I DECIDED just after midday on Sunday to sit quietly and have a cup of tea. The noise from the TV in the other room was audible and what I could hear was voices full of hatred and anger, missiles being launched and articles of furniture smashed up. With
A FIBRE-glass pleasure cruiser sank after being set alight by arsonists on the Bridgewater Canal at 12.30am today. Firefighters were forced to seek assistance from the water incident unit at Eccles in order to reach the burning boat, which was stranded
A MAN was due to appear in court today after a saleswoman was allegedly held at gunpoint for an hour. An armed response unit was called to Lindsay Street, Burnley, on Friday evening and residents were told to stay indoors. One resident said: "We weren't
THREE new inspectors have been put in charge of policing at Burnley, Padiham and Colne. Inspector Dave Croll, previously a temporary inspector at Colne, has moved to Burnley, replacing John Clucas who has become a Divisional Response Inspector. Former
WITTON Park High School, Blackburn, raised £650 for two easy chairs for the East Lancashire Hospice.
A COUPLE who believe the secret to a successful marriage is trust and a sense of humour are celebrating their diamond wedding. Ronald and Edna Baron, both 80, of Lilac Grove, Clitheroe, met as teenagers while living in neighbouring streets in Blackburn
A ROW has erupted over the cost of a new CCTV system in the Ribble Valley amid concern that it might not be the best way to tackle crime. Nine CCTV cameras installed in 1994 will be replaced in Clitheroe and an additional 11 cameras will go up in the
HASLINGDEN pair Graham Knowles and Ian Austin put on an unbroken stand of 138 as they scored a nine wicket success over Nelson at Bentgate. The visitors had looked in a healthy state as their professional Joe Scuderi made 81 and denied former Lancashire
LOWERHOUSE professional Jacques Rudolph set a new club record of three successive league centuries as he led his side to a five-wicket victory over Todmorden at Liverpool Road. The South African run-machine was out for the first time three innings but
BURNLEY'S interest in Scunthorpe United defender Andy Dawson seems to have cooled. The 23 year-old, who can also play in central midfield, was widely touted for a move to Turf Moor last week but the trail seems to have gone cold in the last couple of
POLICE in Leyland have asked for the public's help in tracing a diabetic who went missing from his home without his medication. Gary Strickland left his home in New Longton, near Preston, at 8pm on Saturday to go on a motorbike ride and has not been seen
A TEENAGE girl from Nelson has died after plunging 30ft from a theme park ride after the safety bar in her carriage is believed to have opened. The 16-year-old Down's syndrome sufferer from Nelson fell from a ferris wheel at the Gulliver's World park
TWO wrestlers from Leigh have been included in a seven-strong Team England wrestling squad that is hoping for Commonwealth Games medal success. The squad includes medallists at Victoria 1994, the last Games to feature the sport including John Melling,
ORGANISERS are still to announce a replacement date for Burnley's huge Bands in the Park event which was scrapped last week over safety fears. A replacement gig is expected to take place at the town's Mechanics venue. The outdoor concert was scrapped
WAS there once a plaque commemorating an old-time murder erected near now-gone Spring Gardens in town centre Blackburn? asks Cherry Tree reader Jim Haworth. He recalls one being there 30-odd years ago near the still-marked site of All Hallows Well behind
Wednesday, July 17 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy
HORWICH'S Paul Muller, who recently became European 10k Veteran Champion at Bruges, won the 10k Northern Veterans race in aid of St Ann's Hospice at the Masons Arms, Radcliffe, in a record time of 32mins 2secs. Bolton-based Sale Harrier Denise Wakefield
A PENSIONER left stranded in America with a huge medical bill after an insurance blunder is returning home on a regular flight, her daughter said today. Phoebe Morley, 75, of Ewood, Blackburn, needed a specialist flight home after doctors discovered cancer
FIRE CREWS were called to a fire at a house started by youngsters playing with matches. A woman and three young children managed to escape from the house in Accrington Road, Blackburn, before firefighters arrived. The blaze started shortly before 9am
A COMPANY director from Blackburn, charged with unlawfully killing an employee by gross negligence, has had his case adjourned. Peter Preston, of Rowen Park, was due to appear for a pre-trial hearing at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, accused of causing
A MOTHER has spoken of the moment she feared her family would die after an arson attack left her and her young daughter clinging to an upstairs window sill. Jacqueline Young, 42, was asleep at her home on Mosley Street, Blackburn, when her partner Richard
REBECCA White is still waiting to clear the elusive 13m in the triple jump after finishing sixth in the Norwich Union European Trials and AAA Championships at the weekend - her distance was 12.65m. Ashia Hansen conjured up a championship record-breaking
