THOUGH still stalked by controversy, the ambitious plans for the regeneration of Blackburn town centre took a positive stride towards realisation today with the announcement that the historic Pavilions buildings in Church Street are set to be sold to
THESE days people say 'Aren't trees beautiful?' but in the past our ancestors said 'Aren't trees useful.' I think that in future we should regard trees as both useful and beautiful. Conservation does not mean that we should avoid cutting down trees. To
SO far as I can see there have been no positive things to come out of the foot and mouth disease. Except one! Even the most committed town dweller now knows how important the countryside is to all of us. Now is the time for each and every one of us to
IWOULD like to thank local firms and readers who send me their used postage stamps which go towards helping the East Lancashire Hospice Appeal. They are much appreciated. Keep them coming! D KIMBERLEY (Mr), 28 Duddon Avenue, Darwen BB3 0JJ.
IBOW to Cade Foster's superior wisdom and knowledge of seismology (Letters, April 3) and confess to knowing more about maggot-breeding than earthquakes. But, having seen how Hiroshima and Nagasaki were each wiped off the map by a single atomic bomb, I
REGARDING the serious road accident in Langho which resulted in a woman driver being injured (LET, April 3), this was yet another under the railway bridge on the A666, happening when a lorry with a hydraulic arm collided with the structure. Obviously,
AN ELDERLY man arrested by detectives hunting a mystery celebrity stalker who writes pornographic letters to his female victims has been released on bail. The 70-year-old was interviewed at a police station in Wigan yesterday after being arrested in the
TWO men were hailed as heroes today after dragging an unconscious 82-year-old woman to safety from her blazing home. Sadie King was lying face down in her living room when David Dillon and Adrian Dutton, both 21, pulled her clear of the fire. Mrs King's
BLACKBURN Rovers' assistant boss Tony Parkes reckons the side are so sure of themselves 'they think they are going to win every game between now and the end of the season'. After 19 wins in the last 28 games it is no surprise that confidence is sky high
A SNOOKER hall bar supervisor who was over the limit when stopped in the early hours did not intend to drive again for a very long time, a court heard. Burnley magistrates heard how Stephen Sturdy, 21, knew he would be banned and his confidence was shattered
A MOTHER has been conditionally discharged for 12 months for her part in a melee involving feuding families in Earby. Helen Sedman, 37, who struck and pushed neighbour Jill Hocaniuk to the ground and hit her as she was down, was convicted of common assault
URGENT foot and mouth disease tests were today being carried out on slaughtered sheep at a Todmorden farm after ministry vets ordered their destruction. Two hundred and twenty sheep were culled at Croft Barn, Lumbutts, after Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries
SECURITY guards fought with armed robbers during a £76,000 robbery at a store. The guards were attacked as they went to fill up a cash machine at Healds Day and Nite, Padiham. Today they were praised by police for putting up "substantial resistance" during
PENDLE residents are invited to have their say on plans for a new community venue in Nelson West. The council has secured funding under the Government's Single Regeneration Budget Six programme to create a new project in the area between Carr Road and
THE battle to keep schoolchildren off the streets and out of trouble has been taken up by a couple from Nelson who plan to open an after-school club. Jean Pollard and David Whiteside, both 33, of Reedyford Road, have been asking schools for their opinions
VISITORS to some of Pendle's leisure centres will be forgiven for thinking they have taken a step back in time on Saturday April 21, when they will be allowed in for 1974 prices. This means children swimming for 10 pence and adults paying 20 pence for
STAFF at Claims Direct's Nelson office were given a reprieve by councillors after planning officers had recommended that legal action be taken against the company. Members of the Nelson Committee were advised to give the go-ahead to legal action being
A REFURBISHED cycle route and footpath between Nelson and Colne has been unveiled after the muddy track was surfaced with asphalt. The improvements to the route between Oxford Road, Nelson, and Gibfield Road, Colne, will benefit the four schools in the
BLACKBURN'S Audley Infant School was a target for thieves for the third time in four months. Vandals smashed two windows in a classroom at the Queen's Park Road school, broke into a locked cabinet and stole a video recorder.
HOTEL boss David Takhar risked his own life to pull a guest from his blazing room. David dragged unconscious George McGowan from a room in the Devonshire Hotel, Blackburn, and was told by fire fighters the man would have been dead but for his actions.
