Archive

  • CRICKET WORLD CUP: Irish admit to being underdogs

    Ireland captain William Porterfield accepts his side go into their World Cup opener as underdogs, but has warned Bangladesh it will be no walkover. Porterfield and company have been preparing for their tournament opener in Mirpur for several weeks,

  • What's on: Jamie Woon

    Much has changed in Jamie Woon’s world since the BRIT School graduate released his debut EP Wayfaring Stranger back in 2007. His take on the traditional folk song was sung largely acapella, showcasing his spectacularly strong voice – possibly inherited

  • What's on: Beady Eye

    OASIS singer Liam Gallagher's new band Beady Eye are heading out on an UK tour which comes to Manchester on March 6 and 7 and Liverpool on April 12. The tour is Liam's first since the big row with his brother Noel which lead to his departure from Oasis

  • CRICKET WORLD CUP: Swann claims spin is overrated

    Graeme Swann does not believe the hype that spin conquers all on the sub-Continent. Swann, one of the world's best slow bowlers, returned to England colours - having arrived late at the World Cup following the birth of his first child - with figures

  • What's on: Dolly Parton, Manchester, September 11

    THERE are musical icons, and then there’s Dolly Parton. The pint-sized Queen of Country makes all the young pretenders look like the flash-in-the-pans that they are. Performing songs from her huge back catalogue — including 9 to 5, Here You Come

  • 6,000 expected to watch Clitheroe soldiers parade

    SIX thousand wellwishers are expected to line the streets when the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment is presented with the Freedom of Ribble Valley. Town centre traders and businesses have pledged to make Clitheroe awash with red, white and blue

  • Four car crash closes M65 at Blackburn

    THE M65 was closed for almost an hour this evening after a four-vehicle smash. The Tesco delivery van, Hyundai Coupe, Fiat Cinquecento and Volkswagen Bora collided near junction five, Blackburn, on the westbound carriageway at about 5.25pm.

  • CRICKET WORLD CUP: Ponting plays down TV-gate

    Australia captain Ricky Ponting has denied deliberately damaging a television after accepting a reprimand from the International Cricket Council following his dressing-room outburst. Ponting reacted angrily after he was run out for 28 against Zimbabwe

  • Nelson town councillor admits laundering £90,000 cash

    A TOWN councillor is facing jail after admitting £90,000 money laundering charges. In 2008, Nelson town councillor Mohammed Ansar’s sons, Shamraiz and Khobibe, were jailed for six years, and four years and four months respectively, after pleading

  • Search for Lancashire's best filming locations

    A FILM and TV company is asking for help identifying the best filming locations in Lancashire. Vision+Media wants suggestions ranging from beautiful churches, to dark alleyways, and even interesting public toilets, to feature in upcoming productions

  • Hapton Tower site set to be protected

    THE historic remains of Hapton Tower look set to be preserved after councillors reached a deal with the developers of a windfarm. Councillors wanted the developers behind plans to install three more wind turbines on Hameldon Hill to move one of them

  • Teenager has phone stolen in Blackburn station robbery

    A 15-YEAR-OLD boy had his Blackberry mobile phone stolen during a robbery at Blackburn railway station. Police said two men threatened the teenager while he was in the waiting room with three friends. The incident happened on Monday

  • Rossendale winners at photographic awards

    ROSSENDALE women put themselves into focus at Bury Photographic Society’s annual awards. Their work is among 140 prints and more than 150 screened digital images on display at Bury Art Gallery. Diane Noles from Chatterton won the colour portrait

  • East Lancashire Coronation Street star serves up a cuppa

    CORONATION Street star Antony Cotton stepped out from behind the Rovers Return bar to have a tea break with nurses at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. The Edenfield actor took time out of filming to visit the nurses based on ward 76 to enjoy

  • Curfew for Ramsbottom man

    A RAMSBOTTOM man has been given a community order and restraining order after admitting battery. Kevin McKenna, aged 49, of Lancaster Avenue, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault on December 5 last year. McKenna was given a three-month curfew

  • What's on: Matt Andersen

    CANADIAN Matt Andersen returns to the Grant Arms in Ramsbottom with his supreme blend of blues on March 17. New Brunswick’s Matt Andersen has an enigmatic personality and a larger-than-life showmanship that has been earning him a fervent and steadfast

