I DON'T know if the name 'spring' is derived from the number of pretty springs which trickle out through the wood or does it imply that it is at its best during the spring season. I would prefer to accept both definitions. Certainly Spring Wood, Whalley
IWISH to thank you for the coverage (LET, April 13) over the much-vandalised footbridge spanning Tinker Brook, Oswaldtwistle. The bridge is now repaired and all-metal, something for which I have campaigned more than two years. ERIC WALKER, Kingfisher
REGARDING the row over race, I wonder if Conservative peer John Taylor is aware of Voltaire's wise words? -- "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Much has already been sacrificed to the absurdity of political
ONE unprovoked punch cost a man his home and £600 compensation. Paul Grundy, aged 24, of Pennine Grove in Leigh, appeared at Bolton Crown Court for sentence yesterday. He had originally planned to stand trial on a charge of wounding Eammon McGoldrick
A MAN who hid heroin inside a cigarette packet during a police raid has been jailed for three years. Police saw Christopher Hardman, who was in the garden, throw a cigarette packet away. When they retrieved the packet, they found a small plastic bag inside
ENGLAND'S crushing innings victory over Pakistan underlined again the revival of Test cricket in this country. Meanwhile, the county game trundles along and club cricket continues to prosper thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of players, clubmen
DETECTIVES were today waiting to question a man who was injured when an explosion at a take-away ripped through two shops and badly damaged a third early today. Emergency services were called to the Hina Takeaway and Restaurant on Bank Top, near King
A JURY took just half an hour to find a man known at school as "Gunshot" guilty of the execution-style murder of Iain McKay. Imtiaz Hussain, 22, of Walpole Street, Burnley, will be formally sentenced by Judge Maurice Kay at Preston Crown Court tomorrow
EWOOD chief Graeme Souness has made his first signing of the summer after swooping for Clyde centre back Gordon Greer. As we revealed some weeks ago, Souness decided to make a move for the highly-rated defender after he impressed in a recent trial spell
MIDFIELD kingpin David Dunn today backed Martin Taylor to make a big impact on the international front as the Rovers duo prepare to take on Mexico at Filbert Street tomorrow. Taylor received his first ever call-up to Howard Wilkinson's England Under 21
IAIN McKay was blasted to death with a single shot to the back of his head at the entrance to a car park on a dirt track leading to a remote farm. The car park in Netherwood Road is used by walkers, joggers and country lovers during the day and by courting
IAIN McKay was a well-liked, hard-working man and a good neighbour. He was a Burnley football fanatic and a keen pool player and treasurer of a local pool league. He had also been involved in the rescue of a pensioner from a house fire. But he also had
THE 'Owl man' of Trawden has rescued scores of maimed and injured birds over several years admits he works just to feed and keep his birds. Father-of-two Andrew Rushton had 20 owls and hawks which he keeps in aviaries in the garden of his semi-detached
of peckish Paddy His free butties impress tractor driver SHOPKEEPER Ray Brunt is number one for generosity and customer service, reckons groundsman Paddy Mulcahy. When hunger pangs struck, Paddy decided to nip in to the nearest shop in the hope of procuring
PARISHIONERS at a village church face attending worship behind locked doors, after thieves sneaked in and stole cash from the collection plate. Rev Ian Robertson, vicar of the parish of St John's and St Augustine's CE, today said the fact they had been
A FARMER today pleaded for his animals to be sacrificed in order to stop the spread of the latest foot and mouth outbreak to neighbouring farms. Dairy farmer Peter Billows says he would rather see his animals slaughtered than risk the disease spreading
LIFELONG Clarets fan Steve Taylor will be a key player in tonight's European Champions League final at the San Siro Stadium. Taylor is head groundsman at the Milan venue which hosts the clash between Bayern Munich and last season's beaten finalists Valencia
THE Jennings Ribblesdale League has so far avoided the threat of any clubs breaking away to join a proposed second division to the Northern Premier League. The NPL has advertised for clubs to apply to join a new second tier to meet the ECB's criteria
THE scorecards from the weekend's games. EARBY 145-8 BAXENDEN 216-4 Earby 0 pts Baxenden 5 pts BAXENDEN Harvey not out ... 147 D Usher c Pickles b Sedman ... 19 S Payne b Scholefield ... 18 M Rishton run out ... 11 P Usher run out ... 4 S Edmondson not
AN undercover policeman told a jury how he helped catch members of a robbery gang who snatched £6.6 million. The officer -- known as 'Barry' -- posed as a disgruntled security guard to infiltrate the group suspected of a raid on Salford's Midland Bank
THE appalling case of 21-year-old mother Joanne Chambers -- staggering about in a drunken stupor and bumping into cars as she pushed a 16-month-old child about a busy Railway Road in Blackburn town centre -- resulted in her receiving an 18-month community
