AMID an uneasy calm in the aftermath of the weekend of alarming violence that has shocked East Lancashire, it is vital that the authorities and all sides of the community act swiftly and firmly to ensure there is no repeat or spread of the lawless disorder
THE newly appointed chief executive of the University for Industry Learn Direct visited Blackburn College. Ann Limb, currently principal of Cambridge College, called in to the college's Learn Direct Centre before taking up her new post at the beginning
FIREFIGHTERS took just four-and-a-half minutes to set a world record and boost Leigh Parish Church tower rebuilding fund. A team of 10 members of White Watch from Leigh Fire Station look set to rewrite the Guinness Book of Records after successfully lighting
VANDALS have desecrated a war memorial by daubing it with swear words and a number seven in a sick tribute to Manchester United ace David Beckham. Now war veterans and community leaders have joined together to condemn the actions. In the most recent attack
A LACK of communication has been blamed for industrial action at BAE System's Warton site. Workers on the Tornado programme at the plant near Preston stopped production for an hour last Thursday after walking out of the factory. Workers have been worried
POLICE and council leaders have called an emergency meeting for today. It will also bring together community leaders to discuss recent events, their causes and ways of resolving the tensions and resulting violence throughout the area.
DEPUTY mayor Rafique Malik said Asians had told him they were angry and had little confidence in the police. After Saturday's incident, Coun Malik tried to reason with groups of youngsters and said: "I told them that what they were doing was
THE landlady at the centre of the violence told today how her young children screamed in terror and customers ran for cover as her pub came under attack from a gang of stone-throwing youths. Marie Coulston, licensee of the Duke of York at Duke
THE widow of a man crushed to death in an horrific works accident welcomed the £100,000 fine imposed on his employers. Smurfit UK admitted failing to ensure the safety of workers and particularly Ian Holgate who was dragged into unguarded rollers on a
RESIDENTS in the Colne Road area of Burnley - scene of the Duke of York firebombing - today described the weekend's events as predictable. Members of both the white community and the Asian community in the area said it had only been a matter of time before
COMMUNITY and church leaders were today appealing for calm after a weekend of racial violence in Burnley. The Bishops of Blackburn and Burnley were among those calling for an end to the troubles which saw a pub burned out, shops wrecked in
IT was business as usual today for a Colne felt manufacturing business despite the offices being badly damaged by fire yesterday. Firefighters spent more than four hours tackling a fire in part of Janesville Products, Spring Gardens Mill, Spring Gardens
COLNE Gala returned in style as crowds flocked to the new-look event. Although the gala lost its traditional home and major parade through the town, it still found huge support from visitors at its new Holt House Rugby Club venue. The Gala Fun Day returned
FEATURING three works by the very best of our country's composers, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Walton, in the hands of that wizard from Wales, conductor Owain Arwel Hughes, the Halle showed the masterpieces off to perfection. Opening with Vaughan Williams's
RESIDENTS in a Ribble Valley town won their battle over a Vodafone mast eyesore. The telecommunications mast, which was erected without permission at Inglewhite Road, Longridge, was forced to be removed after Ribble Valley borough councillors had refused
A MAN remains critical four days after colliding with a Blackburn single-decker bus . David Mellelieu, 31, of Persia Street, Accrington, stepped out from the kerb on Blackburn Road, Accrington, as he was going home, to his partner Pat Goodwin and eight-year-old
A 35 year old man threw away a bag containing £160 worth of heroin when he was chased by police. Burnley Crown Court heard how Masood Acthar, who also had £200 cash on him, told police he had no connection with the drugs at all and the money was what
AN MP is to meet police chiefs over their "unacceptable" handling of burglary victims. In a speech to the House of Commons Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "Hyndburn constituents were angry at the poor service they received from the police after being burgled
TWO councillors are demanding police action against drivers using a pedestrianised road as a short-cut. Stan Horne and George Griffiths are fuming that people are constantly ignoring the prohibition order on Blackburn Road, Accrington, which runs in front
VANDALS have desecrated a war memorial by daubing it with swear words and a number seven in a sick tribute to Manchester United ace David Beckham. Now war veterans and community leaders have joined together to condemn the actions. In the most recent attack
ROYAL Marine Commando Scott James Farquhar, caught short after leaving a Whalley nightclub, urinated in full view of members of the public and a police patrol. Blackburn magistrates heard that the 23-year-old soldier had been "desperate" to go but was
BACUP professional Shaun Young can do no wrong at Lanehead after guiding his side into the final of the Worsley Cup with an 11-run win over Burnley. The Australian is already on course to repeat what Adam Dale did last season and guide Bacup to the Transco
GRAHAM Lloyd only made 15 on his return to the Lancashire side under the Old Trafford floodlights on Saturday - but he still won them the match. Lloyd, who has not played a Championship match all season and had been left out of Lightning's last three
BACUP remain on course for a league and cup double but had to survive a late scare at Burnley in the Worsley Cup semi-final yesterday. After beating Transco Lancashire League leaders Rishton on Saturday, the Lanehead side are confident they can regain
A LOOK at the local cricket leagues. Ramsbottom warmed up for their Worsley Cup semi-final clash with a maximum points win over Burnley which lifted them off the foot of the table. And again Mark Dentith was in the runs as he chalked up the first of two
CONCERN was growing today (Monday) for the safety of an elderly woman who went missing from her home in Blackpool yesterday (June 24). Vera Hope, aged 77, was last seen at 11.30am on June 24 when she left her home on Preston New Road to go for a walk.
