BLACKBURN'S newly opened multi-screen Vue cinema is a welcome asset to the borough. The need was for it was recognised by developers who invested money in the ten- screen complex which has proved an immediate success. People have been flocking to the
RE stories Tony's torment (LET, December 8) and Queen's Park opens £30,000 art project (LET, December 13). Here we have a story covering one man's plight of having to wait 26 weeks for an MRI scan and a story covering how the East Lancashire Hospitals
FIREFIGHTERS in Lancashire are a step closer to strike action after bosses approved a reduction in the number of crew on engines. More than 100 firefighters packed a meeting of the fire authority to call for rejection of the proposal. Chief fire officer
A TOWN centre cinema which has drawn crowds for almost 100 years will close tomorrow -- weeks after a multi-screen complex opened nearby. Bosses at the Apollo 5 Cinema, King William Street, Blackburn, have told 30 staff the battle against the new 10 screen
ROVERS' Youth coach Gary Bowyer was a happy man after his side booked a FA Youth Cup fourth round date against Derby County after beating Spurs 2-0. Joe Garner's deflected effort gave Rovers the lead just past the quarter hour but it wasn't until the
BLACKBURN Rovers striker Shefki Kuqi wants to shed his 'super sub' tag and nail down a regular place in Mark Hughes' starting eleven. The flying Finn, who joined Rovers on a free transfer in the summer, is starting to earn a reputation for making an impact
A TROUBLED Burnley teenager who repeatedly sexually abused his four young stepsisters was today starting a three-year jail term. The victims lived in fear of the "bullying" 17-year-old and locks had to be put on their bedroom doors to stop him molesting
A BURNLEY teenager has become the first person in Lancashire to be charged with flouting special measures to curb yobbish behaviour. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named, was arrested by police in Calderbrook Avenue after allegedly breaching a dispersal
IT was good to see the players in fancy dress on their annual Christmas party in the papers last week. As they're in the public eye so much it must be good for them to let their hair down once in a while, unless you're Brad Friedel of course, and I always
A CLARETS fan has raised the bar for supporters taking part in Burnley's pre-match entertainment. Callum Clarke has become the first person to win the club's crossbar challenge. The test sees one lucky fan's ticket pulled out of a hat before every home
TOMMY Lawson reckons his team's chances of FA Trophy progress have been boosted by the postponement of Sunday's first round tie at Barrow. The re-arrangement of the game for Thursday gives the Clitheroe manager time to nurse some of his vital players
BACUP have made a sensational swoop to land New Zealand star Chris Cairns as their professional for 2006. The Lanehead side have been chasing Cairns, a veteran of 62 Test matches and 211 one-day internationals and recognised as one of cricket's great
BLACKBURN Rovers striker Shefki Kuqi wants to shed his 'super sub' tag and nail down a regular place in Mark Hughes' starting eleven. The flying Finn, who joined Rovers on a free transfer in the summer, is starting to earn a reputation for making an impact
Your diary of the big gigs coming to Lancashire soon, including the likes of G4, Joss Stone, The Strokes, Australian Pink Floyd, The Magic Numbers, The Levellers and Fun Lovin' Criminals. DECEMBER 20 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, King George's
SECURITY is being stepped up at Darwen's Belgrave Mill after nearby homes had to be evacuated for the second time in a week. The move came after fire broke out in the grounds of the former Crown Wallcoverings factory early on Sunday, and neighbours living
A BUDDING Bacup photographer is hoping to create a new career by showing off the beauty of the North West in a new collection. Anthony Pooler has captured the rugged landscape of the area to show people what they are missing. And the 27-year-old, who
A LONG-SERVING councillor has been charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol. Coun Fred Slater, who represents the East Rural ward between Blackburn and Darwen, answered bail at Blackburn Police Station on Saturday. He was stopped by police
A TOWN centre cinema which has drawn crowds for almost 100 years will close tomorrow -- weeks after a multi-screen complex opened nearby. Bosses at the Apollo 5 Cinema, King William Street, Blackburn, have told 30 staff the battle against the new 10 screen
CHORLEY boxer Michael Jennings has been forced to cancel Christmas in preparation for the second defence of his British welterweight title. The 28-year-old was hoping to put his feet up over the festive period. But there is no time for rest after he was
THE best Christmas present readers can give is the gift of life. I am writing to encourage people to become blood donors over the Christmas period and for life. The winter weather can have adverse effects on blood stock levels. This is due to people being
THE senseless murder of Anthony Walker was a tragedy, as are all the murders which now take place in our, sadly, increasingly violent society. However, the simplistic notion that had we all been more zealous in the fight against racism, this young man
A NELSON woman has been jailed for five years after admitting stabbing to death the "one man she felt safe with". But the family of victim Keith Laycock will never know what drove Patricia Stott to plunge a kitchen knife into the chest of the "gentle
TRANSPORT bosses have launched an investigation into the behaviour of a bus driver following an alleged assault on an East Lancashire schoolboy. The probe comes after police arrested a 60-year-old male driver following an incident on a school bus travelling
NELSON'S flagship new bus and rail interchange could be held up by the Government unless Pendle Council foregoes a £500,000 windfall. Lancashire County Council wanted to buy and demolish the shops on Hibson Road and Railway Street which back on to the
A NELSON woman has been jailed for five years after admitting stabbing to death the "one man she felt safe with". But the family of victim Keith Laycock will never know what drove Patricia Stott to plunge a kitchen knife into the chest of the "gentle
THIS column has not been reticent in its criticism of certain areas of Burnley Football Club's pricing policy. The board's decision to slap a £3 tax on anyone buying a ticket on match day, for example, has proved counter-productive, alienating the very
FATHER Christmas turned up in Oswaldtwistle six days early to bring some festive cheer to a family left homeless by a horrific blaze. Debbie O'Connor's three children had said they did not want any Christmas presents so their mum could plough all her
TRANSPORT bosses have launched an investigation into the behaviour of a bus driver following an alleged assault on an East Lancashire schoolboy. The probe comes after police arrested a 60-year-old male driver following an incident on a school bus travelling
MEN are, without a doubt, very good at lying. Why? Because they have made us believe they are the world's worst shoppers. They have made us think that because they can't be bothered, the crafty devils. Ask them to come shopping and they come out with
SOUTHAMPTON have dealt Burnley a pre-Christmas blow by recalling Nathan Dyer from his loan spell. The news of Dyer's departure, coming on the day the Clarets extended Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant's loan for a further month, is a huge setback ahead of the
BACUP have made a sensational swoop to land New Zealand star Chris Cairns as their professional for 2006. The Lanehead side have been chasing Cairns, a veteran of 62 Test matches and 211 one-day internationals and recognised as one of cricket's great
SOUTHAMPTON have dealt Burnley a pre-Christmas blow by recalling Nathan Dyer from his loan spell. The news of Dyer's departure, coming on the day the Clarets extended Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant's loan for a further month, is a huge setback ahead of the
A LONG-SERVING councillor has been charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol. Coun Fred Slater, who represents the East Rural ward between Blackburn and Darwen, answered bail at Blackburn Police Station on Saturday. He was stopped by police
A FORMER professional footballer whose career was cut short by injury launched an attack on a man outside a night club, a court heard. Ex-Bury player Paul Joseph O'Shaughnessy, 24, left James Regan needing hospital treatment for a bloody nose and blackeye
A 21-year-old motorist led police on an hour-long pursuit across East Lancashire and into the Yorkshire Dales. Magistrates heard that during the chase, the transit van driven by William Hogg collided with six other vehicles, including a police car. At