A COUPLE who run a canalside cafe say their business may be on the verge of collapse as the foot and mouth crisis continues. Anna-Marie and Mimmo Bilardi took over the Bridge Cafe, Hermitage Street, Rishton, on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, last July
Special report by BRIAN GOMM AN HISTORIC hall which once seemed doomed is bursting with life after a multi million pound facelift. The future couldn't look brighter for manorial Dam House at the heart of Astley's conservation area -- thanks to seven years
Chipping Steam Fair has been cancelled to avoid further spread of foot and mouth disease. Organisers of the event, which was to have featured vintage trains, cars, bikes and steam rollers, decided that going ahead would have been detrimental. Oorganiser
MUSICAL maestros from Stonyhurst College and its preparatory school, St Mary's Hall, added another string to their bow recently by performing a concert in St John Smith's Square, in London. The group of 150 musicians and choristers travelled down to the
DEFEATED Wimbledon boss Terry Burton admitted his side now has no margin for error if they are to reach the First Division play-offs. His message came after their 15 match unbeaten run was ended by the Clarets last night. The Dons are now three points
LIGHT up the scented candles and slap on the fragrant body lotion, for nurses say aromatherapy massage works. Oh, really? But are the conclusions of this 'research' conducted by staff at Burnley General Hospital only as substantial as the froth on a bubble
THE postponement of the local elections by five weeks because of the foot and mouth crisis may have forced contenders to revise their holiday plans, but has the prospect of having to account to the electorate also caused some to change their tune? Take
PROMOTION specialist Stan Ternent believes 74 points would be enough to secure a First Division play-off place for his never-say-die Clarets. Burnley's season looked to be effectively over when they crashed 5-0 at Blackburn Rovers 10 days ago. But inspired
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was taken to hospital with stab wounds. The incident happened in Bank Street, Darwen, between 2pm and 3pm on Monday after an argument between two gangs of men. Police said the dispute arose between two Asian
FOR the first time in 28 years a cycling event is being included in Ramsbottom Sports Week. On June 16 Bury Clarion Cycling and Athletic Club is holding a climb up Lumb Carr Road from Holcombe Brook to Holcombe Village. The individual time trial will
A ROSSENDALE woman who went on a spree of deception to obtain goods with a stolen cheque book and card was sent to prison for a total of four months by magistrates at Rochdale. Former hairdresser Angela Margaret Wallace, 27, of Pennine Road, Bacup, thanked
A FIVE foot frog will appear on the banks of the River Irwell at a picnic area behind the Rose 'n' Bowl in Newchurch Road. Stacksteads Riverside Park Group has been granted £15,000 from the Mersey Basin Trust to pay for environmental works along the river
TWO local sports teams are cheering at the news that they have been awarded community chest cash grants from the Action for Haslingden partnership. Members of the B team at Attock Cricket Club have received £250 towards equipment costs and ground hire
VILLAGERS voted unanimously to set up a charitable trust to preserve three reservoirs under threat from a developer. At a public meeting at Central Methodist Church, Bacup, about 30 residents and two Greensclough ward councillors discussed a planning
A CALL is being made for a "tasteless and insulting" advertisement, which places odds on a disabled and elderly person crossing a road, to be removed. The billboards are on display in several locations in Rossendale and Conservative Prospective Parliamentary
Service with style TENNIS players in Leigh can look forward to playing in style over the summer thanks to a half-a-million pounds cash boost for the grounds of the town's top sports club. Work on six new floodlit artificial grass courts at Leigh Cricket
A MIDDLE -aged man who sexually abused a little girl, is awaiting sentence at Burnley Crown Court. John Michael Hyslop was found guilty of three allegations of indecent assault and three of indecency with a child by a jury after a two-day trial. He was
A MAN accused of wounding after his five-week-old twins were injured at their home has been charged with three further offences. Paul Harrison, 22, had previously been charged with wounding his son Dillon and was remanded into custody when he appeared
A LANDFILL site close to a farm with foot and mouth has been used to dispose of more than 3,000 carcasses of sheep and pigs, it was revealed today. Withnell Landfill Site, owned by waste company Biffa, is thought to be the only site in Lancashire which
OLDHAM TOWN 2 NELSON 2 NELSON had to settle for a point against bottom of the table Oldham Town after throwing away a two goal lead at the Whitebank Stadium in the NWCL Second Division. Kiko Rodriguez gave the League leaders the perfect start after 10
DARWEN 2 CHADDERTON 1 MANAGER Steve Wilkes was forced to play himself and inspired his side to their first win in nine games in NWCL Division Two. Wilkes, who had not played a full 90 minutes since last April set up the first goal with a half-volley that
