A MAN sent to the probation service to get help with his drink problem kicked it himself - by living in a mud hut in Africa for two years, a court was told. Geoffrey Douglas, 43, went to visit his aunt in the Gambia when he should have been attending
A FOUR-year-old boy was "seconds" from accidentally hanging himself with a light cord in his mother's bedroom. Jake Wilson went blue after tangling his neck around the pull cord and was fighting for his life before his mum Emma, 32, was able to free
A PRIMARY school which was placed under special measures has made some improvements in the eyes of educational watchdogs. But officials from Ofsted raised concerns over the lack of progress in eradicating underachievement amongst pupils in years one
Andrew Flintoff came through his first serious bowling test since his latest ankle surgery with no ill effects at the Brit Oval. England all-rounder Flintoff, aiming to return to Test action against New Zealand next month, sent down three spells for
MICHAEL Duff could be in line for a first team return on Saturday, after being withdrawn just after the hour mark in a home defeat to Pontin's League leaders Morecambe tonight. Despite falling to a late Aaron Taylor goal, having played against 10 men
The Lancashire League season starts this weekend. Here, Lancashire Telegraph Sport looks at Todmorden. Captain: Jon Henderson Professional: Gulam Bodi (South Africa) Last season: 6th Ins: Mark Clayton, Ross Stokes (Walsden) Outs: None Henderson
The Lancashire League season starts this weekend. Here, Lancashire Telegraph Sport looks at Accrington. Captain: David Ormerod Professional: Roy Silva (Sri Lanka) Last season: 14th Ins: Graham Lloyd (Bootle), James Hayhurst (Haslingden) Outs: Brian
The Lancashire League season starts this weekend. Here, Lancashire Telegraph Sport looks at Enfield. Captain: David Bracewell Professional: Brandon Hiini (New Zealand) Last season: 8th Ins: Benjamin Dowling (St Anne's), Mark Burns (Edenfield) Outs
A TEENAGE tennis champion has died after being found hanging at his family home. Matthew Barnes, known to friends and family as Matt, died after being kept alive by a life support machine for five days. The 17-year-old pupil at Oakhill College, Whalley
POLICE found 50,000 porn pictures, some showing naked children being abused, when they raided a father of two's home and seized his computer, a court heard. Burnley Magistrates were told how Nicholas Thomas Varela, 50, had 5,000 images of naked youngsters
A WOMAN serving a life sentence for a "revenge" murder was arrested when she failed to return to prison after being allowed home to visit her family. Margaret Copeland, 38, was jailed for life in 1998 after admitting the brutal murder of Thomas Hunter
ACTION for Blind People is helping visually impaired people receive the benefits to which they are entitled. The benefits surgeries will be held in Bacup and Haslingden this week to help people get up-to-date information. People found not to be receiving
HEALTH bosses must publish figures showing how often Blackburn's A and E is overwhelmed, the chairman of Blackburn's Health Scrutiny Committee said. Patients were treated in ambulances outside the Royal Blackburn Hospital on Monday evening as emergency
DOZENS of shop workers in East Lancashire face an uncertain future after a high street name announced it had gone into administration. Staff working at Ethel Austin, in five stores across the area, have been told that the company has encountered "financial
A MAN has been cleared of causing a friend's death by dangerous driving after a judge ruled that nobody could decide who was behind the wheel. Judge Christopher Cornwall directed that a not guilty verdict be returned on Stuart Callaghan, who has stood
Janet Bailey was so fed up with searching for a big enough bra, she opened up her own shop. RUMMAGE around any woman's underwear drawer and it's more than likely you'll discover a myriad of different-sized bras. Most of us vaguely know our size but
NATIONAL leukaemia charity The Anthony Nolan Trust is looking for brave volunteers to abseil down Peel Tower, Ramsbottom. The Trust is the latest in a string of charities to turn to the 120ft tower to raise funds. The abseil will be on Sunday, May 18
The administrator for bargain clothing retailer Ethel Austin has announced the Preston store is to close. This afternoon, the company's administrator Menzies Corporate Restructuring said that 33 store would close, including the one at 63 Friargate
VILLAGERS in a deprived African village are getting a new fishing boat to help feed their families after their plight touched East Lancashire youngsters. Year 10 students from Westholme School decided to raise money for the people of Turkana, a community
A TEENAGER who went missing two weeks ago is being urged to contact police. Police became concerned for the welfare of Nathan Bolton, 14, when he went missing after leaving home to visit friends in Burnley on April 2. The Nelson schoolboy, who has never
HEALTH stores have hit back at a report which said taking vitamins could shorten people's lives. A review of 67 studies by researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital found there was no conclusive evidence taking supplements of vitamins A and E can
