A HEAD teacher is asking neighbours to watch out for vandals after pupils created a wildlife corner at St Joseph's RC Primary School, Stacksteads. In the past the school grounds have been hit by vandalism and fly-tippers. Head Mrs Margaret Donnelly said
DIABETES sufferers across East Lancashire are set to benefit from the Government's decision to make pen needles and re-usable insulin pens available on prescription. Health Minister Lord Philip Hunt announced that the new benefits will come into force
CHINESE New Year was greeted in multi-national style in Bacup. The Second Rossendale Scouts held their Year of the Dragon fundraising bash outside Mario's Italian Restaurant, so Mario di Michele and his staff switched to Chinese cuisine. Police had to
POLICE have dropped an investigation into an alleged rape, after a 16-year-old girl told detectives the attack never took place. The teenager claimed she was raped outside Blackburn's Never Never Land nightclub in the early hours of Sunday. Detectives
NEW lock gates on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal were spectacularly hoisted into place by a 20-ton crane. The new gates, at lock 59 on the Johnson's Hillock flight of seven locks at Wheelton, are being installed as part of a range of improvements costing
TWO teenagers were spotted stealing a handbag containing cash and a mobile phone from the Benetton shop in Town Hall Street, Blackburn. The theft took place between 5pm and 5.30pm on Wednesday, February 2. The youths were both 15 and white. The first
SHOPPERS were today warned to beware of bogus "rag mag" sellers in East Lancashire's town centres. The street vendors approach people asking them to buy a £1 rag mag which, it is claimed, supports good causes. The warning was made by Lancashire trading
A MAN was arrested in Rawtenstall last night in connection with the attempted abduction of a 12-year-old schoolgirl last month. The 32-year-old man sparked a nationwide manhunt after the alleged abduction and indecent assault in Northampton on January
Neil Bramwell, Sports Editor, on why Shearer should be booed TO BOO, or not to boo - that was the burning question. For Blackburn Rovers fans, my advice would have been to boo Alan Shearer as loudly and for as long as their lungs allow. The man's bare-faced
PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice is to meet Rolls Royce shop stewards at Westminster next week to discuss the future of the company and its Barnoldswick plant in particular. Union representatives at the factory and the company's other facilities UK-wide will
HEALTH and safety officers are investigating claims by council staff that an East Lancashire council building is infested with vermin. The probe was launched after workers at Rossendale's council tax and housing benefits office complained about mice,
UNION leaders are seeking urgent talks with steel giant Corus over the future of East Lancashire jobs after a company executive refused to rule out British closures to reduce the impact of the strong pound. Fokko van Duyne, joint chief executive of the
PLANS to break with tradition and introduce voting in council elections on Saturdays have been given the green light by councillors. Two special polling booths will be set up in Blackburn and Darwen town centres on Saturday , April 29, in advance of the
SIX of the biggest names in jazz will play a concert in East Lancashire tomorrow. The Best of British Jazz sextet appears at Westholme School's theatre, Meins Road, Blackburn. The group includes Don Lusher on trombone, Jack Parnell on drums, Roy Willox
THE East Lancashire Hospice's £1.3million appeal has topped £200,000 this week, after a year of fund-raising. The fund for better day care facilities at the Park Lee site, Blackburn, now stands at £201,107 after gifts of more than £18,000 were received
POLICE have issued descriptions of three thieves who stole a £60 tumble dryer from an outhouse. Detectives believe the thieves who stole the Whirlpool machine were travelling in a red sports car. The theft, from a house in Harwood Gate, Blackburn, took
A MAGISTRATE who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of being drunk and disorderly on a train was among rail users who let off steam at a question and answer session. Sandra Taylor, of Entwistle Hall, Entwistle, Turton, appeared before Blackburn magistrates
