A ONE-TIME drug addict who smashed his way into Woolworths and escaped with a Playstation haul has kept his freedom. John Lanceley, 25, who was also the "lookout" for another raid, had a "voluminous" criminal record. He had kicked his addiction but had
A MAN made off from police and led them on a car chase after being accused of attacking his wife. Burnley Crown Court heard how officers eventually stopped the pursuit because of the danger to other motorists. William Milne, 36, of Bevington Close,
A TEENAGER who went blind in a weekend is preparing to jump out of an aeroplane for charity despite his disability and his extreme fear of heights. Michael Harrison, 17, is appealing to local businesses to help fund the 10,000ft skydive, to raise money
AN undercover officer in a major drugs operation thought he was buying cocaine but got a lump of soap instead. But Zahid Tabbassum, 23, met up with the officer again the next day and offered to supply him with hard drugs. Tabbassum, who became a father
UNION officials were set to hold crunch talks today with bosses of a Pendle company under the threat of closure. Representatives from the Transport and General Workers Union were meeting management at Smurfit to discuss concerns the Nelson plant's 120
A BANNED driver stopped by police did not give a breath test when asked, a court was told. Susan Kirk, 45, was pulled over because she had no lights on at 10.20pm. Kirk, who was disqualified seven months earlier for drink-driving, said to officers: "
RAWTENSTALL tourist information centre is set to be axed in a bid to modernise the service, it has been revealed. Today Rossendale MP Janet Anderson said she was "appalled" by the decision, and accused council chiefs of trying to make unjustified cost
A NEW Police Community Support Officer will be pounding the streets of Haslingden and the former pharmacy worker is hoping she'll be a real tonic for local residents. Hannah Gahagan, 23, is to become a familiar face in the town after joining PC Luuka
BURNLEY people have a last chance to win a 32-inch LCD TV worth £1,000 and at the same time have their say on shaping future arts and leisure provision in the borough. Burnley Now, the council's newspaper has questionnaires on arts provision at the
The Swede with Argentinian roots, Jose Gonzalez is causing a storm at the moment, thanks in no small measure to his cover of The Knife's Heartbeats featuring on an advert. Now he's released Heartbeats as a single and you can watch the video here. The
A PARISH council's plans to use sheep to keep the grass short in the village graveyard have had to be dropped because of accusations of baa-d taste. Councillors in Worsthorne wanted to take up the offer from a local farmer of a group of tups to graze
A LONG-TIME criminal who conned cash out of the public in a six-month charity scam has lost a bid to win his freedom. Ju jitsu instructor and strongman record holder Norman "Knuckles" Jones, 55, who had earlier been sent down for 360 days by magistrates
BURNLEY Council is to demand a public inquiry over plans to build a new super school in Towneley Park. Last night the authority's development control committee decided to ask Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to call in plans to replace Towneley High
An 84-year-old man was shoved to the ground and kicked in a "despicable" Burnley street robbery for just £7. The pensioner, who is too scared to be named, had been dropped off after a night out and was walking down an alleyway between Rossendale Road
Burnley Youth 2 Fulham Youth 1: Burnley sealed their place in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday evening following an impressive win over Premiership Academy side Fulham at Turf Moor. With goals from Jay Rodriguez and Rob Turner, the Clarets
CLARETS' midfielder Chris McCann believes he's ready to take his career to the next level. The 18-year-old Irishman, who has been a smash hit for Steve Cotterill's side this season, recently landed a new long-term deal and celebrated that with a wonder-strike
BURNLEY'S trip to Brighton at the end of the month will stay as orginally scheduled. Many Clarets fans had called for the game to be switched from January 31 back to January 28 - the date of the fourth round of the FA Cup. After both sides were knocked
POLICE today said they were invest-igating possible connections between a robbery in Whitworth and other raids across the region. And they appealed for witnesses to the armed raid at Co-op Late Store, Thorney-lea. The robbery took place at 10.30pm on
THE Ramsbottom Rhythm and Blues Festival is looking for new sponsors after main backers Thwaites brewery pulled out but organisers have assured fans the show will go on. The thriving event, now in its third year, has put the town firmly on the R'n'B
POLICE are gearing up for next weekend's derby clash between Burnley and Preston North End by visiting known trouble-makers and warning them to behave on match day. Officers are calling at the homes of suspected soccer yobs in a bid to deter any outbreak
THE Nelson branch of the Royal British Legion is calling for a new war memorial. Members called on Pendle Council to build a new memorial, perhaps with gardens, where people could remember the fallen. Representative Andy Ashworth said: "The Nelson branch
A TEENAGER from Colne has swapped pulling pints for fighting crime. Sean Goddard's new job is a world away from his previous employment as a team manager at the Ram Inn, Cliviger. The 19-year-old wanted a varied career and is now a Police Community
