Archive

  • £138,000 write-off in council arrears

    TOWN hall bosses in Blackburn are set to write off more than £138,000 in outstanding debts. More than £124,000 of the cash is made up of bills relating to 49 people or companies who have gone bankrupt, into liquidation or into receivership. And an additional

  • Twenty robbed in town centre

    CHILDREN as young as 11 are being targeted by muggers in Blackburn town centre. Four serious attacks on adults took place in the space of seven days and follow a string of muggings involving adults and children. There have been more than 20 attacks in

  • Chemists on duty: Wednesday, July 1

    Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; T G Pendlebury, 3 New Park House, Preston

  • Animal ban for women who mistreated dog

    A MOTHER and daughter who mistreated a dog have been banned from keeping any animal for five years. Jennifer East, 53, and Sarah Jane East, 33, both of Lambeth Street, Blackburn, admitted cruelty to the animal when they appeared before Blackburn magistrates

  • Chemists on duty: Friday, July 3

    Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 & 6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: T G Pendlebury, 3 New Park House, Preston New Road; Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Arthur Haworth, 314

  • First came the hand of God...

    Bramwell Speaks Out FIRST it was the hand of God. Then came the foot of the Little Sod. But I know which one hurts more. Because David Beckham's childish, peevish, petty, irresponsible, churlish, selfish retaliation was a disaster waiting to happen. This

  • Old folk in protest over bid to open taxi office

    A TAXI firm for the elderly and disabled is set to open despite objections from pensioners whose bungalows are only yards away. Thirty three people living in bungalows off Burnley Road, Rawtenstall, signed a petition objecting to the taxi business. But

  • Jellies were hard to swallow

    JELLY sweets bought for a Blackburn toddler had splinters of wood embedded in them, a court was told. The 10p packet of sweets called Kids' Mix-up bore the slogan 'The Happy World of Haribo' but could have led to tragedy if the two-year-old had swallowed

  • Luton boss in Clarets £1m link

    LUTON chairman David Kohler was today revealed to be the inspiration behind Peter Shackleton's troubled £1 million 'up-front' loan. The Second Division club chief advised his Clarets counterpart Frank Teasdale to demand the cash as a gesture of good faith

  • Wilcox backs ex-Ewood buddy

    "YOU'LL get over it" was the message from Blackburn Rovers star Jason Wilcox to his devastated former Ewood team-mate David Batty today. Batty has not been blamed as much as red-card villain David Beckham for England's exit at the hands of Argentina,

  • Union talks on jobs axe at cement firm

    TOP-LEVEL talks have been held at Castle Cement in Clitheroe following the shock announcement that 100 jobs are to be axed. Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans and district councillor Derek Waller met shop stewards and union representatives to discuss the job

  • All-round view of Windows 98

    Valerie Cowan Surfs the Net AFTER all the waiting and all the fuss, Microsoft's new operating system Windows 98 is now out. But if you want to get the full low-down on what it can do for you before you decide to shell out £80 or so upgrading to it, a

  • TEN YEARS AGO: Brother and sister reunited

    SEVENTY-year-old Bill Ernstzen had said he would not cry, but it was a struggle to hold back the tears as he threw his arms around his sister Millie for the first time in 30 years. Amateur cricketer Bill had left Cape Town with his wife Mary, in the 1950s

  • Get-together for girls

    THE girls who went to St Alban's School, Blackburn, and left between 1944 and 1946 will have their third reunion on September 23 at St Alban's Club. Price £3. Come along, you girls out there, if you are interested. Ring me for details. BETTY MONAGHAN

  • Beckham: Brat of the pack

    ONE could almost hear Captain Mainwaring, of Dad's Army, uttering his famous admonishment: "Stupid boy!" as David Beckham, Britain's most highly paid footballer, lashed out with his foot and placed his England team-mates in an impossible position against

  • CRICKET: Double doubt for Lancs pair

    NEIL Fairbrother and Warren Hegg were big doubts for Lancashire today as they faced up to their vital Axa League floodlit clash with Warwicks at Edgbaston. Fairbrother was suffering from a calf strain and Hegg's thumb was still badly bruised - and both

  • CRICKET: Rashid target

    PACE bowler Shaun Rashid has his sights firmly set on a double goal - to bowl Padiham to the Ribblesdale League Championship and get his place back in Nottingham's second team. Last year the promising 21-year-old snapped up 56 wickets in the Ribblesdale

  • CRICKET: It's old or nothing

    IF South Africa press home their superiority in the third Cornhill Test starting at Old Trafford tomorrow, it could well be curtains for England's hopes of salvaging the series. That's the verdict of Western Province batsman Ryan Maron, who is Blackburn

  • PC cops wet sponges to boost charity coffers

    LOCAL bobby Keith Williams proved he was game for a laugh when he agreed to be locked up in the stocks and take a severe pelting from soaking sponges at St Joseph's garden fete, Todmorden. And the intrepid PC was not the only person to get wet, for rain

  • Who voted for what?

