A JUDGE says he is to take time to consider the verdict in the case of a Darwen father fighting to sue local authorities after his daughter died from a drugs overdose. Melissa Strickson, 13, died in October 2001 after running away from home with three
A GOVERNOR of Darwen Moorland High School has said the millionaire behind the school's replacement was "out of order" for his derogatory comments about parents. Michelle Atkin, 38, of Newton Street, Darwen, said she was angry when she read Rod Aldridge's
WORK to transform a busy town centre thoroughfare into a pedestrian-friendly plaza has been completed. About £1.1m has been spent on Sudell Cross, Blackburn, and it is hoped more shoppers will now be attracted to that end of town. Council bosses said
A COUNCIL'S "hard-hitting" campaign to target fly-tipping is beginning to see results, officials have said. Hyndburn has been blighted with problems of litter and dumping of rubbish and earlier this year the borough was named as having the dirtiest streets
A ROBBER brandishing a gun threatened to blow off a shop assistant's head, a court was told. The allegation was made in the trial of Thomas Moffett, 43, of Roebuck Close, Blackburn, who is charged with carrying out six robberies in the town. Initially
BURNLEY legend Andy Payton today called on the club to go for it' as Steve Cotterill mounts a charge for the Premiership. Cotterill has worked a minor miracle in guiding the Clarets to third position in the Championship this term, despite having one
SEVERAL key Accrington Stanley players are facing a race against time to be fit for their FA Cup first round game at Mansfield Town on Saturday. Michael Welch, Andy Procter and Jay Harris are all battling to recover from knocks they picked up in the
The last weekend in October is the traditional date for the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon or KIMM for short, the forerunner of the now popular adventure racing format. The idea is for teams of two to navigate two mountain marathons on consecutive
Tom Cornthwaite has taken advantage of a rich vein of form by racing in two major events on successive weekends. The first involved a trip to the famous Rock of Gibraltar Race, and then it was on to Mansfield with the Blackburn Harriers' senior men's
Accrington Stanley have revealed how referee Mark Haywood took the unusual step of contacting Stanley manager John Coleman after watching video evidence of the controversial penalty he awarded to Peterborough last weekend. Haywood penalised Welch for
LEADING Rossendale Valley developer The Hurstwood Group has said it feels "vindicated" after a government Ombudsman found Rossendale Council guilty of maladministration. In a report published this week, Local Government Ombudsman Anne Seex recommended
THE go-ahead has been given for the demolition of Burnley's Thompson Centre after council bosses proved they had taken care of a roost of bats. The site is now to be cleared and used as a temporary short-stay car park with approximately 200 spaces until
THE future of a village's tribute to its war dead has been secured after it scooped more than £5,000 to repair the monument. English Heritage and the War Memorials Trust have donated £5,200 to help repair the war memorial in Weir, Rossendale. The tribute
A "PARANOID" man killed himself by filling his house full of gas and petrol and blowing it up, an inquest heard. Victor Clarke dis-connected the gas supply at the mains and doused the rooms of his semi-detached home in petrol before lighting the deadly
A ROW has erupted between Burnley's council leader and MP after it was decided to send all 999 emergencies to Blackburn. Gordon Birtwistle has accused MP Kitty Ussher of not doing enough to stop blue emergencies being sent to Royal Blackburn Hospital
A FURNITURE factory has been told to clean up its act or get an ASBO. The warning follows complaints of noise, fumes and sawdust - and is one of the first times a firm has been threatened an ASBO. Residents told councillors on Pendle Council's Nelson
A SHOP manager today described a terrifying armed robbery of Securicor couriers at her store. The attack happened at the Spar, Manchester Road, Burnley, at about 9.30pm on Monday when three masked men, brandishing a machete, an axe and a sledge hammer
A BAN on a Blackburn doctor examining female patients while alone is to remain until next year, the General Medical Council has ordered. Shakir Laher, of Pringle Street, has been told he can only examine female patients with a "chaperone" present. The
ATTACKS on Lancashire train staff have soared in the past five years, it has been claimed. And RMT union leaders have accused rail bosses of failing to get to grips with the escalating levels of late-night violence. The union hit out at Northern Rail
ACTOR Simon Gregson, Coronation Street's Steve McDonald, is to switch on Darwen's Christmas lights. And young tumour patient Madison Allan will join him for a day of entertainment in aid of a new high-tech scanner for the hospital where she is treated
A BLACKBURN school believes a popular teacher who died at the start of term "was with us in spirit" during a positive Ofsted visit. Graham Hinks, 55, from Fence, had worked at Hawthorns Junior School as a science and outdoor pursuits co-ordinator for
DELEGATES will meet on Monday for Blackburn with Darwen Council's first conference on extending schools - a major government initiative to deliver a range of educational activities and other services outside school hours. More than 100 delegates, including