WHEN it opened, we were told the Royal Blackburn Hospital would herald a new era of health care for East Lancashire. But the decision to close Burnley's Accident and Emergency department and centralise A&E in Blackburn has cause widespread anxiety in
TWO tutors from Accrington and Rossendale College have been recognised with awards for excelling in education. Citizenship project managers Tahir Hussain and Samina Hussain were awarded Overseas Pakistani Pride of Community Awards at a ceremony attended
A MAN attacked his partner after a cider drinking session. Blackburn magistrates heard that Frank Thomas grabbed his partner by the throat after accusing her of sleeping around. The court was told the couple were still together and that Thomas had not
FINAL closure dates have been set for 24 post offices across East Lancashire which were axed as part of a Government cost cutting exercise. It was announced earlier this month after a three month consultation process that no branches in the area would
A MARINE biologist has spoken of the battle to save tourists whose boat capsized in shark-infested waters off the South African coast, causing three to drown. Sealife expert Alison Towner, originally from Ramsbottom, was on a neighbouring vessel when
A JEWELLER has stepped in to solve a 43-year-old mystery and replace a lost family heirloom. Martin and Pat Crabtree searched in vain for over a year to try to replace a solid silver pendant necklace featuring a model of Darwen Tower after it was stolen
BUSINESSES see Whitebirk Retail Park as a "failed development" which cannot be viable unless it is expanded, developers said. Owners Peel Holdings told the public inquiry into plans to build more units with a wider variety of shops at the site that said
BLACKBURN Cathedral is to host a play which shows the true story of apartheid through per-formances by people who have experienced it first-hand. The award-winning play called Cry the Beloved Country is based on a book by Alan Paton and was turned into
Bacup Borough manager Brent Peters was left reflecting on a host of missed chances as his side lost 1-0 to rivals Colne in Vodkat League Division One. Ben Haworth grabbed the only goal of the game for Colne. But Bacup boss Peters said: "Had we clinical
BRIERFIELD middle distance star Ben Lindsay has vowed to take a leaf out of European silver medallist Mo Farah's book after rubbing shoulders with Dame Kelly Holmes. The 20-year-old Pendle Athletics Club runner was one of 40 youngsters handpicked to
A JURY has heard a 999 call made by a man accused of attempted murder, during which he said: "I think I've tried to kill my wife." But Allan Murgatroyd told the jury that he never deliberately tried to stab her or even hurt her. Murgatroyd, of St
PLANS for the new £12.7 million Darwen Leisure Centre could get the green light when they are presented to the borough council's planning and highways committee on April 24. The plans have been revised from an initial idea to have the leisure centre
If you haven't been to Pendle Heritage Centre yet, why not? I went today to visit Frank Walsh, one of the tourism officers, and Angela White, the centre manager. I'm always a bit unsure of heritage centres mostly because I am history-phobe, I never
A chance for groups to bid for up to £5,000 for work with children and young people has is now available. Voluntary, community and faith groups working with youngsters between the ages of 5 and 13 in Blackburn with Darwen are invited to apply for the
A chance for groups to bid for up to £5,000 for work with children and young people has is now available. Voluntary, community and faith groups working with youngsters between the ages of 5 and 13 in Blackburn with Darwen are invited to apply for the
A MOTORCYCLIST who was impaled on a barbed wire fence after an accident is appealing for help in tracing the driver who "forced him of the road." Systems analyst Jason Catterall, 33, of Delphinium Way, Lower Darwen, was travelling to work at around 7.30am
BURNLEY Reserves play the first of two games in two days with the visit of Morecambe to Accrington Stanley's Fraser Eagle Stadium tonight (kick-off 7pm). After the second string's penultimate home game of the season, they take on Bury Reserves at Radcliffe
PEOPLE will be able to plant trees in memory of loved ones at a new memorial forest to be created in Holcombe Brook. The forest will be run by the charity Life for a Life, which will charge a minimum £495 for each tree planted. The money will be donated
A THIEF who stole a computer part from a store, thought better of it, went back and handed it to the manager. Burnley Magistrates heard how Jonathan Allan, 27, thought he was being silly when he took the item from PC World and was arrested after taking
WOULDN'T it be wonderful if the problem of drunkenness, violence and abusive behaviour could be solved by something as basic as a slice of bread? According to Blackburn's police licensing officer the simple act of giving people pieces of toast as they
Pete Murphy, from the running club the Darwen Dashers, raised £500 for Darwen Macmillan Cancer Support after completing the London Marathon in a personal best time. Pete, 49, from from Cloister Drive, Darwen, completed the course in three hours 29 minutes
