LANCASHIRE is truly a wonderful county for those interested in wildlife. In the last few days I have visited Wycoller and Mere Sands Wood, both being easy to get to but a complete contrast. Many will remember when Wycoller was accurately described as
A MAN has appeared before Blackburn magistrates, charged with indecently assaulting two eight-year-old girls as they played in Corporation Park. Ansar Ali, 23, of Taunton Road, Blackburn, was ordered to stand trial at Preston Crown Court on two charges
LANCASHIRE firefighters were today hopeful of a solution to their pay dispute after a massive show of support at a rally in London. Around 900 firefighters from the north west travelled to take part in the event, staged by the Fire Brigade Union. They
THE Ten Commandments required a mere 300 words; the American Declaration of Independence 1,300 words. However, the European Union regulations regarding the export of duck eggs require a staggering 26,900 words. What is the cost of all this administration
I AM writing on behalf of the Tuesday Afternoon Social Club at Mill Hill Community Centre in Blackburn to express our feelings regarding the article by Eric Leaver, about our "trips" to Preston (LET, May 29). We are a group of ladies and gentlemen who
ONCE again British and American diplomats are on their way to south Asia to save the world from the potential nuclear fall-out over Kashmir. During the Kargil conflict in 1999, both sides were saved by the intervention from the Clinton administration.
A VICE girl from Leigh was warned three times about her behaviour before finally being arrested in a police crackdown on prostitution. Denise Charlotte Griffiths, aged 25, was spotted loitering on the corner of Breightmet Street and River Street in April
HOW many thousands of Lancastrians will be appalled by the County Council's policy on the red rose 'logo' which we have known and identified with for countless years being changed, without proper consultation of the "politburo's" constituents? (LET, June
JUBILANT supporters enjoyed a breakfast-time party today after England moved through to the next round of the World Cup. Pubs and workplaces across East Lancashire were filled with smiling faces as Sven's boys did the business in Japan. Eve Fitzhenry,
ENGLAND face a Saturday lunchtime clash with Denmark after a nail-biting goal-less draw with Nigeria left them in second place in Group F. Sweden knocked out Argentina, but only just after a draw 1-1 left them top of the group and an early Sunday morning
NELSON Cuevas and Jorge Campos came off the bench to drag Paraguay into the last 16 of the World Cup. Cuevas scored twice, including the all-important final goal with six minutes left, and Campos added the other as Paraguay rallied past Group B foe Slovenia
GREAT news for fans of Miami Vice and soft rock crooner Michael Bolton - Senegal have reached the last 16 of the World Cup. Their French coach Bruno Metsu has inspired a whole retro fashion movement in the office as the sports desk arrived en masse yesterday
A GOALLESS draw for England against Nigeria was enough to put them through to the second round of the World Cup, and a draw for Sweden in the other game sees Argentina go home. In a tight and tense game in Osaka there were few chances for either side,
BLACKBURN Rovers supporters wishing to secure their seat for the next Premiership campaign and pay by direct debit, have only until Saturday to fill out the appropriate application form. To avoid disappointment, fans are urged to post early or visit the
ROVERS striker Matt Jansen returned to England last night and immediately promised fans: "I'll be fit and ready for the start of the season." Jansen spent eight days in a Rome hospital after an accident a week last Sunday and he has been grateful for
A RETIRED business professor has received a special award for excellence from a leading academic publisher. Professor Brian Kenny, from Burnley, received the award from the Bradford based MCB University Press - now trading as Emerald Journals for his
TWELVE people were arrested in dawn drug raids in Burnley today as police swooped on 14 addresses as England prepared to kick off against Nigeria. More than 200 officers including some drafted in from neighbouring forces took part in the raids, which
YOUNG football fans returned to their desks today after watching England's nail-biting World Cup clash against Nigeria over a special school breakfast. Schools across the area opened their doors early to allow pupils to catch the team's victory in the
A SPECTACULAR early morning balloon display launched the official countdown to one of Burnley's biggest festivals. Up to 30,000 people are expected to converge on the town in August for the north west's only balloon festival of the year. The event, planned
CHART-TOPPING band Chumbawamba today launched an attack on the BNP after announcing they would play an Anti Nazi League concert in Burnley for free. And the lead singer of the band, who stormed to number one with their anthem Tubthumping, has called on
A LOCAL woman, Mrs Barber, is gathering articles and photos for the Exhibition in Church which runs during the week of the Worsthorne Arts and Crafts. The exhibition will celebrate 50 years of village life and sports and leisure in the area. Photos, postcards
The finishing touches are being put to two Golden Jubilee year events in Blacko. Burnley Football Club's mascots Bertie Bee and Bumble Bee will open the village fete at 2pm on Saturday. It will be staged on the recreation ground and include the return
A PENDLE farmer yesterday played host to Welsh visitors to show he was on the way back after foot and mouth but revealed fears of a new outbreak if vigilance was relaxed. Norman Nutter, of Sabden Old Hall Farm, Sabden Fold, invited representatives from
RESIDENTS of West Craven will be able to add to their practical skills this week and next when Nelson and Colne College holds two bitesize courses in the area. Four hour-long courses in creative cushion-making, cartoon drawing, learning skills and the
THE battle to save Lancashire's care homes today went to Downing Street -- while council leaders in the county received two huge petitions showing the strength of feeling against the closures. A delegation of care home campaigners was due outside Britain's
ICE CREAM and hot snack seller Geoff Hindle was battling to provide a continental-style eating area outside Darwen market. The council said his rent would have to increase by 700 per cent according to market rates.
