People in Lancashire could end up paying more for policing if a proposed merger between the Lancashire and Cumbria forces goes ahead. Cumbrians currently pay £155 per year in their council tax towards policing, while Lancastrians pay only £107. A merger
Controversial plans to axe hot food from the meals on wheels service have been labelled disgusting'. Lancashire County Council (LCC) is looking into replacing the daily hot meals service with a weekly delivery of frozen ones. The cost-cutting move has
I WRITE in response to the article (LET, February 4) Mum's fury over dog toilet park.' It sickens me to read articles like that, but it sickens me more that Blackburn with Darwen Council does not do anything to resolve it! Dog mess litters pavements in
AS A striker, I know there's nothing better you can do to get the fans on your side than scoring on your home debut. So I was mighty happy for Michael Ricketts when he fired Burnley to a welcome first win of 2006 at the weekend. Last week, in this very
HEAR that? It's the sound of Steve Cotterill scratching around for players to keep Burnley's season alive. The late, late sale of Ade Akinbiyi left precious little time to sign a long-term replacement, and striker Michael Ricketts could well prove to
EDUCATION bosses are set to have plans for a new Burnley high school thrown into chaos after opponents launched a bid to prevent Burnley Council selling them the land needed for the project. Former mayor and Liberal Democrat leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle
BLACKBURN Rovers striker Craig Bellamy is to be questioned by police in connection with an alleged assault on a teenage girl. The incident, which left a 19-year-old clubber with bruising to her arm and neck, is believed to have occurred in the Number
BURNLEY residents might have to pay an extra £10 if they want bulky waste taken away from their homes. Burnley Council wants to charge the fee as part of a savings drive. But today a leading councillor warned the move would lead to an increase in fly-tipping
RATS are being spotted every day in some parts of Burnley. Empty homes and waste ground, litter, pest control staff shortages and the national explosion in the rat population have all contributed to the increase in sightings which have more than doubled
EDUCATION bosses are set to have plans for a new Burnley high school thrown into chaos after opponents launched a bid to prevent Burnley Council selling them the land needed for the project. Former mayor and Liberal Democrat leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle
RESIDENTS in Whitefield, Nelson, can learn about town design in order for them to have a better say on plans to transform their neighbourhood. Architects from Civic will be on hand at Nelson Town Hall to give people information about town planning as
A NELSON nightclub could soon have new owners after being put up for sale with an asking price of more than £300,000. The El Tropicano nightclub, housed in one of the town's oldest buildings at the junction of Hibson Road and Cobden Street, is on the
There's no doubt that from a purely financial point of view, the sale of Ade Akinbiyi represented good value. However, there are significant side-effects to be suffered from having to sell your key player - not least of which is that everything has to
WHEN I devoted the whole of last week's column to doing the double' over Manchester United this season I knew I left myself open to questions as to why I'd omitted to mention the subsequent West Brom defeat. My own feelings at the time were that it was
AN ACCRINGTON high school is close to raising the £50,000 it needs to support its bid to become a specialist sports college. Moorhead High launched its bid for specialist status last year. At a special event in October actress and former pupil Mina Anwar
A PARK sex fiend who terrorised his young victim in a bid to get her to drop the charges against him has been jailed for four years. And Rizwan Sarwar also assaulted two other girls who tried to stop him sexually assaulting and punching the terrified
JACK Straw deftly avoided a confrontation with the Speaker when he took Foreign Office Questions on Tuesday. After his former Junior Minister Denis McShane asked a lengthy and rambling question suggesting the United States offered diplomatic recognition
STEVE Cotterill is urging Gifton Noel Williams to go with the Flo' and end a frustrating season on a wave of euphoria. Noel-Williams, a victim of Ade Akinbiyi's success in the successful lone striker system at Turf Moor, has consequently not found the
HASLINGDEN wicketkeeper John Simpson snared three victims as he helped England into the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup. Simpson took two catches and a stumping as Bangladesh were bowled out for just 155 and England lost only five wickets in a successful
CRAIG Bellamy looks set to lead the Blackburn Rovers attack against Sunderland tomorrow even though he is wanted by police for questioning in connection with an alleged assault on a teenage girl in a nightclub. As stories emerged regarding an alleged
