A GROUP of travellers are being tracked by the authorities after they moved into the Rossendale Valley. A 20-strong convoy of caravans turned up at Rossendale Council’s Futures Park, in Bacup, on May 2 searching for land to set up home. After battling
A WELL-known cricketer has died after suffering a heart attack yesterday. Father-of-two Phil Astin, 58, has been a member of Lowerhouse Cricket Club for more than half a century. The long-serving cricketer and groundsman had been on life support
ONE of Blackburn’s best-known eateries is to return to a prime town centre spot. El Greco’s is opening in the former Cafe Beees building in Church Street in the next few days. The move, which coincides with the opening of the £8million new market
A MAN has been charged with voyeurism after a woman was filmed on the toilet in a Blackburn pub. Police said a man followed the woman and her friend into the female toilets in the Postal Order, Darwen Street, and went into the next cubicle.
ROBBERIES of businesses are on the up amid claims owners don’t feel enough is being done by police. End of year figures released by Lancashire Constabulary showed that all robbery across the force is up by 2.5 per cent from 2009-10 to 2010-11. The
A PROMINENT Accrington store will close its doors after 20 years with bosses blaming the effects of the recession on the town centre. Blackburn Road furniture shop Davies of Accrington said trade was so bad it didn’t even sell a single piece of furniture
CAR repair firm Karl Vella’s East Lancashire site is set to share in a £250,000 ‘green’ investment plan and new jobs. The company is creating new apprenticeships and buying energy-efficient lighting and new flooring in a bid to reduce carbon emissions
NEW regulations on agency workers could cause a headache for businesses, an East Lancashire employment expert has warned. Chris Boyle, of Napthens Solicitors, said all firms need to be aware of the new rules, which come into force on October 1 this year
WhilE there are problems due to people dressed as Nazis during the East Lancs Railway 1940s War Weekend, mention either of the two world wars and within seconds the name ‘Germany’ comes up. I well understand David Harris (editor, Jewish Telegraph)
THE FUTURE of a children’s activity group has been secured by a £27,000 windfall from Children In Need. Funding over a three-year-period means that Summer Fun 4 All can continue to run affordable activities and events for every child in Darwen and Rural
THE proposal to organise a homecoming parade through Burnley for members of the Duke of Lancaster’s regiment is very welcome. Members of the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (2 LANCS) have served with distinction in Afghanistan over the past
WELL done, Northern Rail, for a vigilant monitoring of tickets and passes at Blackburn station last week. It eased my mind that those fares the conductor might have missed would have been collected at the station barrier (in fact the conductors also
AN unemployed Burnley man is gaining vital work experience and improving his job prospects after accepting a voluntary position with Help Direct. Lee Swales, 36, decided to take a career break from his last job after thinking it would be easy finding
CAMPAIGNERS have pledged to continue talks after the 464 bus service through Rossendale received a temporary lifeline. Some passengers said plans to scrap late evening journeys on the Rochdale to Accrington route via Bacup, Rawtenstall and Haslingden
A typical raffle prize is a deluxe hamper or a bottle of bubbly. So a musician playing at Chipping Steam Fair was left stunned after walking away with a Rolls Royce for the £2 he spent on a pair of tickets. The 1972 Silver Shadow Mark
A GRANDFATHER who helped keep Lancashire lit up during the miners’ strike blackouts of 1972 has called time on a 50-year career. David Carter said he was ‘scared stiff’ when he left Nelson Grammar School and started an apprenticeship with the Electricity
BRIDE Martha Standring took no time at all to get into the swing of married life. She celebrated her marriage to Nathaniel O’Brien, 32, with a turn on the trapeze, while he fronted his own rock band. But the couple’s Victorian carnival themed ceremony
CHILDREN from across Rossendale are off to see the Wizard from May 31 to June 5. The Crawshawbooth-based Valley Academy is staging its first musical for 2011 The Wizard Of Oz at Rakefoot Church Hall. The cast is led by Natalie Bessaad, 15 as Dorothy
A THIRD fermenter is soon to be installed at Hopstar Brewery’s main site, in Grimshaw Street, Darwen. It will allow father and daughter team Natalie and Barry Tyson to significantly increase their current production of 50 barrels of beer each week
WETHERSPOON’S have revealed the opening date, and new name, of their latest pub, which will open in Accrington. The former Regency pub, on the corner of Church Street and Blackburn Road, will reopen in weeks as The Commercial Hotel. Wetherspoon
A COUNCILLOR’S complaint about a rival’s local election campaign has been dismissed by police. Alan Neal, a Community First candidate for Healey and Whitworth, had asked officers to look at the leaflets supporting Labour’s Sean Serridge, who represents
BLACKBURN-based training provider, Training 2000, is celebrating achieving six outstanding grades at its recent Ofsted inspection. Since its last inspection in 2005, Training 2000 has improved from good to excellent in three areas and is rated in the
A NEW drive to encourage Hyndburn pupils to stay inside the borough for their post-GCSE education has been introduced. Two colleges in Accrington have joined forces to allow pupils to mix and match their further education qualifications after
INSPECTORS have found an independent primary school is good with outstanding features. Al-Asr Primary School, St Silas Road, Blackburn, was praised for the ‘good quality’ of education it provides to 110 pupils. But inspectors raised concerns over the
LANCASHIRE’S cash- strapped police authority is calling on the English Defence League to reimburse it for the cost of policing its demonstrations. Around £500,000 was spent staffing the April demo in Blackburn, described as the county’s biggest ever
‘THE days of Britain’s isolation are over. There will be a new united Europe.’ Sound familar? Who said it – Sarkozy? Merkel? Maybe Tony Blair? No, those were the words of Adolf Hitler in 1940. What he could not achieve by force is now being
BURNLEY’S trade chief has declared that the town is ahead of others on the road to recovery. Chamber of trade president Brian Hobbs said traders had assured him Burnley was coping well despite inflation, job losses and squeezes on spending.