WOMEN have been able to give their views on how health services in Blackburn with Darwen could be improved. The meeting of the Women's Forum, a group set up to deal with issues affecting the women in the borough, was attended by more than 20 women from
PUPILS were inspired by the watercolours of the artist JMW Turner when they took part in a poetry writing workshop at the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. English teacher Adrian Thirkell arranged the workshop for the third year pupils of Queen Elizabeth's
PRIMARY school children took part in a village millennium project with the help of sculptor Fiona Bowley. The four to seven-year-olds from St Wilfrid's CE Primary School, Ribchester, made felt pictures out of unspun wool of the animals, birds and plants
RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has clashed with a government minister over illegal immigrants claiming bogus benefits. Angela Eagle accused the Tory front bencher of making a 'disgraceful contribution.' Mr Evans asked her: "Are you aware of a case in which
FIVE pupils from Ribblesdale High School in Clitheroe used their French skills to win a Young Enterprise contest held in Brussels. Laura-Jayne Eastham, Steve Hickey, Tara Begi, Adam Kenyon and Andrew Fletcher, all aged 15 or 16, competed against French-speaking
PARK HIGH maintained their unbeaten record in an entertaining and hard fought victory against Fearns High. With no league system in operation in Pendle, Park have been playing schools from around the borough in friendly fixtures. And their results have
Blackburn and Clitheroe schools' heat LAMMACK Primary School have got real six appeal. For the Blackburn school have just qualified for the area finals of the Blackburn Rovers Adidas Predator six-a-side finals. They are already the current Blackburn primary
A TITLE-chasing Memorial Sunday League side have suffered a severe blow after losing three key players with broken legs in the space of two weeks - and two of them in one match! De Lacy, who are currently fourth in Division One, lost its entire strike-force
A HAT-TRICK of tries by centre Dean Samouelle guided Blackburn to a thrilling 42-19 win over the previoulsy unbeaten Calder Vale. Samouelle was the pick of the Blackburn backs as his side ran out eight tries in a free-flowing match that saw 11 touch downs
.PERHAPS the most startling thing about the findings today of the National Beds Inquiry is not that the NHS has tens of thousands fewer than a decade ago - and too few overall - but that this kind of investigation had never been done before on a nationwide
JOHN Lewis (Letters, January 28) should come off it, there is nobody worse than the Welsh for nationalism. They don't want to speak English and would not have the road signs in English if they could get away with it. If Mr Lewis has made his living in
JOHN Lewis (Letters, January 28) is proud to be Welsh. He seems, however, happy to live in England and presumably to work here. As a teacher, during the last 40 years I could never have got a job in Wales (or Scotland). I still have to listen to a majority
A MAJOR Burnley employer has decided to take its employees' health to heart to mark Valentine's Day. Staff at GUS/Home Shopping are leaving chocolates behind as they begin a healthy heart awareness month on a day normally reserved for lovers. During the
WHAT has happened to the Government's promise to ban fur factory farming? The second reading of the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Bill was due to be debated on January 19 and many MPs were in the Commons to give it their support. Sadly, a very small number
ACTION to stop the scourge of chewing gum stuck under tables, ground into seats and dropped in the street is being demanded by an East Lancashire MP. Burnley's Peter Pike wants the Government and local councils to tackle the sticky problem. He raised
PUPILS from several of Burnley's infant and junior schools will see a more interesting side to their maths lessons when they swap their classrooms for a supermarket. Barden Infants School was the first local school to sign up for The Big Sum event, an
CONCERNING Nick Cooper's complaints (Letters, January 26), about excess lighting at Blackburn Rovers' Youth Academy at Brockhall. I live a mile or two away and we look out across the Ribble Valley in that direction. From the well-lit Longsight Road in
