A FATHER-of-two died after jumping from a railway bridge in Accrington. Kieron Drew Taylor was found in the King Street car park after jumping over the bridge above, an inquest heard. Mr Taylor, 43, of Sprucewood Close, died of multiple injuries
AN extra £37,000 is set to be offered to upgrade play areas across Burnley and Padiham, it has been announced. Several playgrounds across the borough have benefitted from a rolling programme, including Padiham’s Memorial Park. And now unspent money
DEFENCE giant BAE Systems has signed a £1.6billion contract to supply Hawk aircraft to Saudi Arabia. The contract, which includes the supply of 55 Pilatus PC-21 aircraft and 22 Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft, means that 250 jobs at the
THE £400,000 refurbishment of Darwen railway station is complete. Work has included improving access, new shelters, electronic information screens and CCTV. The platforms have also been resurfaced with new signage, information boards and fencing
Lancashire hit back to seize the initiative in their County Championship Division One match with Middlesex. The hosts resumed day two on 276-4 but after Ashwell Prince (144) had passed his highest score for the county, they lost six wickets for 71 runs
A PILOT project is being trialled to help train families of drug users to administer potentially life-saving medication. A national report has shown that East Lancashire has the second worst record for drug-related deaths in England, which has prompted
PROPOSALS could see speeding motorists slo-wed down outside a primary school where ‘near misses’ are said to be a regular occurance. New restrictions could be brought in along White Ash Lane in Oswaldtwistle after highways chiefs agreed to review the
ROSSENDALE’S £12m Health Hub is being ‘badly under-used’ according to a councillor. The minor injuries unit (MIU), which opened on April 1, treated an average of less than 10 people per day in its first month. Coun Granville Morris said
A POLICE officer is to stand trial in November accused of causing the death of 26-year-old woman by driving carelessly while over the alcohol limit. PC Brendan Buggie, 38, of Rochdale Road, Edenfield, appeared before a judge at Bradford Crown Court
A MAN who suffered from gambling and alcohol addiction was found dead in the Ranken Arms car park at Hoddlesden. Shaun Harrop, 47, was found next to his car at the rear of the Queen Street pub with cable ties around his neck. He was pronounced dead
NEW Church of England figures have confirmed that East Lancashire remains blighted with some of the poorest areas in Britain. The analysis of nationwide poverty shows the Diocese of Blackburn is among the 10 most deprived Bishoprics. And out of
AMBITIOUS plans to transform and refill Jacks Key Reservoir, in Darwen, are set to be unveiled. The Environment Agency, in conjunction with the council and the county ecologist, wants to restore the former beauty spot. Vital to its proposals are
STREET party applications have to be submitted by tomorrow to be in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Blackburn with Darwen Council is urging people to get their applications in if they hope to close a road, and said it will waive any road closure
A FAMILY have spoken out to raise awareness of the effects of a genetic condition which can cause tumours, and learning difficulties. Sarah Hargreaves, 38, and her daughter Francesca, 11, from Mill Hill, Blackburn, have both been diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis
CCTV images have been released by police after two designer watches worth more than £5,000 were stolen from a Blackburn pawn-brokers. The watches including a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date- just watch and a Cartier Santos 100 watch were stolen from Cash
VOTERS in Rossendale are being urged to register themselves ahead of November’s election of a police and crime Commissioner for Lancashire. Forms will be delivered to Valley households in the coming weeks. The elections are being held for 41 forces
A BID to remove nearly 600,000 tonnes of sandstone from an East Lancashire quarry has been passed despite concerns from villagers. Land to the west of Whinney Hall Quarry had been earmarked for the development by operators Park Royal Group.
DARWEN cat rescue centre Moggies is hosting a fair on Saturday to help with the huge costs of running the facility. Moggies May Fair, organised by Moggies owner Maureen Savage, will take place at Derwent Hall, George Street, from 10am to 2pm.