ACCRINGTON is to get one of the controversial Job Centre Plus offices which bring together social security staff and jobcentres together under one roof. The new offices were at the centre of national strike action last year when staff argued that they
A CLITHEROE sailor who caused the death of a navy friend in a car crash is at the centre of a legal row after walking free from court. But a question mark now hangs over Anthony John Caine's future in the navy, after he admitted causing death by dangerous
BURNLEY'S fans have been banned from travelling to Millwall next season amid police concerns about crowd trouble. But Turf Moor chiefs are considering whether to appeal against the ban while supporters have hit out angrily at the decision. The club is
SPARE a thought for the taxpayers in Rossendale whose high-spending council has been branded the worst in the country. While Rossendale smarts from the condemnation of the Government's value-for-money watchdog and is ranked 237th out of 237 similar councils
TALK about mental! Here we have our elected representatives ensconced with a head shrink and being asked about what stuff they associate with Lancashire - hotpot, says one - as County Hall chiefs strive for an emblem that clicks with folk. Yet out in
A REVOLUTIONARY pillow developed by Clitheroe entrepreneur Mick Robinson is set to change the face of travelling. The JetRest is soft, light, comfortable and supportive, and is taking the travel industry by storm. "The traditional travel pillow is normally
RYDER SYSTEMS has come a long way since it was set up in a rented room in Burnley back in 1998. Paul Haworth was the archetypical entrepreneur who spotted the opportunity to computerise information on telephone calls. Today, the company is the European
IN 1890, A SMALL SHOP opened in the centre of Rawtenstall with a simple mission - to wean the town's drunkards away from the perils of drink by providing non-alcoholic alternatives Fitzpatrick's was part of the temperance movement which swept through
ENGLAND face a Saturday lunchtime clash with Denmark after a nail-biting goal-less draw with Nigeria left them in second place in Group F. Sweden knocked out Argentina, but only just after a draw 1-1 left them top of the group and an early Sunday morning
A GREAT-grandfather who was one of the first people to convert vans into "people carriers" will be closing up his motor accessory business after 52 years. Reg Skilton opened his business Skilton's, in Railway Street, Ramsbottom, in 1950 when his father
A 59-YEAR-OLD Blackburn man turned to cannabis to ease the pain that prescription drugs were failing to cope with. Blackburn magistrates heard that instead of getting his "medication" from street dealers John Paul Brook decided to grow his own. Brook,
THE former deputy leader of Lancashire County Council submitted fictitious expenses after masterminding the election of a Labour MP, a court was told. Frank McKenna, who was also the leader of the council's Labour group and a member of the North West
SOME of Hyndburn's poorest neighbourhoods are to benefit from more than £1million of lottery money. The windfall comes through Fair Share -- a partnership between the Community Fund (CF) and the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) that targets areas that have
A COUNCIL criticised last year for not visiting 'at risk' children was today attacked for not publishing information about its work with vulnerable youngsters. Performance indicators last September revealed that just 11 per cent of the 213 children on
CARL Fogarty unveiled the brand new Foggy Petronas Racing bike yesterday and vowed: "We want to be the best." At a lavish lunch in London the motorsport world gathered to see what the Foggy Petronas Racing team that the greatest rider of them all has
PARENTS have been left fuming after a school closed its doors until 10am today to allow pupils to watch the England match. Coney Green High School in Radcliffe cancelled the first class of the day and postponed an internal exam which should have started
THERE are very few places in England where you can still see red squirrels in the wild but Mere Sands Wood is one of them. It is situated half a mile out of Rufford village on the B5246 Holmeswood to Southport Road. The wood is owned and managed by the
BUNTING from six national flags was made by children as part of half term Commonwealth Games celebrations. Thirty children joined in the fun at Blackburn and Darwen libraries over the holidays -- flagging up a study of Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Australia
A COUNCIL criticised last year for not visiting 'at risk' children was today attacked for not publishing information about its work with vulnerable youngsters. Performance indicators last September revealed that just 11 per cent of the 213 children on
SPAIN swept Group B in style and, in turn, pushed South Africa out of the World Cup as they scored one fewer goal than Paraguay. Raul scored twice as Spain defeated South Africa, 3-2, and set up a second-round matchup against Ireland. The South Africans
THREE men were due to appear in court today charged with violent disorder following a racially motivated rampage in Burnley town centre after England's opening World Cup match. Kieron McCallion, 31, of Dalton Street, Burnley, Andrew Emmett, 29, of Reed