THE name 'Hyndburn' that the East Lancashire borough was given when local government reform in 1974 sucked in the surrounding old urban districts into an enlarged unit based on Accrington means little or nothing to folk outside our region. So much so
A £1.2 million investment is set to breathe new life into a historic part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Burnley. Nelson-based NEL Construction has secured a deal with British Waterways to redevelop derelict Mile Wharf into a flourishing commercial
A £1.2 million investment is set to breathe new life into a historic part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Burnley. Nelson-based NEL Construction has secured a deal with British Waterways to redevelop derelict Mile Wharf into a flourishing commercial
RECORD British signing £19m man Ruud Van Nistelrooy is set to make one of his first Manchester United appearances at Bury's Gigg Lane. Dutch hitman Van Nistelrooy is almost certain to turn out for the champions when Sir Alex Ferguson sends a full-strength
A DARWEN company's bid for a prestigious national safety award is signed, sealed and delivered. Bosses from Chapman Envelopes representatives collected the British Safety Council award at a glittering ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel. Sir Neville
WE need your support -- that's the message from the organisers of Darwen's annual gala. Preparations for the August 18 event in Borough Road are in full swing and the full line up will be announced in the next month. People are urged to get involved in
BIRTHDAY boy Scott McKenna literally got his fingers burnt when he visited a popular playground. And today his concerned grandma, Elizabeth McKenna, criticised youngsters for starting a fire close to climbing frames at the park off Olive Lane, Darwen.
IT ISN'T known for its fierce rivalries but the otherwise serene world of the brass band is likely to get a lot more interesting for one couple. After winning promotion via the runners-up spot, rather like Blackburn Rovers this season, the Haslingden
THREE more charities have benefited from the work of Leigh Soroptimists. The group has had a very successful year and boosted funds to help worthy causes. Members recently presented a further £1,200 to the trio of causes -- £250 for Caring for Carers,
the safest borough' WIGAN is the safest borough in Greater Manchester, according to Community Safety Partnership delegates who have met to discuss practical approaches to crime. Wigan Council hosted an Action Planning Day at the Wigan Investment Centre
DETECTIVES were today waiting to question a man who was injured when an explosion at a take-away ripped through two shops and badly damaged a third early today. Emergency services were called to the Hina Takeaway and Restaurant on Bank Top, near King
FIRST Division play-off finalists Preston will resist any attempts by Manchester City to lure manager David Moyes away from Deepdale. Moyes is the bookies favourite to replace Joe Royle, dismissed by City on Monday after three-and-a-half years in charge
Sale of Goods, Lower Darwen Primary School, Milking Lane, Lower Darwen, 6.30pm. St Theresa's Church Charity Shop, Lords Street West, Blackburn, 10am-4pm. L'Ascension by Olivier Messiaen -- performed by Jeffrey Makinson, Blackburn Cathedral, 9pm. Mercury
MUCH is being said about the banning of our national flag on car number plates, but I wonder what Joe Soap on the Continent thinks. As one of the least patriotic countries in Europe, with the majority not knowing the date of St George's Day and many not
IS it not time for us English to get off our knees and tell the rest of the world: "You are lucky to have us?" For England's contribution to the advancement of civilisation; the rule of law, free speech, a free press, religious freedom, political and
REGARDING the recent meeting of proprietors of local care homes with Ribble Valley Tory Nigel Evans, it saddens that government policy is now to keep people in their own homes and not to fund where there is need. Each case needs to be looked at very carefully
POSTAL workers were on the brink of walking out as a dispute escalated today. Hundreds of staff at Farnworth's sorting office are being talked into staying at work by the Communication Workers Union. Emotions are said to be running high at the depot in
BURY youngsters will be given a passport to a series of planned activities under a dynamic new scheme to be launched in June. Passport 2002 will give 11-18-year-olds in Bury a chance to travel free within their local area to take part in activities. The
LEIGH RMI admit they are prepared to sell England international Steve Jones but not at a knock-down price. It will cost any interested clubs well in excess of £100,000 to sign him. The flying winger, who caused panic to so many Conference defences last
POSTAL workers were on the brink of walking out as a dispute escalated today. Hundreds of staff at Farnworth's sorting office are being talked into staying at work by the Communication Workers Union. Emotions are said to be running high at the depot in
ROVERS YOUTH 3 ARSENAL YOUTH 1 (Arsenal win 6-3 on aggregate) Walters 13, Morgan 42, Danns 60 Svard 45 ROVERS restored some much-needed pride after a passionate display of true East Lancashire grit left Arsenal's foreign army running for cover at Ewood
