A MAN who preyed on vulnerable old victims including a blind family friend in order to finance his drug habit is facing jail. Blackburn magistrates heard that Colin Lee Fairbrother, 23, of Chestnut Walk, Blackburn, befriended an elderly lady and on three
SNIFFER dogs are to patrol pubs and clubs in Blackburn town centre to root out dealers and users. They will initially be sent into bars before they open to highlight areas where dealing is suspected before making random sweeps during busy periods on Friday
PLANS to shut prison cells in four East Lancashire police stations have been unveiled, leaving officers moving people they have arrested for miles before they are locked up. Two state-of-the-art custody suites are currently being created in Blackburn
THREE bikini-clad East Lancashire stunners will have the eyes of the world on them when they become grid-girls at the World Superbike Championships at Brands Hatch. Blackburn beauties Chantelle Grant, 21, Katrina Sudnik, 19, and Sarah Kozlowski, 20, will
PLANS to create 20 bedsits for use by refugees in a house and former bail hostel have been approved by councillors. Numbers 70 and 72 Preston New Road, Blackburn, will be used for the scheme, put forward at a meeting of the planning and highways committee
AN amateur youth group is celebrating after being awarded nearly £5,000 from the National Lottery Awards for All. Rossendale Amateur Youth Society was started 11 years ago by members of Rossendale Amateur Operatic Society (RAYS) Derek Russell and Geoff
THE chief executive at a council branded the worst in the country has inquired about joining a group set up to promote good practice in local government. Steven Hartley, who resigned from his position as head of Rossendale Council after the Audit Commission's
FOUR-YEAR-OLD Rebecca Townsend was one of a handful of children to meet the Queen on her official Jubilee tour. Rebecca and her grandfather Brian were invited to the Queen's first royal visit to the Christie Hospital on Wednesday afternoon after visiting
ENGLAND's Commonwealth Gold medal sprint hopefuls Mark Lewis-Francis and Dwain Chambers both failed to finish the 100m Final. Lewis-Francis and Chambers threatened before the race to smash through the 10-second barrier in their battle for title, but both
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Graeme Souness was a happy man last night. Firstly, he was all smiles after completing the protracted signing of Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, then he watched his side beat Tennengau Auswahl 9-0 in Austria in their first
BURNLEY 5 (Blake 18, 67 Papadopoulos 33, Payton 71, Davis 90) ISLE OF MAN 0 EXACTLY two years to the day after losing to the Isle of man the Clarets set the record straight with a confident display to end their Isle of Man Steam Packet Tournament. First
BURNLEY ended their Isle of Man tour with a 5-0 defeat of the hosts and Stan Ternent immediately declared: "I hope they invite us back." The Clarets manager is a big fan of the Steam Packet Football Festival and he was again satisfied with his side's
MORE than £6,000 was raised for charity in memory of a Clitheroe dad who died of cancer aged 37. Former pupils of Ribblesdale High School raised the cash in memory of Kenneth MacMillan, who died from a rare form of stomach cancer in 2000, leaving a son
Wednesday, July 31 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
Sunday, July 28 BLACKBURN: 10am-1pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; noon-1pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. DARWEN: noon-1pm: Boots Chemists, 8 Market Street. ACCRINGTON: 10am-2pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 13 Peel Street; noon-1pm: EB Holden,
AN award-winning florist who recently scooped honours at the Royal Flower Show is now celebrating international fame. Janet Boast, of 'Going Dutch', Nelson, was commissioned to make flowers for the Commonwealth Games but was stunned to discover some of
AN East Lancashire school will become the first in the country to offer free morning-after birth control pills to pupils. The decision was today slammed by a pro-life group who said it was nothing more than a licence to have sex. Fearns High School, Bacup
AN anti-drugs hotline in East Lancashire is to receive more than £47,000 from a new Home Office fund built up from assets seized from criminals. The cash will go to the Lancashire Constabulary to set up a free, confidential drugs line in Burnley. It will
ANDREW Conquest was given more than just a piece of plastic when "put up" to commit credit card fraud. Blackburn magistrates were told that the Padiham teenager was also given the date of birth, address, income details, password and even the maiden name
TENNEGAU AUSWAHL 0 ROVERS 9 (Hignett 16, 29, 30, 35, Grabbi 50, 65, Dunn 8, Cole 53, Trialist 43) ROVERS started their pre-season campaign with an emphatic victory over the assorted Austrian part-timers in Abtenau. Craig Hignett hit four and Ciccio Grabbi
ENGLAND's Commonwealth Gold medal sprint hopefuls Mark Lewis-Francis and Dwain Chambers both failed to finish the 100m Final. Lewis-Francis and Chambers threatened before the race to smash through the 10-second barrier in their battle for title, but both
