TWO elderly women were conned out of hundreds of pounds by bogus workmen who called at their homes. Police today warned people to be on guard against tricksters following the incidents which officers said could be connected. The first strike happened
STAFF and volunteers at Pendleside Hospice were celebrating today after being awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. They are one of only 103 voluntary groups in the country to be honoured with the award this year. Pendleside was nominated
COUNCILLORS have vowed to oppose a £2million extension at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, branding it a "monstrosity". They promised to send a "clear message" to county councillors, who will decide on the plans, that they do not want the performing
THE leader of Pendle Council today hit out after it was announced his authority was losing control of managing Pendle's roads. From next month Lancashire County Council intends to take back charge for almost all highways matters. The county council
A MOTORIST has been banned after driving while drunk on a 15mph children's motorbike. Warren Bradshaw, 24, of Gannow Lane, Burnley, did not think he was doing anything wrong when he set off on the mini bike at 1am on April 1, the town's magistrates
A MUM and her kids are going to visit grandparents for the holidays and walking all 100 miles there as training for an Everest trek. Helen Lord-Scott, and her sons Sam, 11, Ollie, eight, and George, three, are camping out as they make their way from
A 13-YEAR-OLD girl was indecently assaulted in a subway the second serious sex attack there in just two weeks. The victim was in the Gannow Top underpass with a teenage boy she had met that evening when he subjected her to a sex attack. The incident
AN ADDICT found with drugs worth about £400 wanted to get free of the habit for his daughter, a court was told. Ex-convict Shaun Ross, 38, had an "entrenched" addiction going back years and would not be able to conquer it on his own, Burnley magistrates
RAWTENSTALL skipper, Vinny Hanson, is predicting an intriguing cup battle against East Lancs. Hanson said: "We have one of the strongest bowling attacks and, on their day, East Lancs, have one of the best batting line-ups so it should be an interesting
Andy Gray officially became a Burnley player yesterday after completing his £750,000 transfer from Sunderland. The Scottish international, who ended last season on loan at Turf Moor, has joined the Clarets on a three-year deal that runs until the summer
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is weighing up a shock move for Mido - the Roma striker who made a big impact in the Premiership with Spurs last season. I can exclusively reveal the Egyptian international is one of four or five' names on the Rovers manager's
TRADERS from across Europe will descend on Great Harwood next week for the town's first continental market. Among the products expected to be on sale at the three-day event will be Belgian chocolates and sweets, and French bread. The event will
A CHARITY football match is to be held in memory of a Blackburn football fan who died in a motorway crash. Carl Vause, 19, of Amber Avenue, Roe Lee, died on Saturday, May 6, after an accident on the M6 in Staffordshire. At his funeral earlier this month
GREEN businesses in East Lancashire are going for gold after being shortlisted in this year's Northwest Business Environment Awards. Companies from Nelson and Ramsbottom are amongst the front runners set to be recognised for their best environmental
FOLLOWING the recent focus on animal rights extremism, the RSPCA would like to make one thing absolutely clear: we unreservedly condemn the actions of those who take part in intimidation and violence in the name of bringing laboratory experiments on animals
A PROPERTY expert has praised East Lancashire as a place to do business after two industrial units in the area went on the market for a total of more than £5million. A facility in Edward Street, Nelson, is being sold with a £3.5million price tag, and
THE landlady of a pub in Rishton has paid tribute to a "captivating" barmaid who was found dead in her flat after she failed to turn up for work. Bev Adamson said 18-year-old Sarah Marie O'Dea was loved by both staff and customers at the Roebuck Inn,
A MAN who suffers with a debilitating muscle condition is to cycle from coast to coast to raise money for a charity that helped him. Henry Ramsey, 44, of Richmond Park, Darwen, suffers with dystonia, a neurological muscular condition that causes involuntary
A BURNLEY fan banned from attending football matches has been charged with failing to give his passport to police ahead of the World Cup. Norman Jones is one of 65 people in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale who were asked to hand in their passport in a
A MAN who made his neighbours' lives a misery by blasting out loud music including hit tunes by pop band Keane has been told this is the last time'! Environmental health officers and police stormed the home of noisy neighbour Kenneth Howard Hewitt,
A THEATRE company is desperately seeking a children's choir for a summer show after a clash of dates forced the original singers to pull out. The group, called Debut, has been rehearsing with young performers from the local Stage Door drama school
