Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara rates Saturday's quarter-final opponents England one of the World Cup's best teams - but still expects Muttiah Muralitharan to have a major say against them. Murali, 39 next month, will call time on his record-breaking
A MASKED raider who brought terror to a couple running a village post office, has been jailed for nine years. Micah Buckle, 25, had been armed with a sledge hammer when he and an accomplice burst into the Edenfield Post Office, at closing time, last
THE Conservative Party chairman Baroness Warsi was in Rossendale today. She visited Haslingden Sports Centre and the Pakistani and Islamic centre in Peter Street, Rawtenstall, as a guest of Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry.
In the fourth instalment of our exclusive five-day series, Manchester United assistant Mike Phelan tells of his admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson, and his new-found ‘fame’ on BBC’s Match Of The Day. IF some know Mike Phelan for his time at Burnley
New Zealand secured a surprise World Cup semi-final berth with a thrilling 49-run victory over South Africa in Dhaka. The Black Caps were first thankful to Jesse Ryder (83) and Ross Taylor (43), who rescued them from 16 for two at one stage and helped
TWO aerospace firms have been fined £75,000 after a worker was crushed to death and another seriously injured under 2.8 tonnes of steel. Allan Sanderson and Gerald Powderley were injured while pushing a trolley into an industrial oven at the
AROUND 30 firefighters are tackling a huge moorland blaze in Rivington. Five crews were called to Winter Hill just after 1.30pm today after smoke was seen billowing into the sky. Crews from Chorley, Leyland and Darwen and putting out the fire,
A CHARITY stalwart from the Ribble Valley who has dedicated his life to helping others has bought the landmark Midland Hotel in Morecambe. The iconic art deco hotel has been bought by the Clitheroe-based Lancaster Foundation, which was set
A TALENTED semi-professional footballer was left with a permanent brain injury when violence “exploded” outside a trendy nightclub. Today the three men who attacked 25-year-old Matthew Edgington were jailed for their part in the alcohol-fuelled brawl
A TEENAGER and his accomplice were caught red handed stealing catalytic converters from vehicles in a Sabden compound. Blackburn magistrates heard that when police officers entered the Watts Street compound they found the 17-year-old defendant
AN American Bulldog which attacked another dog must be kept on a lead and muzzled when outside, a court has ruled in a civil action. Lyndsey Harris, 21, of Silvester Road, Chorley, the owner of the bulldog, appeared before magistrates in the civil
Caribbean cuisine has come to the banks of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, bucking the trend of pub closures. And the man behind the opening of the Calypso Caribbean Restaurant, Dave Wilson, is confident the new venture can hit the right note with the Blackburn
In the past, Ridge Racer games on Nintendo have been a disappointment. Not any more. Ridge Racer 3D does the series justice and makes the most of the 3D tech, especially when you are racing via the in-car view. The game includes some of the
Pilotwings demonstrated the SNES’ groundbreaking 3D Mode 7 graphics in the 1990s, so what better game to be included in the line-up of the Nintendo 3DS. The game lets you import your Mii characters via the Mii Maker on the 3DS, and you can explore
I HAVE to admit I held out little hope for this when I finally gave in to pressure from several people and deigned to give it a chance. After all, a programme about a bloke dressed up as a woman, sporting an Irish accent, with a gay son and a dysfunctional
NOT one but two winners of the BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award will play in Bury on March 31. Ewan Robertson and Rua Macmillan will play the Bury Met in an exciting double-header that will get folk fans’ mouths watering.