    WITH so many controversial subjects being raised, such as the A-board question, the numerous decisions being made on 'our behalf' on traffic-calming measures I, and I am sure many of your readers, would like to know who the various councillors are who

  • Any foreign coins?

    FUND-RAISERS hope to pull in the pesetas and find some francs from summer holidaymakers. Hospice Care for Burnley and Pendle, which runs Pendleside Hospice, Reedley, wants postcards and leftover foreign coins which can be converted into funds to help

  • Let teachers teach

    IT appears that Ofsted equate success by the number of schools they fail, then, returning at a later date notice a miraculous improvement in standards. But many millions must remember achieving literacy and numeracy at school in earlier days. What, since

  • Court order lifted so father can see baby

    A YOUNG dad banned from seeing his former partner "broke into" her home, where her brother awoke to find him standing over his bed. On another occasion, Robert Eric Haworth, 23, turned up at the property on Raglan Road, Burnley, and began shouting: "I

  • Empty homes cost council £800,000 in lost revenue

    THE soaring number of empty council houses will cost Burnley a record £800,000 in lost rent this year. That is around £100,000 more than expected when estimates were drawn up, adding to the catalogue of housing headaches for department chiefs. Latest

  • Commons fancy footwork

    HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope has revealed how government and opposition MPs deliberately delayed a vote in the Commons so soccer fans could watch the England v Argentina clash. A vote on the Finance Bill was due at 10pm yesterday but once it became clear that

  • Wilcox backs ex-Ewood buddy

    "YOU'LL get over it" was the message from Blackburn Rovers star Jason Wilcox to his devastated former Ewood team-mate David Batty today, writes PETER WHITE. Batty has not been blamed as much as red-card villain David Beckham for England's exit at the

  • £1m facelift as Mick takes over at The Berkley

    GLITTERING entertainment is set to spice up the nightlife of Accrington's partygoers as a popular venue undergoes a £1 million facelift. That's the promise from Mick Cookson, new owner of The Berkley, who has come to town fresh from running award-winning

  • Pulse: Your guide to the music scene

    Two-way traffic for African sample ASKING permission to use an African sample gave three East Lancashire lads an unexpected boost - the record company asked if it could issue their record! Martin Almond, 21, from Hoddlesden, DJ Adam "Goose" Ormerod, from

  • Jungle rumble...

    IT'S a jungle out there! And it certainly is in Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle, a new release for the PlayStation from Activision. Some veteran console fans may remember the original game for the Atari, well believe me it has certainly come a long way

  • Summer in bloom: Prepare for a splash of colour

    Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy LAST month will go down not just as Flaming June but flaming rotten June. The wind and rain battered down the early summer flowers as soon as their buds burst. July, if the sun does appear, is likely to be colourful and

  • Getting to grips

    with The Glove GAMES File likes to keep readers up to date with new developments and this week we take a look at The Glove. Not, it's not the name of a new game. In fact, it's a new controller for the PlayStation that could well prove to be the beginning

  • ALBUMS

    THE WATERSONS: Green Fields (Topic) - This was the last recording made by this seminal English vocal group whose genius was to seek out traditional music and give it their own unique treatment. The album, first released in 1981, is available on CD for

  • Don't let the EMU give you the bird

    THE single currency is coming and East Lancashire businesses need to act now to make sure they don't lose out. That was the message from a sell-out seminar held to look at what the single currency will mean for local firms. Although Britain has not signed

  • Men In Black

    I GET a little sceptical when I hear that a video game is to be released based on a block-buster movie. It's just another way to rake in the cash; blow the game quality, it will sell on the name alone. This time, don't worry for Gremlin Interactive's

