PEOPLE went flipping crazy to celebrate Pancake Day. At Asda in Blackburn, staff joined members of the emergency services for a sponsored flipping competition to raise cash for the East Lancashire Hospice, Park Lee, Blackburn. The store, the police, the
A TEENAGER led police on a chase at speed, went through red traffic lights and ended up crashing into a roundabout. Burnley magistrates heard how William Murphy, 18, clocked up speeds of between 50 and 60mph in a 30mph zone, twice lost control and ran
A DRAMA that spotlights the importance of an education scheme is touring Pendle high schools. The show, by Nelson and Colne College drama students, looks at the importance of the national Compact scheme, which aims to prepare year ten pupils for the work-place
MICHAEL Washington claimed sickness benefit while working as an agency care assistant. Blackburn magistrates heard that Washington, who sometimes earned more than £1,000 a month, described his benefits as a 'safety net.' Washington, 46, of Whalley New
THE day after he was given a chance by magistrates Scott McKay reoffended. On Friday the Blackburn court was told that McKay was anxious to break the cycle of custodial sentences. But on Saturday he was arrested after being caught shoplifting in the town
STAR-GAZERS plan to make Rossendale the UFO tourism centre of the country if not quite the universe. The scheme is not as out of this world as it might seem at first glance. Bacup UFO Society is well ahead with plans to open a UFO Centre above a restaurant
VOLUNTEERS are being sought to help in a drive to raise standards of numeracy and literacy in schools throughout East Lancashire. The Numeracy Volunteers Programme and the Reading Volunteers Programme have been set up by the East Lancashire Education
KELLY: Kept Rovers in the game with some good saves at a crucial stage of the first half...8 GRAYSON: Very solid and made a magnificent headed clearance to save a first-half goal...7 DAILLY: Against two of the First Division's most highly-rated strikers
THE boss of a Blackburn removal firm and three of his workers have made a further appearance before Blackburn magistrates charged with benefit fraud. Sylvester Joseph Creane, 27, of Guernsey Avenue, boss of Intack Removals, is charged with three offences
IPSWICH boss George Burley believes Blackburn Rovers can still make the promotion play-offs - and he should know. For Ipswich have missed out on a Premiership return too many times for comfort in the annual end-of-season showdown in recent years. This
A WOMAN was robbed by two men as she went to collect wages from a bank near Eanam, Blackburn. The middle-aged woman had £1,000 stolen from her in the attack, shortly before 4pm, in Gate Street, Copy Nook. Detectives are appealing for witnesses to come
TONY Parkes today saluted the spirit which he believes could yet salvage a promotion play-offs spot from this topsy-turvy season for Blackburn Rovers. The Ewood boss sat through a battling performance as his side earned a 0-0 draw against promotion favourites
Division Two: Burnley 0 Luton Town 2 - Pete Oliver's match verdict IN MONSOON conditions that at times threatened an abandonment, a drought is the last thing you would have associated with Turf Moor last night. But, in front of goal, the Clarets have
Division One: Ipswich Town 0 Blackburn Rovers 0 - Peter White's match verdict TONY Parkes has understandably spent the past couple of weeks trying to deflect the spotlight away from his goal-shy strikers. So George Burley should really have known better
WILDFLOWERS will bloom at a Blackburn school, thanks to a £100 grant. The Yorkshire Bank gave the money to Cedars Infant School to buy wildflower seeds which will be planted in the school grounds. The planting is part of a wider project to redevelop the
A MAN died on a railway line after appearing in court on sex charges, an inquest heard. The Preston hearing was told that 41-year-old Kevin Young, from Chorley, who was arrested in October, had been bailed by Chorley magistrates four days before his death
Online e-mail discussion about domestic violence, The Wish Centre, 25 Cardwell Place, Blackburn. Women's Aglow Fellowship, Centre Peace, Feilden Street, Blackburn, 8pm. Speaker: Kathy Sherrington. Hyndburn Speakers Club, Accrington Town Hall, 7.30pm.