A JURY took just half an hour to find a man known at school as "Gunshot" guilty of the execution-style murder of Iain McKay. Imtiaz Hussain, 22, of Walpole Street, Burnley, will be formally sentenced by Judge Maurice Kay at Preston Crown Court tomorrow
A DEVASTATED family are appealing for help in tracing the thug who shot dead their pet dog. Stanley, an 18-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier cross, belonging to Schehan Connerford had only been on the grass in front of his Curzon Street, Colne, at
LESLEY RICHARDS hears a special school express pride in the success of its pupils PUPILS with behavioural difficulties are celebrating success at a school which residents tried to stop opening. They didn't want emotionally disturbed children being educated
TAXES will now be collected at a village police station, after an armed robbery at the local council office. Ribble Valley Borough Council is opening an office inside Longridge Police Station to provide a permanent dry place for people to come and pay
BURNLEY'S Football in the Community Programme is holding a number of soccer schools in the half-term holiday next week. The dates and venues are: Turf Moor leisure centre, May 28, 29, 30; Benjamin Hargreaves CP, Accrington, May 28, 29; Turf Moor leisure
CLARETS defender Gordon Armstrong has agreed the terms of a new contract to keep him at Turf Moor. The 33-year-old former skipper finished last season in inspired form as he partnered Steve Davis in the heart of the defence to help Burnley clinch seventh
BOTH of Settle's scheduled Jennings Ribblesdale League fixtures this weekend have been postponed as the club finds itself in the grip of the foot and mouth crisis. And first-team skipper Andy Davidson fears the whole league programme could be affected
THE pious plea to politicians by the Bishop of Burnley, the Right Rev John Goddard, to cut out the spin and personal slurs if they want to stop the slide in the number of people bothering to vote seems based on an assumption that many people regard this
EWOOD chief Graeme Souness has made his first signing of the summer after swooping for Clyde centre back Gordon Greer. As we revealed some weeks ago, Souness decided to make a move for the highly-rated defender after he impressed in a recent trial spell
CLARETS defender Gordon Armstrong has agreed the terms of a new contract to keep him at Turf Moor. The 33-year-old former skipper finished last season in inspired form as he partnered Steve Davis in the heart of the defence to help Burnley clinch seventh
A LANCASHIRE frozen pizza maker has become the market leader in the UK within the space of just 10 years. Schwan - better known for its leading brands Chicago Town Pizza and Freschetta - is now one of Leyland's largest employers with more than 400 staff
ROSSENDALE'S longest-serving working men's club official has had his efforts rewarded with a gold badge and watch. Newly-retired Charlie Chamberlain is in his 70th year and has held committee positions with the Club and Institute Union for 47 years. He
for a top national award Tommy Cunningham with one of his championship-winning canaries A FEATHERED Pavarotti earned top awards for canary champ Tommy Cunningham writes Brian Gomm Tommy, from Atherton, is the cat's whiskers when it comes to roller canaries
LANCASHIRE Police are working with schools and colleges to promote road safety. Cheryl Hill, senior road policing adviser, said: the police were working together with local authorities to bring down the number of accidents on the county's roads. She said
Postal services in East Lancashire could be affected by wildcat strike action that is spreading throughout the country. Deliveries were made as normal today in Blackburn, Burnley and other neighbouring towns as postal workers turned up for duty. But a
A HIGH technology business, created out of the remnants of the once-mighty Royal Ordnance empire in Blackburn, has been officially opened by Home Secretary Jack Straw. A multi-million-pound investment by BA Systems has guaranteed the future of about 100
A HIGH technology business, created out of the remnants of the once-mighty Royal Ordnance empire in Blackburn, has been officially opened by Home Secretary Jack Straw. A multi-million-pound investment by BA Systems has guaranteed the future of about 100
NELSON officials will be watching with bated breath tonight as the promotion decider between Castleton and Atherton LR is replayed. Atherton lost the original match on Saturday which meant Nelson pipped them to the second promotion slot in the NWCL Division
NEIL Hodgson's GSE Ducati team have been working round the clock in their bid to help the Burnley rider emulate last year's success at Donington Park. The 27-year-old won one of the races last year as a wild card entry en route to becoming British Superbike
PADIHAM striker Lee Chambers will be taking any penalties, all the free kicks and going all out for goal tonight in their final game of the NWCL Division Two match against Bacup at West View (7.45). Chambers has 31 goals this season and needs six tonight
A MAN, aged 30, is being questioned by police after he was found at the scene of a blaze which ripped through an empty house. Fire crews spent more than four hours at the house in Walmersley Road, Bury, after being alerted to the outbreak at 4am today