ORGANISERS of Todmorden Business Association did not have to look hard for one of the winners of their annual awards. Members decided to involve people living in the town by asking them to vote in the friendliest business category. And it was won by
A COMMUNITY gardening project in Burnley could soon be powering the borough's cars on cooking oil. For Offshoots is to look into turning vegetable oil into bio-chemical fuel after winning a national award. The project, based in Towneley Park, is cooking
A NELSON and Colne College campus is to be turned into a £10million housing estate. Dozens of new homes and 30 apartments are set to be created at the college's Colne campus in a scheme put forward by Nelson-based developer Barnfield Construction. The
Arthur McAllister, who died on Monday at the age of 85, was one of the most respected men in Northern and National athletics. He began running at school in his native Hull as an 11-year old in 1931 winning his first race - much to his surprise - a cross
An unseasonably mild Witton Park did nothing to make conditions easier for competitors at this year's Lancashire Cross Country Championships as the ice of the previous two years was replaced by clinging mud. With it's undulations including the ascent
NAVIGATOR Daniel Barritt is about to move into motorsport's fast lane after clinching a deal to contest this year's World Rally Championship. The 23-year-old from Hapton will partner Japanese driver Fumio Nutahara in a Mitsubishi Lancer run by the Advan-PIAA
Blackburn Hawks endured mixed fortunes on the resumption of their ice hockey campaign, losing to Paisley Pirates and then crushing Kingston Jets in a double header of cup action. Hawks suffered a disappointing 8-2 away defeat on Saturday in their first
MARK Hughes insists Blackburn Rovers' Carling Cup dreams are far from over - even though his players failed to make maximum use of home advantage against Manchester United last night. Sir Alex Ferguson's Reds are now the bookies' favourites to go through
I DON'T think my week could have gone much better. Well, perhaps if I had been the punter who won £25,000 on Xavi Alonso scoring from inside his own half I might have had an even bigger smile on my face. But, apart from that, I've got no complaints.
WHO needs Wayne Rooney when you've got the irrepressible Morten Gamst Pedersen? The twinkle-toed Norwegian, who grew up supporting Manchester United, once again came up with the goods last night by scoring the goal that gave Blackburn Rovers' Carling
Matt Jansen last night expressed his disappointment at leaving Blackburn Rovers and admitted that without the support of the club's fans he probably would have quit the game altogether. The 28-year-old striker formally severed his ties with the club
MORTEN Gamst Pedersen is ready to reproduce his Old Trafford heroics and fire Blackburn Rovers into the Carling Cup final. The Norwegian scored another wonder goal last night - his third against Manchester United this season - to level the first leg
SO far this week we've had power struggles, lewd behaviour, fights and displays of macho posturing and the signs are that there is plenty more to come. No, it's not the live coverage of Celebrity Big Brother, it's BBC1's Chimp Week which has probably
MULTI-MILLION-pound plans to build a city-centre-style business, retail, leisure and housing development on a disused industrial site in Accrington have been submitted to Hyndburn Council. If the proposals go ahead, Platts Lodge a two acre site at the
A COLLEGE praised as "outstanding" by inspectors is undergoing a £5.3million makeover to ensure its facilities match its academic excellence. Officials from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) used the words outstanding and excellent more
A BUTCHER has caused a row among Clitheroe's market traders after he asked permission to prepare meat on non-market days. Stuart Gradwell, who owns Gradwell Quality Butchers, applied to Ribble Valley Council for permission to use his market cabin to
A DARWEN man who assaulted another man and left him unconscious has been jailed for a year. Mazer Alshmery, 29, of Crosshill Road, was found guilty by a jury of assaulting Saleh Farhan causing him actual bodily harm. It was alleged that Alshmery had
A COUPLE who feared their dog would go blind after she was stolen without her medication have found their pet thanks to a Good Samaritan. And owners Vince and Lisa Gregg said that without the help of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, they may never
You know what it's like when the rain in East Lancashire really sets in. There's nothing spectacular about the downpour it just keeps on coming, relentlessly. And it's combined with a sudden, clammy cold that makes you shiver, even though it's well
RENEWABLE energy is the only way to go. Wind turbines and solar panels supply renewable, clean energy and do not pollute. I wish Angus and Julia Dootson of Edgworth success in their appeal against the narrow-minded people trying to stop them. Renewable
SINCE Mr Lynch (LET, January 7) seems to be so ready to pounce on those he feels have made mistakes in their letters, I feel it only fair that I must in turn correct what he argued in his letter recently. Although his lovely fairytale story of nasty
