A RECENT report envisages that council tax increases will amount to more than three times the rate of inflation. For those in Band D this would mean £60 extra. In the four years since Labour took office, the average council tax bill has increased by £220
JANET Kirkham (Letters, February 28) says that, in the event of a ban on hunting, "foxes and mink will decimate prey species populations." The effects of hunting on fox and mink numbers is, by the bloodsports lobby's own admission, negligible. Why then
MAY I express our amazement at the news that the Cubes bar in Blackburn has had its licence cut by 30 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights supposedly on the grounds of food not being served (LET, March 1). My friends and I have been customers of the
Leigh RMI 4 Hayes 0 LEIGH RMI romped to their fifth league victory in six games since the dawn of the New Year, demolishing Middlesex outfit Hayes at Hilton Park. Steve Waywell enthused that his side were a "pleasure to watch" after watching them bag
for Souey's men A WEEK of contrasts, then. The excitement of giving Bolton a second mauling, followed by an equally thorough Highbury hammering. A rousing night at Ewood, followed by a sleep-inducing stroll in the capital. I've often felt that going to
Now let the real battle commence A WEEK of contrasts, then. The excitement of giving Bolton a second mauling, followed by an equally thorough Highbury hammering. A rousing night at Ewood, followed by a sleep-inducing stroll in the capital. I've often
FORMER Birmingham star Chris Holland believes Garry Flitcroft holds the key to Rovers' hopes of victory in tomorrow's promotion showdown at St Andrew's. The Whalley-born midfielder knows more than most about what lies in store for Rovers in the Midlands
BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness may have to throw himself at the mercy of Republic of Ireland chief Mick McCarthy in a bid to strengthen his side's promotion push. Rovers' clash with Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on March 24 has now had to be rearranged
flash of inspiration SNAP HAPPY: Brenda Kean with her Quasar Red Eye Eliminator Gran's Chinese takeaway invention earns acclaim A FLASH of inspiration could lead to a revolution in holiday snaps -- and rid the world of the dreaded red eye for good. Brenda
A YOUNG dad who drove whilst disqualified four times in just over two months has been sent to jail for six months. Paul Ashley Dwyer, 23, who also hit a policewoman and dragged her 20 yards down the street when she went to arrest him, committed two offences
LOWTON singer Martin Lambert was gobsmacked when TV star Jane MacDonald cruised into his fiancee's flower shop. She had turned up with a camera crew on the doorstep of Amaryllis, St Helens Road, to surprise him with a spot on the BBC talent show Star
WAR veterans have paid silent tribute to a brave young man -- more than 50 years after he died in the Second World War. The special act of remembrance by former members of the 1035 Squadron -- made up of those who attended the Accrington Air Training
SWAP two Tim Streets for one Neil Turley; or a Simon Svabic for an Adam Bristow. Now Leigh Centurions RL fans will be able to do just that! The Centurions teamed up with Leigh police to launch a series of 24 rugby cards. The cards feature an individual
PLANNING councillors have been accused of not bothering to step off a bus to look at the site of a controversial new shopping centre and community hall for Lowton -- because it was raining. Objectors who gathered a 1,700 name petition and sent 108 letters
I note a letter received by a Brookfield Street Resident about irresponsible dog owners in The Avenue (Journal Feb 23). Living on the The Avenue myself (not a dog owner) I fully agree with the comments. My point is that why can the council not invest
THE Thames Bridge Bike Ride is one of the few events in the calendar which allow participants to tour London, exercise and raise money for charity all in the same day. And there are still a few places left in this year's exciting event. The sixth annual
BIG MONEY MAN Allan Nielsen: Watford broke their transfer record in the summer when they paid Tottenham £2.5 million for the services of Danish midfielder Allan Nielsen, making it a Spurs double when they also landed keeper Espen Baardsen for £1.2 million
ON-LOAN Clarets striker Gareth Taylor heads for Watford tonight looking to cement his place at least in Burnley's short-term plans. Taylor plays the fifth game since his arrival from Manchester City at Vicarage Road and is keen to extend his stay at Turf
AUSSIE Greg Dimery will be Atherton CC's new professional next season. Dimery is a true all-rounder, being both an opening batsman and opening bowler as well as an accomplished spin bowler when required. He has played cricket in England for eight years
A FORMER Darrener has landed a job with one of Britain's biggest pharmaceutical companies. Claire Sumner, 26, is working as a senior scientist for Medisense at Abingdon, Oxfordshire after graduating from the University of Sheffield, with a Phd in chemistry
POLICE have asked parents to check if their children are carrying hammers after several were stolen. The small hammers, used to smash glass in case of emergency, were taken from vehicles at Darwen Coach Services at Westview in the Chapels area. Four coaches
A HOUSEWIFE from Leigh whose little piggy could have won her a fortune has failed to bring home the bacon. Andrea Bury, 30, of St Helens Road, picked the wrong piggy bank to smash in a competition and missed out on £1 million. But she told the Leigh Journal
SNOOKER: Accrington's Shokat Ali (pictured) beat world number 15 Marco Fu 5-2 in the opening round of the Thailand Masters in Bangkok.