  • Get a real kick

    out of World Cup 98 EA Sports have played a blinder. With the timing of legendary George Best at his peak, the leading sports games developers have just released World Cup 98 for the PlayStation. And its perfect timing is more than equalled by a classy

  • Condition dropped in path wrangle

    A PLANNING condition surrounding a controversial footpath in Nelson will be relaxed. But a textile firm has been told to get on quickly with creating the route or face action by Pendle Council. The future of the well-used route between Every Street and

  • Trees planting pupils look to the year 2000

    LOWER Darwen County Primary was the latest school to get involved in a project to develop a derelict area of land at Highercroft Woods, Blackburn, by the year 2000. Pupils from the school helped Groundwork staff and members of Blackburn and Clitheroe

  • Bedsit death: man on manslaughter charge

    A MAN has been charged with manslaughter after the daughter of a prominent community campaigner was found dead in a bedsit. Sarah Elizabeth McEwen, 24, was discovered in the Clarenden Street area of Bedford, which is well known for its drug problems.

  • Injured man in road may have been hit by car

    A ROAD accident victim may have already being lying injured in the highway before being struck by a car which failed to stop. Brian Birtwell, 37, of Burnley, is seriously ill in hospital after being found badly injured in North Street, Burnley, near to

  • Entertainer Evelyn dies, aged 77

    WELL known piano accordion player Evelyn King has died of a stroke in Park Lee Hospital, Blackburn, aged 77. Mrs King often played at charity events and at parties at Queens Park Hospital, Blackburn. Most recently Mrs King played on St Patrick's Day at

  • Police called after JobCentre protest

    CAMPAIGNERS protesting against a Government job scheme mounted a noisy protest at Blackburn's JobCentre before police were called. Around 15 banner and placard-waving protesters spent 20 minutes in the JobCentre protesting against the widening of the

  • Chemists on duty: Thursday, July 2

    Blackburn: To 9pm: Peels, 4 Railway Road. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; To 6.30pm: E Collins, 53 Fishmoor Drive; Healthbook Ltd, Audley Shopping Centre, Audley Range; Little Harwood Pharmacy

  • Pub landlords in revolt as sports fees zoom Sky high

    ANGRY East Lancashire landlords are threatening to ditch Sky Sports in the region's pubs just weeks before the start of the new football season. Licensees who could pay as much as £365 a month in the latest rise in subscription charges have blasted the

  • Bucket prank costs £500

    A MAN who poured grease cleaner over a teenage workmate's head has walked free from court. Paul Duffield, 30, thought the bucket contained water and resigned after the youth was injured. He was ordered to pay £500 compensation to the youth, who was then

  • Well-deserved recognition for the Rev Herrick Daniel

    A VICAR who transformed an old supermarket into a thriving church and community centre is to become the first black canon of Blackburn Cathedral. The Rev Herrick Daniel became priest-in-charge at St Barnabas' Church, Blackburn, in 1981, inheriting a congregation

  • Ring of steel for school targeted by vandals

    A SCHOOL targeted by vandals aged as young as 10 is set to surround itself with a steel fence. St Mary's RC primary school, Clayton-le-Moors, has suffered more than £1,000 worth of damage in a series of attacks since Easter, including: Thirteen windows

  • Ban on bands as town's major music venue shows its age

    TOP chart bands have been banned from playing "stand-up" gigs at an East Lancashire venue which has already undergone a £2.5 million refurbishment - because of damage to girders holding up the balconies. Blackburn with Darwen Council has been told that

  • What's On in East Lancashire tomorrow

    Line Dancing with Bill and Gwen "Applejacks", Whalley Road United Reformed Church (Malt Street entrance), Accrington, 8-11pm. "The Phantom Toll Booth," Burnley Youth Theatre, Quarry Theatre, Queens Park Road, Burnley, 7.30pm. American Line Dancing, King

  • Concert a sell-out

    A RIBBLE Valley village is to host a sell-out concert featuring a world-famous musician. International violinist Tasmin Little is one of the star attractions at this year's Ribchester Music Festival starting today. The event, in St Wilfrid's Church until

  • Power of Paul

    PAUL WELLER King George's Hall,Blackburn OPENING the show with the brilliant Into Tomorrow, Paul Weller set about proving to any doubters in the packed hall that the Modfather is as strong as ever. With former Mother Earth guitarist Matt Deighton looking

