I AM puzzled by the thinking behind the choice of managerial targets for Blackburn Rovers. Having unfortunately failed to land the perfect man in Graham Taylor, Jack Walker and the board now appear to be blinded by the short-term goal of attempting to
A MULTI-MILLION pound bus contract has put an East Lancashire company on the road to success and the Millennium Dome. East Lancashire Coachbuilders, based at Whitebirk Industrial Estate, Blackburn, beat competition from all over Europe to win the contract
A COUPLE had a lucky escape when their car left the road, rolled over into a field and hit a tree. The accident happened on the Haslingden by-pass near to the Little Chef shortly after 11pm on Tuesday. Two ambulances and the fire and rescue service went
READING boss Alan Pardew accused Burnley of making it an "ugly game" as the two sides slugged out a drab goalles draw at the Majedski Stadium last night. The Clarets carved out the only real chance of the night as the foul count easily outstripped the
NORTH West Water customers will see their water bills fall by four per cent - an average of £9 - over the next five years. But the reduction, announced by water watchdog Ofwat today, will be the smallest anywhere in the country because the company has
CLARETS striker Andy Cooke suffered an injury scare ahead of Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Wigan as he lasted only 45 minutes of Burnley's goalless draw at Reading last night. Cooke picked up a calf knock and will now face treatment in a bid to
THREE East Lancashire secondary schools were today named among the top 200 in the country in the national education league tables. And more than half of the area's 49 schools included in the government tables based on GCSE results have retained or improved
BLACKBURN Rovers could be set to turn their attentions to Norwich City manager Bruce Rioch in the search for a new boss. The Ewood board were forced back to the drawing board when Barnsley boss Dave Bassett ruled himself out. Rioch would satisfy many
MANY schoolchildren are bullied - and the effects can last long after the child has grown up and left school. An independent website is proving a valuable resource for schoolchildren, parents and teachers wanting to find out what to do about the problem
FAMILY doctors attacked the Government's plans for health service reform, claiming patients would suffer. Every doctor in Blackburn was asked by the town's Liberal Democrats what they thought of the White Paper put forward by Health Secretary Kenneth
THE cheers for industry watchdog Ofwat announcing cuts in household water bills averaging £30 over the next five years are muted in the North West. Here the cut will be only some £9 because our region, with an immense legacy of environmental neglect,
A FEW weeks ago the electricity company transferred its venue for selling pre-payment cards from a local corner shop to a supermarket further away and uphill. This caused pain and upset to many disabled people. They complained to the company's Blackburn
IT seems that Blackburn has unearthed another arm wrestling gem in Tony Kiss. Kiss may have finished as runner-up in the Lightweight division of The Iron Arm Northern Novice Championships but he showed he has what it takes to succeed. In only his second
ON Friday, November 12, I left a green canvas camera bag in Pleasington Cemetery, Blackburn - near plot A, on the seat to the memory of Fred Rothery. When I returned to search for it, it had been removed. The bag contains all my equipment - cameras, spare
ST WILFRID'S were given a few rugby lessons in their first ever competitive match. And the school quickly learnt they have a lot of catching up to do as Queen Elizabeth Grammar School ran in 12 tries without reply. Played at Lammack Playing Fields, Blackburn
IN response to Mr S Holmes' inquiry regarding the fate of the Viking ship model at Blackburn railway station, it was removed from the station some years ago and taken back to the Isle of Man, where it can now be seen at the offices of the Steam Packet
THREE local runners have qualified for the East Lancashire squad to compete in the regional finals after gritty runs at Witton Park. John Pickup of Blackburn Squadron, Paul Blackley from Accrington Squadron both qualified alongside Sergeant John Aspinall
BLACKBURN ice hockey fans this week waved goodbye to three Hawks stars. Lee Knowles, Lee Caldcleugh and Christian Wareing have all decided to leave after the recent influx of new players. But as Hawks boss Bobby Haig explains, his new recruits are not
