A SERIES of improve-ments have been announced for a nature reserve in Hyndburn. The Foxhill Bank site in Oswaldtwistle in the borough’s only designated nature reserve and a series of facelifts have been taking place in the past six months.
A SCHEME to build a £10million road in Huncoat remains on track, council bosses have said. Nationally, road scheme costs are costing local authorities millions in unbudgeted extra costs as a result of the credit crunch and spiralling prices
A DEALER who supplied drugs to undercover police from a Colne caravan site has been spared immediate jail. Scott Wilks, 25, admitted supplying cannabis on March 8 and being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, on March 2. He was given
A COUNCIL is urging families to get on their bikes at an annual festival. As part of Burnley Community Festival, which takes place in Queens Park on Sunday, August 31, Burnley Borough Council is encouraging people to cycle to the fun-packed
A working men’s club is hosting a charity snooker night. The event at Sydney Street Working Men’s Club in Accrington features professional players Ian McCulloch and Chris Norbury on Wednesday, July 16 at 7.30pm. Entrance to the event
TWO police officers who rescued a woman from a flood-swollen stream in Oswaldtwistle are to be honoured today at a prestigious ceremony. Sergeant Jimmy Saddoo and PC Victoria Wilson will appear at the Police Bravery Awards in London. The pair came to
RE WOMEN bishops, I don’t see what all the fuss is about, of course there should be women bishops if the people want it. The synod has no right to exclude them. They keep coming back with “Jesus said this and Jesus said that.” Jesus, if he ever existed
LAST week I felt akin to Dr Who, who after travelling through time and space, has to think which planet he is on, and what century it is! The reason I was bewildered was not a trip in the Tardis, but the lead article in Vision, the county council’s newspaper
I WOULD like to voice my opinion concerning the company who charge the hard-working nurses to park in the car park at Royal Blackburn Hospital and then have the cheek to fine them if they forget to display their permit. This is disgusting. These people
A SYMPHONY at Hoghton Tower in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice is to be held on Saturday. The 14th open air promenade concert, performed by the Northern Chamber Orchestra Symphonia, will feature soloist tenor Richard Coxon. Take a picnic and experience
TWO police officers who rescued a woman from a flood-swollen stream in Oswaldtwistle are to be honoured today at a prestigious ceremony. Sergeant Jimmy Saddoo and PC Victoria Wilson will appear at the Police Bravery Awards in London. The pair came to
A HASLINGDEN motorist received a five-year ban and a hefty fine after driving home while drunk. Christian Ross Wareing, 44, of Church Street, pleaded guilty to driving a Smart Roadster whilst over the legal limit, at 10.10pm on June 23.
A KNIFEMAN who brandished the weapon near a man's face after turning up at a house full of people has been jailed. Luke Michael Bradley, 20, who was looking for his girlfriend, pulled the knife, which had a six inch blade, from his pocket at the property
POLICE have warned residents in Burnley after a ferret was stolen during a spate of burglaries in the Lowerhouse area of the town. The sandy-coloured animal was taken along with £4,000-worth of fishing tackle when a shed in the garden of a
A NELSON teenager who stored a gun and bullets in his bedroom was lucky to escape a much heavier prison sentence, figures uncovered by an East Lancashire MP reveal. Paul Metcalfe, 19, of Sackville Street, was last month jailed for three years
RESIDENTS fled from their homes after an arson attack on an empty property spread to other houses. The blaze, in Altham Street, Burnley, caused huge damage to the house and also caused major smoke damage to several nearby properties. Pensioner Raymond
VISITORS to Entwistle Reservoir in Turton are now coming under under the ‘steely’ gaze of a 10ft heron. The steel structure, which was erected at the water’s edge last week, was commissioned by United Utilities and produced by Darwen-based artist Marjan
THE LEADER of Lancashire County Council claimed an extra four per cent in allowances last year, it has been revealed. Union members, who are preparing to go on strike over a pay offer of 2.45 per cent, have branded the increase “hypocritical”.