  • What's on: Mary Wilson and The Chi-Lites

    MOTOWN legend Mary Wilson of The Supremes is making a welcome return to the UK in an 20-date UK tour. Joining her will be Chicago hit-makers The Chi-Lites. Mary helped form a High School singing group called The Primettes with friends Florence Ballard

  • Review: MasterChef, BBC1

    THE good thing about the new series of MasterChef is it could not possibly be any more annoying than previous efforts with Torode and Wallace’s B-film movie acting in which looks of fake concern and horror are thrown in alongside over-exaggerated

  • Road in Darwen closed after water main bursts

    A ROAD collapsed and caused a water main to burst near Darwen town centre today. Water began gushing down Lloyd Street, along back alleys and into busy Blackburn Road at around 12.30pm. Residents said a lorry was parked outside a factory

  • Accrington beauty spot for sale for £5,000

    A WILDLIFE haven in the heart of Accrington is being auctioned off for just a few thousand pounds. Plantation Waters, just one mile from Plantation Road, includes two former reservoirs that once served the town. Owners United Untilities

  • Review: Comedy Rocks With Jason Manford, ITV1

    MOST TV comedy is derivative, predictable and, quite frankly, not funny. I know he’s incredibly popular, but I could watch an entire Michael McIntyre performance and not laugh once. Maybe that says more about me . . . as several people told me this week

  • Review: West Is West (15)

    West Is West (15, 103 mins) Comedy/Drama/Romance. Aqib Khan, Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Ila Arun, Emil Marwa, Nadim Sawalha, Raj Bhansali, Lesley Nicol. Director: Andy De Emmony. When Rudyard Kipling penned The Ballad Of East And West, which includes

  • What's on: The Undertones

    THEY are one of the most legendary names in punk. But The Undertones guitarist Michael Bradley has admitted that when the band first formed he thought they would never even make an album. Happily they did, and fans of that eponymous debut will be

  • CRICKET WORLD CUP: South Africa cruise to Windies win

    ODI debutant Imran Tahir and AB de Villiers led South Africa to an emphatic seven-wicket win over West Indies in their World cup Group B encounter in Delhi today. Sent in to bat, West Indies struggled for most of the innings due to spinner Tahir's

  • Darwen councillor's war on dog fouling

    A DARWEN councillor has launched a one-man crusade against dog dirt. Liberal Democrat Roy Davies has become so annoyed at the mess being left on pavements, in playgrounds and near green spaces in the Sudell ward, that he has bought thousands of bags

  • Half term havoc on the home front

    IT IS half term and if Keith and I had expected a peaceful time we had two chances, slim and none. Yes, as the schools close for the break our daughters pack their cars, scoop up their children and head for the hills. They wend their way

  • Burnley attacker’s chance in the Army

    A NIGHTCLUB attacker who is now a trainee soldier has six months for the army to make a man out of him – and if they do, he won’t go to jail, a court heard. Reece Hird, 20, who is from Creswick Avenue, Burnley, but is based at Catterick, glassed

  • Clitheroe jewellery thief given suspended jail sentence

    A ROMANIAN woman who took gold items worth £1,200 from a Clitheroe jewellers has received a suspended jail sentence. Seina Sava, 23, of Enva Road, Manchester, pleaded guilty to theft from Nettletons in Castle Street, at Blackburn Magistrates

  • Blackburn teenager hid shop till from robbery under bed

    A TEENAGER who hid a till, taken in a shop robbery, under his bed has received a suspended jail sentence. Karl Atkinson, 19, told police who found it he had put it there so his dad wouldn’t see it. Atkinson did not take part in the shop raid, or

  • Kean tips Blackburn Rovers defender as future England captain

    STEVE Kean is determined not to let Phil Jones’ versatility work against him after tipping him to one day become captain for England. The Rovers boss is relishing the prospect of the 19-year-old’s Rovers return, possibly in time for Blackpool

  • Ramsbottom micro-pig fans on march to change law

    FANS of Patrick the pig marched through the streets as part of a campaign for a change in the law. The ‘piggy parade’, which marched along Bridge Street in Ramsbottom, was held to raise awareness of ‘Patrick’s Law’. Patrick’s owner Lee

  • Tribute to pupils

    NELSON Salvation Army paid their tribute to the children of Aberfan with music, song and generosity in 1966. When the Welsh School was hit by a massive coal slurry landslide, a capacity audience attended a fundraising concert at the Army Citadel.