MORE than £50,000 was netted during a raid on a Burnley post office - less than three months after a gang grabbed £100,000 in a similar incident on the same block. Police described both raids in Colne Road as "highly professional" and have not ruled out
A COUNCIL chief today called for an independent inquiry into a town hall bust-up with market tenants which could cost council taxpayers £500,000 in compensation. Burnley Council this week lost a county court test case which opens the door to around 70
AN "overworked" and "stressed" hotel boss who helped himself to his employers' cash and food to reward himself for putting in long hours may be facing jail. Burnley magistrates heard how "despondent" Steven Burnett, 29, then general manager of the Comfort
AN inquest has been opened into the death of Doreen Yates, 75, of Mallard Place, Oswaldtwistle, who died on Saturday after being involved in a road accident in Union Road, on January 12. Mrs Yates was treated in Blackburn Infirmary, but was subsequently
POLICE investigating an alleged sexual assault in Mercer Park, Clayton-le-Moors, say they are satisfied that no attack took place. A 17-year-old girl claimed she had been sexually assaulted in the park on Sunday night. Part of the park was cordoned off
SUPERGRAN Ada Gibson is set to make her second TV appearance - giving clues to celebrities on a BBC game show hosted by Jonathan Ross. Ada, 84, of Grange Street, Clayton-le-Moors, is set to appear on BBC show It's Only TV But I Like It, whose team captains
BREWING and leisure group Whitbread is selling off pubs it bought last year as part of its £730million takeover of rival Swallow. The properties to go under the hammer are 187 managed and tenanted pubs located mainly in Yorkshire and the North East and
A RESIN firm is creating new jobs in an expansion move. Dupox, which manufactures products for coating walls and floors, has relocated from Church to the Furthergate Industrial Park in Blackburn. The move to larger premises has seen two new members of
A FLAT tenant who annoyed his neighbours with loud music was told by a magistrate he had been a "wretched nuisance." Bernard Rothwell said the court did not want a repeat of Derek Robertson's behaviour and bound him over in the sum of £50, for 12 months
BUSINESSES are being invited to a date with the tax man. The Inland Revenue is staging a free event at Ewood Park on February 15 to help employers and accountants get to grips with tax matters. A series of seminars is being staged during the day covering
COMMUNITY groups in Pendle, from Scouts and Guides to Women's Institutes, are being urged to take part in a survey to find out if the area needs a community newspaper. The survey has been commissioned by the Community Action Network (CAN), a consortium
A CAR and lorry collided on the Shuttleworth Hall link road, at the end of the Padiham by-pass, yesterday. The Peugeot 405 was driven by Yvonne Townsend, 40, who was taken to Burnley Hospital with minor back injuries and shock. The lorry was driven by
A CITROEN Zantia driven by Riaz Khawaja, 27, of Rosehill Road, Burnley, collided with a Rover Metro, driven by Valerie Bradshaw, 43, of Park Avenue, at the junction of Manchester Road and Rosehill Road, last night. Neither driver was injured but the passenger
BURNLEY striker Andy Payton (pictured) will face trial before magistrates on April 11. The Clarets top scorer, of Badger Close, Accrington, appeared before Burnley magistrates yesterday and pleaded not guilty to failing to provide a specimen of breath
TWO Pendle nursery schools, named among the best in the country, face possible closure or amalgamation as part of a Lancashire-wide review of nursery education. County councillors are in the middle of a controversial debate over the future of nurseries
FIRE destroyed a bathroom under renovation at a house in Accrington Road, Blackburn. The remainder of the the first floor was smoke logged late yesterday. Firefighters believe the fire was caused by an electrical fault in wiring to the shower. Converted
A DARWEN man who failed to take his chances to stay on the straight and narrow has been sent to prison for 18 months. Jason Bingham broke into a static caravan, looking for keys to steal. He also carried out several shoplifting offences. the 28-year-old
CROOKS operating in an East Lancashire town are linked to Manchester's violent underworld drug gangs, police have revealed. Officers have been investigating links between organised crime and drugs in Darwen and believe they may be behind a series of incidents