A 24-YEAR-OLD man breached a restraining order the day he was released from prison for an assault on his former partner. Blackburn magistrates heard that Scott Walker contacted Adele Taylor via Facebook asking to talk to her. But the contact landed
A FIRE training company is to give free safety training to charities from Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale. Friendly Fire and Safety are hosting the event, on July 5 at Blackburn Technology Management Centre, with participants from 50 charities given
AS the Olympic flame gets nearer to Burnley, preparations in the town are hotting up for its arrival. In four weeks, the Olympic Torch relay will travel through Burnley, and a series of events have been organised to celebrate the occasion. The torch
THE driver of a bus was taken to hospital following a collision with a car, which smashed the front windscreen. Six passengers were on board the 152 late service from Burnley to Preston at around 7.20pm on Monday when the incident happened. The
A FORMER college student from East Lancashire will join the likes of boxer Amir Khan and Sainsbury’s boss Justin King in winning a top educational award. Sir Kevin Smith is one of eight winners of the Association of Colleges’ gold award, handed out
BLACKBURN’S Holly Bleasdale might be the face of a new Subway advert – but she’s adamant she’s not bitten off more than she can chew in targeting London 2012 silverware this summer. The 20-year-old has made a solid if unspectacular start to
Homosexuals have already been granted the legal protection of the civil partnership, which recognises their demand for mutual security. Marriage is something different. A homosexual partnership cannot by legislation be changed into marriage, which
I AM looking for any living descendants of my late father’s family. My father was John Cronshaw, born in 1892, son of John and Elizabeth Cronshaw. There were nine other children – William, Martha, Alfred, Harry, Annie, Christopher, Edith, Thomas
CONCERNING the possibility of Wensley Fold C Of E Primary School becoming another academy within Blackburn with Darwen, the statements from three councillors were non-committal, but NUT official Simon jones had no reservations: “The proposal is
MPs Andrew Stephenson and Gordon Birtwistle have well and truly put their heads above the parapet on the issue of postal and proxy voting. To have singled out members of the Asian community in the way that they have is likely to cause a sizeable backlash
PRINTED cups made by a Clitheroe business have been delivered to Downing Street for a Jubilee party. As well as representing the Ribble Valley at the Party, Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley, also took the cups to the business minister, Mark Prisk
AN electricity distribution company has launched a new apprenticeship scheme. Electricity North West is searching for 20 engineers of the future and is urging anyone from East Lancashire who is interested to contact them. The training could lead
A TAXI driver who was left terrified when a drunken passenger hurled racist abuse at him drove the fare straight to a police station. And when Leon Horsfall, 30, realised what cabbie Mohammed Wasim was doing he punched him, Burnley magistrates
LIVE auditions take place this week for Burnley and Pendle’s answer to The X Factor. Star Maker is a brand new singing competition that follows the same format as Simon Cowell’s ITV show. Hundreds of budding Alexandra Burkes and Matt Cardles have
LIFE in Haslingden Grane a century ago, has been brought to life in the memoirs of one resident who came from a long life of village folk. Ada Barlow, nee Nuttall, who was born in 1906 and lived to the grand old age of 94, wrote her family story for
MORE sunshine is forecast across East Lancashire, with temperatures reaching a scorching 24C on Friday. The Met Office forecasts blue skies and lots of sun for the rest of the week – and over the weekend. There will be sunny
CASES of superbug infections have dropped significantly in East Lancashire, hospital bosses have said. Last year, just six patients were reported to be infected with the potentially life-threatening bug MRSA, which was down from nine the year
REALITY TV star Joey Essex has pulled out of an appearance at a Burnley nightclub. The promoter, who stars in ITV2’s The Only Way Is Essex, had hired out the former Fusion nightclub in Hammerton Street for a ‘celebrity’ event on June 8. But nightclub
