A TOP-LEVEL investigation has been launched by health bosses into the medical treatment of a taxi driver who has been left fighting for his life. Health chiefs are questioning the clinical judgement of medics who decided not to give Craig Yates a brain
A LANCASHIRE Euro-MP has joined a campaign to save gorillas in the Congo. Labour MEP Mark Hendrick is appalled that hundreds of gorillas and other apes are being killed each year for food. And he blamed European timber companies for "playing a significant
MAY I remind Allan Kenyon (Letters, December 15) that without the monarchy, he would probably not be here. The royal family are, quite possibly, the only thing to put the "great" into Great Britain. HARRY STAPLEFORD, Pringle Street, Blackburn. Converted
BLACKBURN Rugby Union Club suffered the extreme disappointment of an exit from the Lancashire Trophy on the away team's ruling after drawing 17-17 with Warrington. The tie was lost in the last 30 seconds of the match when the visitors scored an unconverted
MANY of us will be reading our Christmas cards and saying: "Ah, I haven't sent him (or her) one - I shall have to buy some more." Well, just think of those who never get a card. Only the other morning, I saw someone chopping wood to take to someone. "
WE WELCOME the launch of a top-level investigation by health chiefs into the case of taxi-driver Craig Yates now fighting for his life. He is the man to whom doctors decided not to give a brain scan after being taken unconscious to Blackburn Infirmary
A PREGNANT woman was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in a neighbour's eleventh floor flat. Sharon Wright, 21, inhaled the fumes after neighbour Sean Riding woke up to find smoke in his own flat and managed to escape
PENSIONER Harold Walmsley caused a six-car pile up, demolished a set of railings and came within inches of hitting a pedestrian - before stepping out of his car unscathed! The 89-year-old motorist caused chaos and left other motorists white with shock
ROVERS fan Nellie Whitehead got the best 96th birthday present she could have wished for - a signed card from all the players and a victory for her team. Nellie, whose birthday is tomorrow, must be one of Rovers' oldest supporters. She is still a season
RAY Harford is preparing himself for a stunning new double-blow - an expected ban for skipper Tim Sherwood and defensive rock Colin Hendry. Both Blackburn Rovers stars were booked by controversial referee Paul Danson at Ewood on Saturday. And, while official
INFLUENTIAL Burnley midfielder Warren Joyce could miss the crucial Christmas and New Year programme. Playmaker Joyce was today struggling with a damaged hamstring picked up in Saturday's 4-2 victory at Swansea City. The Joyce blow, which forced him out
INOTE that Blackburn's MP Jack Straw is making waves about the stabbing of a school teacher. Is this because it is a high-profile case? For only the week before in his own constituency a brave school pupil lost his life in very similar circumstances,
A GRIEVING father has paid tribute to his courageous daughter who has lost her battle for life. John Mercer also praised staff at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, and said they helped give 26-year-old Lorraine an extra two years of life. Lorraine, of
HUNDREDS of water workers in East Lancashire could vote on taking industrial action following the confirmation of 308 job cuts. North West Water said the job cuts were part of a rolling programme of reductions in the operations division but denied they
ELDERLY people were evacuated from their flats in a gas leak alert. Staff at Netherton House, Clayton Street, Great Harwood, moved residents from their upstairs flats into the ground floor lounge and were ordered not to use the electricity because of
SCIENTISTS were convinced they had found the source of the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak centred on Blackburn. Public health chiefs were hoping results of tests on samples from factories in Whitebirk would pinpoint the exact source of the outbreak which
BBC-2's Top Gear team is once again on the lookout for classic car interviewees for a third series of The Car's The Star. The programmes feature cars which have shaped our lives and changed our culture and we are particularly interested in home movie
AFTER more than two years of consideration, consultation and controversy, Blackburn is at last set to gain its independence from county hall. For now that the Local Government Commission has changed its mind - after earlier proposing no change for councils
BLACKBURN Council leader Malcolm Doherty was today celebrating "the best Christmas present the borough could have". He was delighted at the news that the local government commissioners are recommending Blackburn and Blackpool should break free from county
NON-DRINKING Muslims have splashed out £65,000 on a working men's club! But they aim to make the former Burnley Lane Central into a temple of temperance - converting the premises into a mosque. And all 300 members of the Ghosia Mosque are being asked
CRICKETER-turned-model Justin Manville has swapped his bat and whites for the world of showbusiness. The stunning six footer from a small village on the Lancashire border formerly played cricket for Yorkshire. Now his face is beamed into every home in
COUNTY Council leader Louise Ellman today vowed to carry on fighting. She said: "This recommendation totally ignores the overwhelming support of Lancashire people in favour of keeping the present two tier system. "It is outrageous to waste £10 million
HOUSING chiefs in Blackburn will be able to spend almost £5 million on improving the borough's housing next year - but the figure is £500,000 less than the council bid for. The latest allocation under the Housing Investment Programme announced by the
BOXING Day is a significant day for the bloodsports brigade - when the pink-coated endeavour to convince the public that foxhunting is something other than bloodlust unleashed. May I urge readers not to be misled. People should look behind the glamorous
COMPUTER thieves are preparing for a bumper Christmas which could leave local businesses facing a New Year nightmare. The warning has come from a national security firm which has warned companies to stay on guard during the holiday period. Rocketing microchip
PRESTON North End's towering new Tom Finney Stand is ready to swing into action. The ambitious third division club will have 1,300 seats available for Saturday's home game against Gillingham when fans will be admitted into the £4.5 million structure for
A YOUNG man's family have thanked a security camera operator and the police for saving his life. Andrew Holder, 33, from Burnley, helps to monitor the newly installed closed circuit TV surveillance system at Accrington. He raised the alarm when he spotted
