RETIRED police inspector Harry Bretherton has a strong point today when he criticises the force for effectively "allowing" prostitutes to tout openly for business in the Bank Top area of Blackburn. As he says, women ply their trade at night in town centre
Mr & Mrs Dickens 1321; W.Craighead 1228; Mr & Mrs Hilton & Son 1226; J.K.O'Connor 1213; H.Newman 1208; G.Grundy 1202; K&E Shaw 1197; S.Thompson 1173.
ON Easter Sunday I had the phone call that everyone dreads, from my Mum to say that my Dad was very ill and was in Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn. Mum and Dad had already spent some time there on previous occasions and I was able to be with my Mum at
NEW laws to crack down on firework yobs come into force on June 7. Thanks to the part played by local protesters, air bombs will be banned, new strict controls on mini rockets will be introduced and it will be made more difficult for under 18s to obtain
A RETIRED police inspector has hit out at the force for "disgracefully allowing" prostitutes to tout for business in the afternoon near schools. Harry Bretherton, of Revidge Road, Blackburn, said that in the past senior officers would never have allowed
BLACKBURN Under 14s finished their season in style beating Blackpool 2-1 in the Wrennal Trophy Final at Bloomfield Road. The local youngsters had the better of the early play and they were rewarded when Michael Aspin fired home from 15 yards after 18
A CLUB took party-goers back to their youth when it reopened at the weekend. The Circulation on Holmes Street, Burnley, held a reunion VIP night on Saturday to celebrate winning a public entertainments licence after a battle through the courts. The club
FUNDRAISERS for Pendleside Hospice are holding a curry night at a Burnley restaurant. Hospice Care for Burnley and Pendle has joined up with the Usha Restaurant, in Rossendale Road, for the second time to offer an all-you-can-eat feast of Asian food for
TWO friends are preparing to walk 150 miles to raise more than £1,000 for the street children of Brazil. Fred Uttley, of Simonstone, and John Cowell, of Cliviger, are flying out to Spain tomorrow to do the Camino to Santiago de Compostella pilgrimage,
A COMMUNITY group has been left searching for new premises after Burnley Council and a housing association bought the building it had planned to buy and turned it into a new homeless shelter. The Community Alliance, which brings together and supports
THE company that bought Accrington's troubled cinema today unveiled plans to revamp it. And management at Vue dismissed fears they had only purchased the multiplex site off Hyndburn Road to close it to prevent competition with its planned new cinema in
POLICE are trying to stamp out a rise in underage drinking in Accrington and Oswaldtwistle. Officers have begun to target the young drinkers in a new operation, known as Extant, and will be out in force on Friday nights. Along with Operation Extant, police
A BATTLE plan drawn up by a university student to get more people in the Ribble Valley recycling has been adopted by the local council. Members of the borough's community committee agreed to act on the recommendations in the report, compiled by University
SIR, So, Lord Peter Smith is "delighted" about the £43 million sports village. I also read "the Council will underwrite the early stages of the scheme to ensure it doesn't get delayed while waiting for grants to come through." I wondered if the Council
STEVE McMahon fears his hopes of becoming the next Burnley manager are fading fast. The former Blackpool boss is one of "eight or nine men" Clarets chairman Barry Kilby claims are still in the running to take over at Turf Moor. But McMahon, who admits
HAVING looked an unlikely match-winner when his first four deliveries all disappeared to the boundary, East Lancs all-rounder Phil Bolton showed commendable resolve to bring an end to Lowerhouse's unbeaten start to the season. The league leaders have
FIVE weeks ago, Leigh RMI players trudged off the field at Barnet having won just seven league games all season. They conceded 97 goals and had an even worse goal difference than rock-bottom side Northwich Victoria. But due to the misfortune of others
STEVE McMahon fears his hopes of becoming the next Burnley manager are fading fast. The former Blackpool boss is one of "eight or nine men" Clarets chairman Barry Kilby claims are still in the running to take over at Turf Moor. But McMahon, who admits
BLACKBURN Rovers have launched an official bid to sign Norwegian winger Morten Gamst Pedersen. I can reveal that Rovers have now made a formal offer for the highly-rated 22-year-old but their attempts to sign him may yet be scuppered by his club-side,