WHY do people use the word gay when the correct word is homosexual? I have no doubt a homosexual would prefer to be called gay, as it seems to remove the stigma of their unnatural way of life. When they smile and say I am gay', people can tend to be
I WRITE in response to the story (LET, December 23) headlined Dirty, dirty, dirty.' I agree the hospitals mentioned are dirty and need to be a lot cleaner. I work at one of the hospitals mentioned. The trust will not recruit any staff to replace those
AN ALCOHOLIC has died following a drinking spree just days after she was given an Anti-Social Behaviour Order to curb her drunken antics. Marina O'Connor, 39, of George Street, Accrington, died on New Year's Eve after a long battle with alcohol. Today
A RISHTON cyclist was left fighting for his life after sustaining severe head injuries on his silver mountain bike. Eric Clarke, 54, of Livesey Street, Rishton, was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital after the accident happened outside the Mercedes
EID celebrations were more memorable for one Blackburn resident as his nephew travelled more than 4,000 miles from Mombasa, Kenya. Anvar Ali Sumra, 56, visiting his uncle, Abdul Reham Sumra, 73, who has lived in Blackburn for 30 years, said that he was
SCHOOLBOY footballers have been banned from wearing bladed boots amid concerns that they have the potential to injure opponents. Blackburn with Darwen Council has told all schools that the boots should not be allowed, and that young soccer players should
POLICE are hunting a thug after a party-goer's nose was bitten off in a horrendous attack. The 30-year-old victim was taken to hospital covered in blood, cradling part of his nose in his hands, before surgeons were able to reattach it. He has been left
A TV antiques expert today spoke of his sadness that the company behind the world-famous Pendelfin rabbits is to close after more than 50 years. The firm announced this week that it would cease production at its East Lancashire base in March, with the
POULTRY farmers claimed restrictions aimed at halting the spread of bird flu had been a waste of time and a financial disaster. Sales of birds were allowed for the first time at Clitheroe auction mart since the Government-backed ban was lifted. But
A TEENAGE tearaway is being taken on holiday to Jamaica by care bosses just days after Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a crackdown on yobbish behaviour. The boy, who has already been taken to Disneyland Paris, is one of several being treated to the
NOW that the Christian festive season is over and done with for another year, may I draw the attention of that parasitical entity, the 'politically correct' brigade, to the fact that during the Christmas period there was a sign in a shop window at Little
I READ with interest a letter from Anthony Howarth (LET, January 5), lots of conjecture but very little fact or substance. Who exactly are these unelected Commissioners in Brussels? I was under the impression the British had the biggest representation
BURNLEY have had a fantastic season so far - but just imagine how good it could have been had our away form been better. The Clarets haven't won away from home since they beat Luton 3-2 on November 5 and they need to address that starting with Cardiff
An 84-year-old man was shoved to the ground and kicked in a "despicable" Burnley street robbery -- for just £7. The pensioner, who is too scared to be named, had been dropped off after a night out and was walking down an alleyway between Rossendale Road
A notorious stunt website sparked a major inquiry -- by filming a boy as he appeared to shock himself with a hospital defibrillator. The 17-year-old from Darwen was filmed playing with potentially deadly equipment in casualty at Blackburn Infirmary for
MARK Hughes is hoping Blackburn Rovers can strike a major psychological blow in the battle for Europe by beating Bolton Wanderers in tomorrow's Lancashire derby at Ewood Park. A win for Rovers this weekend would see them climb above their arch-rivals
A MAN who was left fighting for his life after he was allegedly attacked in a Burnley street remained in hospital today. John Boslem was said to be in a stable condition in the intensive care unit of Salford's Hope Hospital following the alleged assault
BURNLEY Council is to demand a public inquiry over plans to build a new super school in Towneley Park. Last night the authority's development control committee decided to ask Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to call in plans to replace Towneley High
A TEENAGER who went blind in a weekend is preparing to jump out of an aeroplane for charity despite his disability -- and his extreme fear of heights. Michael Harrison, 17, is appealing to local businesses to help fund the 10,000ft skydive, to raise money
A ONE-TIME drug addict who smashed his way into Woolworths and escaped with a Playstation haul has kept his freedom. John Lanceley, 25, who was also the "lookout" for another raid, had a "voluminous" criminal record. He had kicked his addiction but had
CHORLEY will attempt to chalk up a third straight league win - and boost their play-off aspirations in the process - when they make the short trip to Fleetwood tomorrow. Shaun Teale's men climbed up to eighth position in the table following last week's
A TEENAGER has been cleared of sexually assaulting his friend's mum after turning up at her home drunk around midnight. The Accrington 17-year-old was found not guilty of assault by penetration by a jury at Burnley Crown Court after a three day trial.