THE disgraced ex-headmaster of a Lancashire prep school was today given leave to appeal against conviction on five counts of indecent assaults on pupils. An application for bail on behalf of Rory O'Brien, 57, ex-head of Stonyhurst preparatory school,
A RIBBLE Valley councillor last night condemned a bid to save Clitheroe's Civic Cinema as a charade. Simonstone councillor John Hill said that the £100,000 grant application by the Trinity Community Partnership, which is in the process of buying the York
CLITHEROE'S new £500,000 Bus and Rail Interchange opens on Monday - taking public transport in the Ribble Valley into the 21st century. The interchange integrates local bus and rail services and provides secure cycle parking, a park and ride scheme and
SO, we are going to lose our antiquated post offices within the next two years, "Post office plans will stamp us out" (LET, February 23). They are struggling to get out of the 19th century while the rest of us are in another millennium. It isn't as if
LET'S face it, Accrington is a shambles. Listed are my ideas of mistakes made, and those yet to come. 1. Bus station altered and made smaller. 2. Hazards for car drivers by way of traffic-calming humps, chicanes, etc. 3. Roads made narrow by islands jutting
REGARDING your report on the chemicals alert (LET, February 29), how many more incidents are yet to be discovered? Is Oswaldtwistle an almighty dumping ground for all and sundry? I am very angry to find that once again we have an "incident" in our midst
ACCORDING to M Southworth (Letters, February 16), capitalism is the only moral system worth having, and is superior to socialism. I wonder where he has been living - on Mars? Capitalism has not the morals of an alley cat. In fact, an alley cat is a paragon
Division Two: Preston North End 2 Colchester United 3 NORTH End's poor home form continued last night when Colchester took all three points from a nerve-racking Deepdale clash. The U's snatched a late winner after David Moyes' side had fought back from
TEENAGE sensation Nick Dougherty has taken another giant step in his bid to reach the pinnacle of amateur golf after being selected for a top international squad. The Shaw Hill ace has been drafted into the Great Britain and Ireland squad for the St Andrews
TWO colleges in East Lancashire were hit by strikes during a wave of industrial action in the North West. Lecturers from Burnley College and Accrington and Rossendale College were manning "peaceful protests" outside the gates, as part of a protest by
Division One: Crystal Palace 0 Bolton Wanderers 0 BOLTON's promotion ambitions were dealt a body blow last night as Sam Allardyce's side could manage only a draw at struggling Crystal Palace. And it is not only the two points dropped that will hamper
FORTY more jobs were to go at high-tech Blackburn electronics company TDS Circuits. The jobs at the Whitebirk Industrial estate company were going across the board in a bid to rationalise the firm. The announcement was made by new director Mr Alberto
CARL Fogarty was just three hundredths of a second away from breaking the Valencia track record in the final test session before the World Superbike season. The reigning world champ set a time of 1min 36.162secs at the two-year-old Ricardo Tormo di Cheste
A DEMONSTRATION by East Lancashire farmers protesting about falling milk prices was a timely reminder of the crisis facing the industry. But it is, however, only the tip of the iceberg. The entire farming industry - dairy, beef, pigs, hill - faces melt
A REWARD is on offer for information about a violent robbery in Cambridge Street, Burnley, in which a woman was pulled to the ground and kicked in the head. It happened at 7.35pm on Friday February 25 when the victim was approached by a teenage girl as
MUSIC-loving former headmaster Jack Bednall has died suddenly aged 70. Mr Bednall was headmaster at Castle Hill school, Todmorden, for more than 20 years until he retired and was organist and choirmaster at Central Methodist Church, Todmorden, up to his
A FIREFIGHTER who helped save lives when earthquakes caused massive destruction in Turkey is on another mercy mission to the people of Mozambique. Leading firefighter Ged Richmond (pictured) from Burnley flew out in an RAF plane with three Preston firemen
ROAD safety campaigner Anne Ravenhill says she is baffled that motorway tuition for new drivers is not even mentioned in the Government's new road safety strategy. Mrs Ravenhill, of Burnley, said: "There is no mention of motorways in the report which
ANDY Payton insists the goals will flow again for Burnley and is delighted to be back in the fight for a first-team shirt. The Clarets' top-scorer made his return from a three-match ban via the bench as Burnley slipped to a 2-0 home defeat against Luton
TWO little girls "thrown on to the streets" after their family split up were allegedly abused by a teenager who had sex with one of them, a jury was told. Burnley Crown Court heard how Peter Marren was said to have sat next to one of the alleged victims
JULIE Killelea was always quiet, shy and loved nothing more than being at home. She didn't go to university, even though she was more than capable of doing so, because she didn't want to move away from home. But on Valentine's Day 1999 her life was about
TWO men who tried to help themselves to roof slates from a fire damaged house in Accrington, have both been sent to jail. Robert Johnstone, 37, of Royds Street, Accrington, has gone to custody for three months, to be served on top of a three and a half