STEVE Cotterill is refusing to press the panic button when looking for loans to strengthen his squad. Burnley are down to just 16 available players for tonight's Turf Moor tester against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with both Frank Sinclair and Wayne Thomas
Fairport Convention, the legendary innovators of British folk-rock music, are coming to Lancashire for three February shows as part of their nationwide tour. The band, which formed back in 1967 and won huge critical acclaim during the 1970s, will be in
DARWEN'S heritage will be preserved in the multi-million pound regeneration projects planned for the town, residents have been promised. Blackburn with Darwen executive member for regeneration Coun Andy Kay gave the assurances after questioning from Coun
A STAG night ended in a disaster for one of the party when he was arrested and spent two days in a cell. Ranjeet Bhullar, a 23-year-old taxi operator of Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, admitted threatening behaviour and possession of cannabis. He was given a
A 19-year-old Blackburn man who assaulted his pregnant partner and his father and stole from his mum to pay a drug dealer has been jailed. Blackburn magistrates heard that Mark Andrew Fisher attacked his partner, who was 22 weeks pregnant, kicking her
MOBILE phone giant O2 has confirmed it is looking at an alternative site for a planned mast after fierce opposition from residents. But officials are still hoping the application for a 15-metre telecommunications mast next to the Esso petrol station in
CUSTOMS officers forced entry into a Blackburn lock-up unit as part of an operation to uncover illegally imported booze. The team from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs swooped on a unit at Florence Mill Business Park in Whalley New Road. The officers
THERE have been many advances in medicine enabling doctors to treat all kinds of conditions for which there were previously no apparent cures. And corporations have developed a wide variety of drugs to deal with mental health problems which would have
I'VE been playing football at Towneley Park for years and can't believe there is talk of making players or spectators pay for leaving cars on the car park. It already costs a lot of money for people to play throughout the season and this will lead to
REGARDING a recent article regarding dangerous roads, I must point out there is no such thing as a dangerous road. Only dangerous drivers. A road becomes dangerous only when it is in disrepair, covered in ice and snow or there is oil on it. Granted some
A PARK sex fiend who terrorised his young victim in a bid to get her to drop the charges against him has been jailed for four years. And Rizwan Sarwar also assaulted two other girls who tried to stop him sexually assaulting and punching the terrified
West Bromwich Albion Reserves 4 Blackburn Rovers Reserves 1: Raffaele De Vita had an eventful debut for Rovers reserves last night, but couldn't mark it with a goal. The 18-year-old from Rome had several efforts on goal in a game that Blackburn dominated
CRAIG Bellamy looks set to lead the Blackburn Rovers attack against Sunderland tomorrow even though he is wanted by police for questioning in connection with an alleged assault on a teenage girl in a nightclub. As stories emerged regarding an alleged
IT'S great to see Blackburn still buzzing after last week's amazing victory over Manchester United. But that was a week ago now - time to get over it! Am I the only one who's just a little bit worried that we follow up completing a double over the Red
BURNLEY is to stage a pioneering conference to get men in the town talking about health issues. Burnley FC and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust (PCT) have teamed up to organise the event predominantly aimed at young men who are less likely
A MAN who left a teenage girl with a smashed nose, black eye and bust lip after intervening in a fight is behind bars for two years. Burnley Crown Court heard how James Norwood, 23, took a running kick at the victim's face and punched her after wrongly
FRIENDS have paid tribute to "one of life's characters" after the death of a pensioner who was hit by a car in Accrington. Robert Larner, 74, suffered serious head injuries when he was knocked down by a car while trying to cross Hyndburn Road last Wednesday
THIEVES have stolen more than £31,000-worth of computer equipment from a lorry on Altham industrial estate while the driver slept in his cab. The theft, which took place in the early hours of yesterday, is being linked to similar incidents on the same
VALENTINE'S Day! How important and exciting it seemed years ago when I was 15, and then a bit older when I fancied someone. Would he send me a card? Should I send him one? Then, we actually thought it was love. Love, such a little word but covering so
BURNLEY football player Wayne Thomas was given an 18-month conditional discharge after being found guilty of assaulting a police officer. Thomas pushed Sergeant John D'Arcy as the officer ushered him into the tunnel at the end of his former club Stoke