A SCHOOL was today accused of promoting under-age sex after it was revealed free morning after pills were on offer to teenage pupils. Fearns High School, Bacup, is believed to be the first in the country to pilot the scheme, which is being run by the
AMID government panic over public clamour about uncaring 'Big Brother' stance, the Health Secretary announces that the costly impositions set to be foisted on care homes for the elderly by The Care Standards Act are no longer to be mandatory, but will
REGARDING 'Don't Call Me Mate' (LET, July 24), who are these people who are ill enough to call an ambulance, but then complain about how they are addressed, rather than (and more importantly) appreciating the prompt care and attention they receive? In
This week, PHIL COOL shares happy boyhood memories COMEDIAN Phil Cool was born in Chorley and lived in the town until he was 21. Despite TV stardom he never strayed from his roots and now lives between Longridge Fell and Whitewell in the scenic Ribble
This week, with GRAHAM TURNER, Darwen DJ, one half of dance duo Flip and Fill, currently number three in the charts with Shooting Star HOLIDAY: In Cornwall with my mum and dad, where I met my first girlfriend. MEMORY: Stealing my dad's wallet -- which
UNDOUBTEDLY, there are real reasons for concern over the levels of teenage pregnancy in East Lancashire -- above all when the rate in our region is nearly 50 per cent higher than the national average. Even so, the scheme begun at a Rossendale comprehensive
SOCIAL services bosses say old folks' homes will stay closed despite a dramatic U-turn by the Government. Ministers have scrapped rules which would have forced homes to meet minimum standards on room sizes and facilities. Bury said it did not have money
A HAIRDRESSER who tried to rape a 78-year-old widow has started a four year jail sentence. Henry Lasota, aged 60, was told by Mr Justice Sachs at Manchester Crown Court: "You have not displayed the least remorse or regret for this offence. It was outrageous
A MOTHER who had failed to attend court after the non-attendance of her children at school was arrested and brought before Bury magistrates. Sharon Hughes, of York Street, Bury, failed to attend a hearing date after earlier pleading not guilty to two
CRAIG Heap thanked the Lancashire Evening Telegraph for helping him to win a second Commonwealth Games gold medal at a packed G-Mex Stadium last night. The Burnley gymnast was skippering a team of five who successfully defended the title they won in Kuala
THE European round of the Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch got off to a positive start for HM Plant Ducati riders Neil Hodgson and James Toseland. The pair are anxious to put in the kind of performances that the 120,000-plus crowd expected
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Lancashire's old people'sOAP homes today fired a warning shot to social services bosses and said: "We haven't given up yet." And they blasted county hall chiefs for arranging a meeting of care home managers at a plush hotel
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Lancashire's old people's homes today fired a warning shot to social services bosses and said: "We haven't given up yet." And they blasted county hall chiefs for arranging a meeting of care home managers at a plush hotel to
THE government has given its backing to the merger of East Lancashire's two NHS trusts. Health minister Jacqui Smith has approved the proposal to merge Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust and Burnley NHS Trust from April 1 next year. It will
A BLACKBURN-based charity that has run for 80 years will close if it does not get any new volunteers. The Blackburn Guild of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution started in 1922 with 21 women -- it now only has four. The charity annually raises around
A NEW golf practice area is to be created for members of Pleasington Golf Club, despite council officers suggesting it be refused. Blackburn with Darwen's planning and highways committee had been advised to reject the scheme because it included the creation
FIREFIGHTERS discovered two youths having a barbecue when they responded to a fire call out at a Leigh DIY store. Night staff at the B&Q store, Kirkhall Lane, called the firebrigade at midnight last night after they smelt smoke coming from outside
A SCHOOL was today accused of promoting under-age sex after it was revealed free morning after pills were on offer to teenage pupils. Fearns High School, Bacup, is believed to be the first in the country to pilot the scheme, which is being run by the
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a serious assault which left a 40-year-old man with a broken leg, black eye and concussion. The incident happened last Saturday at 10.30pm in Fallbarn Crescent, Rawtenstall, but the sheet metal worker did not realise
THE £250,000 expansion of a soft furnishings company has been given the seal of approval from Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson. She said: "The development underlines just how successful Musbury Fabrics has become. "This is a thriving business which