A 32-YEAR-OLD man has appeared in court charged with three offences of rape alleged to have taken place in Accrington, one in September and two in January. John Aspinall, 32, is also charged with assaulting the same person, causing actual bodily harm,
ROVERS defender Stig Inge Bjornebye will be fit to kick-off Blackburn's pre-season programme as he bids to hold off the increased competition for his left-back role. The Norwegian international missed the final four games of Rovers' promotion triumph
North End officials have defended the increase in season ticket prices for next season. The increases have been criticised by some fans, especially oap's, who feel the rises are too steep. But North End chief executive Tony Scholes told season ticket
THE Eurofighter project, on which thousands of East Lancashire engineering jobs depend, has completed another major milestone in its development. BAE SYSTEMS has successfully tested its advanced missile systems during weapons trials in southern Sardinia
A NEW website is to launched by the East Lancashire Business Environment Association to help spread the message that going green can save money. The website -- www.EastLancashireBEA.co .uk -- will go live on Wednesday , will provide its 400 members with
MARKET traders have helped brighten up Darwen town centre after a collection to buy new hanging baskets. The whip round was organised by market attendants who collected £56 after stall holders donated £2 each. The money has been used to buy seven hanging
A ONE-DAY course for would-be sports leaders will be held in Darwen tomorrow. The Junior Sport Leader Award (JSLA) and Community Sport Leader Award (CSLA) are run by the British Sports Trust and the one-day tuition day will provide an introduction to
A PLASTERER abandoned his car in the fast lane of a motorway in darkness and it led to a Darwen woman sustaining horrific injuries. Preston Crown Court was told that a series of accidents inevitably happened. Kathryn Gottweis, now 21, a passenger in a
NINE YEAR OLD Michelle Kight calls herself a bookworm and she's not far wrong having read 85 books to earn a special award. Michelle, from Bacup, is in year four at Sharneyford Primary School in Bacup. Children's librarian for Rossendale and Hyndburn
FILMING is well under way in Rossendale for a new emotionally charged two-part thriller Blood Strangers featuring popular actress Caroline Quentin. Cameras were rolling in Edgeside Park last week and will be moving on to the Pennine Road Estate, where
TWO teenagers who took part in violence in which two men were injured within the space of a few days have both paid the price with their freedom. Burnley Crown Court heard how a Haslingden 16-year-old and Rashid Khan, 19, were involved in street fracas
A YOUTH who pooled resources with another man to buy the potentially lethal drug ecstasy has paid the price with nine months in prison. Burnley Crown Court heard how Allan Parry, 24, had 40 tablets of the drug underneath a single bed at home and claimed
NEARLY a million pieces of junk mail are received each year by the relatives of East Lancashire people who have died, a survey has revealed. And the mailshots are costing UK business more than £53 million a year. Data specialist the REaD Group is tackling
FEARS were growing today that one of Blackburn's most historic veterans' associations could fold. Membership of the Blackburn branch of the Royal British Legion has dramatically decreased over the last few years from an estimated 300 to just over a third
A BURGLAR who was released from prison just before Christmas resorted to his old tricks two months later. The return to crime landed father-of-two Paul Thornley a sentence of four years and five months. Thornley, 26, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty
SURVIVAL in the Second Division is the first aim for Blackpool's management team who will have to prove the bookies wrong to mount a second successive promotion bid. Pool assistant Mark Seagraves admits the first task for the Tangerines is to make sure
The Bible Experience, Bethesda Chapel, Shakespeare Way, Bank Top, Blackburn, 9.30am-4pm and 7-9pm. Until Friday. BARSA Driving Course, Blackburn Northern Sports Club, Pleckgate Road, Blackburn, 8pm. Week Four -- motorway driving. Jazz Jamboree at The
A 56-year-old man was seen staggering across a busy Blackburn town centre road less than two hours after police had picked him up off the floor and told him to go home. Blackburn magistrates heard that this time, when approached by the officers in Railway
COMMUNITY and church leaders were today appealing for calm after a weekend of racial violence in Burnley. The Bishops of Blackburn and Burnley were among those calling for an end to the troubles which saw a pub burned out, shops wrecked in
ROVERS defender Stig Inge Bjornebye will be fit to kick-off Blackburn's pre-season programme as he bids to hold off the increased competition for his left-back role. The Norwegian international missed the final four games of Rovers' promotion triumph