  • Winstanley Babes ‘step forward’ plea

    CALLING any old Winstanley Babes. Edith Burslam, nee Carr, who is now 88 and was once in the troupe, wants to hear from any of her former dancing pals. She used to travel around the country with the group and Jimmy Clitheroe. Her son Geoff Burslam

  • Last few days to see tapestry

    THERE’S still a handful of days left to visit a unique free exhibition of panels from the world’s largest modern community textile project, at Blackburn Cathedral. Until the end of the month, 39 embroidered panels are on show in the town after travelling

  • Feniscowles fish and chip shop was rendezvous for musicians

    AFTER a hard day’s night singing at gigs in the sixties, East Lancashire’s pop musicians made a beeline for much-needed sustenance. And one of their favourite places for food was a fish and chip shop in Feniscowles, called Nicki’s. It

  • Athletics What's On

    * Clayton-le-Moors will be holding their Annual Presentation of Awards for 2010 on Saturday at Mytton Fold Hotel, Langho. The evening starts at 7.30pm and includes a hot buffet supper and disco. Contact Marie Greenwood at 01254 237485. * The Bleasdale

  • Plucky Darwen artist's amazing Jimi Hendrix portrait

    AN ARTIST from Darwen has produced a portrait of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix using 5,000 plectrums. Ed Chapman was commissioned to make the portrait for Cancer Research UK’s Sound & Vision music heritage event at Abbey Road Studios in London

  • Asda sales on the increase

    SALES at Asda, which has six East Lancashire stores, leapt 1.6 per cent in the last quarter. The supermarket giant said like-for-like sales rose in the three months to the end of January, with 800,000 customers using its price comparison guarantee

  • Blackburn balcony bid plans ‘out of order’

    COUNCIL planners have slammed an attempt to renovate a Blackburn house. The application, to build a balcony on the front of a semi-detached house on Preston New Road, was described by officers as ‘an attempt to circumvent the planning system’.

  • £9,000 fine for Blackburn rogue landlord

    A ROGUE landlord has been fined £9,000 after failing to comply with health and safety notices. Rashid Hussain was prosecuted using new council powers because of the state of a house in Longshaw Lane, Blackburn. Under the Selective Licensing Scheme

  • Report of 94% rise in profits for Padiham-based firm

    SKIPTON Building Society, which owns East Lancashire finance firm Homeloan Management (HML), has unveiled impressive results. The mutual reported a 94 per cent rise in profits, from £18million to £35million, and lent £481million, up from £407million

  • Man quizzed after Blackburn garage ‘arson attack’

    A 29-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a detached garage burned down. Emergency services were called to a fire in Bolton Road, Ewood, Blackburn, close to the junction with Tapestry Street, next to Ewood Park, just before

  • Accrington teen bit his ex-girlfriend twice

    AN 18-YEAR-OLD man wrapped his arms round his ex-girlfriend’s waist and then sank his teeth into her shoulder because she went out with friends when she said she wasn’t going to. Blackburn magistrates heard that after the incident the girl

  • Preston North End loanee Cort ruled out of Burnley clash

    LEON Cort will not line up against Burnley in Saturday’s Lancashire derby at Preston North End after being refused permission to play against his parent club. Cort joined Preston on loan in November after falling out of the first-team picture

  • Hapton mental health beds undecided

    A PLANNED mental health hospital in Hapton has been giving the backing of North West NHS chiefs – but its size has not been confirmed. Question marks still remain over how many beds will be provided at the £37.5million unit, pencilled in for Pollard

  • Bryan’s legacy is just amazing

    The Soldiers Support Group of Darwen would like to pay tribute to the countless hours of hard work James Bryan Thompson devoted to the Darwen branch of the British Legion. We wish to emphasise that, through his dedicated leadership, his fellow Legion

  • Sting in the tail at library

    I waited with interest to read the decisions made as to where the allegedly necessary cuts in services would come in Blackburn. When the details were revealed I, along with many, others, was very pleased to see that there were no plans to close

  • Maps are good, content is not

    I WOULD like to address my letter to the Chief Supt of Burnley police and say well done for bringing out police crime maps. These maps tell you the town and cities which have the most crime and anti-social behaviour. Sad, to say Burnley comes

  • Blackburn action man completes 'year-long' charity mission

    A FITNESS fanatic has crossed the finish line after completing a gruelling 1,000km challenge in aid of a hospice. Al Pepper, from Blackburn, set himself a target to cover the distance in organised events over land and sea in just 12 months.