A HOLIDAYMAKER died after getting out of a car on a busy motorway near Barcelona and walking into oncoming traffic, and inquest heard. Allan Laurie, 30, from Salterforth who was described as a ‘lovable rogue’ with a ‘cheeky sense of humour’
CAMERON Howieson last night became Burnley’s youngest international, after making his debut for New Zealand. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder came off the bench in the 72nd minute of their 2-2 draw with El Salvador, in a friendly played in Houston
A WOMAN’S dying wish to see her son get married was fulfilled just weeks before she passed away. Julie Gleave, 43, was diagnosed with terminal cancer on March 23, but she pledged to carry on living life to the full. The devastating news came four
THE second Chorley Park Series race began with the highly competitive junior park held over a tough one-mile course in Astley Park. First home in an excellent time was Blackburn Harriers’ Elizabeth Greenwood in 5:55 mins, closely followed by Chorley’
MEMBERS of the Asian community have hit back at Andrew Stephenson’s claims that Asian women don’t know who they are voting for. Coun Mohammed Iqbal, Labour leader on Pendle Council, said: “If he is saying that South Asian women don’t understand the
SPRINTER Graeme Ballard has always dreamed of winning gold in front of his home supporters at London 2012 – and now he believes it can be a reality after breaking a 100m world record at the Paralympic World Cup. The Chorley disabled star
PENDLE MP Andrew Stephenson has accused members of the Asian community in the borough of participating in electoral fraud involving postal votes. He made the allegations during a debate in the House of Commons yesterday, where his colleague
RACISM in Lancashire’s schools is falling, according to latest figures. The number of incidents reported to Blackburn with Darwen Council has dropped by 28 and in Lancashire County Council’s schools racism fell by 10.3 per cent compared to last year
A BURNLEY teenager stole a workmate’s bike and sold it for £100, not realising it was a specialist machine worth £2,800. Blackburn magistrates heard Mark Gill was caught on CCTV riding the bike away from the Clayton-le-Moors firm where he and the
A DRUG addict who stole cash from a 74-year-old Parkinson’s Disease sufferer on his own doorstep has been jailed for 12 weeks. Toni Walker, 25, left her vulnerable victim, who has four carers a day to look after him, very distressed. The victim
THE family of a baby who had his legs amputated from below the knee after being struck down with meningitis have set up an appeal to help buy specialist equipment. Ten-month-old Louie Jenkins, of Colne, also lost the fingers on his left hand and the
Centurion Ashwell Prince and Steven Croft underpinned a commanding display with the bat as Lancashire bossed the opening day of their County Championship Division One match against Middlesex at Liverpool. Prince and Croft shared a grafting fourth-wicket
BARRY Kilby’s successor is set to be elected tomorrow, after he officially stands down as chairman at a board meeting. The 63-year-old will retire after 13-and-a-half years at the Turf Moor helm to concentrate on his health, after being diagnosed
Chorley’s Nick Dougherty must wait until 1.20pm to tee off in the opening round of the Telenet Trophy in Belgium today, on the day of his 30th birthday. Clitheroe professional Paul Dwyer begins his campaign at 9.30pm.
Blackburn Rovers’ Championship preparations have been left in limbo after co owner Venkatesh Rao admitted the club were still in “confusion” following Premier League relegation. After holding crisis talks with under fire boss Steve Kean
SOUTHAMPTON have raised the stakes in the race to sign Jay Rodriguez after launching a bid in excess of £6m for the Burnley hot shot. The Premier League newcomers had an estimated £5m bid for the in-demand striker turned down last summer but
Danielle Sheen was the night’s big winner at Blackburn Rovers Ladies’ annual presentation evening. The 21-year-old striker scooped the manager’s player of the year award and top goalscorer gong after netting 21 times in 30 games for Scott Rogers’ side
GLAD that made eve-rything clearer then. Or maybe not. You wouldn’t have thought it would be possible for a football club owner to make a public statement and for the supporters to be in even more confusion than they were before. Well, that is what
THERE was no surprise in seeing Robbie Blake named among a long list of departures from relegated Bolton Wanderers. His last Premier League start was for Burnley after all, some two and a bit years ago – just five games before the Clarets themselves
