OH, WHAT a wonderful weekend for Blackburn Rovers fans! Thousands will be rejoicing. Was it the 3-1 win at Villa Park? No. Was it the return of Chris Sutton? No. It was the transfer request by Flowers. Thousands of prayers have been answered. So, Mr Kidd
DETECTIVES have warned elderly people not to allow strangers into their home after two teenage boys talked their way into the home of a 73-year-old man and stole £120. The boys, in their mid-teens, waited for the man outside a local shop before walking
CHILDREN'S television favourite Mr Benn is heading for big-screen stardom - and a Blackburn-born movie boss is behind him. Gary Smith, chief executive of Winchester Films, has already had hits with the romantic comedy Shooting Fish and drama Divorcing
RISING star Brad Maylett will be just one of a crop of highly rated youngsters at Turf Moor to be offered new contracts by Stan Ternent. Maylett has forced his way into the first-team picture at Burnley and will be rewarded with his first professional
AN ARTHRITIS sufferer has been forced to carry out her banking in the street after councillors twice turned down plans for her branch to build a ramp for the disabled. May Chadwick, 68, claims when she went to the NatWest in Blackburn to make a withdrawal
African Folk Theatre Training Course, Horse and Bamboo Centre, Bacup Road, Waterfoot. Jack Straw MP Advice Surgery, Mill Hill Community Centre, New Chapel Street, 4pm-5pm; Bank Top Neighbourhood Centre, Oakenhurst Road, 5.30pm-6.30pm, both Blackburn.
BLACKBURN Hawks hope to have number one netminder Barry Hollyhead back between the sticks for potentially their toughest English Premier League weekend of the ice hockey season. Hollyhead, struggling with a trapped nerve in his neck, missed last weekend's
I AM looking for a married couple, Bella and Howard Nicholson, whom I met in South Africa in 1982 to 84. They went back to England and we lost contact. Bella's father is Professor Ninian Smart. I recall Bella mentioning her parents - her mother being
RESULTS - Division One: Clarence 5, Craven Heifer 2; Sacred Heart 2, Queens Hotel 0; Sydney Street 4, Dog and Partridge 3. Division Two: CDS 3, Enfield Res 5; Hyndburn Bridge 2, Calderstones 2; Oaklea Ath Res 2, Wellington 0; Oswaldtwistle Rovers 4, Huncoat
MARK Brown is on top of the world after a sensational debut in the first ever World Championships for disabled athletes. The 36-year-old Clayton Harrier stormed to a silver medal after holding off a 150-strong field in the 4.4km cross country event at
A PHONE-in poll on the Jimmy Young programme on Radio 2 in September had 31,000 participants and 91 per cent said 'No' to the single European currency. Before that, there was the poll carried out by the Sun, in which more than 80 per cent said 'No thanks
EAST Lancashire athletes dominated the older age groups at a windy and cold Ogden Moor fell race. Pete McWade and Ken Taylor locked horns yet again as they fought for victory in the over-50s class. The result was the same as in recent races, a win for
NO doubt, later this year, the news channels and the media will bore the British people to death by reporting on the Liberal Democrat Party's leadership contest. Personally, I don't see the point of holding the contest at all. After all, under Paddy Ashdown
Special report by Andy Neild NON-LEAGUE football in East Lancashire is in crisis. The region's three most senior semi-professional teams face a Millennium melt-down. It seems hard to comprehend, but an area that once flourished at this level could soon
AN open verdict was recorded at an inquest into the death of a father-of four who died within days of being beaten and dragged out of a Burnley nightspot. East Lancashire coroner David Smith had previously referred the case back to the Director of Public
A PENSIONER gave a copy of his will to his nephew and left his bank book with his sister to "pay the gas and electric" before he drowned in a canal, an inquest heard. Post mortem examination results on the body of 66-year-old Michael Joseph Gallagher
CABBIES in Burnley are taking the council to court over a decision to more than triple the number of hackney cabs in the borough. The Hackney Carriage Association, representing the existing 16 licence holders, has instructed solicitor Basil Dearing to