chance to own legends shirts PREPERATIONS for the 10th anniversary ice hockey game at Blackburn Arena on Tuesday April 3 are gathering pace. It has been confirmed that selected 'heroes ' special edition shirts are to be produced by Rhino Sports of Sheffield
GENEROUS striker Tony Black gave up his spot-kick duties last Saturday, so his goals partner Steve Jones could claim a rare hat- trick. When the late penalty was awarded in Leigh RMI's 6-2 demolition of Nuneaton Borough at Hilton Park, Black graciously
THE French existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre once defined "hell" as, "other people." One can only conclude that the Gallic philosopher had never ventured to Stockport on a wild and windy Tuesday night in February. Grim doesn't begin to describe it
GRAHAM Taylor is a Vicarage Road legend who is trying to lead Watford into the top-flight of English football for the third time in his career. Two seasons ago Taylor took his beloved Hornets into the Premiership just a year after they had escaped from
POLICE are appealing for help in finding a confused and elderly man who disappeared from a nursing home. Jack Hawthornthwaite, 70, was last seen at Highfield Residential Home, Suddell Road, Darwen, at 1am today and is believed to have wandered out alone
POLICE have issued more details about a youth they want to speak to after a bus driver was robbed at knife-point. The victim, who does not want to be named, was driving the number 346 bus along Bolton Road, Darwen, at about 11pm last Wednesday when the
A RURAL community could get a doctor's surgery or a computer centre thanks to £100,000 grant. Villagers in East Rural ward which takes in Hoddlesden, Pickup Bank, Eccleshill and Blacksnape, will benefit from the first such grant to a rural area from Blackburn
RESIDENTS of Waterfoot are celebrating the closure of a local children's home. Locals have been campaigning for years for the closure of Baltic House complaining of anti-social behaviour by teenagers. The home is run by a private company, Family Support
WALKERS are being urged to stick to tarmac roads or paths as foot and mouth outbreak precautions continue nationwide. Police and Council officers are appealing for people to respect the decision to close leisure facilities such as Pennington and Haigh
Traffic cops stopped more than 100 cars during the spot-checks across Leigh for two weeks in February. The police operation was launched after schoolboy Thomas Wilson was mowed down by a driver on a pedestrian crossing on Chapel Street near Leigh town
The decision has been made, by the members of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, to extend the age, made by System 1 Travel network, for their Young Persons weekly bus saver ticket. The ticket will now include 21 year olds, as the previous
TALENTED Simon Minshall has celebrated the greatest day of his nine-year-old life. He has won a place at Chetham's -- the world famous school of music -- where he will start in September studying trombone and piano. And the little lad who also plays baritone
THE Warden of The Diocese of Blackburn's 250 readers has retired from his post. As the readers attended their licensing service, which is held every three years, at the Cathedral in Blackburn, they bid a fond farewell to the Rev David Ashworth, who took
Untreated milk could increase the spread foot and mouth THE favourite pinta for hundreds of people in East Lancashire has been banned - but milk bosses say it will return to the doorsteps soon. Green top milk became the latest victim of the foot and mouth
THE cost of East Lancashire's foot and mouth outbreak is continuing to rise and church leaders have called for cash grants for farmers. The owner of Slinger's abattoir denied accusations that he has laid off all his staff but admitted there was no way
BLACKBURN shopping centre has slipped behind Burnley for the first time in a High Street survey to find the country's best. Now a councillor says the £6million regeneration scheme planned for the town is vital if Blackburn is to gain an advantage on its
A MARKET trader has been ordered to stop selling Scotch Pancakes on his stall -- 35 years after his family started trading in the delicacy. Now Lawrence Carter is vowing to take legal action against his council in a bid to get them to overturn their decision
CLITHEROE manager Dave Burgess is praying the healing hands of physio Mick Hilton can once more come up with the goods. The Blues are building up to their huge FA Vase semi-final clash first leg at Taunton on Saturday with Mick working overtime on three
Leigh Centurions 34, Batley Bulldogs 8 THE Bulldogs gave Leigh a nasty nip on the ankle before the Centurions realised you can take nothing for granted in the NFP. The unbeaten league leaders were happy to hear the half-time hooter as they trailed unfancied
THE Leigh RMI Football in the Community Scheme is now in full swing and is proving to be a fantastic success. At the end of last month work started on a carefully staged coaching programme following guidelines laid down in the National Curriculum in a
LEIGH RMI threw away their last remaining hope of a trophy on Tuesday night as UniBond Premier Division side Lancaster City annihilated them at a sodden Hilton Park. The Dolly Blues fully deserved their win after a committed performance that outclassed
A 2-2 DRAW at Warrington town last Saturday and Tuesday night's 2-0 home derby win over Daisy Hill has moved Atherton LR into the top eight in the North West Counties League Division Two. It has been a quite incredible transformation of the Crilly Park
ATHERTON Town maintained their Premier Division title push, moving up to fourth in the table with a 2-0 home victory over Monton Amateurs. In extending their current unbeaten run to 10 games, the defence of Scott Hodson, Steve Dixon, Phil Reynolds and