STEVE Cotterill is refusing to press the panic button when looking for loans to strengthen his squad. Burnley are down to just 16 available players for tonight's Turf Moor tester against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with both Frank Sinclair and Wayne Thomas
FORGET Peter Crouch for England in the World Cup. If Sven Goran Eriksson wants a genuine alternative to the players he already has up front then he should be considering taking James Beattie to Germany instead this summer. In my opinion, James has far
A POP hopeful set to launch her quest for chart success today revealed how she couldn't wait to get chased by the paparazzi! While many celebrities curse and sometimes even fight with the hoards of celebrity photographers, Shereen Guerin said their arrival
KEEN amateur photographers and schoolchildren are being given the chance to show off their talents. The opportunity comes in Darwen Civic Society's 18th annual photographic exhibition. The subject of this year's event is Parks and Open Spaces, including
A BADLY damaged play area is set to be demolished and replaced with a new purpose-built play- ground costing £52,000. Rossendale Council's cabinet has agreed to provide funding for the new playground at Gordon Street in Bacup. The project, put forward
Craig Murray, the rebel ambassador who stood against Jack Straw in Blackburn at the last election, has been warned he could face legal action if he publishes his memoirs, Murder in Samarkand. The former envoy in Uzbekistan, who was dismissed after claiming
A JUDGE has ordered council officials to attend court to explain why they have not found a home for a disabled offender. Wheelchair user Anthony Tasker, 34, is still in the hospital wing of Preston Prison despite exhaustive attempts by the probation service
Tyres are not the most fashionable items on the car but you ignore them at your peril. Those few square inches of rubber are all that comes between the car and the road. There's an old saying: the brakes stop the wheels, but the tyres stop the car.
Motorists can now avoid traffic jams - by having pictures of busy roads sent directly to their mobile phone. For the first time, video footage of tailbacks and queues on the motorway network will be beamed straight to a driver's handset. The Highways
BURNLEY residents might have to pay an extra £10 if they want bulky waste taken away from their homes. Burnley Council wants to charge the fee as part of a savings drive. But today a leading councillor warned the move would lead to an increase in fly-tipping
TESTS to see if a wind farm should be built on the moors above Todmorden should not go ahead, it has been claimed. Secretary of Todmorden Moor Restoration Trust, Robin Pennie, told Todmorden Town Council that an application for a testing mast would lead
A BADLY damaged play area is set to be demolished and replaced with a new purpose-built play- ground costing £52,000. Rossendale Council's cabinet has agreed to provide funding for the new playground at Gordon Street in Bacup. The project, put forward
Irish Heritage in Haslingden is being celebrated at Rossendale Museum, Whitaker Park, with an exhibition by the Rossendale Family History Society. The exhibition explores the origins of Irish settlement in Haslingden over the past 100 years and will
A STAG night ended in a disaster for one of the party when he was arrested and spent two days in a cell. Ranjeet Bhullar, a 23-year-old taxi operator of Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, admitted threatening behaviour and possession of cannabis. He was given
One of 28 schools in the country where the NUT has voted for strike action, Todmorden High School, will be closed again. Strike action is planned by teachers on Tuesday, February 21 and Thursday, February 23. The dispute is over the school using non-teaching
A building which is a former thriving restaurant is now a "fly in the ointment," a Todmorden councillor told Calderdale's planning committee. They agreed and gave Todmorden Pride permission to bulldoze the former restaurant between Rochdale canal and
A MAN who left a teenage girl with a smashed nose, black eye and bust lip after intervening in a fight is behind bars for two years. Burnley Crown Court heard how James Norwood, 23, took a running kick at the victim's face and punched her after wrongly
BURNLEY is to stage a pioneering conference to get men in the town talking about health issues. Burnley FC and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust (PCT) have teamed up to organise the event predominantly aimed at young men who are less
RESIDENTS in Barnoldswick will soon be able to keep more in touch with what is happening in their community. The town council has produced a pilot edition of its new newsletter, Communicate. The letter is aimed at improving commun- ication between
RESIDENTS in Whitefield, Nelson, can learn about town design in order for them to have a better say on plans to transform their neighbourhood. Architects from Civic will be on hand at Nelson Town Hall to give people information about town planning as
