a game of ten pin bowling. She had only ever seen
A new service which helps Darwen people with disabilities and the over 50s into the workplace is to expand. Not-for-profit community business Irons 4 U offers an ironing service Monday to Saturday. And from March the firm, which also acts as a supported
DARWEN bridal company Special by Design is expecting an influx of customers after they were filmed for a TV programme. The shop, in Railway Road, will feature on an ITV1 series entitled Football Fans United in the run up to the World Cup. Owner Jan Pettitt
POLICE And Communities Together meetings will begin again in Darwen and surrounding areas on March 4. PC Geoff Unsworth will hold a meeting for East Rural on March 4, between 10.30am and 11.30am, at the Hoddlesden Carus Centre. Residents in Edgworth,
A BUSINESSMAN who set up a website selling hangover prevention patches has defended the product after health experts said there was no evidence it worked. Des Ingham, owner of Darwen-based Bermuda Marketing, imports B-FORE patches from Australia and sells
THE brother of a man being held in France on suspicion of his wife's murder today challenged police: "Prove he is guilty or release him." The move came after it was revealed that Robert Lund, who has been on remand for a more than a year, faces at least
AN East Lancashire school is seeking sponsorship to ensure a planned ski trip to the Alps remains on course. Thirteen pupils from Tor View School, Haslingden, are off to Torgon, Switzerland, on March 18 for a six-day skiing adventure. The school in Clod
A GAMBLING addict who frittered away several hundred pounds in one day went on to stage a robbery at a Blackburn amusement arcade. Adam Howe grabbed over £100 cash which also ended up being spent in the same fashion. He had resorted to crime after spending
TORY Councillors Pearson and Raseta (February 9 and 15) were upset by the comments from Coun Kate Hollern, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, when she said opposition councillors are not good enough to provide an effective challenge to the ruling
Morten Gamst Pedersen, who damaged his hamstring in the act of scoring the winner against Arsenal, will have a scan today to access the full extent of the damage. But his manager Mark Hughes fears he could be missing for three weeks. "A hamstring injury
Blackburn Rovers boss Mark Hughes was understandably delighted with his side's ninth home win of the season in the Premiership. And he believes the belief his players will have gained from both the result and performance can only stand them in good stead
CRAIG Bellamy reckons Blackburn Rovers are now equipped to mount a charge for the Champions League following Saturday's stunning victory over Arsenal at Ewood Park. Rovers jumped up to fifth position in the Premier League table - and three points behind
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes described Andy Todd as immense' after the Rovers skipper answered his critics with a magnificent defensive performance to thwart Thierry Henry and his Arsenal team-mates. Todd was savaged in the tabloid press after the two sides
ARSONISTS have been blamed for a series of blazes in the Cog Lane area of Burnley over the weekend. Firefighters took more than five hours to put out one fire early on Sunday morning. The fire is believed to have been started deliberately in one of the
A COLNE doctor has prescribed pedal power as the best way to raise money for Burnley-based Action for Autistic Spectrum Disorders (AASD). Bob Palmowski, 49, is the only person from Lancashire taking part in an exclusive three-day 190-mile cycle challenge
A YOUNG family are "lucky to be alive" after escaping from a blaze at their Accrington home. Dawn Lishman, and her three young children aged two, three and four-years-old, suffered the effects of smoke inhalation after the fire at their home in Richmond
A WOULD-BE mugger who terrorised his teenage victim and threatened to kill him is behind bars. Burnley Crown Court heard drunken father-to-be Ryan Joseph, 26, left Damien Bell in tears and in shock after pouncing in the early hours as the 19-year-old
A man who died after collapsing in a theatre bar minutes before TV's Tony Robinson came on stage has been named. John Chapman, 48, of Union Street, Low Moor, Clitheroe, fell to the ground in the bar of Burnley Mechanics Theatre on Wednesday night. He
A BLACKBURN man has died after his car caught fire following a crash near Clitheroe. Police officers are investigating the cause of the crash about 6am yesterday on the A59 between Barrow and Clitheroe. A member of the public reported the incident to
STEVE Cotterill had warned of the consequences if all 11 players do not perform to the peak of their powers. Victories are inevitably beyond them and it becomes a battle to pick up precious points. That, in a nutshell, sums up another frustrating day
LANCASHIRE'S Jimmy Anderson was today drafted into the England squad as the tour of India lurched into further disarray. Captain Michael Vaughan packed his bags for home after a recurrence of a right knee injury. And paceman Simon Jones this morning collapsed
STEVE Cotterill has vowed to put his players under the microscope in a bid to get Burnley back to winning ways. Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Coventry was the third in succession, leaving the Clarets with just one win in 10 Championship matches since they
Your diary of the big gigs coming to Lancashire soon, including the likes of Morrissey, G4, The Strokes, Australian Pink Floyd, The Magic Numbers, The Levellers and Fun Lovin' Criminals. FEBRUARY 27 Hundred Reasons, 53 Degrees, Preston, £8 MARCH 3 The
BUSINESS leaders have called for a permanent base for council meetings describing the current situation as a shambles.' Chamber of Commerce bosses and councillors raised concerns about the different venues being used to hold official Rossendale Council
A DRUNKEN man racially abused a hospital security officer who had been called to A and E by nursing staff. Blackburn magistrates heard that Keith Mellor, 55, was eventually removed by police and as they placed him in a car he tried to headbutt one of
A COUNCILLOR arrested on suspicion of being in possession of indecent images today pledged to carry on with his duties despite the probe. Sunnyhurst councillor Dave Smith said he was returning to Darwen this week to carry on his ward work. Coun Smith,
A BLACKBURN man has died after his car caught fire following a crash near Clitheroe. Police officers are investigating the cause of the crash about 6am yesterday on the A59 between Barrow and Clitheroe. A member of the public reported the incident to
AN ABDUCTION inquiry has been called off after the suspected kidnappers admitted it was joke gone wrong. Three 13-year-old girls contacted police earlier this week to say a man had tried to force one of them into the back of a van in Swallow Drive, near
A "wife-beater" who struck for the third time against his partner is behind bars but she wants him home, a court was told. Martin Holden, 36, who had been attending a domestic violence programme, attacked Jacqueline Tate in the early hours of New Year's