A PRESTON man could be the next millionaire of the motor racing world thanks to his revolutionary new 'pit board' that is being tested by top Formula 1 racing teams. Steve Whalley, a technician at the Royal Preston Hospital, came up with the design after
BAE Systems has said the production of the Eurofighter has passed three major milestones. The plant in Warton, Preston, is responsible for part of the production of the advanced aircraft, currently being tested in Southern Sardinia. The Eurofighter DA7
RESEARCH workers are to get £5,000 to study the history of the area's notorious witches. The Lancashire Witch Project, based at Lancashire Museum in Stanley Street, Preston, is one of several groups to benefit from a new lottery scheme which starts in
AN employment tribunal at a Liverpool court collapsed on Tuesday after the Preston applicant failed to turn up for the hearing. William Allison had claimed he was the victim of racial discrimination after being unfairly dismissed from his job with Preston
ONE of Lancashire's leading churchman has accused schools of being embarrassed by their religion. The Rt Rev Alan Chesters, Bishop of Blackburn, was speaking at the diocesan synod gathering at a Leyland school. The Bishop, who is chairman of the church's
LOCAL soldiers serving in Northern Ireland are celebrating after reaching the half-way point of their over-seas tour. Five hundred troops from the First Battalion of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, which has its headquarters at Fulwood Barracks, have
BURNLEY MP Peter Pike appealed for calm today and urged white and Asian youths to stay off the streets. The veteran Labour backbencher is to consult with police chiefs and the council as a matter of urgency on what can be done to prevent further disturbances
FORMER councillor Frank Hartley will become the first Freeman of Pendle borough at a meeting on Thursday. The former mill worker from Nelson served on the council for 45 years before standing down last year. The Labour stalwart had an unbroken record
THE Lancashire Constabulary Rugby League side fell at the final hurdle in the National Police Competition. Despite a determined performance they were unable to overcome a bigger more experienced West Yorkshire side boasting 11 current British Police squad
The University of Central Lancashire is to host its first ever Junior Open Tennis Tournament at the Preston Sports Arena on Tom Benson Way. The tournament will run from July 29 to August 4 and cater for players aged eight to 16. Jan Peace, development
DESPITE money being short that year as a trade depression dragged on for months, thousands of Blackburn folk still had enough put by to afford a day trip to Blackpool as the town's two-day September holiday began 80 years ago -- and, as the Northern Daily
BUS passenger Emma Dalby suffered a cut head and fractured ribs in an accident in Harrison Drive, Colne. Mrs Dalby, 85, was standing waiting to get off the bus when the driver braked. She fell foward banging her head on a safety rail. The accident happened
A HOME OFFICE pathologist was called in after a man repairing his house came across a pile of bones when he opened up a cavity wall in his home in Bolton Road, Blackburn. Pathologist Dr Bill Lawler examined the bones. He was able to tell the police they
TWO teenagers appeared at a special Saturday remand court charged with a double attack which left 32-year-old Andrew Myerscough fighting for his life. The boys, aged 16 and 15, and both from Accrington, are charged with wounding Mr Myerscough with intent
POLICE have today renewed their appeal for information in a bid to catch a group of five who robbed the Queen Street Filling Station, Great Harwood, and made off with cash in a metallic silver grey BMW. The vehicle was registered H465 BYS. The gang are
HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope has intervened in the row of the allocation of primary school places in Lancashire, urging education ministers to "get a grip." Mr Pope spoke out in the House of Commons after the Lancashire Evening Telegraph revealed the plight
STANDING in the middle of a barren patch of wasteground right in the centre of Accrington on a cold June afternoon, it is hard to envisage hundreds of people flocking here in 12 months time when the new cinema complex opens. For Emma Allardice, the 14
BLACKPOOL moved comfortably into the third round of the Thwaites Lancashire Cricket Knockout on Sunday when they beat Ribblesdale Wanderers by 38 runs. There were only two blots on the Blackpool landscape, Richard Lamb, caught at slip by Davies off professional
SURVIVAL in the Second Division is the first aim for Blackpool's management team who will have to prove the bookies wrong to mount a second successive promotion bid. Pool assistant Mark Seagraves admits the first task for the Tangerines is to make sure