One-man punk show Ed Hamell, aka Hamell On Trial, is playing four gigs in UK, including Bolton on April 3 and Manchester on April 5. Descibed as “Bill Hicks, Hunter S Thompson and Joe Strummer all rolled into one”, he's performing his This Is Your
EDDIE Howe believes the next three Burnley games could go a long way to deciding whether they make the play-offs. The international break means the Clarets are not in action until a home game against Ipswich next Saturday, followed by away fixtures at
117 mins. Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund, Tim McGraw, Leighton Meester. Director: Shana Feste. In recent years, Gwyneth Paltrow has devoted little time to the big screen, preferring instead to concentrate on raising her kids, writing her online lifestyle
85 mins. Featuring the voices of Dominic Cooper, Gemma Arterton, John Hurt, Christine Bleakley, Robert Sheehan, Kayvan Novak. Director: Ben Stassen. Drift through life without any real sense of purpose and good things will happen - that seems to be
Running time: 98 mins. Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Cohen-Jackson, Carla Gugino, Maggie Grace, Tom Berenger. Director: George Tillman Jr. When the going gets tough, the tough get into a modified 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS and
Running time: 104 mins. Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro, Anna Friel, Johnny Whitworth, Andrew Howard. Director: Neil Burger. The drugs do work in Neil Burger’s visually arresting morality tale, set on the bustling streets of
BUILDING work to put 12 wind turbines, each almost as tall as Blackpool Tower, in place on moorland in East Lancashire is set to begin. The controversial project, designed for the moors between Hyndburn and Rossendale, has been scaled back
Running time: 114 mins. Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Denis O’Hare. Director: Kevin Macdonald. A brave and noble son atones for the sins of his father in Kevin Macdonald’s swords and togas epic,
AS England take on Wales tomorrow in a huge European Championships qualifier, we spoke to Clarets legend Leighton James. The proud ‘Taffy’ he enjoyed a brilliant career in three spells at Turf Moor. The exclusive three-part series starts
HUSBAND and wife Jeff and Bette Livesey, from Pleckgate, have driven into office as captains of nine-hole Oak Royal Golf and Country Club in Withnell. Former policeman Jeff will continue to oversee competitions and Bette, a retired care assistant,
North-West golfers have until the end of the month to enter the new Northern Matchplay Golf Championship. The season-long competition is split into six regions with golfers in Lancashire aiming to reach a regional final at West Lancs Golf Club whilst
On-loan Burnley duo Jack Cork and Nathan Delfouneso were late substitutes as England’s under 21s won 4-0 in Denmark yesterday. Goals came from Danny Welbeck, Scott Sinclair, Danny Sturridge and Jordan Henderson. Delfouneso missed a chance to make
YOU don’t really expect to be speaking to Guy Garvey at nine o'clock in the morning. From the lyrics he writes, you might assume the Elbow frontman would be in bed with a fuzzy head, the aftermath of a few too many ales the night before — ‘
Big-hitting Jesse Ryder made 83 as New Zealand stuttered to 221 for 8 in their World Cup quarter-final against South Africa in Mirpur.
AS a band you had some magificent highs, topping the charts and playing to sold out stadia around the world. Then there were the usual ‘musical differences’, with members falling out and leaving before kissing, making up and returning to the fold.
ONE last ditch-effort is to be made to persuade the owners of a run-down corner shop to revamp the property before a clean-up operation is launched. Neighbours have complained for more than two years about the state of the former general store at the
A GIFTED young composer from Barnoldswick will star in a reality TV show alongside drum and bass legend Goldie this weekend. Vahan Salorian is one of 12 young musicians set to to appear in ‘Goldie’s Band: By Royal Appointment’, which starts on BBC
THE tale as old as time Beauty and The Beast is coming to Darwen Library Theatre and King George’s Hall on April 12 and 13. Join PMA Productions as they re-tell the story with madcap characters creating mischief and mayhem based on the 1991 Disney
Wanted! Twelve Knights of the Round Table to make history for a Lancaster theatre. The Dukes at Lancaster is offering 12 men the rare chance to be part of the UK’s biggest outdoor walkabout theatre event. A dozen men are needed to appear, with a cast
AUSSIE blues-rock guitarist Derrin Nauendorf comes to Mellor Brook on March 27. The evening session presents his unique blend of driving rock rhythms, flamboyant guitar playing and a passionate delivery of contemporary blues material – much of it from
BURNLEY striker Steven Thompson is on the comeback from injury. Thompson had been ruled out for the rest of the season following a groin operation but Eddie Howe is hopeful he will now play some part in the run-in. “Thommo is way ahead of schedule
AN ambulance technician is set to walk the Great Wall of China after shedding two stone and quitting smoking in the last year. Clair Slater, an emergency medical technician based at Burnley ambulance station, signed up for the challenge after seeing