TWO East European ice dancers who have adopted Rossendale as their home will be spending most the next six months in a more unusual location . . . Blackpool Pleasure Beach. For Natalia Pestova and Alexei Kislitsyn are among the star performers in The
PLANS to use a basement at the Rainhall Drinks Company as a private club have been approved by West Craven councillors. The section of the building, in Rainhall Road, arnoldswick, is currently used for retailing and for domestic and commercial storage
PENDLE Council has decided to seek financial assistance to recommission the paddling pool in Sough Park, Colne, despite advice from officers to consider closing it down. The West Craven Committee resolved to put a temporary fence around the pool to comply
ACCRINGTON is to get one of the controversial Job Centre Plus offices which bring together social security staff and jobcentres together under one roof. The new offices were at the centre of national strike action last year when staff argued that they
THE leader of Hyndburn Council has axed question time in a bid to give more people a chance to speak on local issues. Coun Ian Ormerod said the move was part of a streamlining programme and stressed he was still available for any elected members to ask
AN occupational therapist from Clitheroe is to undertake a tough horse trek in British Columbia to raise cash for charity. Pam Toothill, who is head of occupational therapy at Clitheroe Community Hospital, plans to tackle the Chilcotin Mountain Horse
A GOALLESS draw for England against Nigeria was enough to put them through to the second round of the World Cup, and a draw for Sweden in the other game sees Argentina go home. In a tight and tense game in Osaka there were few chances for either side,
WHAT has happened to the revival of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal? In the late 1980s, the "rediscovery" of the waterway prompted a multi-million-pound programme of investment in the derelict land and buildings that lined its banks. Imaginative renovations
LEFT SCHOOL AT 16, married at 18, father of two by the age of 19 - hardly the personal entries on a CV you would expect from the boss of one of East Lancashire's largest companies. But then again, Paul Baker has never exactly conformed to the norm as
MOST people will have seen the advert on TV - that irritating American bell-boy turning up in unlikely locations with a pizza and a stomach-churning line in customer care. To me, his catchphrase "whenever" is swiftly translated to "never ever" as the
CHILDREN will turn models for a fashion show in Darwen on Friday. Clothes for youngsters aged four to 11, will be paraded at the New Methodist Church, Blackburn Road, from 7pm. The event, organised by the English Town and Country Carnival Organisation
A MANAGING director, who started his career selling Christmas tree lights, has waved goodbye to the company he managed for 31 years. John Blackall retired as head of Herbert Parkinson, Monton Road, Darwen, last Friday. He started work in 1958 as a 16-
A 39-ACRE site at Newton in Nottinghamshire will see the construction of accommodation for 750 asylum seekers and more will be created at other sites in Worcestershire and Oxfordshire. The facility at Newton has a central gone, a civic zone, a community
SWEDEN won Group F with a 1-1 draw against Argentina, the one-time favorite, who were eliminated from the 2002 World Cup. The Argentines were sent packing just a day after defending champions France also exited the tournament. Argentina put pressure on
ENGLAND'S star man against Nigeria came off the pitch this morning and vowed: "Now we prepare to face Denmark." Leeds defender Rio Ferdinand was inspired at the back in the 0-0 draw and he confessed it had been a battle with the heat as much as with the
ENGLAND ground-out a 0-0 draw against Nigeria to qualify for the second round of the World Cup, check out how the game went... In the other game full-time Swe. 1-1 Arg. Argentina are out and Sweden are through. 09:21: Full-time: Eng. 0-0 Nig. England
A £500,000 plan to encourage people to leave their cars at home and get on their bikes is being developed by the town council. The four-year scheme, which will see the development of a comprehensive network of cycle paths in the borough, is being supported
PENNINE Division's Road Policing Unit will be among the local organisations taking part in a series of events designed to promote child safety. The two events, on June 19 in Colne and June 21 in Nelson, have been organised by the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale
THE demand for non-flowering plants has grown to such an extent that the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park, Cheshire, July 17-21, will be introducing a brand new feature -- the Festival of Foliage. Designed to highlight the wonderful range of plants that
DURING her working day Janet Wareing is an enforcement officer for magistrates' courts across East Lancashire -- in other words, she arrests people for non-payment of fines. But when the courts close she takes on another role which is an intriguing mixture
A QUICK-THINKING friend saved a mum and her two young sons from a fire. Debbie Cunningham, of Glen View Road, Burnley, could not find the key to escape but her screams alerted neighbour Debbie Almond.