A NELSON nightclub could soon have new owners after being put up for sale with an asking price of more than £300,000. The El Tropicano nightclub, housed in one of the town's oldest buildings at the junction of Hibson Road and Cobden Street, is on the
FORMER smoker Kitty Ussher will be backing a total ban on lighting up in pubs, clubs and restaurants in a key vote tonight. The Burnley MP will support her former boss Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt in a move to outlaw smoking in public places
RATS are being spotted every day in some parts of Burnley. Empty homes and waste ground, litter, pest control staff shortages and the national explosion in the rat population have all contributed to the increase in sightings which have more than doubled
BURNLEY football player Wayne Thomas was given an 18-month conditional discharge after being found guilty of assaulting a police officer. Thomas pushed Sergeant John D'Arcy as the officer ushered him into the tunnel at the end of his former club Stoke
HASLINGDEN wicketkeeper John Simpson snared three victims as he helped England into the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup. Simpson took two catches and a stumping as Bangladesh were bowled out for just 155 and England lost only five wickets in a
EDUCATION bosses are set to have plans for a new Burnley high school thrown into chaos after opponents launched a bid to prevent Burnley Council selling them the land needed for the project. Former mayor and Liberal Democrat leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle
STEVE Cotterill is urging Gifton Noel Williams to go with the Flo' and end a frustrating season on a wave of euphoria. Noel-Williams, a victim of Ade Akinbiyi's success in the successful lone striker system at Turf Moor, has consequently not found the
BURNLEY chairman Barry Kilby admits he has found room in his heart for Accrington Stanley. And he is backing the Reds, and his counterpart Eric Whalley, to go all the way in their push for promotion. "Eric and I go back a long time. He was manager of
Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman will rest some of this first team regulars, where possible, for tonight's Lancashire Cup quarter final at Burscough (kick-off 7.45pm). "I don't know if we've got the ability to rest players," said Coleman. "But there'll
STEVE Jagielka is hoping to make a speedy recovery from knee surgery in time to secure a new deal in Accrington Stanley's promotion run-in. The Reds midfielder, who went under the knife on Friday to clear up a cartilage problem, is out of contract in
There's no doubt that from a purely financial point of view, the sale of Ade Akinbiyi represented good value. However, there are significant side-effects to be suffered from having to sell your key player - not least of which is that everything has to
WHEN I devoted the whole of last week's column to doing the double' over Manchester United this season I knew I left myself open to questions as to why I'd omitted to mention the subsequent West Brom defeat. My own feelings at the time were that it was
West Bromwich Albion Reserves 4 Blackburn Rovers Reserves 1: Raffaele De Vita had an eventful debut for Rovers reserves last night, but couldn't mark it with a goal. The 18-year-old from Rome had several efforts on goal in a game that Blackburn dominated
STEVE Cotterill is refusing to press the panic button when looking for loans to strengthen his squad. Burnley are down to just 16 available players for tonight's Turf Moor tester against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with both Frank Sinclair and Wayne Thomas
CRAIG Bellamy looks set to lead the Blackburn Rovers attack against Sunderland tomorrow even though he is wanted by police for questioning in connection with an alleged assault on a teenage girl in a nightclub. As stories emerged regarding an alleged
AN ACCRINGTON high school is close to raising the £50,000 it needs to support its bid to become a specialist sports college. Moorhead High launched its bid for specialist status last year. At a special event in October actress and former pupil Mina
THEY say the geeks shall inherit the earth and it's no wonder have you seen all the amazing stuff they've got to help them? I hadn't caught Channel Five's Gadget Show before being brow-beaten into it last night. But after the first five minutes of
KEEN amateur photographers and schoolchildren are being given the chance to show off their talents. The opportunity comes in Darwen Civic Society's 18th annual photographic exhibition. The subject of this year's event is Parks and Open Spaces, including
MORE than £3,000 has been raised for the East Lancashire Hospice over the last two years, thanks to a savings scheme run by the Cheshire Building Society. The national initiative, launched in January 2004 raised £1,600 in the first year and £1,800 has
DARWEN'S heritage will be preserved in the multi-million pound regeneration projects planned for the town, residents have been promised. Blackburn with Darwen executive member for regeneration Coun Andy Kay gave the assurances after questioning from
FIVE East Lancashire schools and colleges hailed as "outstanding" by government inspectors have been championed at an awards ceremony. As we revealed in December, Clitheroe Pendle Primary School; Chatburn CE Primary School; Nelson and Colne College;