Food lovers in Lancashire are being urged to vote for their favourite fish and chip shop as part of a nationwide hunt for the country's best. The competition, which has been launched by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriot, aims to promote the traditional
Lancashire police will be tackling domestic abuse over the World Cup with a hard-hitting poster campaign. Officers have revealed there can often be a link between large sporting competitions and a rise in incidents of domestic violence. Now Operation
A SPORTS-mad youngster who died suddenly at home was suffering from an infection in his intestines, tests have revealed. Popular ice hockey player Niall Birtwell, 12, died two weeks ago after a short illness. His parents, Andrew and Lauren, had been
A 17-YEAR-OLD boy was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance during a street attack early today. The victim, who has not been named, was walking down Preston Old Road towards Blackburn town centre when he was set upon at 12.15am. Police said
AN MP today called for a tightening of the system after it was revealed that a children's day care centre was allowed to open near to a hostel catering for paedophiles and violent offenders. Probation bosses said that they were not consulted over the
LOCK n' Load returns to King George's Hall, Blackburn on June 3 with another helping of top-notch stand-up comedy. But this month's event promises to be special as the audience will be asked to do their bit to help send disabled youngsters on a trip
THE familiar menacing theme tune starts, the spotlight shines on the solitary black leather chair. The beginning of Mastermind is surely one of the most evocative and intimidating of TV moments. It's a shame therefore that the rest of the programme
One of the hardest working live acts, The Levellers are heading to Blackburn on June 17 for an acoustic performance. We spoke to bassist Jeremy Cunningham. THE show may be billed as an acoustic one but don't expect The Levellers to let their audience
At the age of 90, Thomas Round will become the oldest person ever to grace the stage at Blackburn's Thwaites Empire Theatre with his show on June 11. But his advancing years have done nothing to diminish his enthusiasm. THOMAS Round comes from a
A LOUT who repeatedly flouted a court order got another chance from magistrates even though his solicitor didn't ask for one. Daniel Craig Brown, 22, was behind a "catalogue of unruly behaviour" and is currently subject of an interim anti-social behaviour
RESIDENTS wanting to build a gym over the garage of their home have had their dreams shattered after neighbours complained about the plans. Planners in Rossendale backed neighbours, and rejected proposals to build a private gym extension at a house in
THE largest charity shop in the north of England is set to open in Burnley. And the YMCA shop, in Anchor Retail Park next to Iceland, will let customers drive directly to the door to pick up or drop off their donations. The outlet, which is due to open
IRISH eyes will be smiling in Burnley on September 19 when Celtic singer songwriter Dominic Kirwan takes to the stage. A string of chart topping albums and sell out concert tours have made the entertainer an international star, but it is his Irish
A "WIFE-beater" convicted of attacking his former partner did not accept the court's decision. Luis Filipe Fernandes Nuncio, 31, refused to do a domestic violence programme and a probation officer terminated an interview with him when trying to compile
THE Buddhist group who live in the Losang Dragpa Centre, known as Dobroyd Castle, in Todmorden, have asked for help in funding their annual summer fair. But Councillor Margaret Holmstead told the town council amenities committee that at last year's event
THOUSANDS of weekend revellers face disruption to their plans because of a strike by taxi drivers in Burnley continuing into next week. Today pub bosses said the strike would cost them as people turned their backs on heading into the town centre for
EAST Lancs recorded a seven-wicket win over Church in the opening game of the Lancashire League's Twenty20 tournament. Church ended their innings on 132-6 Nick Westwell top-scoring with 32. But East Lancs reached their target in comfortable fashion
CLITHEROE Football Club are urging businesses to back their push for promotion next season by getting involved in a new sponsorship initiative. Under the scheme, companies will be invited to take part in a special sponsorship prize draw, with the overall
NEW Accrington Stanley signing Julien N'Da is looking forward to his first season in English football. The 20-year-old defender put pen to paper on a six-month deal with the Reds in a whirlwind 24 hours this week. N'Da flew in from Paris on Wednesday
BLACKBURN Rovers' Academy coach Gary Bowyer believes Sergio Peter's meteoric rise from Youth football to the Premiership can act as a major source of inspiration for the rest of the club's young players next season. The German teenager became the latest
Steve Cotterill will pile on the miles as he steps up his search for new talent. The Burnley manager will fly out to Spain this weekend to watch two Second Division games. And then he'll be off to the World Cup in Germany to take in the matches
A chronic alcoholic who had drunk a bottle of vodka and "some brandy" every day for 20 years died as a result of liver disease, an inquest was told. An inquest heard that Janet Dugdale died in her sleep after going to bed appearing "quite normally."
