A 34-YEAR-OLD Blackburn man punched a neighbour who he accused of ‘looking at’ his girlfriend. Blackburn magistrates heard Richard Gregson and his partner were drinking outside their flat when the man returned home. Seconds after he had gone
PEOPLE in Lancashire have backed a campaign to introduce plain, standardised cigarette packets. Across the county, 10,407 people have signed the Plain Packs Protect campaign, demanding an end to glitzy cigarette packaging. Blackburn mum Charli
BOSSES at a museum in Pendle have made the heartbreaking decision to sell off one of its ‘crown jewels’ to pay the bills. Financial pressures have forced the Titanic in Lancashire Museum, in Colne, to part with binoculars presented to Capt Arthur
PLANS to build a world-class business park and training centre are taking shape in Lancashire. Phase 1 of the Lancashire Enterprise Zone will be made public in the new year, but bosses at Lancashire County Council and defence giant BAE Systems
A LEADING health expert has welcomed a proposal by the Government to set a minimum price for alcohol but has called on MPs to impose a bigger price hike. The Home Office has launched a 10-week public consultation to a plan to make the minimum price
A LEISURE boss has lost a High Court battle to keep one of East Lancashire’s best-known advertising hoardings. Dale Winfield, owner of the eponymous store at Rising Bridge, had taken his battle over the prominent sign, erected on a hill he owns
I AM from Darwen and I am a member of the Royal British Legion. I am writing in reply to a letter (LT, November 21) about poppy wreaths being carried the wrong way round and thus insulting the deceased service personnel. It is the way the wreath
DAVID Cameron wants to freeze the EU budget. But why go to Brussels for a summit where he won’t win? Anyone who gives billions to the EU makes you wonder what planet they are on. We don’t need a rebate from the EU – Mr Cameron should simply
So often today our lives are so full of complaints and grumbles that it is indeed a real pleasure to bring to your attention the other side of the coin. On Wednesday, November 21, myself and a group of friends hired a coach to travel from our homes
Many years ago, I ran a successful road safety campaign in the run-up to Christmas about the dangers of drink-driving (‘Death road speed action meeting’, LT, November 26). We positioned smashed cars in various places along a problem road, not dissimilar
THE news that subsidised nursery school provision will be available to parents of two-year-olds from January will be seen as an early Christmas present for many families. It is estimated that more than 3,000 children across the county will qualify
PARENTS of two-year-olds in Lancashire will benefit from part-subsidised nursery places from next year. Around 2,628 children in Lancashire, and 491 in Blackburn with Darwen, are set to benefit from the new government initiative. Nurseries
A NEW website to promote sexual health will be launched in Lancashire to coincide with World Aids Day. Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Contraception and Sexual Health (CaSH) Service has developed the site to make it easier for people to
Lord Justice Leveson's report sets out proposals for the establishment of an independent regulatory body for the press, set up by the press itself but underpinned by legislation and "verified" by statutory regulator Ofcom. The judge said he was
A TAXI office is set to operate from a premises in Croft Street, Burnley, after plans were recommended for approval. The building would be used as a private hire booking offices with parking at the rear, as well as on the William Thompson car park
A REPEAT offender has been given a three-year ASBO banning from having any contact with his ‘partner in crime’. Blackburn magistrates heard Craig Patrick Grant was a prolific thief convicted of many offences of vehicle interference and theft from
A NEW East Lancashire social enterprise could see supermarket food waste transformed into chutney and sold. Chutney For Change has been set up in a bid to cut down on wasted food and to combat unemployment in the area. It is the brainchild
A CENTURY and more ago, every town had a YMCA — today the organisation in Blackburn is one of only two in Lancashire. The movement was first established in London in 1844 by George Williams and it spread across the country, especially to our northern
IT’S hard to believe, but it’s 43 years since the ‘glittering jewel’ in Burnley’s redevelopment, its market hall, was opened with pomp and ceremony. More than 500 people watched as Coun Frank Bailey cut the ribbon and 260 stall holders awaited
WHEN the citizens of the County Palatine of Lancaster were told on November 27, 1295 to send their first elected representative to Parliament, I doubt that they ever imagined eight centuries later Parliament would be marking this “Lancashire Day” with
A YOUNG sex fiend who approached young boys and exposed himself looks set to be detained in a secure hospital. Peter Gudgeon, 21, made sexual advances to young boys in parks, including a 12-year-old with learning difficulties, in 2010. He was
A DARWEN interior design firm is in the running for a prestigious professional award. APM Design, based in Knott Street, has been shortlisted for the Best Interior Design Practice award in the Northern Design Awards. The results will be announced
A WORK of art created in Darwen 20 years ago by a woman now aged 100 is featured in a new national archive of the nation’s paintings. The BBC has teamed up with the Public Catalogue Foundation to create Your Paintings, a bid to record every oil