A MULTITUDE of charity bags keeps coming through my letter-box, many – if not all – in aid of very worthy causes. Yet our politicians keep squandering our money abroad in aid. Is it not time they considered their own country? With high unemployment
Chorley captain Andy Holdsworth continued his fine season by hitting 70 off 105 balls as his side had the better of a drawn game at Barrow. Holdsworth posted 104 for the first wicket with Jack Catterall (53) which provided the backbone of their 199
Darwen were beaten at Netherfield – but the home side had the luck of the toss to thank after the game was interrupted by rain. Darwen made 145-6 after being inserted. Alex Davies hit 40 off 44 balls with Netherfield sub-pro Ashar Zaidi, professional
LOWERHOUSE shot to the top of the Lancashire League in Sunday as they beat Colne while Ramsbottom were rocked by derby defeat at Haslingden. The league’s form team made it six wins on the spin – but failed to claim bonus points after restricting Colne
The draw for the Worsley Cup second round has thrown up a huge game between form sides Lowerhouse and Nelson on Saturday. Ramsbottom entertain Enfield and Church travel to Haslingden. The other game sees Rishton travelling to Todmorden
BRILLIANT Jonathan Fielding bowled Ramsbottom into the second round of the Worsley Cup as he returned to haunt his old club East Lancashire on Saturday. The spinner was at his metronomic best as he wheeled his way to 5-27 from his 8.1 overs
EAST Lancashire fielded three sets of brothers as they claimed an impressive win over Accrington as the Lancashire League Twenty20 burst into life on Friday night. The Blackburn side coasted to a nine-wicket win but the game was notable for
Baxenden suffered their first defeat of the Ribblesdale League season but still retain leadership. However, Barnoldswick and Read closed the gap at the top with back-to-back weekend victories. Read ended Baxenden’s six match winning
Roughly 47 years since he first took to the stage, John Cleese, the writer and star of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda, has finally embarked on his first ever solo tour of the UK. “I’m here because I need the money,” begins Mr Cleese
A CAREER crook who made off with a valuable jewellery haul after targeting and breaking into a “posh house” in Oswaldtwistle, has been locked up for four years. Shane Johnson, 40, has been burgling since he was 13 and went back to his old ways
ONE of Burnley's busiest roads was forced to close this morning after a vehicle crashed into a canal bridge. The driver of the City West Housing Transit van had to be cut free from his vehicle near Sainsbury’s in Colne Way. The accident happened
A FANCY dress walk from Blackburn to Preston helped raise around £800 for the Lancashire Telegraph’s Raise the Roof appeal. Caroline McAuley, 32, and five friends embarked on a 17-mile trek to support the campaign, which aims to raise £125,000 to build
FOUR teenagers have appeared in court charged with using or threatening unlawful violence at the Vue Cinema Complex, Accrington. A 17-year-old, 15-year-old and two 16-year-olds, all from Accrington, were bailed. One of the 16-year-olds is also
CAMPAIGNERS have won a fight to stop a pharmacy opening at “one of the most congested junctions in Blackburn”. Two petitions carrying 141 names were handed to Blackburn with Darwen Council objecting to Cohens Chemists plans to convert 33 Preston Old
THE rain might have been pouring down but spirits remained high at the annual Turton fair yesterday. Hundreds of visitors braved showers at Turton Tower to enjoy a dog show, a New Orleans brass band performance and the May Queen procession. They
THE Welfare State seems to have morphed into the State of Welfare, with those good, great intentions completely out of control. Can you believe that the taxes extracted from the working classes are being spent on international aid, funding nuclear powers
A young motorcyclist who died after coming off his bike in Chorley has been described as “one in a million”. Kieran-Dean Forster, 25, from Astley Village sustained fatal head injuries when he lost control of his motorbike just before 10pm last
A NEW boss has been appointed to oversee more than 10,000 BAE Systems workers in Lancashire. Chris Boardman is the new managing director of the firm’s military air and information business, replacing Kevin Taylor. The role will see Mr Boardman take
LOCAL Olympic athlete and gold medal winner, Helen Clitheroe, has officially opened the new Garside and Waddingham Estate Agents in Berry Lane, Longridge.