BUSINESS people in Burnley have attended a workshop aimed at improving their image. Last week 30 local entrepreneurs were invited to the event, led by Cliff Bashforth, an image consultant from Colour Me Beautiful, an organisation set up to held people
I REALISE all things in life are prone to glitches, but we're supposed to be living in hi-tech days, when we have instant access and 24-hour service and when global communication takes place in the blink of an eye. Why is it then that transactions between
THE Friends of Rossendale Carnival have been awarded £2,525 to help fund the event. This year's carnival is being held in Bacup on Sunday, June 27. To celebrate the Olympics the theme this year will be rings. The £2,525 grant will be spent on hiring performers
PLANS to build a new sports hall at a Rossendale school look set to be approved despite objections from local residents. Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, in Glen Road, Waterfoot, wants to build the two or three-storey hall to address its shortage
LANDLORDS and pub owners have vowed to keep the flag flying for England during the European Championships. And local pubs said a pub chain's attempt to stop its bars flying the national flag during this summer's soccer festival had been ridiculous. Arena
THE family of a frail grandad who was jailed in India for drugs offences fear he will die in prison after his appeal failed. Ismail Mitha, 69, is said to be devastated when a Gujarat court threw out his appeal after prosecution lawyers claimed they had
A RETIRED police inspector has hit out at the force for "disgracefully allowing" prostitutes to tout for business in the afternoon near schools. Harry Bretherton, of Revidge Road, Blackburn, said that in the past senior officers would never have allowed
BLACKBURN rocked in the sunshine yesterday as 10,000 people flocked to see Blue - Britain's biggest boy band - wow Ewood Park. Families, groups of excited teenagers and couples, some of whom had been waiting for hours, filled the stadium within minutes
A SCHOOL cleaner who has swopped mopping for marking is urging East Lancashire's domestic staff to stand up and be counted. When Lynn Holmes became a school cleaner she never dreamt that 19 years later she would be responsible for helping school cleaners
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Blackburn Home Organ and Keyboard Club, St Stephen's Conservative Club, Robinson Street, Little Harwood, 8pm. Social Evening, visitors welcome. North Blackburn and District
I WAS talking last week to a man who has just moved to live in Nelson with his family. He'd had an important job with a large firm and is setting up a business venture of his own. So why come to Nelson which, historically like the rest of East Lancashire
THE article (LET, May 10) regarding slashing the accident rates to youngsters by producing a special calendar is a good idea. But why do we need these calendars in the first place? Surely it is every parent's duty to protect their children from harm.
I WRITE in reference to the letter from Councillor Derek Boden (LET, May 15). Coun Boden states the proposed North West Region Assembly will not be granted the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament or the Welsh Assembly. So what point
TWO friends are preparing to walk 150 miles to raise more than £1,000 for the street children of Brazil. Fred Uttley, of Simonstone, and John Cowell, of Cliviger, are flying out to Spain tomorrow to do the Camino to Santiago de Compostella pilgrimage,
BLACKBURN Rovers have launched an official bid to sign Norwegian winger Morten Gamst Pedersen. I can reveal that Rovers have now made a formal offer for the highly-rated 22-year-old but their attempts to sign him may yet be scuppered by his club-side,
BLACKBURN Rovers transfer target Morten Pedersen has been tipped to take the Premiership by storm if he seals a move to Ewood Park. That's the view of former Rovers favourite and fellow Norwegian, Henning Berg, who has been closely monitoring the 22-year-old's
PUPILS at Gawthorpe High School welcomed eight young people from Germany as part of an exchange programme. Many of visitors from Kassel were in Britain for the first time. Head of German at Gawthorpe, Ann Drummond said: "German children wanted to experience
BUDDING pop stars flocked to Padiham Youth Centre at the weekend to sing for a place in the grand final of a local talent competition. They were the last auditions for the Stars in Their Eyes contest, launched by Brunshaw Action Group. Youngsters from