A NEW emergency response ambulance will be stationed in Rossendale from next Friday. North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) will be increasing the number of emergency response vehicles from two to three to meet demand in the borough. The ambulance
PEOPLE are being given the chance to suggest a name for a new £21million community health centre. The state of the art facility will replace the current Montague Health Centre in Blackburn and will be housed on land off Barbara Castle Way, Alma Street
THIS weekend Clitheroe Grand marks its third anniversary. We look back at the past three years which have seen the former cinema become a leading live music venue of the North West. In 2008 the former Grand Cinema was transformed into a music and arts
A PROTEST rally is set to be held in Nelson tomorrow by Labour supporters to back the March For The Alternative gathering in London. Campaigners will gather in the car park of Christ Church, off Carr Road, from 11am, just as the march begins in the
THE family of a football fan from Darwen who died after appearing to head a bin at a football stadium face a three-week wait for the coroner’s verdict. John Taylor was knocked unconscious by the 25lb bin, which was thrown by fellow fan Ryan Carlin
A PCSO who helped to save a man’s life after he had collapsed at Manchester Airport has been given a prestigious award. PCSO Marc Brooks was presented with the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Award at a ceremony at Accrington Town Hall. The
TWO East Lancashire people were honoured by the Prince Charles yesterday. Blackburn boxing coach Yaqoob Hussain was awarded an MBE, while charity boss Purnima Tanuku, from Langho, was given the OBE. Mr Hussain, 56, helped train world
A SPECIAL guitar festival struck a chord with hundreds of visitors. The musical event at Haslingden Sports Centre was made up with dozens of stalls selling instruments. Traders even sold handmade instruments. This popular event is held three
EVENTS taking place in Blackburn, Burnley, Darwen, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley and Rossendale for Friday, March 25 and the days ahead. What's on today 10.30am to 4.30pm - Textile historian Janet Rae is appealing for former workers
A SENIOR police worker has been suspended over allegations of inappropriate behaviour with a female colleague. Stuart Fillingham, 62, the head of Lancashire Police’s ICT department based at Hutton, is off work on full pay while an internal
FOOTBALLERS are worth millions. They actively spit their way around the turf and have little education. I have a first-class education and I am trapped by the welfare state. If an uneducated footballer can earn a fortune, then I ask myself,
LANCASHIRE Fire and Rescue Service received more than 30 calls about a large grass fire in Rossendale last night. The fire on Tor Hill, Helmshore, could be seen across East Lancashire. Because of issues of access and lighting, it was
UK intervention to remove Colonel Gaddafi from Libya is to be commended. As a leader, he has suppressed his people for far too long. It is only with Western support can the Libyan people remove him. In Ivory Coast, the leader, Laurent Gbagbo
IS this a record? It’s probably the hottest day of the year so far and we’ve just had a full-colour leaflet pushed through our letterbox advertising a local takeaway. And there on the front page is a picture of a smiling, skating Santa, complete with
A BUSINESSMAN has unveiled major plans to regenerate Accrington town centre through a cultural project focusing on the arts. Nightclub owner Paul Fox opened the first of a number of planned ‘cultural venues’ after re-branding his Attic Bar
PLANNING permission is wanted again in Whalley, this time for 300 houses on precious farmland. Hyndburn MP Graham Jones gave one very good reason to oppose this application: “While the New Homes Bonus is designed to deal with under-supply, it encourages
A GREAT-grandma from Burnley who was told to travel to Blackburn to have just three stitches removed from her elbow has branded the decision as ‘ridiculous’. Patricia Murray, of Browsholme Avenue, underwent a small operation at Burnley General Hospital
AS East Lancashire finally emerges into spring after a very long, cold winter, the idea of a street party on a warm day does sound particularly appealing. In fact, you don’t even have to be a particularly ardent royalist to welcome the notion of such
I am all for efficient service but sometimes it can get too much. We all tend to moan quite a lot about big, faceless organisations that exist only to milk us dry. But every now and then that big, faceless organisation kind of surprises
THE family of murdered Nelson mum Debra Walsh today described her tragic death as “unimaginable”. Debra, also known as “Debbie”, to her friends was found beaten to death in her Norfolk Street home on Monday. This picture shows Debra
PEOPLE in Burnley are facing a seven-year wait to sample the Good Life. Demand for allotments in the borough has trebled in recent years with 385 on the current waiting list. But there are only 312 plots available across Burnley, Padiham and Hapton
MORE than £4,000 has been raised in just one week in the Lancashire Telegraph’s East Lancashire Hospice roof campaign. The hospice, in Park Lee Road, Blackburn, desperately needs a new roof after the current structure fell into disrepair.
