Archive

  • Soldier's murder charge

    AN 18-year-old soldier from Blackburn has pleaded not guilty at Bristol Crown Court to a charge of attempted murder. The private is accused of carrying out an attack with a pickaxe on Lance Corporal Konrad Bisping, 26, from Clitheroe. He also pleaded

  • Gallian out to sink ex-club Lancs

    OLD TRAFFORD old boys Jason Gallian and Steve Elworthy returned today, each with a point to prove. Gallian has still to win a game against Lancashire in his five years as Nottinghamshire captain, while Elworthy's single season with the club in 1996 turned

  • Riley closes in on dream

    STEPHEN Riley is one step closer to his dream of becoming a rally driver after his impressive performance in the ProSpeed Motorsport Scholarship. Riley, from Rawtenstall, did enough behind the wheel on round one to ensure the instructors invited him back

  • Debut is just the ticket for Furber

    RALLY driver Kevin Furber is set to make his motor racing debut -- after winning the drive in a raffle. The former works Peugeot pilot was entered into the draw for the Uniroyal Team Challenge during a visit to the Autosport Show back in January. And

  • Easter mobile drive... for revenue?

    MOTORISTS enjoying their outings in Lancashire over the Easter weekend were warned to watch out for mobile speed cameras at 70 sites across the county. Seventy! Why so many? This boosts the number of roadside spy cameras by 40 per cent when they are added

  • Friedel's award nomination

    BRAD Friedel could soon be officially crowned the best keeper in the Premiership after his stunning form for Rovers has resulted in him being short-listed for a top award. Friedel is one of six keepers to make the short-list for the Barclaycard Golden

  • Valley looks to a brighter future

    AFTER a year of uncertainty for the council, which was placed 237 out of 237 councils in September by the Audit Commission, Rossendale is looking to get back on track. The team that will steer the borough into the future has now been set in place, including

  • Man on heroin smuggle charge

    A MAN has been charged with attempting to smuggle heroin into the UK. Customs officers at Manchester Airport seized 250 grams of heroin from a flight arriving from Islamabad on Sunday. The drugs had an estimated street value of £20,000. Aftab Younis,

  • Students taking trip of a lifetime

    TWO Blackburn students are to jet off on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Costa Rica -- thanks to a Lancashire brewer. Louise Hogg, 16, of Cutler Close, Bank Top, and Chris Cook, 18, of Pinewood, Feniscowles, will head to Central America in late July for

  • End in sight for saga of deli bar

    A YEAR-long row over the location of a deli bar in Blackburn town centre could be resolved within weeks. Blackburn with Darwen Council today confirmed it has received a fresh planning application from the head office of Sussex head office of Puccino's

  • Canal plunge probe

    A MAJOR inquiry involving police, social services and health bosses has been launched after a mother and her young child were found drowning in a canal. The woman and the six-year-old girl were rescued from the Leeds and Liverpool canal behind The Moorings

  • My rollercoaster ride with Clarets

    AFTER almost two seasons of writing the Turf Talk column this is my final one and I can't help but feel that the fortunes of the Clarets since I joined the LET have been a microcosm of the club's proud history. There have been the very heady days enjoyed

  • Friedel's award nomination

    BRAD Friedel could soon be officially crowned the best keeper in the Premiership after his stunning form for Rovers has resulted in him being short-listed for a top award. Friedel is one of six keepers to make the short-list for the Barclaycard Golden

  • 'Triangle' re-opens

    THE Weaver's Triangle Visitor Centre in Burnley has re-opened for the summer season. This year, in addition to the usual exhibits about the town's textile industry and the canal, there is a temporary display on leisure in Burnley in the 20th century.

  • Come along to meet village bobby

    HAPTON community beat manager PC Tony Himycz is giving residents the chance to quiz him about policing in the area during his first two advice surgeries. Older members of the community will be able to question him first when he drops in on their coffee

  • Reunion call for tower trip kids

    BLACKPOOL'S Tower Circus was where these youngsters were headed when they posed for their picture in 1950. They were all residents of the Harris Orphanage in Garstang Road, Preston - many of them originally from East Lancashire, says Brenda Challioner

  • Ancient hall reveals secrets

    GLIMPSED in Looking Back last month, ancient Overlockshaw Hall, which vanished from Mill Hill, Blackburn, over 80 years ago re-emerges today - from a dustbin in Chester. This picture of the 1691 farmhouse, which disappeared in 1920 to make way for the