THE former Abbey National building in Burnley town centre looks set to be brought back into use. Burnley Council plans to convert the empty Parker Lane building into a one-stop shop, where the public could access council services. And it will also be
A SOCIAL club that was ravaged by fire five years ago has reopened. The Palatine Club in Norfolk Street, Nelson, was severely damaged in a mystery early-morning blaze which gutted large parts of the building in May 1999. It was originally built in the
NELSON and Colne Round Table is to close after serving the community for more that 50 years. The group's last event will be a Final Roll Call dinner at the Alma Inn, in Laneshawbridge, on Friday, June 18. The guest of honour at the event will be founder
THREE fires broke out in 25 minutes in the Ewood area of Blackburn. The fires happened in Bolton Road, Edmund Street and Branch Road, stretching the fire service to its limits. Meanwhile, an Accrington British Legion party was heading to Southport for
AN internal police investigation was under way after two police guns were found lying in a Blackburn street. The weapons were found by a member of the public in Sudell Cross and were thought to have come from a police armed response vehicle. Meanwhile
A SURPRISE £5,850 windfall touched the hearts of Blackburn district doctors when it was left to Blackburn Royal Infirmary by a former patient. The money bought new chairs, tables and furnishings for the modern £80,000 medical education centre nearing
ONE boy suffered stomach injuries and another had a bad facial cut, after an accident involving their bike and a car. The pair, aged 12 and 13, both riding on one pushbike, hit a car at the junction of Clarendon Street and Bold Street, Accrington, at
HYNDBURN'S mayor has blasted vandals who destroyed young trees at Great Harwood's Memorial Park over the weekend. Six lime trees were snapped on Friday night and a seventh on Saturday night, costing around £65 each to replace. Local residents chased the
THESE are the first pictures of the green oasis set to replace the controversial fountains outside Hyndburn Council's headquarters. The decaying water features were originally built as a showpiece at Scaitcliffe House, Accrington, to complement the regenerated
A PLASTERER let his Staffordshire Bull Terrier savage a man's Dalmatian "for a laugh" before attacking him when he tried to protect his pet. Burnley Crown Court heard how Robert O'Rourke, owner of Pickles the Dalmatian, got a pickaxe handle when the animals
A MAN wanting to make amends with his wife after a long drinking session was arrested for stealing flowers from a petrol station. Roger Evans, aged 43, of Beechcroft, Sedgley Park, Prestwich, admitted stealing bunches worth £21 from Hilton Park Service
RAILWAY chiefs celebrated the 10th anniversary of the re-opening an East Lancashire railway line and admitted: "It couldn't happen now". The Blackburn-Clitheroe line opened for regular passenger services again in May 1994 - 32 years after it was axed
SIR, What a refreshing change the recent Words Festival makes from bingo halls and night-clubs in Leigh. The first event was a slide show and talk about Leigh-born writer James Hilton who wrote the novels Goodbye Mister Chips and Lost Horizons. The second
UPON reading "Park gets £29,000 spruce up" (April 29) I was surprised to see the park referred to as "Bedford Park". I wasn't aware of the park being known as that in the many years I have lived in Sanderson's Croft. I consulted a plan of the area from
THREE weeks have now passed since Barry Kilby called time on Stan Ternent's Burnley reign. For two weeks, the tough task of sifting through all the wheat and the chaff to uncover suitable applicants has gone on. And in one week, the guessing game should
FORMER Durham county player Danny Law just missed out on the cricket's 'Holy Grail' of taking all ten wickets when he collected nine victims in the Veka Ribblesdale League. Read's professional took 9-32 as Ribblesdale Wanderers crashed to 73 all out and
DARWEN'S fine recent form was firmly stopped in its tracks on Saturday and Sunday, with a 36-run defeat to Kendal and 10-run defeat to Chorley respectively. On Saturday, Darwen looked to be in control when Michael Horsfield ran out the dangerous Terry
THERE'S nothing better than being involved in a match-winning batting partnership - especially when you need to dispel any anxieties that your team might not need you. Such was the ease of Ramsbottom's victory over Rishton on Saturday that the services
Tyldesley 133 St Paul's 'A' 146; Leigh RU 119 Lowton 147; St Paul's 'B' 139 Gardeners 130; Leigh CC 148 Botanical Gardens 116; Westleigh 114 Brunswick 161.