A DARWEN teenager who saw a charity box in a local shop returned the next day and stole it. Blackburn magistrates heard that Carl John Wane cut the string with which the Lancashire Ambulance service charity box was secured while shopkeeper Alan Dixon
BURNLEY ended their Isle of Man tour with a 5-0 defeat of the hosts and Stan Ternent immediately declared: "I hope they invite us back." The Clarets manager is a big fan of the Steam Packet Football Festival and he was again satisfied with his side's
Wednesday, July 30 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
Monday, July 29 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
Friday, August 2 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
Thursday, August 1 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;
A MAN who had threatened suicide killed himself with an overdose of painkillers and anti-depressants, an inquest found. Thomas Barbour, of Glebe Close, Accrington, was found at his home by his partner in April. Dorothy McCartney told the inquest in Accrington
RESIDENTS in Kelbrook and Sough are being urged to give their opinions on how the village hall should be developed and used. Questionnaires have been sent to all households following the purchase of the property from the church by the Village Hall Committee
A FATHER of two, found with a baseball bat, was hunting men who attacked his younger brother, a court was told. Burnley Magistrates heard how Peter James Lockwood, 31, told police his brother had been beaten up by five men and he was "going to do something
A SOLICITOR hit out at the amount of police time he claimed was spent on a woman found with cannabis when more serious crimes were being committed. Geoff Ireland made his comments at Burnley Magistrates Court after Susan Greenwood, 29, admitted possessing
BOSSES considering redundancies as part of a restructuring plan today blamed the September 11 attacks. MB Aerospace Ltd, which employs 65 people in Burnley, has denied claims that it is about to pull out of the town, although bosses admitted they have
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Graeme Souness was a happy man last night. Firstly, he was all smiles after completing the protracted signing of Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, then he watched his side beat Tennengau Auswahl 9-0 in Austria in their first
SNIFFER dogs are to patrol pubs and clubs in Blackburn town centre to root out dealers and users. They will initially be sent into bars before they open to highlight areas where dealing is suspected before making random sweeps during busy periods on Friday
LEIGH'S multi-million pound sports stadium and complex is expected to take another major step forward this week. If the four major users of the new Community Stadium - Leigh Centurions, Leigh RMI, Leigh East and Leigh Harriers - give their approval, the
KEITH Fort's column, 'A Black mark for the Red Cross' (LET, July 13), gave a grossly distorted view of the work of the British Red Cross and its sister society in France. Currently, the British Red Cross owns four residential homes in the Midlands. The
POLICE spotted a high-powered car, stolen from Westhoughton, racing around the streets of Leigh at speeds reaching 100mph. The green Subaru Impreza was taken in the early hours of Thursday morning and spotted later on Wigan Road before travelling to Westleigh
I READ your article 'Don't Call Me Mate' (LET, July 24), with absolute incredulity. I have been a general practitioner in Hyndburn for 14 years. I meet ambulance personnel just about every week at patients' homes, our surgeries and on the GP Ward in Accrington
REGARDING the person who complained about being called 'mate' by ambulance staff (LET, July 24), I think they are the best part of the NHS. They are very caring and kind people and anyone who wants to be called 'sir' or 'madam' is just nothing but a snob
TRAMS, steam trains, horse-drawn ploughs and long-gone buildings conjured from the brush of artist John Chapman evoke memories of bygone Lancashire. John told PAULINE HAWKINS about his lifetime's work. OVER the years the work of many influential artists
One Fort in the Grave, with KEITH FORT THE debate over the safety of mobile phones has sparked off yet again. And I have no doubt it will keep on doing until scientists finally agree: do they have a detrimental, even dangerous, effect on the human brain
Drive & Stroll, with RON FREETHY IT was hard to realise when I strolled on the Grane moors above Haslingden that I was walking above rock called millstone grit which was laid down more than 300 million years ago. After the Ice Ages some 5,000 years
This week from the Rev Kevin Logan, of Christ Church, Accrington THE day I was nearly defrocked came to mind recently. Just between you and me, it happened during the 'potty training for baby vicars' - Post Ordination Training, to be posh. We lowly first-year
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. SUNDAY Royal Lancashire Show, Astley Park, Chorley, 9am-6pm. Charity Fun Day, Craft Centre and Tillotson's Arms, Chipping. From 1pm. Nelson Mela, Victoria Park, Nelson