  • Judge gives Accrington thief one last chance

    A FATHER-OF-FOUR who flouted a suspended jail term and stole some DVDs got a last chance to prove he can mend his ways. Burnley Crown Court heard Carl Poynton, 32, had not been doing well on the order, but had now improved his behaviour. He had

  • Fine after Clitheroe worker's hand mangled in a drill

    AN ENGINEERING firm has been ordered to pay £7,000 after a 60-year-old worker’s hand was mangled in a drill. Michael O’Brien, from Clitheroe, suffered permanent loss of movement to three fingers in his left hand following the incident at a construction

  • Flowers for Church and Oswaldtwistle Rotary’s 106th year

    ROTARIANS will celebrate their 106th anniversary with a display of pictures and spring bulbs. A photographic display by Church and Oswaldtwistle Rotary Club is on view at Oswaldtwistle Library showing bulb planting with primary schoolchildren as part

  • Job losses bound to hit services

    THERE is always room for greater efficiency in businesses and organisations of all kinds. A huge operation like the NHS should never be exempt from the quest to do things more effectively and to save money too. But when those running our hospitals

  • Historic Queen Street Mill hoping for film boost

    BOSSES at a museum that features in the Oscar-tipped movie The King’s Speech are hoping for an explosion of interest when it reopens next week. A permanent exhibition, to appeal to trivial buffs, will also to be set up to document the film

  • Teenage free-runner injured in Burnley car park fall

    A 16-STONE teenager had to be rescued from the ninth storey of a multi-storey car park after falling 15ft on to his back. Three people got into the locked Millennium car park off St James Street, Burnley, around 10.30pm on Tuesday. But

  • More East Lancashire health services to face spending axe

    OTHER health services across East Lancashire are also facing cuts. NHS East Lancashire, which commissions and provides health services for Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley and Rossendale, has been told it must save around £75million by 2014

  • AV would put power back with people

    THIS week’s ramblings are unlikely to make me popular with some of my Tory friends and 'enemies'. As you’ve probably gathered by now, I am a political anorak and the prospect of the forthcoming referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) really gets my

  • Rawtenstall pupil joins top carpenters

    A 14-YEAR-OLD proved age was no barrier when he came second in an under 21s carpentry and joinery contest. Alder Grange Community and Technology School pupil Harry Connor competed in the North West heats of the Institute of Carpentry and Joinery

  • Tributes to 'gentleman' Rossendale magistrate

    TRIBUTES have poured in for a well-known Rossendale magistrate who taught generations to drive, following his death at the age of 65. Hundreds owe their abilities behind the wheel to James McGowan, of Park Wood Drive, Rawtenstall. And

  • Kean giving Rovers youth a chance to impress

    STEVE Kean expects Blackburn Rovers’ academy aces to become established Premier League players after admitting their progression has put the club in a unique position. The Rovers boss has seen six former academy products given Premier League experience

  • Lancashire boy is best man - aged 4!

    MEET Hugo Mellodey-Hayes, the four-year-old best man. Hugo took his mum and dad’s big day in his stride, despite fulfilling one of the most nerve-racking roles of the day. The youngster waited at the altar with his dad Nick Hayes and

  • Terry Martin takes top gong at awards

    Clitheroe and District Motor Club and a host of local competitors were among the recipients at Friday’s presentation night held at the Blackburn Northern Sports Club. Inter-League champions Clitheroe dominated the Road Rally standings with

  • Shrewsbury reserves 0 Burnley reserves 0

    CHARLIE Austin is still searching for his first goal in Clarets colours after the club’s reserves were kept to a drab draw at Shrewsbury. The striker got the starting nod in Shropshire after recovering from a virus that kept him out of the Burnley’

  • Great Harwood homes bid has sporting chance

    A COMMUNITY football ground could result from plans to revamp a derelict nightclub site. After more than 10 years in the pipeline, a proposal to create housing on Great Harwood’s Wood Street site has been rubber stamped by a planning inspector.