DATEN Hockey Club will start their summer training at Padgate High School on Wednesday, June 2 from 7pm to 8pm. Anyone interested should ring Chris on 852532 .
DRAW for last 16, Saturday and Sunday May 29-30. G.Camm v F.Naylor; D.Grimshaw v G.Goodwin; W.Harrison v J.Heathcote; B.Short v P.Baines; R.Howarth v W,Clegg; J.Platt v D.Jarrett; R.Foxwell v P.Boydell; A.Molyneux v A.Hodgetts.
May 17: A&T 147, Leigh CC 136; Lilford 160, Bot Gardens 178; Rugby Union 'A' 148, Morgans 155; Leigh Bowling 168, Rugby Union 'B' 121; Brunswick 168, Atherton Park 'A' 133; Butts Park 'A' 151, Leigh Miners 150; St Paul's 166, Butts Park 'B' 181. Atherton
A YEAR 7 team from Golborne High School won the U12s Wigan Inter-Schools soccer tournament. The girls now go forward represent Wigan in the Manchester Youth Games next month. In order to qualify the girls had to play eight matches. They conceded no goals
A FOOTBALL club has taken a step closer to securing its goal after it was handed a cash grant. Hindley Junior Football Club received £425,000 from The Football Foundation for new pitches, changing rooms and training equipment. Along with a Sport England
ASTLEY & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare-CTA Direct Cycle Speedway entertained Kingston Cycles-Hull in a Northern League match at Gin Pit on Sunday. A & T provided five of the first six race winners, but Hull packed in the minor placings and led by
Leigh Centurions 30 Keighley Cougars 12: YOU can bet your bottom dollar that Darren Abram won't send his team out again without a game plan. Abram experimented by leaving the pre-match planning and organisation to his senior players - and then probably
A CAFE bar owner has urged neighbours to stop opposing his entertainment licence. John Clay, of Bayleys Cafe Bar, Darwen, has applied to renew the licence which allows him to open until 11pm Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays
RAWTENSTALL Magistrates' Court is opening its doors to the public next week. Two different cases will be played out in the courtroom, one typical of the cases heard today and one with a theme to link in with the 1940s weekend being organised by the East
SOLDIERS from East Lancashire are believed to have been interviewed by army investigators over the hoax torture pictures which cost Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan his job. Military chiefs have confirmed that officers have been questioned about the source
TWO Blackburn secretaries were among the first in the country to enjoy a ceremony for their pioneering role as school business managers. Lyndsey Riley, of Audley Community Junior School, and Kay Cheetham, of St Barnabas and St Paul's CE Primary School
PUPILS at a Blackburn primary school ditched their curriculum for a week to concentrate on getting green. Wensley Fold Primary School in Manor Road spent the week looking at eco-learning to celebrate the end of Standard Attainment Tests. Youngsters recycled
BLACKBURN with Darwen Council is set to rubberstamp plans for a multi-million-pound regeneration project that could affect more than 1,000 homes. The borough, along with Burnley, Hyndburn, Rossendale and Pendle, recently shared in a £103million government
THE father of a 12-year-old girl killed when she was run over by a banned driver has backed an MP's call for tougher laws. Hyndburn MP Greg Pope's motion in the House of Commons asked for a new charge of causing death while disqualified. It would carry
FIFTY foster children are racing against the clock to save a professor trapped inside a time capsule. In a unique initiative by Blackburn with Darwen Council, the children have been given a reading list with clues taking them around the town. It is hoped
ONE in five homes in East Lancashire relies on 'doorstep' credit companies charging interest at rates of up to 400 per cent, debt experts revealed today. Borrowers typically have to pay back £160 for every £100 of their loan and many find themselves "
BUSINESSMAN David Jennings has stepped into the row over the future of Lowercroft lodges - with a £25,000, no-strings-attached bid to buy them. His shock offer comes after owner Keith Talbot's public "fish them or fill them" ultimatum to councillors considering