LEIGH League officials have been rocked by the resignation of Division One outfit Astley Villa. For a team to call it a day so far into the season is a shock to everyone but, according to league secretary Malc Blakeley, the main man at the club had little
MAY I congratulate New Labour for a brilliant piece of timing in rolling the bill to ban hunting with dogs past its third reading in parliament? The foot and mouth crisis served very conveniently as an opportunity to kick rural Britain when it is well
A POPULAR figure in Atherton entertainment circles has died suddenly. Frank Glover, 72, was best-known for his musical involvement with Chowbent Unitarian Chapel and, even when he retired to Southport 13 years ago, maintained his strong links with the
YOU have made a real meal, both in stories and in editorial, about our proposed rises in councillors' allowances in Burnley, I must try to set the record straight. The figure quoted, of a 70 per cent rise, is wrong, The actual rise in budget provision
BRITAIN'S best-loved woman politician has backed trade union campaigner Jennifer Smith to become Leigh's next MP. Former Northern Ireland minister Mo Mowlam is backing the 34-year-old to succeed retiring MP Lawrence Cunliffe. The union worker, currently
Some may have muttered "Cranks!" but they could hardly have said that about Rev John Charles Ryle who was destined to become the brilliant first Bishop of Liverpool. In 1865 he wrote about a foot and mouth plague called upon people to turn from their
Finnair Manchester League: ATHERTON Town extended their unbeaten run to eleven, the last four games without a goal conceded, with a superb performance earning a 1-0 away victory at Dukinfield Town. "We did play very, very well," beamed manager Shaun Lynch
A COMMUNITY-linked anti-drug initiative is being expanded to turn the heat on dealers. Burnley Residents Against Drugs (BRAD) project will cover the whole of Burnley and police have promised tough action against offenders. The initiative involving local
PLANS to introduce a Burnley bylaw outlawing the consumption of alcohol on public streets is set to be put on hold by council chiefs -- because it is about to be overtaken by a nationwide ban. The public protection committee will be told the New Criminal
Accused teacher can work again AN East Lancashire teacher suspended on full pay for six years after being accused of sexual abuse by a teenage pupil has won the right to reinstatement. English teacher Anthony McNally, 51, has had the allegation hanging
A MOTHER-of-two's birthday night out ended in the police cells after she shouted racist abuse at a taxi driver. Burnley magistrates heard how Winifred Ward, 27, was arrested in the police station yard at Nelson after the cabbie had driven there saying
NELSON and Colne College's choir will be taking centre stage at a performance of Handel's Messiah to raise money to improve their career prospects. The concert will be held on Wednesday, March 21 at 7.30pm, at Holy Trinity Church, Colne, with all proceeds
PEOPLE making their way along a busy main road in Pendle yesterday morning were greeted with a scene which could have come straight out of a pantomime. Motorists driving along Burnley Road towards Colne were brought to a stop by an irate goose stood in
PLANS to install an illuminated sign and two flagpoles outside Boundary Bathrooms in Colne are likely to be refused by councillors. A report to the Colne and District Committee, which will meet on Thursday states that the eight metre high flag pole advertisements
PEOPLE living near to the Council's Sagar Fold garages in Colne have submitted nine letters of objection and have a petition containing 143 signatures against proposed development on the site. They believe that permission for housing development on the
MONTHS of campaigning by the people of Pendle to stop the development of seven of the borough's green field areas into industrial sites have finally paid off. The public consultation period which was due to start this month has been called off by Pendle
A KNIFEMAN who threatened to cut off a police officer's head and caused streets to be closed off, has kept his freedom. Burnley Crown Court heard how Jason Longson, 31, had originally been placed on two years probation for the offences in 1999, but had
TEENAGERS are preparing a light-hearted musical about young love in the carefree world of 1920s Nice. The Buddies, Accrington Theatre Group's youth section, have had help from former Tiller Girl Hazel Maxfield, who has been coaching them in the dances
BITTER bosses at a branch of the St John Ambulance today condemned the vandals who had put their potentially life-saving first aid unit off the road. Now volunteers face a mammoth fund-raising task to pay for the repairs to their vehicle, which has been
IN 1989 residents of Leigh's Higher Folds were sick of seeing their estate going downhill. More than 100 homes had been boarded up at the Stirling Close end as families packed up and left. Locals decided it was time to act to make life better in the fast
GRIMSARGH'S pre-school group has been presented with the Pre-School Learning Alliance Association award. The award is given for its high standards in education and childcare for children aged from two-and-a-half to five years. The pre-school supervisor
IT was pure coincidence that I stumbled across www.thisislancashire.co.uk on the Internet and found myself reading The Journal for the first time in many years. I would just like to say how nice it is to be able to dip into your selection of local news
ASSISTANT boss Sam Ellis has called on the Clarets players to reproduce the style that saw them beat First Division champions-elect Fulham. Tonight's opponents Watford actually headed Jean Tigana's title favourites after an outstanding start to the season