A CONTROVERSIAL drink and drugs rehab centre is to open in Darwen after the Planning Inspectorate overturned the decision to reject the proposal. Last September, Blackburn with Darwen councillors narrowly rejected the application to transform
Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry is this morning being quizzed on this week’s Budget. Mr Berry is at Rawtenstall Cricket Club in an event organised by chartered accountancy firm Jack Ross. Bosses believe it will give businesses chance to get
A TEENAGE girl was rescued from a burning flat in Great Harwood by firefighters. Crews were called to a flat in Queen Street, Great Harwood, on Wednesday at around 8.15pm. The blaze broke out in the kitchen and the airing cupboard in
Padiham and Barnoldswick Town meet in a local derby in the Vodkat League Premier Division at the Arbories tomorrow. Barnoldswick were beaten at Maine Road in midweek and that 2-1 loss damaged their hopes of pressing on towards the top. And the defeat
BUOYANT Brent Peters is going all out for cup glory as his Bacup Borough outfit face high-flying Winsford in their ‘last chance’ of glory this season. Borough welcome the Cheshire set to West View tomorrow in the third round of the Vodkat League Challenge
Blackburn Rovers centre back Chris Samba has withdrawn from Congo’s squad to face Ghana in an African Cup of Nations qualifier this weekend because of a back injury.
COLIN Hendry goes down as a real Blackburn Rovers legend, playing for the club during two spells. He helped them to Wembley wins in 1987 and 1992, and the Premier League title in 1995. In a three-day series starting exclusively in today's Lancashire
A FAMILY engagement at the Royal Albert Hall will deny Luke Joyce a trip to Wembley next month, but the Accrington Stanley midfielder hopes he will get his own chance to take centre stage at Old Trafford in May. Reds assistant boss Jimmy
BRADFORD City have confirmed that their interest in Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman is over after branding the Reds’ compensation demands as ‘ridiculous’. Bradford have drawn up a six-man shortlist as they search for a long-term replacement
THE lament is a familiar one, league cricket is dying. It ain't what it used to be. We don't see any good pros anymore. The traditional heartland of league cricket is the North of England. Leagues in the North are still strong - yet people still say
DAVID Dunn is desperate to return to action against Arsenal next week as he bids to avoid a second relegation in Blackburn Rovers colours. Dunn has missed the last three games because of a groin injury and Rovers have taken just one point from
Baxenden Golf Club secretary Neil Turner registered his first ever hole-in-one in 42 years of low handicap golf during the club’s Opening Day Fourball competition.
EAST Lancashire is set for royal wedding fever with 26 street parties planned so far. Residents have applied to councils to close the streets, with many more in the pipeline for the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29.
New Zealand will bat first in their World Cup quarter-final with South Africa after skipper Daniel vettori won the toss this morning. Morne van Wyk makes way for AB de Villiers in the South African line-up. Quicks Dale Steyn and Morne
Ryan Giggs has told his fellow Welshmen to make England pay the price for their recent Six Nations rugby win in Cardiff when the sides meet tomorrow. AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi's son has claimed Manchester City's Italian striker Mario Balotelli
A GANG of rogue employees who stole £155,000 of their firm’s products in a major fraud have been jailed. Yesterday members of the ‘corrupt’ group were sent to prison for a total of six years after being told they had put lives at risk. They defrauded
India captain MS Dhoni expressed his delight after his side set up a mouthwatering semi-final against Pakistan with a five wicket victory over Australia in the quarter-final of the Cricket World Cup. Australia had set a respectable total of 260, with
Graeme Swann has admitted Michael Yardy's England team-mates were "shocked and very sad" when he flew home with depression on Thursday, before warning the lifestyle of an international cricketer can leave players open to such illnesses. Slow left-armer