MIKE Watkinson has agreed to take over as Lancashire's second team coach and captain. But the 38-year-old all-rounder will remain a key member of the senior one-day squad at Old Trafford. Watkinson has signed a new one-year deal and says: "I'm pleased
A SHORT while ago one of your correspondents suggested that everyone appears to be planning millennium celebrations one year too early. Though being perhaps a little pedantic, he was, of course, correct. However, it is, no doubt, felt that the Year 2000
AN operation to repair a fractured femur following a fall proved too much for 92-year-old Edith Wellock. She had a heart attack during the operation and died, an inquest was told. Mr Jack Wellock of Southcliffe Avenue, Burnley, said his mother, who was
A HEALTH trust is set to plunge £1.8million into the red because it had to raid reserve accounts in order to find £900,000 to fund a government-agreed staff pay award. Overspending in Burnley Health Care Trust directorates stands at £921,800 but it is
A COUNCIL tenants group is to be called to account after being accused of a misuse of funds and spending more than £3,300 in three weeks. Burnley Council's housing committee came close to suspending the Padiham and Hapton area management committee and
A BOSS at a factory network which employs more than 150 people in East Lancashire has met with local workers. Len Boulton, operations director of Remploy, visited the Blackburn factory to explain plans to close nine factories and cut 2,100 jobs. Union
DETECTIVES are investigating a complaint by a 19-year-old girl that she was raped in Nelson last night. Detective Inspector Simon Leach, of Nelson CID, said: "The alleged offence took place indoors. "She has been seen by a police surgeon and will be interviewed
ANGRY health watchdog members have criticised the alternative service set up following the closure of an eating disorders clinic in East Lancashire. And they have also blasted health chiefs for consulting people over the clinic's closure weeks after it
AN East Lancashire family is looking forward to a green new Millennium. The Walsh family, of Holcombe Road, Helmshore, have spent the last five years transforming an area of barren land close to their home. Jim and Julie Walsh and their daughters, Katherine
SANTA and Cinderella will join forces for the Darwen Christmas lights switch-on on Saturday. More than £6,000 worth of new decorations have been installed in the town centre and on street lights to add extra Christmas sparkle. Father Christmas and characters
SHOPKEEPERS and police are joining forces to beat criminals operating in the Mill Hill area of Blackburn. Store owners in the centre of Mill Hill have complained to police about an increase in thefts and crime in the area. There is also growing concern
HOUSE prices in Blackburn and Darwen are the second cheapest in England, according to latest figures. Only the Potteries town of Stoke-on-Trent has houses any cheaper. The Land Registry says average prices of houses sold in Blackburn and Darwen in the
A LUCKY family from Blackburn were thanking their bank manager after winning a brand new car. And Karen Fenton has been given the keys to the new car but has had to hand them over to husband Andrew because she does not even drive. Karen won the Citroen
CRICHTON: Provided a couple of anxious moments in the first but generally in control and rarely tested...6 WEST: Distribution was disappointing but stuck tigerishly to his defensive duties...6 ARMSTRONG: Not as constructive as in recent games, although
CLERICAL worker Tom Coward is no faint-heart when it comes to raising cash for charity. Tom, who works for BT in Jubilee Street, Blackburn, is leaving the comfort of his desk to cycle through China next June to raise money for mental health charity Mencap
Division Two: Reading 0 Burnley 0 - Pete Oliver's verdict A YEAR after the nightmare of hour-long traffic queues outside the Majedski, Reading have thankfully solved their access problems with the opening of an impressive new road system. And what a relief
SECONDARY schools across East Lancashire received a mixed report in national education league tables published today. Of the 49 East Lancashire schools listed within the tables compiled for the local education authorities at Lancashire County Council
"Children In Need," Pudsey Drive, Lower Darwen Primary School, Milking Lane, 7pm. Grand Charity Concert in aid of Breast Cancer Research, Furthergate Working Men's Club, Blackburn, 8pm. The Bushburys, Westhoughton Folk Club, Long Island, Westhoughton,