PRESTON 0 HUDDERSFIELD 0 PRESTON manager David Moyes admitted his play-off chasing are feeling the pressure after more than five hours without a goal. North End only came close just once to breaking the deadlock against relegation-threatened Huddersfield
Hyndburn Speakers' Club, Accrington Town Hall, 7.15pm. Meatloaf and Cher Tribute Show, Rivington Barn, 8pm. Dancing to the Chorley Compton, Chorley Town Hall, 7.30pm. American Wrestling, Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre, 7.30pm. Hoghton Women's Institute,
SECURITY guards fought with armed robbers during a £76,000 robbery at a store. The guards were attacked as they went to fill up a cash machine at Healds Day and Nite, Padiham. Today they were praised by police for putting up "substantial resistance" during
Who to look out for and recent results of tonight's visitors. Ewood Park ko 7.45pm MANAGER Jean Tigana: Frenchman Tigana joined Fulham last year after the resignation of Paul Bracewell. He took Monaco to the league title in 1997 but quit the French club
ROVERS battler Garry Flitcroft has blown the lid on the self-belief inside the Ewood camp by declaring: 'We are better than Fulham and tonight we are going to prove it'. In a remarkable display of conviction and confidence, 'Flitty' claims Graeme Souness's
SIMONSTONE-based Time Computers has announced an expansion of its retail store network with 10 new outlets planned. Following the success of its Jersey store which opened at the end of March with sales 400 per cent above expectations, Time will launch
A SENIOR aircraftsman found to be over twice the limit has kept his driving licence - and the prospects of a rising career in the Royal Air Force - after a court heard his drink was spiked. Burnley Magistrates had been told how Neil Dransfield, 20, had
THE sister of an ex-paratrooper who died in police custody has called for officers who looked after him to be charged with manslaughter. A High Court Judge threw out the officers' appeal to overturn an inquest jury's verdict that 37-year-old father of
A "KEYBOARD Cavalier" from Fence has taken runner-up spot at the prestigious Perrier Young Jazz Musician awards in London. Pianist John Pickup, 23, beat off competition from as far afield as Scandinavia, the USA and Japan to reach the the two-man final
IAM disgusted with the inadequate bus service inflicted on the people who live at the top of Rothesay Road bordering on Shadsworth Road, Blackburn. We are faced with a 50-minute wait in either direction. The only alternatives are to walk from North Road
REGARDING your report headlined 'This is a daffodil' (LET, March 29), I live on one of the main roads into Blackburn which has grass verges separating it from the footpaths. The verges are all planted with daffodils and also some flowering trees, which
WHILE the fat cats of the Premiership scratch around for a new backer to cough up the loot in place of Carling, the Football League quietly went about their business in tying up a new sponsorship deal with Nationwide. The Premiership has had almost as
A THIEF dogged by heroin for the last seven years may be given a drug treatment and testing order. Burnley magistrates heard how Stephen James Haley, 35, was no longer reliant on the drug and the bench said they had been impressed by the way he had tried
JUST days after the postponement of the Pendle Triathlon, the good news is that not everything has been cancelled or postponed because of the foot and mouth crisis. Following the success of the Millennium Extravaganza in Blacko, there is to be a repeat
PLANS to convert a three-storey cottage in Newchurch-in-Pendle into a bed and breakfast and tearoom have been thwarted by the council after it was decided it would cause increased parking congestion and would lead to a loss of privacy to neighbours who
EXILED Claret Damian Bromley travelled from Somerset to the derby game of Blackburn and ended up watching it in an Accrington pub. Police cleared the Black Horse pub and began escorting the Burnley fans back to the railway station but Bromley was lagging
BORED teenagers at a loose end over the Easter holidays can make the two-week break fly by. Thanks to a programme of free activities available at the New Era complex and Hyndburn Sports Centre. The aim of the programme, which is being run by Hyndburn
A MAN was still in a critical condition today after an accident in which his car crashed into a tree. Neil Heywood, 23, of Limefield Avenue, Whalley, received multiple injures when his Vauxhall Nova came off the road in Whalley Old Road, Billington, on
A FASHION show will be staged on Wednesday, April 25 in the function room at the De Tabley at Burlingtons, Ribchester to raise funds for Ribchester Festival. The event has been organised by the Friends of the Festival and will feature a range of fashions
BUSINESSES are being invited to sponsor this year's Ribchester Festival of Music. The program for the event will be announced at a special evening for Festival Friends and supporters. The evening is an opportunity for businesses interested in sponsoring
Wimbledon 0 Burnley 2 Taylor 3mins, Moore 45 LIKE a proud fighter who doesn't know when to stop, Burnley refuse to throw in the towel on their first season back in Division One. On the ropes and seemingly out for the count at Ewood Park a little over
STRICTLY speaking, duty was fulfilled by the inquest into the death of 71-year-old Archibald Whalley, of Guide, who died after being left in bed for eight days after having a hip-replacement -- in that its task of determining the reason for his death