BLACKBURN Rovers are closing in on one of Scottish football's hottest properties - St Mirren's 17-year-old midfield starlet Burton O'Brien. And it could be a double swoop on the Paisley club, with another teenager, 18-year-old full back or midfielder
RESIDENTS living in the shadow of a chemical plant have allegedly been left 'terrified' after a report singled out the factory as one of the worst cancer-causing pollution sites in the North West. Oswaldtwistle ward councillor Dorothy Westell, spoke out
BREWING and leisure group Whitbread is backing Blackburn! The firm, which employs more than 700 at its distribution depot at Guide and Samlesbury brewery, has renewed its £5,000 annual sponsorship of the Blackburn Partnership. The Partnership works with
CAMPAIGNING MP Gordon Prentice today pledged to fight on for a "right to roam" despite a government bid to sabotage his new Bill on the issue. And the Pendle MP also vowed to make sure that in future back-benchers would not have their Private Members
A POPULAR family doctor who became a respected member of his adopted community has died, aged 72. Tribute has been paid to Dr Shabir Chishti, who was born in Jullundar, India, but made Darwen his home. He did his medical training at St Edward's Medical
A LORRY driver was tied up and dumped in a lay-by after robbers hijacked his vehicle and stole a £20,000 load of Easter eggs. Driver Paul Motler, 30, was tied up for more than nine hours and dumped, along with his vehicle, in a lay-by at Bull Hill, Darwen
Sports Editor Neil Bramwell on England's Wembley failure - and who should manage them next THANK YOU, France and Nicolas Anelka. I had a horrible feeling the FA were actually considering Howard Wilkinson as the new England manager. Last night's annihilation
REGARDING the red and yellow card system, introduced by FIFA for the guidance of referees, all lovers of football agree that dirty play should be outlawed, but it is eradicating commonsense and discretion. In normal circumstances, these would be employed
HOUSEHOLDERS in Blackburn and Darwen will pay one of the lowest council tax rises - if not the lowest - in Lancashire, Labour councillors have claimed. Finance chiefs have proposed a 4.8 per cent rise, exactly in line with the national average the Government
MY HUSBAND and son are Rovers season ticket holders, but this season are at an unfair disadvantage with the club selling £10 tickets. And if you live in Lancaster and receive the Citizen Newspaper, you can claim free tickets. Also, I believe that if you
THE Republic of Ireland have confirmed that Damien Duff will definitely be going to Nigeria for theWorld under-20 Championships in April - against the wishes of Blackburn Rovers. It will mean Duff missing several crucial games which could include an FA
I FOLLOW the Blackburn Hawks on the Internet as I live in Canada. They are a terrific team and when I've been in England, I have enjoyed their games immensely. But I do have a few questions as to current developments: 1) Wouldn't the Hawks' management
BLACKBURN Rovers are closing in on one of Scottish football's hottest properties - St Mirren's 17-year-old midfield starlet Burton O'Brien. And it could be a double swoop on the Paisley club, with another teenager, 18-year-old full back or midfielder
PETER White and I long since gave up on trying to achieve consensus on the vexed question of referees. Even over the most convivial of San Miguels on the Costa Del Sol, I was unable to convince him that Premiership officials did not have three sixes surreptitiously
A MEAT inspector allegedly kidnapped and thrown into a vat of waste animal parts has spoken of his ordeal and of fears that he may have been infected with the human form of mad cow disease. The man - who has asked not be named - broke his silence as an
EAST Lancashire households faced a 10 per cent rise in water rates by North West Water and a watchdog body warned it could hit many residents badly. The Lancashire Water Services Council said it had agreed to the proposed increase with the greatest reluctance
A LOST contract meant 50 jobs would be axed by one of Hyndburn's biggest employers, Schlumberger Metflex, Great Harwood. The loss of a major British Gas contract for diaphragms meant up to 50 jobs would disappear and bosses began consultations with unions