TEENAGE vandals were wreaking thousands of pounds worth of damage to a refurbished railway station. British Transport police were stepping up patrols at Darwen in a bid to catch the gangs in the act. The wrecking spree followed similar attacks at Hapton
AMID a mixed report today on East Lancashire secondary schools' performances in the national education league tables - with half better than average and the rest less so - one thing stands out clearly: that selection works. That may seem overly obvious
NORWEB Energi and Operation Christmas Child would like to thank your readers for generously supporting the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. The collection, organised in conjunction with the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, was a resounding success
AFTER an opening spell of spluttering and stuttering, Padiham got their act together and eased themselves comfortably into the last 16 of the Hollands Challenge Shield, with a deserved win over Preston and District League Premier Division side Whitbread
REGARDING Mr G Moulden (Letters, November 3) goading John Blunt to respond to his earlier letter about the poor neglected farmers of this country, may I just throw my allegiance towards Mr Blunt, who is not a man with whom I agree all of the time. Mr
AN East Lancashire riding stables is celebrating its silver jubilee in style thanks to Blackburn-based brewery Daniel Thwaites. The brewery's charitable trust has paid for Burnley's Dyneley Stables to renovate its practice arena after a drainage problem
INTEREST has arisen regarding the excellent model of the Isle of Man steamship, The Viking, which was on display in a glass case for many years on Platform Two of Blackburn Railway Station - as recalled by Mr S Holmes (Letters, November 18), who asks
A CORONER is to question social services bosses after it was revealed no action was taken for hours when a meals on wheels worker was unable to waken an elderly lady. By the time inquiries were made three hours later, Mrs Joan Rawstron had already been
NEARLY three quarters of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale High schools fell below par in national GCSE league tables released today. The figures show only six of the area's 21 secondaries beating or matching the Lancashire-wide and all-England average of
CLARETS striker Andy Cooke suffered an injury scare ahead of Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Wigan as he lasted only 45 minutes of Burnley's goalless draw at Reading last night. Cooke picked up a calf knock and will now face treatment in a bid to
BLACKBURN Rovers could be set to turn their attentions to Norwich City manager Bruce Rioch in the search for a new boss. The Ewood board were forced back to the drawing board when Barnsley boss Dave Bassett ruled himself out. Rioch would satisfy many
SCHOOL leavers were advised to tackle what seemed impossible difficulties head-on in future to emerge as better people. Barry Burke, headteacher of Rhyddings High School, Oswaldtwistle, was praising the achievements of students during his speech at a
A FATHER who was handcuffed while asleep at his home is to sue Lancashire police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. Colin Cardwell, 25, of Blackpool Street, Church, won his Burnley Crown Court appeal against charges of causing a breach of the
EXPORTERS will take a bow this week. The East Lancashire Export Club annual awards evening is being staged at the Bull & Butcher, Manchester Road, Burnley, tomorrow. Places can be reserved by contacting 01254 351900. Converted for the new archive
Food News, with Amanda Killelea IF we believed every food scare or followed every piece of research advice we would struggle to find anything to eat that was deemed "safe". But recent scare stories about BSE, salmonella and genetically modified foods
COMPUTER games retailer Electronics Boutique, which has a store in Blackburn, has warned profit margins were coming under pressure. Sales of individual games were up about 25 per cent on last year but margins were falling in advance of the crucial Christmas
THE number of homes on a proposed housing estate in Nelson has doubled inside ten years, councillors will be told. Hill Homes has applied to Pendle Council for planning permission to build 40 semi-detached houses on the unbuilt half of the estate on land
A CRASH victim may walk again after learning her spine has not been broken. The family of Kathryn Gottweiss, aged 20, was told the good news following tests at Royal Preston Hospital. Kathryn, of Spring Meadow, Darwen, and boyfriend David Pagett, 37,