A MOTHER has spoken of her family's fears that gases released by air bags in a car accident could have contributed to her baby's sudden death. Thirteen-month-old Jack Lewis Redfearn was involved in the crash eight months before he died. And his family
THE £350,000 restoration of a Grade II-listed village pub has moved a step closer after town planners decided to back the scheme. National pub chain Punch Taverns last year applied to Ribble Valley Council for permission to carry out improvements to the
Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston has named Latvian businessman Valeri Belokon as the "most credible" candidate to spearhead a takeover at the League One club. Oyston, who took joint control at Bloomfield Road in March 1999, met with Belokon earlier this
BURNLEY boss Steve Cotterill is calling on his players to do the business away from home as they travel to face Cardiff tomorrow. It's been two months since the Clarets scored a victory away from Turf Moor but Cotterill is convinced his side are playing
CHORLEY will attempt to chalk up a third straight league win - and boost their play-off aspirations in the process - when they make the short trip to Fleetwood tomorrow. Shaun Teale's men climbed up to eighth position in the table following last week's
BURNLEY striker Ade Akinbiyi says he's interested in points not prizes as he prepares to face off against one the league's sharp-shooters. Akinbiyi will go head-to-head with Cardiff's Cameron Jerome with both strikers, and Watford's Marlon King, locked
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes says Craig Bellamy is 'devastated' he will miss Rovers' trip to Newcastle a week tomorrow, writes ANDY NEILD. Bellamy was desperate to face his former club at St James' Park for the first time since he quit the Magpies following
A notorious stunt website sparked a major inquiry -- by filming a boy as he appeared to shock himself with a hospital defibrillator. The 17-year-old from Darwen was filmed playing with potentially deadly equipment in casualty at Blackburn Infirmary for
A BANNED driver stopped by police did not give a breath test when asked, a court was told. Susan Kirk, 45, was pulled over because she had no lights on at 10.20pm. Kirk, who was disqualified seven months earlier for drink-driving, said to officers: "Please
RAWTENSTALL tourist information centre is set to be axed in a bid to modernise the service, it has been revealed. Today Rossendale MP Janet Anderson said she was "appalled" by the decision, and accused council chiefs of trying to make unjustified cost
A MAN responsible for dozens of burglaries in the Blackburn area has been jailed for four years. Adrian Preston resorted to crime in a desperate move to pay off a drug dealer and almost wanted to get caught, to get the dealer off his back, Preston Crown
MOTORISTS today accused council bosses of "highway robbery" after "complicated" signs were blamed for a massive increase in parking fines on a street. Blackburn with Darwen Council has put the signs up because it does not want to paint instructions on
A notorious stunt website sparked a major inquiry -- by filming a boy as he appeared to shock himself with a hospital defibrillator. The 17-year-old from Darwen was filmed playing with potentially deadly equipment in casualty at Blackburn Infirmary for
People must be pretty bored out of their skull if they have to set fire to their armpits to get a thrill. What's wrong with swapping football stickers? Or going conker picking? The 'jackass' antics of some young folk have made me realise one thing. Young
MANY East Lancashire people will have spent anxious moments in the past 24 hours worrying that friends or relatives might have been involved in the tragedy that killed 345 pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia. As Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw
WHEN will it end? What is the answer? Whilst shopping even in crowded places, there is the continued sound of foul language (more often than not by the younger set) who seem intent by their way of speaking (that's a laugh!) to bring the rest down to their
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce believes Mark Hughes should be widely applauded for the way he goes about his business at Blackburn. The two men come face to face in the Barclays Premiership tomorrow with bot sides showing impressive form going into the
GARRY Flitcroft last night severed his ties with Blackburn Rovers and agreed to join Sheffield United on an 18-month contract. The 33-year-old midfielder snubbed offers from Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United to join the Blades on a free and he's relishing