POLICE officers in Lancashire could be asked to learn from home in a bid to cut the force’s £5million pound training budget. The force has to save £42m over the next four years and an organisat-ional review of the way training is delivered has ruled
FOUR East Lancashire councils have joined forces in the fight against night-time noise nuisance. Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale Council’s have come together to create the Pennine Lancashire Night Time Noise Service where residents
A SIX-month-old St Bernard puppy was rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped between seats in a van in Cranberry Lane, Darwen, at 9.30am yesterday. A crew spokesman said: “Even though he was a puppy, he was a huge dog. "We managed to
BLACKBURN Rovers’ owners have announced a substantial rise in financial growth for their Indian-based business. Venky’s India saw sales jump by 21per cent to £120million (Rupees 8.62bn) this year. The profits also rose to just over £10million.
RISHTON have been rocked after professional Cameron Delport was forced to return home with a finger injury. The South African was impressing at Blackburn Road in his first season in the Lancashire League. But he has been carrying the injury for several
BETTY’S brilliant on short deliveries, I learned to my cost this week. Me? I’m a corner-to-corner merchant, and the bigger and wetter the bowling green the better. She was thrashing me 19-6 in a Hyndburn match before I managed to deliver a useful jack
Address: 9-13 Blackburn Road, Darwen, BB3 1EJ. Phone number: 01254 762 600. Lancashire Telegraph review by Simone Yates from May 28, 2011. There are a few award-winning Indian restaurants in Darwen and it would be hard for me to say which was
LANCASHIRE-born Blue Peter star Barney Harwood will be bringing history to life with a card game contest in Rossendale on June 1. Barney, who grew up in Blackpool, will be hosting a Top Trumps modern history tournament at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum
David Bell will be out of action for three weeks after suffering a finger injury in Ramsbottom’s Twenty20 win over Edenfield at Acre Bottom on Friday night. “It’s a big blow,” said skipper Jon Fielding.
Matt Wilson has stepped down as captain of Lancashire League side Colne. Veteran spinner Gary Hunt will take over for the rest of the season. Wilson replaced Jeff Ellis as Horsfield skipper last season and led Colne to their Worsley Cup triumph over
FAST bowler Sid Patel has left East Lancashire and joined Liverpool Competition First Division outfit Orrell Red Triangle. The 25-year-old made his debut on Saturday – and made a big impact in a dramatic win at Prestatyn. He claimed 1-38 from eight
A TEENAGER has been arrested and police are looking for more suspects after a fight in an Accrington street. White and Asian youths clashed during a disturbance close to a gym in Victoria Street, around 9pm on Thursday. One of the youths suffered
ENTHUSIASTS of all ages enjoyed the traditional attractions of the Chipping Steam Fair at the weekend. As well as a huge gathering of steam engines, hundreds of exhibitors and arts and crafts stalls took part in the event. The fair started in 1998
AN East Lancashire man jailed for punching someone in the head is wanted after breaching his early release licence conditions. Ryan Ainsworth, 24, who has previously lived in Darwen, Blackburn, Accrington and Newquay, was released half-way through
TOM Finn has ended his 15 years at Blackburn Rovers after resigning as the club's managing director. With new deputy chief executive Paul Hunt starting later this week from Leicester City, Finn decided the time was right to leave. He
Darwen police station is threatened by budget cuts. Rumours are circulating in the town that officers at the station in Union Street will be moved to Greenbank, Blackburn, from July 1. And while Lancashire Constabulary insists that the station
BURNLEY midfielder Graham Alexander is understood to have been interviewed for the vacant managerial position at Bury - but he still faces serious competition to get the job. The 39-year-old is open to a move into management and attracted interest
A BURGLAR is still on the run a year after police labelled him a wanted man. Patrick Felloni, 31, originally from Dublin, was released from prison on licence in May 2010. He was jailed in September 2009, for 40 weeks. He was living in Accrington
THE English Defence League should contribute to the cost of policing its demonstrations, a committee heard. Lancashire Police have applied to the Home Office for a reimbursement of the money spent on keeping the peace and preventing disorder
THE spirit of the 1940s was brought to life during a wartime weekend at an East Lancashire railway line. Rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of East Lancashire’s Railways popular gatherings, at Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom and Irwell Vale stations.