CLARETS boss Stan Ternent is backing Gareth Taylor to confirm his credentials as a top First Division striker after finally concluding the signing of the Manchester City front man. The 28-year-old has agreed a three-year deal at Turf Moor to become Ternent's
PAUL Tilbury returned from his wedding to help Earby to victory in their Jennings Ramsbottom Cup. The Applegarth side were struggling after losing early wickets against Padiham but Tilbury, who was married the previous day, smashed an impressive 46 to
DARWEN marched into the final of the Nuffield Cup thanks to a convincing 69 run victory over Lancaster at Lune Road on Sunday. Gareth Cordingley and Keith Semple took the attack apart in a devastating 143 run partnership. Both batsmen returned to their
A TEENAGER was fighting for his life after crashing a car in Poulton in the early hours on Monday (June 25). Stuart Fleming, aged 19, of Brockholes Crescent, Poulton-le-Fylde, lost control of his car at the junction of Hardhorn Road and Highcross Road
CLARETS boss Stan Ternent is backing Gareth Taylor to confirm his credentials as a top First Division striker after finally concluding the signing of the Manchester City front man. The 28-year-old has agreed a three-year deal at Turf Moor to become Ternent's
MEMBERS of the Darwen-based Mid-Lancashire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers, have donated a hand-made banner to the New Methodist Church, in Blackburn Road, Darwen. They have spent the last 12 months making the showpiece, which measures 6ft by 8ft
A VETERAN association today appealed for new recruits to step forward and help save the day. Over the last 12 months the Darwen branch of the Royal British Legion has lost two of its main poppy appeal committee members. Treasurer Jack Lee died last year
WENDY Parsons stole a leg of lamb from a Darwen store so she could pay for her seven year old son to go on a school trip. Blackburn magistrates heard it was an act of desperation by Parsons who had no money after her benefits were stopped through no fault
A COMMUNITY dog walking event will be held on Saturdayas part of an artist's work in the village of Summerseat. Four artists have been working in the picturesque community in recent months as part of a project funded through the Irwell Sculpture Trail
BAPTIST parishioner Val Cook will be Kosovo-bound at the end of next month when she leaves to help people in the country rebuild their lives. Val, 37, runs her own interior design business Valerie Ann, in Crawshawbooth, and is a member of Sion Baptist
ROSSENDALE Carnival was the "best ever" with hundreds joining the parade and thousands packing Bacup town centre. Organiser and Town Crier Peter Gill expressed delight with the carnival which he said was the best yet. "The centre was thronged with happy
A 53-YEAR-OLD mother of two has realised a dream after being awarded an MBA in Education Management from Lincoln and Humberside University. Jackie McGready, of Quebec Street Blackburn, said the course was "a challenge". She studied from home for three
A MAN with an addiction to drugs who resorted to committing crime against his own family, has been jailed for four years. Stephen Veale, 28, of Lancaster Street, Blackburn, had been committed to Preston Crown Court for sentence by Blackburn magistrates
LANCASHIRE ambulances turned out to nearly all emergency calls last year, despite a record number of requests. And the service is set to improve further with the news that all its ambulances are to be fitted with satellite navigation systems by March
A £200,000 scheme to put Blackburn's public halls back on the major concert map has been completed. The floor of King George's Hall has been strengthened to allow standing concerts featuring famous rock and pop acts. And at the same time Blakeys Cafe
PAUL Dwyer is back in the top 15 in the Order of Merit on the European Challenge Tour. The 27-year-old Clitheroe-attached professional finished seventh at the Luxembourg Open. A top 15 finish will guarantee Dwyer a European Tour card for next season.
GOALKEEPER Rachel Brown was an unused substitute as England were disappointingly held to a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the 2001 European Championships finals. Russia were said to be the weak link of the Group A teams which include hosts and defending
NOT since Lech Walesa has anyone more deserved the title Mr Superpole more than Neil Hodgson. But, while the Polish people's champion had the backing of his country when overthrowing the communist regime, the Burnley rider must feel like the world is
NICK Dougherty would have pocketed almost £8,000 at the Great North Open -- had he been a pro. The Shaw Hill amateur finished joint 39th -- the best performance from an amateur -- with a two-under-par total of 70, 73, 72, 71 at the European Tour event
North End officials have defended the increase in season ticket prices for next season. The increases have been criticised by some fans, especially oap's, who feel the rises are too steep. But North End chief executive Tony Scholes told season ticket