HUNDREDS of baton twirling youngsters from the north of England and Wales competed in the second Premier Dance Association competition hosted by the Great Harwood Carltonaires. This was held at Accrington's New Era complex on Sunday and proved to be an
ROVERS star Damien Duff capped a sparkling performance with the third goal in an Irish victory over Saudi Arabia, one that sees them go through to the second round. Duff broke in from the left-wing and his cracking shot slipped through the hands of the
BLACKBURN IS THE UNLIKELY setting for one of the UK's leading research institutes, specialising in helping businesses to think and work smarter. The Applied Knowledge Research Institute (AKRI) aims to bridge the gap between the heady world of academia
A HIGH-TECH BLACKBURN company has its finger on the pulse when it comes to security systems. Navigator Solutions has now completed the development of its revolutionary access control system that uses fingerprint recognition. Among the first customers
A 39-year-old Darwen man has appeared in court charged in connection with a major police anti-drugs operation in the town which was code named Connecticut. Enrico Mazzafiore, of Belgrave Road, Darwen, is charged with conspiracy to supply ecstasy, amphetamine
POLICE in Darwen are hunting a man who stole several hundred pounds from an 87-year-old widow after conning his way into her home claiming to be a builder. The man talked his way into the pensioner's home in Dove Lane, Darwen, at around 2.30pm yesterday
POLICE in Darwen have renewed an appeal for witnesses to an alleged dispute between neighbours after an Italian World Cup party. Officers were drafted in from Accrington, Burnley and Preston to Church Terrace around 7.30pm on Saturday. Police said they
A SERIAL conman who has preyed on pensioners throughout the North of England may finally be snared after tricking a Darwen grandma out of £200. But other pensioners were today advised to remain vigilant as the man remains at large, and warned never to
RACING favourite Desert Orchid will romp into Rossendale as part of a church charity day. The famous racehorse, who won the Gold Cup as well as a host of other titles during his racing days, will be guest of honour at the Royal Jubilee Duck Derby at St
JAMES Richard Booth got involved in someone else's fight and ended up being arrested. Blackburn magistrates heard that police called to a disturbance outside Moist on Northgate saw Booth standing over another man throwing punches. But Richard Prew, defending
POLICE who found a car parked in a remote lay by in the early hours of the morning found a woman asleep under a coat. Blackburn magistrates heard that Ann Wilson had clearly been drinking and when she got out of the car said: " If you are going to lock
THE whole of East Lancashire celebrated today as England progressed through to the second round of the World Cup. A goalless draw against an inexperienced Nigerian side in Osaka was enough for Sven Goran Eriksson's boys to clinch second spot in Group
THE SOLICITOR representing an asylum seeker at the centre of a love-tug citizenship battle has conceded his client is almost certain to be sent home in four weeks. Michael Singleton said it was "very likely" Arsim Fejzullahu, of Hope Street, Blackburn
A HINDLEY school needs to raise more than £40,000 if it is to achieve its ambition to become a centre of excellence for the arts. Staff and pupils at Tanfield School are appealing for support from the community and business leaders in their bid to gain
PARENTS have been left fuming after a school closed its doors until 10am today to allow pupils to watch the England match. Coney Green High School in Radcliffe cancelled the first class of the day and postponed an internal exam which should have started