  • Punches thrown at teenage girl

    A MOTOR mechanic was arrested by police after they saw him throwing punches at a teenage girl in the early hours. Burnley Magistrates heard Gary Eastwood, 35, had pushed the girl across a pavement and shouted at her after the Colne Blues Festival. Eastwood

  • A tender tale

    THE touching tale of Five Blue Haired Ladies Sitting on a Green Park Bench is brought to the Palace theatre with a few familiar faces. Ruth Madoc plays one of the women, whilst others include Carol Cleveland and Una McLean, who have either lost love,

  • Mill's demolition D-day

    THE remains of an historic mill look set to escape demolition for the second time even though its owners say the building is unsafe. Rhyddings Mill is one of Oswaldtwistle's best-known landmarks and was designated a Grade 2 listed building in 1989. Three

  • Ternent warns of pressure

    GLENN Roeder's collapse after West Ham's game on Monday was the latest indication of the stress football managers work under, and Burnley boss Stan Ternent admitted: "I am not surprised." The latest news on the former Burnley assistant manager suggests

  • Showing Little respect

    READ began the defence of their Jennings Ribblesdale Cricket League title in effortless style on Saturday. And captain Warren Eastham was particularly pleased with the contribution of Terry Little, who scored 72 of Read's 113 runs against Oswaldtwistle

  • Lesson of economics

    THE notion that East Lancashire should have a university of its own is, I see, being cranked up again -- this time, with a five-year timetable to make it happen. The idea has been floated before -- with one of the arguments for it being that our region

  • Shipman surgery for sale

    THE surgery where killer doctor Harold Shipman launched his career is up for sale. Britain's most prolific serial killer began working at the Abraham Ormerod Health Centre, Todmorden, and went on to murder at least 215 of his patients over his 23-year

  • Gardeners' chance to blossom

    BLOOMING communal gardens and attractive hanging baskets could win prizes for council estate residents in Leigh. Wigan and Leigh Housing is inviting its tenants to take part in an amateur gardening competition. The Borough In Bloom competition -- which

  • Call for pride in run-down area

    SOMETIME in the near future, the Pathfinder scheme is going to start in Blackburn, where run-down areas will be regenerated and my area, Little Harwood, at long last is one of them. Just before work begins, it would be a good idea if the council held

  • Thieves target charity shop - twice!

    THIEVES twice targeted an animal charity shop in Leigh town centre. After smashing through the back door of the PDSA branch in Bradshawgate, intruders broke into an office and stole a television, CDs, watches and gold chains and cash from donations boxes

  • Sculpture delay for Church Street

    ANOTHER two-month delay is set to hold up the completion of Blackburn's flagship regeneration project. Council bosses have revealed it will be the end of May at the earliest before the fifth and final piece of artwork arrives in Church Street, which has

  • Canal plunge probe

    A MAJOR inquiry involving police, social services and health bosses has been launched after a mother and her young child were found drowning in a canal. The woman and the six-year-old girl were rescued from the Leeds and Liverpool canal behind The Moorings

  • Value review

    BURNLEY Borough Council's Housing Needs and Strategy Unit is undergoing a Best Value Review to identify its strengths and weaknesses. One of the main objectives is to ensure the unit provides the best possible service to the public. The work of the HSNU

  • Hospice appeals for help

    A HOSPICE is looking for donations of stamps, coins and other collectables to raise valuable funds. Hospice Care for Burnley and Pendle is in great need of donations as it costs around £1.2million a year to run. Only 20 per cent of this fee is covered

  • Masked raid terror

    A MASKED knifeman escaped with cash after holding up a grocery store. Detectives said a man wearing a balaclava and carrying a silver six inch knife burst into Glen View Stores, Glen View Road, Burnley, at 10pm yesterday and demanded a shop worker hand

  • Informers clear up police squad mystery

    CLUES about the 'mystery' picture of an old-time Blackburn police football team poured in after it appeared in Looking Back last month. Kicking off was reader William Baxter who recognised his father, ex-Blackburn Rovers right back Tommy Baxter as the

  • Nowhere to hide for the rowdies

    TROUBLE makers were today warned there's nowhere to hide now 14 cameras are up and running in Colne. The cameras, costing more than £300,000, have been installed in various locations across the town centre. Pendle Council secured funding through the Government's

  • The future is bright in crime fight

    AROUND £300,000 is to be spent on improving street lighting to help crack down on crime in Hyndburn. Operation Twinkle will see more than 250 new lampposts put up in West Accrington and Church Kirk to ensure the areas, known to be crime hot spots, are