HOPES of having a local golfer involved at the Open in Muirfield having won through qualifying took a knock in the opening rounds over four courses in Scotland. The quartet of Lancashire golfers looking to qualify found the going tough in yesterday's
INSPECTORS are hopeful that town hall bosses can get their message over louder to the public. The Audit Commission has given just "one star", on a scale of zero to three, to the council's communications team. However, they say it has "promising prospects
WITH reference to Jean Lewis' letter (July 11), I support St Bede's 'paper caper' but Friends of the Earth say: "Our next campaign is to ensure all homes have recycling collected from their doorsteps by the end of the decade. "It is both Conservative
NOT being able to afford a summer holiday, I had the weekend celebration at Corporation Park to look forward to for the first time. I certainly was not disappointed, nor were the 20,000 who turned up. It was absolutely brilliant, especially the finale
ABOUT this time of year, 60 years ago, I, along with many others, was awaiting the results of the 11-plus exam. I had attended Christ Church primary school and took this exam at St Peter's, off King Street. In August, I heard the happy news that I had
THE vestry of a church was destroyed after being set alight by arsonists. The building, which is connected to St Stephen's Church in Astley, was gutted by the blaze which happened at 2.30am yesterday. The rest of the church in Manchester Road was smoke-logged
THE death of a 10-year-old girl in Lancaster may have been caused by the drug ecstacy, police say. Jade Catherine Slack of Meadow Park, Galgate, was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary yesterday afternoon after complaining of feeling unwell. She died
GIANT striker Ben Burgess today insisted he has no regrets at swapping the Premiership for the Second Division after deciding to call time on his Blackburn Rovers career. The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international officially severed all links with
CROWDS of people packed into Padiham's Memorial Park for a spectacular music concert. People were dancing and singing along in the baking park as they enjoyed the lively entertainment on offer all Sunday afternoon.
COMMUNITY beat manager PC Andy Thornhill will be holding a police advice surgery on Monday at Burnley Wood Medical Centre, Parliament Street, Burnley, at 11am. He will be giving advice on all policing issues, listening to concerns and if anyone has any
FIREFIGHTERS searched a burning building in Reed Street, Burnley, after a neighbour reported seeing a man pulling curtains down. Station Officer Steve Cope said officers searched the building but no-one was found inside. He said: "The owner had left the
A SPATE of firebombings at a block of houses has left a man fearing for his family's safety. David Vallender, 40, from Somerset, is renovating a house in Manchester Road, Burnley, for him and his family. But the complex, which is made up of mainly empty
BURIALS and cremations are to be put on hold when council employees mount a one-day strike next week. Three trade unions -- Unison, the TGWU and the GMB -- which represent the majority of local government employees, have called their members out on strike
A TEENAGE girl from Nelson has died after plunging 30ft from a theme park ride after the safety bar in her carriage is believed to have opened. The 16-year-old Down's syndrome sufferer from Nelson fell from a ferris wheel at the Gulliver's World park
A FINAL decision on controversial plans to close a number of the borough's primary schools including two in Radcliffe will be taken today. The proposals are set to go before the Schools Organisation Committee (SOC). Members of the group, which include
POLICE have arrested a man after a teenager was left scarred for life by a knife-slasher. The man, who is in his early 20s and is from Barnoldswick, was arrested over the weekend and interviewed by detectives. Lee Myers, 18, of Blakeley Crescent, Barnoldswick
MINI-gardens from nearby Edisford Primary School went before the judges at St Paul's Church, Low Moor, Clitheroe, to raise money for Christian Aid. w
A FATHER-OF-TWO who raided two of his neighbours' homes, is starting a 21 month jail term. Burnley Crown Court heard how Derek McCammon, 33, helped himself to property from a little boy's bedroom -- and a judge told him his neighbours were entitled to
DOG owners have been warned they could be banned from a nature reserve -- because their animals are scaring off all the wildlife. Wardens at Foxhill Bank, Oswaldtwistle, have said irresponsible people are spoiling the beauty spot for other users by not
NEW beat managers have begun patrolling the streets in a move to take policing back into the heart of the community. PC Jason Manning, a police officer for 12 years, was the first officer appointed and he is now dedicated to patrolling Clayton-le-Moors
Thursday, July 18 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohens Chemist, 63 Whalley Range; To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 6.30pm: Donald Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive; Healthbook
Friday. July 19 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst
Monday, July 15 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst
Tuesday, July 16 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst Road; Geloo Bros, Cleaver
RECEPTIONIST Jane King swapped her job at Blackburn Shopping Centre for a life at sea - and helped World War II survivors take a trip back in time. The 22-year-old signed up for a career in the Royal Navy last year. The former pupil of Ribblesdale High
LOWERHOUSE seamer John Russell took a wicket off the final ball of the match to clinch a thrilling tie at Rishton after visiting professional Jacques Rudolph had posted his second successive unbeaten century earlier in the day. In a fluctuating match,
IT was a Saturday of shocks in the Jennings Ribblesdale League as top two Barnoldswick and Read both suffered defeats leaving defending champions Cherry Tree free to charge into top spot. Barnoldswick have rarely slipped out of pole position this summer
BACUP are beginning to look irresistable as leaders in the Transco Lancashire League. The defending champions registered their tenth win of the season on Saturday at a canter with bowler David Ormerod making the telling impact as they registered a nine
TWO people have been fined by Bury magistrates for abusing the benefits system. Christine Hulme, aged 40, of Oak Lane, Whitefield, was found guilty of failing to notify the council of a change in circumstances. She received £1,438 in housing and council
GIANT striker Ben Burgess today insisted he has no regrets at swapping the Premiership for the Second Division after deciding to call time on his Blackburn Rovers career. The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international officially severed all links with
FORMER Wanderers favourite David Felgate will be out to stop Jay Jay Okocha on Tuesday night as Sam Allardyce takes a full squad to Radcliffe Borough. Bolton are expected to field all three of their close season signings, Okocha, Delroy Facey and Bulent
CHILDREN at Holy Trinity Primary school, Darwen have been treading the boards in a wacky musical written by their headteacher. The Tale of Colin Umbus was penned by Keith MacDonald and the show was staged on two nights. Mr MacDonald said : "The children
A FATHER and son who used a hammer to confront a rampaging gang at their home have walked free from court after a judge admitted anyone in their position would have been terrified. Judge Raymond Bennett said John Anthony Vickers, 46, and John James Vickers
THE death of a 10-year-old girl in Lancaster may have been caused by the drug ecstacy, police say. Jade Catherine Slack (above) of Meadow Park, Galgate, was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary yesterday afternoon after complaining of feeling unwell
A COUNCIL which lost its operator's licence to run its bin wagons and highways vehicles is confident an interim licence will be granted. By the end of this month, Rossendale Council's operator licence will have run out because at a public inquiry in June
A SCHEME to teach youngsters in Blackburn and Darwen to be streetwise has been hailed a success. Streetwise in Partnership was launched last month at Ewood Park. Throughout the three-week scheme primary school children aged 10 and 11 attended sessions
A 27-year-old Blackburn man was pulled from Derwent Water in Cumbria after he stopped breathing and lay unconscious on the lake bed for 10 minutes. The man got into difficulties after he tried to retrieve a hire boat and was pulled from the lake late
A UNIVERSITY graduate has been banned from public leisure facilities after his sinister behaviour at a Blackburn swimming baths. Simon Dean was caught using a piece of mirror to see under a girl's cubicle in the changing area. He was found out after a
ALCOHOLIC Alexander Patrick McGhee was found dead in squalid conditions in his Darwen flat, an inquest heard. But the hearing was told that despite his chronic alcoholism tests taken as part of the post-mortem examination showed there was no alcohol in
THIS year's Blackburn Mela has been declared the best yet after a record 60,000 attended. Glorious weather brought thousands out for the third annual two-day multicultural event, held in Corporation Park, Blackburn. They were treated to a festival of
FUNNYMAN Phil Cool may well be a man of a thousand faces, but one of those has been conspicuously absent in recent years. The comic, famed for his contorted expressions, openly admits it is his public face which has slipped from sight. But now the comedian
COLNE 'S pre season friendlies are: Saturday July 20 Springfields (West Lancashire League), away; Thur 25 Bamber Bridge, away; Sat 27 Southport, home; Tue 30 Clitheroe, home Sat Aug 3 Burnley Utd, home; Mon 5 Crosshills (West Lancs), away; Sat 10 Brislington
CARL Fogarty's new World Superbike Championship team will have to wait until next season before making its racing debut. Foggy Petronas Racing had been due to make its debut at Laguna Seca this weekend but delayed its competitive debut after failing to
A TERRIFIED shop assistant was kidnapped by an armed robber as she locked up her off-licence in Prestwich. The 30-year-old was starting her car after closing the Bargain Booze store on Bury New Road when a man in a balaclava pulled open the front passenger