SUPERMARKETS, shops and other businesses in Burnley will be urged to ditch excessive food packaging and plastic bags after a move by councillors. Retailers will be told to try and cut down on waste and banish non bio-degradable bags in a move
A CANNABIS farm worth thousands of pounds was found after the smell of the plants caught officers' attention. Officers had been patrolling Atlas Street, Darwen, yesterday morning as part of a community clean up operation when they noticed a pungent
Younger pupils at Hollins Technology College, Accrington were recognised for their achievements last night. The Hollins Lane school held its annual awards evening for year seven to nine students, where those who have excelled and made significant progress
AN HISTORIC textile firm that can trace its origins back to the inventor of the Spinning Jenny has been placed into administration. Hilden Manufacturing employs 80 people at its sites in Clifton Mill, Pickup Street, Oswaldtwistle, and Woodnook
Teachers and school staff with over 1,300 years in education between them were celebrated at an event. Some of them have spent over thirty years at the same school. Ranging from headteachers to kitchen assistants, the staff were presented
LANCASHIRE’S top cop has been shortlisted in the running for one of the country’s top policing jobs. It has been reported that Lancashire Chief Constable Steve Finnigan has made it on to a shortlist of four to become Greater Manchester’s new chief constable
THREE teenagers are celebrating after scooping prestigious university scholarship awards. Eighteen-year-olds Robin Cross, Emily Starkie and Eleanor Shaw will all receive financial help when they start at the University of Aberystwyth in September. And
AN HISTORIC building is on the verge of being sold, according to its owners. Property developer Hurstwood has revealed that talks over the potential sale of Bacup Market Hall are at an advanced stage. Hurstwood Group’s head of acquisitions, Gary Taylor
THREE schools have been praised by Ofsted. St John Southworth RC Primary in Nelson, Holy Trinity Primary in Darwen and Great Harwood Primary have all been found to be making progress by the government watchdog. Ofsted rated them satis-factory with good
A COUNCILLOR has claimed plans for a Tesco in Great Harwood would ‘make a dangerous road even worse’. Coun Nick Collingridge said the proposed traffic lights in Whalley Road at the junction with Hyndburn Road to make way for the store would
The former King Street Working Men’s Club in Accrington has reopened as one of the largest capacity restaurants in Lancashire. The Massala Buffet Restaurant and Bar has seating for over 200 people.
A CAREER criminal with more than 120 convictions has been jailed for stealing a pensioner’s handbag just weeks after being banned from dozens of shops in Burnley. Drug addict John Barnes, 40, helped himself to the victim’s purse and £250 cash while she
PUPILS at a Rossendale school have been growing their own vegetables in their own allotment. Children from Helmshore Primary School have been growing radishes, potatoes, lettuces, carrots and beans after being allocated an allotment space on Snig Hall
BLACK people are now over four times more likely to be arrested than white and Asian people in Lancashire, a new report has shown. New police figures for the 2007-08 year also shows that black people are around five times more likely to be
A STYLISH garden commissioned by Crown Paints in Darwen has taken a top prize at the prestigious Hampton Court Flower Show. The Four Seasons garden featured a spiral staircase, sunken decking, a wide variety of year-round plants and even a kitchen
A BURNLEY pub could be transformed into 20 new flats. Brewery Mitchells of Lancaster wants to turn the struggling Malt Shovel pub, in Hargrove Avenue, into eight apartments and build 12 flats nearby. Developers say the properties could sell for about
A RAIL go-slow cast a cloud over a sunshine send off for Burnley and Pendle holidaymakers during the annual wakes fortnight 40 years ago. Passengers who had cancelled rail bookings because of uncertainties over train schedules made a last minute rush
MEMBERS of the one of the country’s first youth SACREs (standing advisory council on religion education) discussed diversity and social cohesion at a special conference. East Lancashire set up the youth SACRE last year, as an offshoot of Lancashire County
A BLACKBURN man had been drinking and taking drugs when he became agitated and held a knife to the throat of a teenage girl. But Preston crown Court was told that being arrested had proved to be a wake-up call for Ali Hussain. He had
A PENSIONER who has enjoyed a glass of full-fat milk every day has criticised the decision to offer only semi-skimmed in schools. Last week education bosses at Lancashire County Council said the removal of whole milk in schools across the county would
WATER will be offered to shoppers in Clitheroe today with the message “drink sensibly this summer”. Police will be in the town centre offering a soft drink to people from a specially designed portable pub called The Watering Hole. Sgt
Daniel Thwaites and Blackburn Rovers have teamed up to offer supporters a chance to win their own seat in the stands for next season. Anybody who buys a pint of Thwaites Smooth during the close season at selected Thwaites pubs and clubs will receive
CRIMINAL damage victims are being urged to report incidents to police. The message comes as police launch Operation Summer Nights, a crackdown on criminal damage and anti-social behaviour. Police said criminal damage included broken
SUPPORTERS of Blackburn Rovers shell out less cash following their team than nearly ever other group of Premier League fans, according to new figures. According to the research, Rovers are ranked 17th in the league with the average fan paying
A TREE planting ceremony takes place today to mark the end of a community clean-up campaign. The ceremony in Redvers Road, Darwen, follows a series of clean- ups introduced following complaints from local residents about nearby land being full