A DECISION on whether to bring manslaughter charges following the unlawful killing of a young labourer at a Hyndburn factory has not yet been made. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is considering whether to prosecute representatives of two East Lancashire
A FILM firm headed by a former Blackburn businessman has clinched a number of deals. Winchester Entertainment, run by ex-QEGS pupils Gary Smith, announced a string of agreements at the American Film market event in Los Angeles. The firm has linked up
THE Sky's the limit for Raven Manufacturing Ltd. who are producing 15,000 digital satellite dishes a week at their premises on the Altham industrial estate. The firm which employs 105 has gone from strength to strength after securing a contract originally
HE might think it's all right to spend public money like water on hand-printed wallpaper for his apartments in the Houses of Parliament, but the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, is in tune with ordinary folk when he walks out of a London theatre at the interval
ELDERLY people in Hoddlesden are celebrating after being told that rumours their bus service faced the axe were not true. Residents had drawn up plans to start a petition and mount a campaign about the threat to the 31a service which runs from Darwen
THE region's newest peers were being honoured at a civic reception at Blackburn Town Hall today. Adam Patel, now Lord Patel of Blackburn, and Doreen Massey, now Baroness Massey of Darwen, will meet the Mayor of Blackburn, Coun Salas Kiani, in the Mayor's
POLICE are hunting a man who threatened a shop assistant with a knife before escaping empty handed and then unsuccessfully tried to mug an elderly lady. The first failed robbery took place around 8.40pm on Saturday, February 26th, in a corner shop in
A PLAN to convert a former church hall at the entrance to Alkincoats Park, Colne, into a bungalow is set to get the go-ahead. Pendle Council's Colne area committee is recommended to grant planning permission for the change of use at St George's Hall,
THERE was plenty of fun to be had when the Beavers got together for their annual party. The event marked the organisation's 14th anniversary. The youngsters played games throughout the afternoon at Audley Sports Centre in Blackburn. The sports ranged
THE hand-drawn maps and illustrations of local historian John B Taylor are so exquisitely done that people take part in Rossendale guided walks just to collect the handouts. Some even take them home to be framed and put on display. Examples of John's
A CONTROVERSIAL scheme to demolish a village mill and build 13 detached houses looks likely to be turned down. Pendle Council's Barrowford and western parishes committee is recommended to refuse outline planning permission for the new homes on the site
LUTON confirmed their status as Burnley's bogey side as manager Lennie Lawrence made it three wins in four trips to Turf Moor as the Hatters' boss. Lawrence's side went into last night's game on the back of four straight defeats and a dismal weekend performance
A MAN has admitted a £5,000 robbery on a post office which ended with a worker being slashed by a machete. Ian Greenwood, 22, of Ashworth Close, Blackburn, admitted robbery and the theft of a Vauxhall Merit car when he appeared at Preston Crown Court.
PICTURED is a unique piece of Titanic history -- a Christmas card sent by the tragic liner's heroic bandmaster Wallace Hartley to a Red Cross nurse. The card, which was written between 1905 and 1911, is expected to raise up to £600 when it goes under
CRICHTON: Solid performance in tricky conditions and couldn't be blamed for the goals...7 BRANCH: Not helped by a waterlogged flank, the wing-back did okay going forward but was caught dangerously in possession a couple of times...5 COOK: The midfield
A MAJOR campaign to recruit more special constables has been launched by Home Secretary Jack Straw as new figures show that Lancashire has lost 159 of the volunteer bobbies - more than a quarter of the total - since 1995. Despite a slight rise in 1998
ANDY Payton insists the goals will flow again for Burnley and is delighted to be back in the fight for a first-team shirt. The Clarets' top-scorer made his return from a three-match ban via the bench as Burnley slipped to a 2-0 home defeat against Luton
AN East Lancashire Gulf War hero's attempt to break new legal ground and claim race discrimination has been postponed while an internal Army investigation is completed. Nasar Khan, 34, of Blackburn, claims he was the victim of racism from the day he joined
A 45-YEAR-OLD man lost a finger and fractured several bones in his hand as he worked on a vehicle at the former Calderstones Hospital site in Whalley. The man was flown to Royal Preston Hospital by air ambulance and has undergone micro surgery for his
EAST LANCASHIRE went on flood alert today following the overnight deluge of rain. The worst affected areas were Ribchester and the Rossendale Valley. Police were asked motorists to stay away from the Blackburn Road area of Ribchester after the level of
IN reply to D Westwell's concerns (Letters, March 2), let me assure all residents of Hyndburn there will be no hidden costs in the closure of area offices. People will not have to travel in to Accrington to pay their council tax or even have to go further
ACCORDING to recent correspondence from Blackburn with Darwen Council regarding the proposed closure of the entrance to Higher Witton Road from Buncer Lane, Blackburn, as part of traffic calming in the area, this is in conjunction with the National Cycle