With the wedding season well and truly under way I was back doing what I do best this week serving. But rather than dish out the food and be on my way, I actually got a chance to talk to the groom this time. All bright eyed and naive, this fellow had
RESIDENTS in an area plagued by anti-social behaviour said a visit by a Government minister was an "historic day" for the community. Woodnook in Accrington has been blighted by problems with unruly youngsters. Vandalism, drinking and drug taking are
ALMOST 20 knives have been handed into Accrington police station in the first week of a national knife amnesty. But Accrington police chief, Inspector Terry Woods, said the town does not have a "knife culture". Among the 19 blades handed in were kitchen
I WOULD like to know why Network Rail is going to pay big bonuses to its top executives, after making a pre-tax loss of £232 million. This is the same Network Rail that should have solved the problem with the rain leaking on platforms two and four at
I AGREE with Hyndburn MP Greg Pope that the price of TV licences should be brought down, not put up. The BBC should drop the enormous wages it pays out to so-called celebrities. They are not worth it and don't deserve it. The same goes for Premiership
I TRAVEL over Haslingden Grane daily and it seems that some lorry drivers need to take an eye test, and for the sake of other innocent drivers, perhaps be given a white stick and subsequently removed from the roads. The reason is they seem oblivious
IT WILL come as no surprise to the people in this part of East Lancashire that the hospital trust has used the wife of a trust director in a DVD made in an attempt to drum up support for their discredited reorganisation plans (LET, May 20). This is the
THE LANCASHIRE and Blackpool Tourist Board has been named as the sponsor of Darwen's first food festival. Tourism chiefs hope the event will attract thousands of people to the town later this year. Final details are being put together by Blackburn with
AN AMATEUR photographer from Great Harwood has won a national contest to picture a flower in bloom. Richard Crompton, 39, rushed out into his garden to capture the image of a poppy just as the sun peered out from behind a black rain cloud. He said
A BLACKBURN man trying to alleviate back pain, following an industrial accident, resorted to growing cannabis, a court was told. A court heard how Anthony Aspinall, 51, found buying the drug costly. He then obtained some cannabis plants, which were
A PENSIONER was rescued from his ninth floor flat after he fell and broke his leg while a pan boiled dry on the hob. Brian Clarke, 69, of Trinity Court, Birley Street, Blackburn managed to crawl to the phone to call his daughter, who contacted the fire
A WOMAN who was wounded during a shop robbery has said she wants to "deck" the thug who stabbed her in the back. Marjorie Bostock, 54, was working behind the counter of Shippy's store, Pendle Road, Sabden, when she was attacked at about 9.15pm on Wednesday
ELECTRICITY was cut off to hundreds of homes in Oswaldtwistle after a suspected arson attack on a former care home. Firefighters were called to Peel Court, off Union Road, at 2.30pm yesterday, where one of the buildings contained an electricity substation
A CONVICTED sex offender invited two boys aged 11 and six into his home despite a life-long sexual prevention order (SOPO) being in force against him. Blackburn magistrates heard that Shaun Yates had initially made contact with the boys when they saw
MUSICIANS of the future will be taking over Oliver's Bar at Burnley Mechanics on June 16 for a special live gig and album launch. The Bands of BC event sees the culmination of two years work by students at Burnley College studying for a BTec National
ANDY Panayi and Mark Nightingale are two of the best jazz soloists in Europe and they team up with bassist Simon Woolf and drummer Steve Brown in Rawtenstall on June 6. The Andy Panayi Quartet will be at the Rhythm Station and I urge anyone who loves
VOTING has now begun in the competition which will see two unknown bands win the prize of a lifetime a slot at six of the summer's biggest music festivals. Eighty-eight bands from the North West have entered our Local Heroes competition including
THERE'S no middle line with Chinese food - it's either very good or very bad. So it's with trepidation that we try new places. But a babysitting stint forced us to seek somewhere new after the little darling had nodded off, full of milk. Brownhill
From Sheila Brennan, Bombay Street, Blackburn. Welcome summertime our old friend Warmer days are here again Summer, the time we love best At any time of the day Walking in the green fields Where wild grey squirrels play Hear birdsong in the early
YOUNG Lancastrians are spearheading moves to make sure youth views are heard at the top level in governments across Europe. The county's Youth Ambassadors recently received delegations from Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic to
