LANCASHIRE fuel protesters have threatened to 'cripple' businesses by staging two days of action every week this summer. Hauliers said they had no choice but to protest unless the government reduced the cost of diesel and petrol. The warning came in
ARSONISTS torched a former mill by starting at least five fires inside the building. Firefighters spent three hours battling the blaze on Saturday night at the old Dorma factory in Casterton Avenue, Burnley. They managed to tackle the fire in the empty
A JUDGE branded street violence a "scourge of modern life" as he jailed a robber for three years. Michael Holden, 24, took part in an attack on a pizza delivery driver in Blackburn. The victim was punched and kicked and his wallet stolen when his pockets
A MAJOR survey of Darwen town centre is being launched which could reveal whether changes to the traffic system have worked. Shoppers are to be counted and surveyed in a bid to gauge how retail habits have changed in recent years. The findings will be
There is a new seven-a-side football league starting at Haslingden Sports Centre. The league is for 16 years+ players and operates on Monday evenings between 6 and 9pm. Matches last 30 minutes and are played on AstroTurf. Contact 07947 724763
NIGHT-time cover at care homes could be cut under proposals unveiled by council bosses. Lancashire County Council, which controversially closed two-thirds of its care homes in 2004, is now planning to reduce cover to two members of staff overnight for
HUNDREDS more post offices across Lancashire could close if a contract described as the "cornerstone of the entire network" is lost to a private company, it has been warned. Postmasters are warning that even branches spared the axe from the recent closure
A judge has admitted she slipped up when she sentenced three young men to a total of 31 years behind bars over a violent shotgun incident in Blackburn. Amjad Niwaz, 25, Mohammed Imtiaz Malik, 25, both from Blackburn, and Anjum Nawaz, 24, from Sheffield
ORGANISED criminals planted an illegal Chinese immigrant in East Lancashire to be their 'gardener' at a £100,000 cannabis factory, a court heard. The 'vulnerable and isolated' Mandarin-speaker was a 'slave and plaything' for the traffickers. Now he
A 21-year-old woman has gone missing since leaving Blackburn College on Thursday. Police said Rehana Riaz's family were very concerned and appealed for information about her whereabouts. Rehana, of Whalley Range, was last seen leaving Blackburn College
FIREFIGHTERS, police and council officers are taking an intensive 10-week course in Polish to help them communicate with migrant workers. And they are also being joined by members of the Polish community who are learning English. Geoff Hudson, Burnley
AN East Lancashire cage fighter has travelled half way around the world to show his support for troops in Afghanistan. Clitheroe's Michael Bisping, one of the stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), flew out today to meet and greet the troops
YOUNG tearaways will be given help and support in order to tackle their anti-social behaviour in a £500k scheme. Local authorities, including Blackburn with Darwen and Burnley Council, will receive £250,000 each for their Challenge and Support projects
EAST Lancs captain Mark Bolton has been left reeling by the news that professional Shanan Stewart is returning to New Zealand. Stewart has been dogged by a persistent hernia problem for most of the season, which has hampered his bowling, and the Kiwi
COUNTY council bosses have hit back over claims it is wasting money on agency staff. The GMB union last week released figures showing Lancashire County Council spent £6.3million on agency and temporary staff in 2007/08. Union bosses said authorities
HOMEOWNERS are being advised to stay calm after it was revealed more than 23,000 people in the UK faced owing lenders more than their property was worth. New data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders shows that more than 23,000 people who took out 100