BLACKBURN Rovers manager Mark Hughes is hoping Brett Emerton will be fit to return against Manchester United on Saturday when he will attempt to plot the downfall of his friend and mentor Sir Alex Ferguson. Emerton has missed the last three games through
FORMER Accrington Stanley striker Brett Ormerod scored twice against his old club's reserves as Preston ran riot in the second half to win 4-0. The sides went into the break goalless after a tight opening period, in which Stanley trialist, Leighton McGivern
JONNY Lang has finally been crowned British GT champion - almost two months after his final race of the season. Lang, from Barrowford, and his driving partner Matt Allison were handed the GTC class title following a tribunal hearing organised by the
It was a matter of "if at first you don't succeed" for Darwen Dasher Shane Gudgeon, who completed the Snowdonia Marathon in a fine 3:29, a week after being forced to retire from the Abingdon Marathon at half distance. Richard Instone of Blackburn Road
In-form Blackburn Harriers and Darwen Dashers were the team winners at the Through the Villages Road Race - just has they had been at the Accrington 10K a week earlier. For the Harriers, Paul Guinan was the first local home with fourth in 46:46 for
BACUP Borough went through to the second round of the Lancashire County FA United Co-Operative Challenge Trophy after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Padiham at The Arbories. All the significant action came in the last quarter of normal time as
AN inquest has been opened into the death of a Burnley teacher who has lost her two-month fight for life after collapsing while playing tennis. Vicki Jayne Taylor, 45, of Wellfield Drive, a languages teacher at Towneley High School, was taken by ambulance
A former Burnley politician and school governor has died after losing her battle with cancer. Joan Keene, former county councillor for Burnley Rural and chairwoman of Worsthorne with Cliviger Parish Council, died in the early hours of Sunday at home
A TEENAGE girl has been given a three-year ASBO after victimising residents in Holcombe Brook. Police said Elizabeth King, 15, from Springwater Avenue, Holcombe Brook, was identified as a ringleader of a group of teenage girls that had made life a misery
MORE than 75 jobs will be created in Pendle, thanks to a £7million investment in a dot com business which made its North West home in Nelson. Touch Local, an online business directory, employs 26 people in its office at Brunswick House, Brunswick Street
A MAN who threatened to knife a pensioner if she did not give him her purse has been jailed for six years Paul Alan Elliott, 34, of Ripon Street, Blackburn was sentenced at Burnley Crown Court after pleading guilty to attempted robbery. And police said
A BLACKBURN hospital could not have prevented the death of a schizophrenic found hanging in his bedroom, a jury has concluded. Ryan Peachey died on May 24, just days after moving from a secure hospital unit in Newcastle to the rehabilitation mental health
A FAMILY has paid tribute to a "soft-centred" nightclub doorman who died after a heart attack. Grandad Carl Sibbering, 44, grew up in Accrington but moved to Kent where he died while on a night out. He was a former pupil at Holy Family School, Wordsworth
RAMBLING enthusiasts across the county are gearing up to the celebrate the life of one of Blackburn's most famous sons. Alfred Wainwright, who was born in Audley Range in 1907, is famous around the world for his pictorial guides and sketch books based
RESIDENTS have supported plans to introduce permit parking to stop hospital visitors leaving their cars outside their homes. Those who attended a public meeting agreed to send a petition to the council, backing the proposal to introduce £10 residents
I AM taking this opportunity to encourage your readers to once again give generously to this year's Poppy Appeal. The Poppy Appeal is the primary source of funds to maintain the Royal British Legion's welfare and benevolent schemes and in helping more
MR Proctor's letter regarding the issuing of identity cards for those who pay NHS contributions has two glaring flaws. I always thought that all who were entitled to NHS treatment were or should be treated equally. Secondly, if NHS ID cards were issued
AFTER a long period of illness I recently decided to visit Blackburn, the place of my childhood, after many years. My young family and I were very pleased to see that all trace of what was commonly known as the cannons had gone forever. For me as a
EIGHTY years of wearing spectacles prevented me from playing football, joining the Air Force, and the Navy (not allowed in 1940, but I was accepted for the army). Recently however, a wonderful eye surgeon from the South African branch of the NHS (Netcare
A COLLECTION of vintage cars and trucks were seconds from being destroyed when a blaze tore through a fireworks warehouse. Firefighters were forced to take cover as rockets shot out of the door as they tackled the fire at the site, which also operates
ADAM Riaz said a last goodbye to his mother and four sisters at their graveside by laying a single red rose on each of their coffins. His poignant act came at the end of a day that witnessed one of the biggest outpourings of grief from people of all