A TEACHER accused of intimidation and inappropriate behaviour towards special needs children was sacked when the allegations came to light, it has emerged. Lindsay McAreavey was cleared by the General Teaching Council last week of unprofessional misconduct
THE British Heart Foundation has launched a £128,000 appeal to fund essential heart equipment for patients in East Lancashire. The Heart of Blackburn Appeal aims to raise enough money to pay for a 3D echo-cardiograph machine for the Royal Blackburn Hospital
THOUSANDS of music lovers braved the rain to be entertained at the weekend’s Darwen Live festival. Organisers hailed the line-up as their ‘best ever’, despite working on half the budget of previous years. Nineties pop act Dodgy, known
AN historic part of the Ewood Park football turf has been dug-up and is being offered for sale. Quick-thinking fan Eddie Maxwell secured permission to take two sections of the Blackburn Rovers pitch in a bid to raise money for his Sunday
A CHORLEY charity’s ‘soft soap’ approach to schooling has helped a timid truant turn into an award-winning would-be welder and part-time window cleaner. Alex Benyon, 16, terrified his mother by missing six months of his education by bunking off. Unsure
LORD Darwen, Roger Michael Davies, has died aged 73. He had been ill for some time and died in his sleep at home near Chelmsford, Essex, on Friday. He is succeeded by his eldest son, the Hon Paul Davies. The new Lord Darwen will be in the town
THESE exclusive pictures show for the first time the inside of Blackburn’s long-awaited market, which opens tomorrow. The Lancashire Telegraph was given a tour around the £8million complex as traders worked to fit out their stalls in time. A total
BLACKBURN with Darwen Council is to almost completely shut down its operations for the day today in a bid to save £3million. And the drastic measure will be repeated 11 times over the next three years. Chief executive Graham Burgess said about 90
A SPECIAL Shop Watch scheme has been set up to help create a safer environment for customers and staff in a number of Rossendale food stores. Officers from Lancashire Constabulary and Rossendale Council are working closely with staff from The Co-operative
A HUGE expansion is planned for Burnley Cemetery after it was revealed burial space is set to run out within a decade. An extra 14 acres of farmland, to the east of the Rossendale Road, has been earmarked for the graveyard extension.
FORMER Rossendale Mayor and Honorary Townsman of Whitworth Jimmy Grogan has died at the age of 76. The long-serving councillor, who stood down earlier this month after 30 years of continuous service on Whitworth Town Council, died in Fairfield Hospital
A VETERAN pubs and clubs maestro, who went into business with close pal George Best, has been drafted in to run a Burnley brewery’s new bar and bistro. Malcolm ‘Waggy’ Wagner had been in semi-retirement after leaving the Grants Arms Hotel, in Ramsbottom
A FORMER MP has called for all victims of the Bosnian conflict to be remembered in the wake of Ratko Mladic’s arrest – including a Pendle aid worker murdered by bandits. Father-of-four Paul Goodall, 35, from Earby, was shot in the back of the head in
A FIRE chief has sounded a warning after arsonists torched a derelict mill last night. The yobs set fire to the floor in Eden Wood Mill, in Eden Wood Road, Ramsbottom, at 8.40pm, forcing firefighters to head inside the mill. Crews spent two hours
SALMON could be swimming through Burnley town centre for the first time in around 150 years if an ambitious river regeneration scheme is successful. Not since early Victorian times, when the waters began to be muddied by sewage and industrial pollution
THE brothers of a man who died on his birthday in a road smash has paid tribute to the ‘backbone’ of their family. Aftab Azram was killed on his 43rd birthday when his BMW was in collision with a Ford Mondeo estate in Grane Road, Haslingden
STEVE Kean will tell Blackburn Rovers’ in-demand starlet Phil Jones ‘this is the best place for you’ as he readies himself to fend off some big bids for the youngster this summer. Rovers’ academy product Jones is expected to be hot property
ACCRINGTON Stanley full back Joe Jacobson has apologised to Oldham Athletic after his former club threatened legal action over a post on the player’s Twitter account. Jacobson joined Stanley on loan from Oldham in November before moving to
A MIRACLE toddler born paralysed down one side and with part of his brain missing has defied massive odds by taking his first steps. Severe cerebral palsy meant that Finley Rosbotham could not sit or hold up his head for the first year of his life.
CARDIFF CITY fans want striker Craig Bellamy, who spent the 2010/2011 campaign on loan at the Welsh club from Manchester City, to succeed Dave Jones, who was sacked as manager on Monday. Paul Buckle has left TORQUAY UNITED to take over as manager of