Had to go to Accrington last week to meet up with Dennis Taylor and his colleagues Janet and Nick from the Lancashire Economic Partnership. Shop names is this blog theme. I went passed the Filling Station and Get Stuffed, both butty shops. I've sometimes
POLICE have changed the way in which they record hate crime to include attacks on the area's growing Eastern European community. Lancashire Constabulary has created new categories of hate crime so that officers can log incidents where people are deliberately
Andrew Flintoff's return to County Championship action was delayed by overnight rain at the Brit Oval. Two inspections by umpires George Sharp and Peter Hartley took place at 11am and noon before they decided Surrey's home fixture against Lancashire
CONTROVERSIAL plans for a supermarket will be put before Barnoldswick Town Council today. Barnoldswick residents went to the polls last Thursday with nearly a quarter of the people voting against the plans for the store on the Carlson Filtration site
A PENSIONER from Darwen reversed into another car after struggling to exit a car park. Blackburn magistrates heard that Robert Bibby became abusive towards the other driver and adopted the same attitude towards a police officer called to the dispute.
A CONVICTED child porn pervert has left his job at fast food giants McDonald's. Lee Robert-Shaw, of Tewkesbury Close, Baxenden, admitted child porn charges after more than 110 indecent photographs and videos were found on his computer. Now his former
A LEADING Oxford University professor and theologian will deliver a lecture on technology at Blackburn Cathedral tonight. Prof George Pattison will speak on technology, humanity and learning wisdom. He said that he would speak on the issue of how we
FIREFIGHTERS in Lancashire are some of the healthiest in the country, say NHS chiefs. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service won the Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust's bronze and silver Healthy Workforce Award. In their assessment, the awards panel
A 90-year-old woman was allowed to return home to die after being taken to hospital. Lizzie McCrae, a retired shop assistant, had been suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea, and during the early hours of Saturday her temperature soared. She was taken
A joint exhibition of new work produced in the past two years is on display at the Pendle Heritage Centre. Heather will exhibit a collection of painted paper and collaged containers and vessels. David will be showing new near-abstract work relating
Apparently the library in Oswaldtwistle has received some new furniture. Now I don't expect you to get all excited and jump for joy at the mention, but I think it's nice for the community to know. They recently received some equipment for the children's
MANY readers have written about trees being felled. One wonders how long the trees on the old Royal Blackburn Infirmary site will last, once they start to build houses. Once, there was a big island with a lot of trees on, at the junction of Infirmary
CONFUSION by drivers on the roads is not confined to older citizens. In fact recent experience indicates it is usually the younger driver who gets the most bewildered. The road to our village has been closed for two weeks for road repairs. During that
RECENTLY, concerns had been raised in some Muslim sections on the use of alcohol in food flavourings, with soft drinks coming into criticism and lately the Muslim Council of Britain identified a certain potato snack manufacturer as using these food flavourings
ROVERS chairman John Williams has said any approach for Jason Roberts would be unwelcome - insisting he is part of manager Mark Hughes' plans. His comments follows speculation in several national newspapers yesterday linking the Blackburn striker with
BOSSES at JJB Sports said the decision to axe 800 jobs and close 72 sports stores was essential to secure the future of the company. The announcement regarding the closures came on the back of annual results which revealed profits down 28per cent to
THE family of the victim of a head-on car crash have paid tribute to a "devoted family man." Leonard Miller, 59, died after his blue Ford Mondeo hit another on the A59 Longsight Road near the Ribchester turn-off at Clayton-le-Dale at 5.10pm on Saturday
A FAMILY were terrified when a hammer-wielding man looking for retribution after being assaulted targeted their home by mistake. Lee Hibbert, 33, tried to smash down the door of the house Castle Street, Burnley. Burnley magistrates heard that the family
LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg is set to visit Burnley and Pendle today as part of a whistle-stop tour. Party officials say Mr Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam, will be undertaking a tour of Burnley town centre as part of his visit. He will answer
ENGLAND skipper Michael Vaughan is hoping Lancashire all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has a storming start to the season so he can return to the inter-national fold as soon as possible. Flintoff was part of the Red Rose squad taking on Surrey at the Brit