MANY years ago, girls of 12 or 13 wore short white socks and played with dolls. Most of their sex education came from older siblings or peers and, rarely, from their parents. In the rapidly-changing world of today, parents are more open about sex and
EAST Lancashire patient watchdogs are right to express concern that appointments for more than 1,400 people with eye problems were cancelled in three months. It is also worried that patients sometimes wait as long as 13 months for appointments with ophthalmology
EIGHT-year-old Amie Harbour (pictured) was so touched by the plight of the flood victims of Mozambique that she asked teachers at her school if they could do something to help. As a result, £213 was raised at a non-uniform day at Brunshaw County Primary
SWIMMING, cycling and running fans are being invited to take part in the annual Burnley Triathlon on May 14. The event, which attracted 200 entries last year, will include a 800 metre swim at the Thompson Centre, a 19-mile cycle into Rossendale and Bacup
A FORMER drug addicted graduate turned to drink after the man she had looked forward to a new life with attacked her. Burnley magistrates heard how Andrea Louise Riley, 32, once had a good job in London, but fell victim to the plague of heroin, after
A 24-YEAR-OLD man who was put on probation for attacking his partner and a schoolboy is now behind bars. Burnley magistrates heard that David Hoyle was given a two-year order to attend the domestic violence programme but failed to turn up several times
TONY Parkes today saluted the spirit which he believes could yet salvage a promotion play-offs spot from this topsy-turvy season for Blackburn Rovers. The Ewood boss sat through a battling performance as his side earned a 0-0 draw against promotion favourites
FEARS of asbestos in Burnley council houses put the brakes on the £74million transfer of the entire housing stock to the town's new housing company. Disclosure by the council that many properties built in the late 1940s and '50s contained an asbestos
Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy THE stormy wet weather of last week has given the birds a bit of a beating. March, according to old country lore, often "comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Let us hope that the end of the month proves more pleasant
ALTHOUGH the start of the Millennium now seems a long time ago it was a major turning point for many smokers. Thousands of people decided to quit smoking at the start of the new century and this week they will be joined by even more. Today is National
A £7MILLION market square development in Accrington town centre has been given the green light. Councillors, given a free vote at a full council meeting last night, voted in favour of the scheme by 27 to nine. The complex will involve up to eight modern
A MAN was today fighting for his life in hospital after being found with serious head injuries in an alleyway. Sam Woodhouse, 21, of Holden Mill Caravan Park off Grane Road, Haslingden, was found in an alleyway between the town's Abbey National Building
A BRIGHT idea invented in a bus driver's garden shed has been presented with an award. Hyndburn MP Greg Pope presented the Millennium Products award to Dynamic Healthcare for the hand splint it has developed. Millennium Product status is awarded by the
COUNCILLORS have approved a plan to earmark a playing field for industrial land to help meet demand from businesses. Pendle Council's Nelson area committee decided to allow a move to use a field at Swinden Clough, off Regent Street, for industry to help
SCHOOLS in Pendle and Rossendale have grounds for celebrating after winning awards from a national scheme aimed at improving playgrounds. Holy Saviour RC Primary, Nelson, and Rossendale pupil referral unit, Rawtenstall, were among 10 schools in the North
A DISCARDED cigarette is believed to have sparked a blaze which severely damaged a Pendle pub early today. Three fire crews from Colne and Nelson were called to The Queens pub, Burnley Road, Colne, at 1.20am after a passing police officer raised the alarm
TWO hundred senior bosses at BAE Systems in Lancashire are to lose their jobs - and unions fear more cuts could be on the way. The job cuts, blamed on the merger between British Aerospace and Marconi, will be spread across the firm's Samlesbury and Warton
ASJAD Rafique left his own personal message on his mobile phone before swapping it with one in a box, which was subsequently sold to a customer at the Phone People Shop. in Blackburn. But the switch was discovered when the customer complained and one
MORE than 1,400 appointments for patients with eye problems were cancelled in three months in East Lancashire, it was revealed today. And the chief officer of a patient watchdog body said he was concerned that waiting times for appointments with ophthalmology
IN the time-warp toffee shop in County Durham's Beamish Museum's re-creation of a pre-First World War mining village, staff have been raided by trading standards officers and banned from selling sweets in traditional quarter-pound bags and forced to sell
IT would be laughable if it were not such a blatant abuse of the law and public money - that scrounging Romanian gypsy Maria Nistor, topping up her state benefits with £20 an hour from illegal begging on the London Underground, is actually an undercover
The opinions expressed by John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper HOW it is that homosexuals, or anyone else for that matter, can manage to have 'discreet' sex in a public place is something that only those with the most fevered imagination