  • Phoebe passes away

    A WOMAN who symbolised the fight to keep dozens of care homes across Lancashire open has lost her fight for life. The plight of Phoebe Hickey, 86, touched the hearts of thousands across the county when Northlands Nursing Home, Great Harwood, was under

  • Clarets forced to turn to youth

    THE Clarets could be fielding their youngest ever reserve side when they take on Walsall at Turf Moor tonight. Reserve boss Ronnie Jepson admitted he is scratching around for players but he insisted: "That is because players like Richard Chaplow and Matty

  • Pints safe as beer lorry rams bridge

    A TOWN'S streets were almost awash with beer yesterday when a Thwaites beer lorry smashed into a railway bridge. The top of the waggon hit the Atlas Road bridge, Darwen, at 1pm as the driver returned to the brewery in Blackburn after the morning drop

  • Jolson tribute star dies at age of 80

    THE oldest swinger in town -- Darwen's very own Al Jolson impersonator -- has died at the age of 80, one year after his final performance. Fred Coughlin performed in front of thousands of people and raised cash for charities across the country. He died

  • No murder trial after coma woman's death

    A CANADIAN man who beat his Blackburn fiancee senseless and left her in a vegetative state for nearly 23 years will not be charged with her murder. Gillian Porter died last December but an inquest in Blackburn earlier this month ruled that her death was

  • Sculpture delay for Church Street

    ANOTHER two-month delay is set to hold up the completion of Blackburn's flagship regeneration project. Council bosses have revealed it will be the end of May at the earliest before the fifth and final piece of artwork arrives in Church Street, which has

  • Deprssed man's 'demolition derby'

    A COMPOUND at Blackburn College resembled a scene from a "demolition derby" after a 29-year-old man went on a wrecking spree in a mini-digger, a court heard. Blackburn magistrates were told that Philip McAlary caused about £8,000 worth of damage to building

  • Wombles topple PNE

    WHEN Craig Brown mused after Saturday's victory that his side lacked consistency, its unlikely he expected them to prove him right within 48 hours. But Selhurst Park has rarely proved to be a happy stomping ground for Preston and their barmy army follwers

  • Lancashire Amateur League

    LATEST tables PREMIER DIVISION P W D L GF GA Pts GD Bury GSOB... 26 17 4 5 55 35 55 20 Rossendale Amateur... 24 16 4 4 70 36 52 34 Gregorians ... 25 13 7 5 61 37 46 24 Radcliffe Amateurs... 24 13 6 5 61 32 45 29 Bolton County... 25 12 6 7 58 38 42 20

  • Age Concern will put you right

    REGARDING the person who is having to pay £17 out of his state pension for home help services (LET, April 4), I am on the state pension, plus a company pension and Income Support and a disability payment and do not pay one penny for this service, or Council

  • Absence blame may be elsewhere

    FOLLOWING your front page article (LET, April 9) and subsequent coverage in a national newspaper and local television regarding the failure of PC Geoff Warburton to attend the Crown Court, it seems that the trial by media has not considered the possibility

  • Scheme missing social aspects

    REPORTERS from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph spent many hours at meetings listening to county councillors and officers saying that the closure of care homes would not mean less care for the elderly and their representatives praised the 'care in the

  • Cameras are used to trap, not to deter

    HAVING just driven past the almost-permanent 'mobile' speed camera by the side of Cherry Tree Cricket Club, in Preston New Road, Blackburn, I wonder if the frequent use of these mobile cameras suggests that the fixed ones are no longer generating the

  • Leigh's tough tie

    LEIGH Centurions face a tough challenge for a place in the inaugural Arriva Trains Cup semi-finals when they face West Yorkshire's form side Featherstone Rovers on May 18. Hull KR were drawn against Batley Bulldogs in their quarter-final, while unbeaten

  • Why Sir Alex leads Rovers' fan club

    IF Blackburn fans needed convincing about the progress made under Graeme Souness this season then it came from the most unlikely source at the weekend. Sir Alex Ferguson is not usually known for his gracious appreciation of opposition teams or their managers

  • Green light for cycle plan

    A £500,000 COUNCIL plan to encourage people to get on their bikes has been given the green light. The four-year scheme, which will see the development of a comprehensive network of cycle paths in the borough, is being supported by Sustrans, the charity

  • MP in call to unite against racism

    BURNLEY MP Peter Pike marked the 10th anniversary of Stephen Lawrence's death with a call to unite against racism. Mr Pike gathered with local residents to hold a minute's silence at the town's Peace Gardens yesterday in memory of the murdered A-Level