FOOD left frying in a pan sparked a blaze at a house in Cross Barn Grove, Darwen. Firefighters arrived shortly after 3.40am today to clear smoke from the ground floor flat. Damage was limited to the pan and contents after a smoke alarm alerted the householder
THE public is being urged to get involved in a charity lottery which boasts a £1,000 jackpot. The Friends of North West Air Ambulance are organising the fund-raiser initiative, which aims to cover the cost of maintaining its mercy helicopter. For details
A SPECIAL scheme has been launched which will allow childminders to borrow buggies and cots. The project, the brainchild of Blackburn with Darwen Council, was officially unveiled at Bank Top Community Centre, Blackburn. Childminders can borrow expensive
A DONATION of £2,500 has winged its way to Rossendale Hospice from the Royal Pigeon Racing Association. The money, which will be used to provide care for local people with life threatening diseases, was raised at the Association's annual British Homing
IT is almost 70 years since Harry Fletcher first set eyes on his wife Hilda, but he says he hasn't let her out of his sight since. And now Harry, 86, and Hilda, 83, are celebrating 60 years of marriage on their Diamond Wedding Anniversary today. Harry
A DAD found to have counterfeit cash may end up in jail. Burnley magistrates said custody was the normal sentence for the offence and told Nigel Cronshaw that was what they were thinking of. Cronshaw, of Derby Street, Colne, admitted possessing counterfeit
A STRAY dog which had been wandering the streets for more than four months has found a new loving home. Jackie Dyer (pictured), 36, of Tintern Crescent, Little Harwood, took the mongrel in after it was caught by a dog warden. She has named her Sadie and
SISTERS Michelle and Rachel Lawson cleaned out a cash drawer when they should have been cleaning the Jubilee pub. Blackburn magistrates heard the pair were caught on closed circuit TV after a live-in barman became suspicious. Michelle, 18, and Rachel,
THREE youths aged between 10 and 19 are wanted by police following a theft from the One Stop Baby Shop in Penny Street, Blackburn. The youths distracted the shopkeeper and stole a mobile phone and £100 from a coat pocket. The theft took place at about
CAMPAIGNERS have warned the controversial Colne by-pass could increase traffic in some parts of the town centre. Friends of the Earth and other groups opposed to the proposed by-pass, which will take traffic off North Valley Road, Colne and away from
SCORES of new bobbies will soon be patrolling crime hotspots across East Lancashire thanks to extra funding from the Home Office. Home Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw announced in the House of Commons that Lancashire is to get 126 new police officers
PETER Reid's name continues to be linked with Ewood Park as a future manager of Blackburn Rovers. And it has prompted Sunderland chairman Bob Murray to stress that talks over a new contract for their manager have nothing to do with possible interest from
CLARETS chief Stan Ternent takes his in-form side to Bournemouth on Saturday admitting that Burnley's promotion hopes are riding on an upturn in their away form. Ternent's men are well positioned in the race for the top, despite not winning away from
KEITH Gillespie could be offered a chance to return to the North East - with the Premiership's surprise packet Sunderland. Former Newcastle United star Gillespie, who has struggled to regain a first team place with Blackburn Rovers since recovering from
The Johnson String Quartet, Darwen Library Theatre, Knott Street, 7.30pm. Jazz Evening, The Holden Arms, Grane Road, Haslingden, 9pm. Vienna Festival Ballet present "Swan Lake," King George's Hall, Blackburn, 7.30pm. June Tabor, Accrington Town Hall,
MP Nigel Evans has launched a bitter attack on North-West Water for cutting off supplies to towns and villages in his constituency. He claimed the privatised utility was putting profits ahead of customer needs and demanded customers get seven days warning
A FORESTRY worker convicted of digging for badgers has escaped a jail sentence, but a magistrate has warned others tempted to do the same that they not be so lucky. Gary Lee Haslam, 29, who was also found guilty of cruelty to his dog, which suffered nasty