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes says Craig Bellamy is 'devastated' he will miss Rovers' trip to Newcastle a week tomorrow, writes ANDY NEILD. Bellamy was desperate to face his former club at St James' Park for the first time since he quit the Magpies following
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes today leapt to the defence of Bolton Wanderers by insisting Sam Allardyce's team are not the ugly side some pundits are painting them out to be. Wanderers chief Allardyce took the dramatic step of banning BBC Radio Five Live
SAM Allardyce for England? Well, you can't deny he's done a great job at Bolton since taking them up to the Premiership. When they first got promotion, like all sides who come up, they were everybody's first pick for relegation. But when the pre-season
BURNLEY people have a last chance to win a 32-inch LCD TV worth £1,000 -- and at the same time have their say on shaping future arts and leisure provision in the borough. Burnley Now, the council's newspaper has questionnaires on arts provision at the
A MAN made off from police and led them on a car chase after being accused of attacking his wife. Burnley Crown Court heard how officers eventually stopped the pursuit because of the danger to other motorists. William Milne, 36, of Bevington Close, Burnley
AN EAST Lancashire parish council's plan to use sheep to keep grass short in the village graveyard has had to be dropped following accusations of baa-d taste. Councillors in Worsthorne, Burnley, wanted to take up a local farmer's offer of a group of tups
An 84-year-old man was shoved to the ground and kicked in a "despicable" Burnley street robbery -- for just £7. The pensioner, who is too scared to be named, had been dropped off after a night out and was walking down an alleyway between Rossendale Road
AN undercover officer in a major drugs operation thought he was buying cocaine -- but got a lump of soap instead. But Zahid Tabbassum, 23, met up with the officer again the next day and offered to supply him with hard drugs. Tabbassum, who became a father
A LONG-TIME criminal who conned cash out of the public in a six-month charity scam has lost a bid to win his freedom. Ju jitsu instructor and strongman record holder Norman "Knuckles" Jones, 55, who had earlier been sent down for 360 days by magistrates
HYNDBURN Homes, the company set up to take control of all former council houses in Hyndburn, has pledged to improve the service it provides to tenants. The announcement comes as the housing association moved into new offices this week, bringing 60 staff
THE mum of a five-year-old girl told by doctors she could lose the ability to walk by her teens is appealing for help to get her daughter to a specialist centre. Taylor Rayson, of Allan Critchlow Way, Rishton, suffers from spastic diplegia, a form of
Blackpool have confirmed that caretaker boss Simon Grayson has been appointed as full time manager of the club. The 36 year old, who joined the club as a player in 2003, had previously worked as reserve team coach. He was appointed caretaker boss following
BURNLEY striker Ade Akinbiyi says he's interested in points not prizes as he prepares to face off against one the league's sharp-shooters. Akinbiyi will go head-to-head with Cardiff's Cameron Jerome with both strikers, and Watford's Marlon King, locked
UNION officials were set to hold crunch talks today with bosses of a Pendle company under the threat of closure. Representatives from the Transport and General Workers Union were meeting management at Smurfit to discuss concerns the Nelson plant's 120
A NEW Police Community Support Officer will be pounding the streets of Haslingden - and the former pharmacy worker is hoping she'll be a real tonic for local residents. Hannah Gahagan, 23, is to become a familiar face in the town after joining PC Luuka
A WOMAN who pushed a glass into the face of a Blackburn pubgoer has been given a suspended jail term. Kerry Parkinson was 25 weeks pregnant when she used violence towards a man who had approached her table in the Horden Arms, Livesey Branch Road. A court
A BUSINESSMAN has vowed that troublemakers will not deter him from opening a children's home after the site was damaged in a pellet gun attack. Amjad Shah, 29, discovered that two windows at his property in Harwoods Lane, Hoddlesden, were damaged by the
A COUPLE have been hit with five-year Anti Social Behaviour Orders banning them from playing loud music. The orders, the longest ever given in Blackburn with Darwen for noise nuisance, prohibit Martin Kelly and Tina Chadwick, of Hamilton Street, Mill
When Brooklyn-based elementary-school music teacher Sharon Hagopian goes home she becomes Cannonball Jane, a one-woman band on a mission to make bouncy, fluffy pop out of distorted guitar riffs, leftfield synth loops and darkside drum and bass. Hagopian