A JUDGE has ordered council officials to attend court to explain why they have not found a home for a disabled offender. Wheelchair user Anthony Tasker, 34, is still in the hospital wing of Preston Prison despite exhaustive attempts by the probation
VALENTINE'S Day! How important and exciting it seemed years ago when I was 15, and then a bit older when I fancied someone. Would he send me a card? Should I send him one? Then, we actually thought it was love. Love, such a little word but covering
I WRITE in response to the article (LET, February 4) Mum's fury over dog toilet park.' It sickens me to read articles like that, but it sickens me more that Blackburn with Darwen Council does not do anything to resolve it! Dog mess litters pavements
REGARDING a recent article regarding dangerous roads, I must point out there is no such thing as a dangerous road. Only dangerous drivers. A road becomes dangerous only when it is in disrepair, covered in ice and snow or there is oil on it. Granted
I'VE been playing football at Towneley Park for years and can't believe there is talk of making players or spectators pay for leaving cars on the car park. It already costs a lot of money for people to play throughout the season and this will lead to
I MUST object to the proposed moves at Burnley General Hospital. Consideration should be given to not only the patients but the patients' visitors. The death rate of patients would increase by having to move them to Blackburn or anywhere in between.
RESIDENTS have blasted lorry drivers who continued using a notorious road on the day a ban on HGVs was introduced. Dozens of lorries were still trundling up and down the Grane Road between Blackburn and Haslingden yesterday despite a new weight restriction
LEAVES are to be removed from the railway lines around Rishton station to make the track safer. Vegetation growing on both sides of the line, between Churchill Avenue and Hawthorne Drive, is to be removed today in a project expected to take just one
CLITHEROE Castle museum will be marking the half-term week with a series of events celebrating our weather. Starting this Sunday, the weather-themed week will see youngsters create their own weather maps, rainbows and wind scales. On the day youngsters
MOBILE phone giant O2 has confirmed it is looking at an alternative site for a planned mast after fierce opposition from residents. But officials are still hoping the application for a 15-metre telecommunications mast next to the Esso petrol station
FRIENDS have paid tribute to "one of life's characters" after the death of a pensioner who was hit by a car in Accrington. Robert Larner, 74, suffered serious head injuries when he was knocked down by a car while trying to cross Hyndburn Road last Wednesday
Security staff at the region's hospitals are on "full alert" after reports of expensive thefts from UK hospitals. John Dell, director of operations at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, spoke after it was revealed criminal gangs snatched equipment
CHILDREN across East Lancashire are in a virtual coma during lessons because of prescription drugs aimed at curbing disruptive behaviour, a headteachers' representative warned today. The claim came as it was revealed that prescriptions of drugs such
BLACKBURN Rovers striker Craig Bellamy is to be questioned by police in connection with an alleged assault on a teenage girl. The incident, which left a 19-year-old clubber with bruising to her arm and neck, is believed to have occurred in the Number
THIEVES have stolen more than £31,000-worth of computer equipment from a lorry on Altham industrial estate while the driver slept in his cab. The theft, which took place in the early hours of yesterday, is being linked to similar incidents on the same
A POP hopeful set to launch her quest for chart success today revealed how she couldn't wait to get chased by the paparazzi! While many celebrities curse and sometimes even fight with the hoards of celebrity photographers, Shereen Guerin said their
Craig Murray the rebel ambassador who stood against Jack Straw in Blackburn at the last election has been warned he could face legal action if he publishes his memoirs, Murder in Samarkand. The former envoy in Uzbekistan, who was dismissed after claiming
A 19-year-old Blackburn man who assaulted his pregnant partner and his father and stole from his mum to pay a drug dealer has been jailed. Blackburn magistrates heard that Mark Andrew Fisher attacked his partner, who was 22 weeks pregnant, kicking her
CUSTOMS officers forced entry into a Blackburn lock-up unit as part of an operation to uncover illegally imported booze. The team from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs swooped on a unit at Florence Mill Business Park in Whalley New Road. The officers
A PARK sex fiend who terrorised his young victim in a bid to get her to drop the charges against him has been jailed for four years. And Rizwan Sarwar also assaulted two other girls who tried to stop him sexually assaulting and punching the terrified