AN EAST Lancashire Samaritans volunteer has been recognised after 35 years’ service. Joyce Thompson, from Padiham, is a founder member of the Pendle, Craven, Burnley and Rossendale branch of the charity. But as well as service in the
THE M65 was closed between junctions one (Bamber Bridge) and two (Walton Summit) at rush hour this morning after reports of a man acting suspiciously by the side of the motorway. Lancashire police said the motorway was closed as a precaution
A FATHER-of-three told his estranged wife he was going to kill himself — by driving his car through the front of her house. Paul Harry Higgins, 44, hounded victim Nicola Higgins, constantly phoning her- including 20 times when the police were
BURNLEY are gearing up for the first of a hectic nine-game pre-season campaign. Owen Coyle’s men face Carolina RailHawks Under 23s at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina (kick-off 7.30pm CTA - 12.30am Friday GMT). And they could be watched
MICHAEL Duff hopes Burnley’s tour of America serves the club as well as it did for Northern Ireland. The Clarets defender joined his international team-mates in the summer of 2006 for games against Uruguay in the Giant’s Stadium, New Jersey, and against
RALLYMAN Matt Griffin’s bid for the Formula 1000 Forest Championship has been hit by a lack of sponsorship. The 17-year-old student from Blackburn finished an excellent fifth in class on last weekend’s Quinton Stages, based in mid-Wales. And the result
FINISHING 17th and 21st in your two races doesn’t sound like the best of weekends for any bike racer. But for Phil Blackmore, the long trip to Snetterton could prove to be a major step up the career ladder. The Billington-based rider has been contesting
CLITHEROE and District Motor Club members have picked up another win - and none of their cars turned a wheel. Chairman Dave Barritt and others were at last weekend’s Ford RS Owners Club show at Towneley Park, Burnley, And their stand, which
KART racer Jonathan Walker has switched his sights to the British Super One title after enduring a tough weekend in the European Championships. The 19-year-old from Ribchester had gone to the second round in Mariembourg, Belgium, with realistic hopes
ROSSENDALE Harriers and the combined Burnley and Pendle squad were in action at the third round of the North of England Track and Field League at Bury on Sunday. With only six teams in Division 3WC, and two promotion places and two relegation spots,
Claude Peter-Thomas has struck gold in the British Masters Track and Field Championships at Birmingham. The Masters competition is exclusively for athletes over 35, with classes split into five year bands. The Blackburn Harriers’ Team captain won
Rossendale United are priced at 20/1 to clinch this season’s UniBond League Division One (North) title. The Stags’ local rivals – Chorley and Clitheroe – are both quoted at 28/1. FC Halifax Town are 7/4 favourites.
BLACKBURN Rovers’ senior stars are to unveil the club’s new-look retail outlet – ROVERSTORE – on Saturday morning. ROVERSTORE, which is now back under control of the club, has undergone an extensive re-development aiming to capture a high street feel
EXPERIENCED goalkeeping coach Eric Steele is the latest name to join Paul Ince’s backroom team at Blackburn Rovers. The former Aston Villa and Manchester City coach - among the most respected trainers in England - agreed the move to Ewood Park after
STEVEN Burke admits his dream Olympic call-up has come completely out of the blue. The 20-year-old, from Colne, revealed he had actually set himself the target of reaching the 2012 Games in London. But the cyclist has no complaints about his early call-up
“THIS place feels prosperous, Jack” said a recent visitor to Blackburn, about the town. The visitor was someone with a distinguished position in the public service, who’d lived and worked all his life in the south of England. He’s very numerate. He
MEET one of the new traffic wardens who had been appointed to patrol the roads of Blackburn, back in 1966. The town had seen its first yellow lines the previous year, but many motorists had taken to flouting the parking restrictions. An undermanned
TO sing a song properly Great Harwood Male Voice Choir used to rehearse it for 10 hours. JB was behind it all, or rather in front, for he was the conductor. In 1951 everyone who knew anything about choral singing in this part of Lancashire knew JB.
WITH food prices making news headlines this week, we have turned the clock back to see what the weekly groceries were costing families 45 years ago. A weekend food price index in the summer of 1963 warned shoppers throughout East Lancashire that with
VANDALISM is sadly a feature of everyday life in this country. Councils and police fight a running battle to try to minimise the acts of mindless yobs but we are used to seeing signs, buildings and all kinds of outdoor features defaced. But what has
COUNCIL services across Lancashire will be disrupted next week as local government workers prepare for a two-day strike over pay. UNISON and Unite are calling for the strike on Wednesday and Thursday in support of national industrial action. Bins collection
A GRIEVING mother whose 18-year-old son died after inhaling lighter fuel has begged other teenagers: “Don’t waste your life like he did.” Andrew Braysford was found collapsed in a friend’s room at a Salvation Army hostel in Blackburn with an empty canister
EVENTUALLY it will be regenerated, but this scene of devastation in Darwen town centre has prompted residents to call for action. Hindle Street has been left knee-deep in rubble after the borough council’s demolition project ‘slowed down’ while reclamation
THREE armed robbers brandishing sledgehammers fled empty-handed after a raid on a security van. The Group Four vehicle was delivering money to a cash machine at the Texaco petrol station, Whalley Road, Simonstone, when the raiders struck.
TWO chapels and a cemetery have been trashed by yobs. Police and community leaders said they were ‘disgusted and appalled’ by the desecration at Ribble Valley Remembrance Park, Mitton Road, just outside the centre of Whalley. Officers