LANCASHIRE are banking on a bumper 1999 after removing their 14,000 membership ceiling. "People want to watch a winning side, and we are arguably the most successful team of the 1990s," said chief executive Jim Cumbes. "We are staging a series of high
A TRIO of East Lancashire judo players performed well against competitors from all over Britain when the first ranking event of the year took place at Sutton Sports Centre, St Helens. Bart Marsden fought superbly to remain unbeaten all day for first place
ITALIAN dictator Mussolini's only real achievement was making the trains run on time, but here punctuality is supervised by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising - and it's a joke. Nationally, just one company - the tiny Isle of Wight line - is up
DISABLED pensioner May Chadwick is right to be angry. For she's a victim of bureaucratic barminess. As an arthritis sufferer, she had to be pushed about in a wheelchair for years. Suddenly, she regained her independence and freedom - thanks to a council-run
REGARDING the timetable of events planned in Blackburn for the year 2000, with 50 different 'theme' weeks of festival fun (LET, January 16), I note that the promoters of the South Asia theme have been imposed upon to provide entertainment for three weeks
REGARDING the request (LET, February 1) for people to sell Blackburn Rovers badges for the Macmillan Nurses appeal, my sister and I only wish we could help, but we can't. We do buy all the charity badges, ribbons, flowers, etc and we have thought of a
I SUPPORT the Rev Kevin Logan's comments against homosexuals (Letters, February 1) and would speak out against Mrs Chris Wilkin-Wyke's support for them (Letters, February 5). A lot of children are exposed to sexual abuse and the lowering of moral standards
REGARDING the issued raised by Councillors Michael Barrett, Mary Leaver and Simon Danczuk (Letters, January 27), North West Water has always acknowledged encountering problems which caused a delay in the completion of work in Blackburn Road, Darwen, and
AN INFLATION-busting 5.25 per cent rent rise faces Burnley Council house tenants this year - more than twice the increase proposed for council householders in Pendle. Housing councillors last night gave the go-ahead for the increase which is above Government
FOOD giant Tesco have used a 'flaw' in the planning system to try to win its fight for a superstore in Burnley, MP Peter Pike has claimed. He has written to Government ministers protesting over what he sees as an abuse of the system by Britain's largest
RISING star Brad Maylett will be just one of a crop of highly rated youngsters at Turf Moor to be offered new contracts by Stan Ternent. Maylett has forced his way into the first-team picture at Burnley and will be rewarded with his first professional
AIRCRAFT fitter Bernard Connell was the envy of his colleagues after winning a transatlantic trip. Bernard was the lucky employee chosen out of the hat to go on the trip to St Louis, Missouri, for the hand-over of the 100th T45 aircraft to the United
Food News, with Amanda Killelea NEXT week is National Chip Week and lovers of the nation's favourite fodder - fish and chips - will be able to unashamedly head to their local chippy in support of the country's 8,500 chip shops. But that is if chip-lovers
FIRMS in East Lancashire are under threat from 'Eurocreep', Blackburn chartered accountant Jeremy Stirrup has warned. He said many firms mistakenly believed they were immune to the single currency, but were being pressed to do business in euros "Suddenly
WORKERS at a Pendle furniture manufacturer were today reeling under the announcement that 170 have lost their jobs. The news came as Pendle MP Gordon Prentice and the local council promised to contact the receiver and do all they could to help save Buoyant's
AN INFLATION-busting 5.25 per cent rent rise faces Burnley Council house tenants this year - more than twice the increase proposed for council householders in Pendle. Housing councillors last night gave the go-ahead for the increase which is above Government
AN ARTHRITIS sufferer has been forced to carry out her banking in the street after councillors twice turned down plans for her branch to build a ramp for the disabled. May Chadwick, 68, claims when she went to the NatWest in Blackburn to make a withdrawal