  • Sporty young Afrasiab on shortlist

    A YOUNG community worker is among a handful of people shortlisted for a prize in a major new awards scheme. Afrasiab Anwar, 23, is among 36 people to be nominated under the Whitbread Young Achievers (WYA) project. The awards are run in partnership with

  • Worsthorne weekly bulletin

    WORSTHORNE beat bobby PC Glynn Grey is investigating claims from residents about a number of dogs in the area of Moor Edge Farm. The residents have complained to police that they are too frightened to walk their dogs up Gorple Road because of the animals

  • Claret Embassy men in shock discoveries

    WHEN two men at the British Embassy in Bahrain discovered they shared the same name and were born on the same day in the same hospital ward in Burnley they were unsurprisingly shocked. But when Gary Fisher and Gary Loftus found a shared a passion for

  • Danger cemeteries will be made safer

    CEMETERIES across Pendle are set to be made safer after thousands of headstones were inspected and a number were categorised as "dangerous." The move comes after a visitor to a cemetery in Harrogate was killed by a loose headstone and recommendations

  • Tower hosts classic sprint

    CLASSIC bike enthusiasts from all over the North West will be at Hoghton Tower on Sunday for the annual sprint meeting. Now in its 24th year, record crowds are expected for the hugely-popular event, which sees almost 150 riders compete for the fastest

  • Ternent warns of pressure

    GLENN Roeder's collapse after West Ham's game on Monday was the latest indication of the stress football managers work under, and Burnley boss Stan Ternent admitted: "I am not surprised." The latest news on the former Burnley assistant manager suggests

  • Walker Ida strides towards her 100th birthday

    A KEEN walker who has spent all her life in Darwen will celebrate her 100th birthday with a tea party on Friday. Ida Marsden was born in her Greenfield Street home and has spent all her life there. Her parents Mary and Thomas Marsden had four other children

  • Baskets of heop wanted

    A STACKSTEADS community group is still appealing for help to transform the area into a floral masterpiece. For the past two years, the Friends of Riverside Park have arranged the planting, hanging and watering of floral baskets around the town. Now the

  • TV gardener to open centre

    THE tills were ringing out at Rossendale's latest tourist attraction this weekend following a successful first week in business. And the success of Lancashire Homes and Gardens is to be highlighted this weekend when BBC2's Home Front gardening expert

  • Incentive to give services a big boost

    RESIDENTS in Ramsbottom can look forward to better services and a share of a £4million cash boost after councillors struck a deal with the Government. Bury Metro, which covers all Ramsbottom as well as neighbouring areas, has pledged to deliver better

  • More drink drivers opt for rehab

    MORE drink drivers than ever attended voluntary rehabilitation programmes in Lancashire last year, it has been revealed. Some 1,685 motorists convicted by magistrates were referred to the TTC 2000's voluntary courses, up 15 on 2001. Of those, 730 attended

  • Quality checked in care homes probe

    GOVERNMENT inspectors have completed checks at six council-run care homes in Blackburn and Darwen. The National Care Standards Commission checked to ensure that Longshaw House, Brookhouse; Blakewater Lodge, Blackburn; Greenways, Sunnyhurst; Brookside,

  • New police chief's opening move

    POLICE stations could re-open 24 hours a day - 18 months after bosses said doing so was not cost-effective. Dave Mallaby, new chief superintendent for the Eastern Division, covering Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, has ordered the month-long

  • Town stay unbeaten

    GREAT Harwood Town extended their unbeaten run to seven matches with a comfortable home win over Blackpool Mechanics. John Hughes' side took advantage of the visitors' experience but comparatively slow back line as they bid to end their season on a winning

  • Etuhu show beats Blades

    DICKSON Etuhu showed why he is the target of the Premiership's big boys when he put Preston in front with a header which was both powerful but also precise. The former Manchester City youngster put the home side -- who lost Richard Cresswell early on

  • 'I'm one to blame' says Brown

    CRAIG Brown says he alone is blame for North End's failure to reach the play-offs this year. The North End boss says Preston could have ended up in the fight for the play-offs had he moved quicker to sign extra strikers. North End went through Christmas

  • Fight trio escape jail

    THREE young men who started fighting with security guards at a Bury cinema escaped a jail sentence. Marc Britton was with his friends Liam Palmieri and Ryan Madeley when their rowdiness caused security guards to approach them. Britton was abusive and