ROVERS battler Garry Flitcroft has blown the lid on the self-belief inside the Ewood camp by declaring: 'We are better than Fulham and tonight we are going to prove it'. In a remarkable display of conviction and confidence, 'Flitty' claims Graeme Souness's
DISTRIBUTION specialists Gilbraith Transtore has taken delivery of an award-winning trailer that is literally halving the load. The double-decker trailer can carry up to 45 pallets, almost twice the number held on a conventional model. And according to
BUSINESSES with an interest in the arts are being invited to become sponsors of the acclaimed Ribchester Festival of Music. This year's programme will be announced by artistic director Adrian Partington at a special evening for festival supporters on
BLACKBURN-based Promethean Limited is one of the North West's fastest-growing technology businesses. The award-winning company, which has pioneered an electronic version of the old school blackboard, is in the top ten of the Deloitte & Touche Fast
FIREFIGHTERS are treating a blaze as suspicious after 12 scrap wagons were set on fire. Officers were called to the Walsh and Dearden premises, in Sough Road, Darwen, about 3am today to find almost half of the yard's 30 vehicles well alight. They were
A PUB landlord was found dead in his pub by a cleaner turning up for work. David Eli Dewhurst ran Eli's Palace at the Roebuck Pub in Lower Deardengate, Haslingden, with his wife Pat. He was found at 8.15am yesterday. A police spokesman said there were
A 56-YEAR-OLD woman was punched by a young thug after she confronted a gang over a theft -- but she fought him off with her handbag. The woman was walking along the footpath between Union Road and Stuart Close, Darwen, when she saw a group of four youngsters
POURING rain didn't stop clean up volunteers from turning out in Bacup and filling a skip with litter and rubbish. A dozen residents took part in a Tidy Britain Group Just Bin It clean up, tackling litter hot-spots and brightening up vacant shop fronts
PUB landlord Stephen Prince isn't burying his head in the sand when it comes to unusual grub -- he's serving up ostrich! And if adventurous customers urge staff to "make it snappy" or "jump to it" with their orders, they have the chance to sample crocodile
TWO men were hailed as heroes today after dragging an unconscious 82-year-old woman to safety from her blazing home. Sadie King was lying face down in her living room when David Dillon and Adrian Dutton, both 21, pulled her clear of the fire. Mrs King's
A UKRAINIAN student has been on an exchange visit to Bacup -- thanks to the local Rotary club. Sixteen-year-old Marina Tsepko has spent the last six weeks studying at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School. The visit was arranged by Bruce Harris who works
CAMPAIGNERS are planning a protest march against plans for a massive mine at Thieveley Pike on the moors between Burnley and Todmorden. The Easter Saturday event is being organised by the No Moor Mines group, which is protesting at plans for a massive
A HERD of llama-like alpaca animals worth hundreds of thousands of pounds is to be slaughtered after they were found to have foot and mouth disease. The 105 South American alpacas, members of the llama family, were discovered to be carrying the virus
THE tiny Ribble Valley village of Sabden is to get a crime-busting spy camera system - after residents forked out for the device themselves. The idea of a new CCTV system for the village was first mooted by local PC Paul Worswick at a parish council meeting
YOUNGSTERS who set fire to a derelict mill have been warned of the possible grim consequences of their actions. Firefighters and police have been called to the disused mill in Aqueduct Road, Blackburn, twice in the last week after children broke in and
East Lancashire hospitals have improved their cleanliness, decoration and service in the past few months to put them in he ttop rating for patient environment, a report says. Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Accrington Victoria Hospital and Clitheroe Community
BLACKBURN'S historic Pavilions are set to be sold to church bosses -- for just £45,000. Now more than £1 million is set to be pumped into turning them into one of the biggest attractions of Blackburn's new look shopping centre. Members of Blackburn with
WITHOUT five first choice players Chorley folded disappointingly against a Kendal side who deservedly collected three points in their fight to avoid relegation from the UniBond First Division. A cracking second minute strike from livewire Dave Foster
RAMSBOTTOM UTD 6 MAINE ROAD 1 BOLTON referee Lee Mason made two pitch inspections before deciding the game could go ahead. The decision turned out to be a good one for the NWCL Division One title chasers as they hit the Manchester side for six. They were
BURNLEY Cricket Club are on the look-out for new players to boost their prospects going into the new Transco Lancashire League season. The Turf Moor outfit struggled last summer and has now lost the services of Phil Edmondson to Baxenden, John Pickup
A GAS engineer called to a house rifled through the owner's underwear drawer and committed a sex act while the woman and her eight-year-old daughter were downstairs. The woman, who has been left devastated by the traumatic event, noticed her underwear