  • Verdict still smarts after all these years

    IT WAS in 1932 that American boxing manager Joe Jacobs coined the famous phrase "We wuz robbed!" But 24 years later, most people in Blackburn - and, evidently, plenty more in other parts of the country - were expressing the same sentiment after a knock-out

  • FIVE YEARS AGO: 'Forced' mortgage misery

    THOUSANDS of families in Lancashire were being forced into buying houses they could not afford, a shock report revealed. The Lancashire Housing Inquiry, headed by the Bishop of Burnley, claimed people were having to take on a mortgage millstone because

  • Drain of royal train

    IT is heartening to see that Prince Philip and Princess Margaret are using their OAP rail passes - helping to cut the cost of the monarchy. However, this does not mean the end of the Royal train -one of the most expensive items listed in a report on Royal

  • Collection success

    ON behalf of Christian Aid's Bacup committee, I would like to thank all who helped in the recent house-to-house collection and all who donated so generously once again. The excellent sum of £2,460 was received, for which Christian Aid is most grateful

  • Speak up for animals

    MY daughter was driving to Altham RSPCA Sanctuary when she passed a black van drawing away from it. The occupants left a dog tied up with string near the sanctuary. Too many people close their eyes to animal cruelty and it is time the law was altered

  • A caring article

    ON behalf of Carers National Association I would like to congratulate the Lancashire Evening Telegraph on the excellent feature article, carried in the newspaper on Saturday, June 13. The article, written by Amy Binns, was extremely well researched giving

  • Worst of all worlds

    BEFORE the last General Election, Labour sang 'Things can only get better' and made all sorts of claims that taxes would not go up if they were elected. Things certainly got better for Labour politicians - especially the Lord Chancellor - but how have

  • Paths not public

    REGARDING Mrs Maureen Olszewska's remarks (Letters, June 22) about Blackburn Golf Course footpaths, there have only ever been two public footpaths from the north side of Revidge Road. One is from Mollington Road through to the Arterial Road and up to

  • Man who sold London Bridge dies

    SIR Desmond Heap, the Burnley-born solicitor who became one of Britain's most respected experts on town planning, has died aged 90. The son of architect and surveyor William Heap, Sir Desmond lived in London and won national fame in 1967 as the man who

  • Parties will celebrate NHS 50th birthday

    MORE than 4,500 past and present members of staff and volunteers in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, have been invited to three massive garden parties to celebrate the NHS golden jubilee. On July 5, the NHS will have been treating patients for 50 years

  • Spending restrictions create financial crisis

    SERVICES could be slashed by £2.5 million over the next five years because of a growing financial crisis created by Government spending restrictions, a council chief has warned. And Burnley councillors have been told that the figure could escalate by

  • Luton boss in Clarets £1m link

    LUTON chairman David Kohler was today revealed to be the inspiration behind Peter Shackleton's troubled £1 million 'up-front' loan. The Second Division club chief advised his Clarets counterpart Frank Teasdale to demand the cash as a gesture of good faith

  • Robert's music lives on through his pupils

    TOP professional musician and teacher Robert Edward Aspden has died in hospital at the age of 74. Mr Aspden, of Bentcliffe Gardens, Accrington, suffered a heart attack earlier this month and died last week in Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn. The Accrington-born

  • A racing cert

    IT must be said that there are some tired old games out there for the PlayStation and at times I wonder whether we have had the best. Late last year we had Tomb Raider 2 and this month Resident Evil 2, two star performers in a short space of time. Top

  • Resident Evil 2

    IT'S big, it's bad, it's bloody and it's brilliant. And, not surprisingly, it's the 'big one' for the PlayStation that has had the video games industry in a tizz these past few weeks, Resident Evil 2. This is surely the game that put the X in X-rated,

  • Spectre of hate

    THE terrifying spectre of race hate reared its ugly head outside a public inquiry held in the heart of London this week. For centuries this country has been rightly proud of its reputation as a bastion of democracy and tolerance. But those values were

  • Road to ruin

    NOT content with already having made Blackburn's railway station one of the hardest in the country to reach by car, the so-called "experts" behind planning and highways at Blackburn with Darwen Council seem to want to make getting into the town centre

  • Swearing row at school

    A ROW has erupted between parents and the headteacher of a Blackburn junior school who demonstrated the effect of swear words to children during a special assembly. Five families with young children at Shadsworth County Junior School have complained to