Val Cowan's Web World I WOULD bet any money that most people with internet access will have at some time used it for health advice. Whatever your symptoms, a bit of careful searching on the internet will throw up a diagnosis. How accurate it is, of course
A FOOTBALL memorabilia exhibition was scoring with visitors to Clitheroe's Platform Gallery, including Clarets striker Liam Robinson. The Burnley player toured the various displays of programmes, photographs, sculptures and other footballing exhibits
PLANS to centralise parcel deliveries for Pendle in Blackburn came under fire from councillors. They said it would mean an inferior service and that people would not be able to call in to collect undelivered items. Pendle Council were to invite Post Office
ACCRINGTON swimmer Stacey Houldsworth yesterday clocked up two more impressive finishes to go with the bronze medal she won in Berlin at the weekend. The World Cup series has moved on to Imperia in Italy, where Houldsworth finished fourth in the 800m
ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman is hoping to sign striker Gerrard Courtney from Southport in time for Saturday's game against Flixton. The Reds have yet to replace leading scorer Gary Williams who joined Nationwide Conference outfit Doncaster Rovers
THIEVES brought home the bacon after a raid on the Kwik Save store in Accrington Road, Burnley. Four men went into the shop and while two distracted a security guard their accomplices grabbed 60 bacon packs and various packets of biscuits before all the
Blackburn Schools under 15s 2 Macclesfield and District Schools under 15s 1 IT was a case of being in the right place at the right time for two-goal hero Henry Appaloo. Because for all his silky skills and fancy tricks, Appaloo guided Blackburn into the
A SOUTH African A team tour to the West Indies which threatened to rob East Lancs of the services of professional Claude Henderson has now been scrapped. Henderson, who made a massive impact during his first season at Alexandra Meadows last summer, was
COLNE RES 0 CLITHEROE RES 7 SIX goals in the first 32 minutes turned this game into a personal nightmare for Colne manager Mick Molloy and - by way of contrast -a goal scoring bonanza for Clitheroe hot shot Ian Pilkington and his striking partners. A
BLACKBURN Hawks forward Dan Mackriel reckons that team spirit has been the key to the team's recent revival. Mackriel has starred in a memorable few weeks for the Hawks that has seen them pick up several important wins to boost thier promotion credentials
At Wilsons Playing Fields, Clayto-le-Moors PENDLE'S Anne Smith typified the will to win when she recovered from an early fall to take victory and book a place in the national finals. The Park High pupil fell right at the beginning of her heat and - despite
A TOP line referee from East Lancashire is urging football's governing bodies to bring in the 10-yard rule across the board in a bid to clean up the game. Preston-based official Phil Richards has seen first hand what effect the new changes could have
REGARDING your 'Looking Back' article on the Accrington Hippodrome and comedian Frank Randle's effort to save it in 1954 (LET, January 24), I worked at the theatre in 1946-47 in a second job at nights, from 6-10.30pm, six nights a week. I was paid 12s
A BURNLEY man who has entertained audiences around the world with his musical ability has been invited back to his home town to perform. Professional soloist Mark Pollard, 28, (pictured in New York) will play with the Burnley Municipal Symphony Orchestra
JOHN Lewis's view of the English (Letters, January 28) is as convoluted as Jack Straw's is degenerate. Whether he likes it or not, he is British, as, in the same vein, he is European. It would appear that there is little depth to his understanding of
MEMBERS of Daneshouse Community Centre, Burnley, celebrated their move into the 21st century by introducing two new projects in one day. The Mayor and Mayoress of Burnley, Councillor Eddie Fisk and Mrs Pat Chadwick, launched the Burnley Telematics and
A BANNED driver spotted by police "just moving" a car has been sent to prison for six months. Burnley magistrates heard how Phillip Lewis, 24, drove the vehicle about 20 metres as officers watched him. Lewis, of Florence Avenue, Burnley, was also disqualified
KEITH Gillespie could be offered a chance to return to the North East - with the Premiership's surprise packet Sunderland. Former Newcastle United star Gillespie, who has struggled to regain a first team place with Blackburn Rovers since recovering from
HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope is urging elderly people in his constituency to ensure they claim the extra pension cash that is being made available by the government from April. The minimum income guarantee means single pensioners receive at least £78 a week
CLARETS chief Stan Ternent takes his in-form side to Bournemouth on Saturday admitting that Burnley's promotion hopes are riding on an upturn in their away form. Ternent's men are well positioned in the race for the top, despite not winning away from
A COMPANY which owns a failed East Lancashire nightspot has been put into liquidation with debts of more than £1million. Duncan Adamson, the director of Blentford Ltd, which owns Brassingtons Cabaret Club, Burnley Road, Altham, has instructed that the
AS a youngster I always used to think trifle was something grannies ate for tea when they couldn't find their false teeth. Happily for me, my taste buds developed along with my perceptions of people's eating habits and I quickly became aware that this
An East Lancashire actor bares all for a new BBC series EAST Lancashire-born actor Lee Ingleby didn't quite appreciate how much he was letting himself in for when he signed up for the new BBC2 series Nature Boy. Lee, from Brierfield, not only had to contend
FUND-RAISERS who saddled up for a 10-mile horse ride in Pendle in aid of a local charity handed over the proceeds at a Nelson stables. Maureen Hatton, who runs Roodlebats Stables, off Brunswick Street, raised £550 by staging the sponsored ride between
WORKERS have said farewell to an old friend. A Hufford stretch-forming process has dominated the fabrications department at BAE Systems since it was installed 13 years ago. The machine was used mainly to stretch-form 26-foot long struts used to attach
LIBERAL Democrats in Pendle are urging Lancashire County Council not to let the higher-than-expected teachers' pay settlement hit education. Coun David Whipp said his Liberal group would be putting forward a budget package designed to protect schooling
PAST and present pupils and parents met at St Leonard's Primary School, Padiham, to celebrate its 10th anniversary with cake and a photo exhibition. Acting headteacher Kathryn Hughes is pictured with pupils, from the left, Georgia McDonald, Rachel Redfern
PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice has stepped up his campaign to get the national minimum wage increased on April 1 by calling for a vote of his Labour MP colleagues. The backbencher wants the £3.60 minimum increased by at least the rate of inflation. He has
A PROPOSED new mosque in the heart of Brierfield took a step nearer to becoming reality after councillors recommended land should be sold to the mosque committee. Pendle Council's Brierfield and Reedley area committee unanimously agreed to recommend the
A PRIEST came face to face with an intruder in his kitchen after the back door of his house was kicked in. Burnley magistrates heard how Darren Quinn, 21 twice targeted Father Michael Haworth's Nelson home and was found by the table where the priest kept
TWO large "wave" style multi advertisement hoardings look set to be erected near Blackburn Rovers' car park. The changeable hoardings will be constructed if planning chiefs agree the plan, which has been drawn up by London company Sports and Outdoor Media
EAST Lancashire-born peer Baroness Massey of Darwen (pictured) has told how she has been threatened because of her support for the repeal of Section 28. The baroness, who as Doreen Massey was director of the Family Planning Association, revealed the bullying
CROOKS operating in an East Lancashire town are linked to Manchester's violent underworld drug gangs, police have revealed. Officers have been investigating links between organised crime and drugs in Darwen and believe they may be behind a series of incidents
EX-PUPILS of Notre Dame High School are invited to a reunion at Blakey's bar, Blackburn, on Friday, March 3. Members of Fisher, Moore, Campion and Southworth classes who left school in 1982 and are now aged 32 or 33 can join the party starting at 8pm.
POLICE have revealed two members of staff at their headquarters have been suspended, after it was discovered a large amount of cash has gone missing. The missing money was discovered after a routine audit was carried out in the finance department. The