ENGLAND fast bowler James Anderson has revealed a second career – as a film-maker producing a documentary about the Maasai Warrior cricket team. The film, Warrior, is set to tell the story of a group of Kenyan Maasai tribesmen using cricket and
A COUNCIL competition for residents to save on their council tax bill has become a rollover. Hyndburn Council’s Cashback Challenge means residents can receive the cashback equivalent to Hyndburn’s element of their council tax if the borough recycles
RESIDENTS in Ellenshaw Close, Darwen, were woken by a huge blaze coming from a van. Firefighters were called at 4am this morning after the Vauxhall Vivaro van, belonging to a chimney engineer, was set alight. A woman told fire crews and police
A MAIN road leading into Accrington town centre was closed over-night after an incident which led to a 21-year-old man being taken to hospital with head injuries. Police were called to Blackburn Road at 11.45pm, on Tuesday, after a report from
A WELL-RESPECTED historian has died aged 85. Jim Ashton, who lived in Huncoat, was passionate about the area and wrote articles on the village’s history. He passed away at the Royal Blackburn Hospital on Tuesday after suffering from pneumonia
ROSSENDALE is the worst performing district in Great Britain for getting people off benefits and into work, according to statistics released by the government. Just 10 out of the 840 people in the Valley — 1.2 per cent — referred to the Department
A NELSON communications group has put a rise in its pre-tax losses down to the acquisition of another company. Daisy acquired Worldwide Group Holdings for more than £28million this year, which has seen losses rise to £13.8million, up from £8.9million
TWO lanes of the M65 have been closed after a car towing a trailer jackknifed and spilt its load. Police said the Toyota Hilux, which was towing a trailer, has hit the central reservation while travelling westbound near junction 5. No injuries
A BURGLAR's bid to sell a stolen 50-inch Plasma TV, worth £1,000, to two passers-by backfired when they landed him in the arms of the law, a court head. Daniel Foley, 20, had tried to flog the TV to one of the two women, who knew him, but she refused
BURNLEY and Blackburn Rovers Football Clubs have issued the following joint statement ahead of Sunday’s East Lancashire derby, urging fans to enjoy the occasion. “We encourage all supporters attending this game to respect each other and the authorities
A SINGLE mum who turned up drunk, and late, to pick her children up from school has been slammed as ‘highly irresponsible’. Danielle Florentine, 28, had been out drinking with a friend before she went to St John the Baptist Primary School, in Padiham
A THIEF stole a charity box just 11 days after being released from prison for offences including the theft of other collection tins. Carl Anthony Mason, 30, was branded ‘despicable’ by police and charity leaders. Mason claimed he had taken the
AN APPRENTICE butcher was killed in a head-on collision after losing control of his car as he travelled to work, an inquest heard. Adam Madden, 18, of Heald Lane, Bacup, was described as ‘hardworking, well-mannered and popular’. He was driving
A YOUNG man involved in a street attack which saw a Nelson man receive eye injuries has been told he could face jail. Liam Vyse, 20, was arrested after Philip Barnes, 55, was pushed into a stationary van parked in the town’s Sagar Street last July
POLICE discovered a £17,000 cannabis factory after a raid at a house in Darwen. Officers found 42 plants in the upstairs bedroom at the property on Tythebarn Street. Cultivation equipment including lighting and fans was also seized. The action
WITNESSES to a road crash in which two men died are being urged to come forward. Police are reappealing for witnesses following the tragic incident in Wilpshire. The collision on Whalley New Road saw 35-year-old Robert Carson from Blackburn
A COUPLE who say they had their dream holiday ruined after catching a stomach bug on a “sick ship” are suing a luxury cruise operator. David and Jane Sacks, from Lancaster Road, Haslingden, claim they became ill on board the Independence of the
BLACKBURN Rovers go into Sunday’s East Lancashire derby ahead of Burnley in the Championship table, and history has very much been on their side in similar situations in the past. More often than not Rovers have gone into recent derby games lying
CHARLIE Austin believes Burnley will go into Sunday’s derby full of confidence after picking up four points from two tough away games. The Clarets missed out on the chance to leapfrog rivals Blackburn Rovers after being held to a draw at Barnsley
TWO East Lancashire men have been jailed for over six years following an investigation into organised vehicle crime. Asif Firfire, 35, and 24-year-old Yasar Latif were part of a gang involved in the theft of high value cars which were then stripped
KIERAN Trippier believes the time is right for Burnley to end over three decades of hurt and get one over bitter rivals Rovers this weekend. It was 1979 when the Clarets last took three points from the East Lancashire showdown. But Trippier
ROVERS boss Henning Berg will be hoping Sunday’s East Lancashire derby heralds a change in fortune for his side after they suffered back to back defeats. Berg’s men were beaten 2-1 by Bolton Wanderers at Ewood Park last night leaving the new boss
AN MP is calling on the government to crack down on “rip-off” letting agents. Hyndburn MP Graham Jones said tougher rules are needed to prevent the high number of tenants currently feeling conned. He said: “A recent Shelter and YouGov poll