  • Talking Cricket Column: Gulf in class is a worry

    CRICKET’S World Cup is well underway - and already the gulf between the big boys and the rest is being highlighted. Kenya could have been excused for feeling confident ahead of their game with Pakistan of thinking they were in with a chance yesterday

  • Raids find teenagers in Blackburn illegal shisha hideouts

    TWO suspected illegal shisha dens have been raided as the crackdown on secret smoking hideouts continues. Trading Standards officers from Blackburn and Darwen Council and police swooped on separate premises on the outskirts of the town centre

  • Ashton Athletic 0 Bacup Borough 3

    Brent Peters was a happy man after his Bacup Borough soared to a 3-0 win at Ashton Athletic. Daniel Cocks bagged a brace and Kingsly Williams scored the other in the Vodkat League Premier Division win.

  • Holly equals her best

    Holly Bleasdale has equalled her lifetime best with a clearance of 4.50 metres in the pole vault at the Pedro’s Cup Indoor Meeting at Bydgoszcz in Poland. With no women’s vault at the Aviva meeting in Birmingham last weekend, the 19-year old Blackburn

  • Six selected for sportshall

    Six local athletes have been selected for the Lancashire Sportshall Athletics for the North West Regional Inter Counties match at Robin Park, Wigan on Sunday. Sam Charnley and Jack Jameson from Blackburn Harriers, Callum Ross and Ben Hedley

  • Schofield is all heart on his return

    One of the leading local athletes of the 1980s has returned to the sport after undergoing a successful heart transplant. Alan Schofield, from Briercliffe, starred for Burnley Athletic Club, Blackburn Harriers and Clayton-le-Moors Harriers in

  • Barnoldswick Town 4 Colne 2

    Colne boss Nigel Coates was sent from the dugout as his men were beaten 4-2 in their Vodkat League derby at Barnoldswick on Tuesday. Barlick scored twice in the final two minutes through Aaron Hollindrake and Robbie Smith to win.

  • Goggles a must for Clitheroe club pair

    Clitheroe and District Motor Club members David Wallbank and Terry Martin survived a roll on Stage 10 of Sunday’s Thirsk-based Riponian Stages Rally to finish 21st overall in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo5. Despite the car being extensively

  • Blackburn flats ‘too expensive’

    CATHEDRAL bosses are close to admitting defeat in their bid to house 10 scholars in a new tower block in Blackburn town centre. Talks have taken place to see whether the 18 to 22-year-old choral scholars could live in the Cathedral Court complex, built

  • The Rumour Mill - February 24

    Bolton will have to stump up in the region of £10m to convert their loan deal for Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge's into a permanent switch. Liverpool have targeted Newcastle left-back Jose Enrique and are hopeful of sealing a £6m deal for the Spaniard

  • No Cisse interest from Rovers

    The agent of Djibril Cisse says he is unaware of any interest from Blackburn Rovers in the Frenchman. Rovers have been linked with former Liverpool and Sunderland striker Cisse, who is currently with Panathinaikos but has been linked with a move away

  • What's on: Thursday, February 24

    Events in East Lancashire and further afield for Thursday, February 24. Pick of the day An anti-cuts meeting organised by Blackburn and District Trades Union Council will feature speeches and protest singer Alun Parry in the Windsor

  • £350k of stolen plant gear found on Blackburn farm

    STOLEN agricultural machinery worth an estimated £350,000 has been found at a farm in Blackburn. Police raided Redcap Farm, Blackburn Road, Blackburn, and discovered six vehicles including tractors, JCBs and trailers, which officers said had

  • Pendle is first place in county to give alcohol 'ASBOs'

    PEOPLE convicted of alchohol-related crime in Pendle could be slapped with a ‘booze ASBO’. For the first time in Lancashire, officers will apply for a Drink Banning Order (DBO) every time someone is convicted of an offence while under the influence

  • Motorsport In Brief

    KARTING: Round two of the ever-popular MKBC Championship takes place this Sunday at the Three Sisters Circuit, near Wigan. Racing starts at 10am and all spectators are welcome to see stars of the future. ENDURO: Last weekend’s Putoline Grand Northern

  • Dealer rolls out red carpet

    EVANS Halshaw is rolling out the red carpet today for the arrival of the new-look Focus. For the Blackburn dealership is staging a red carpet event, which runs until Sunday, giving drivers the chance to preview the updated model. It’s by invitation

  • Honda reveals prices for 2011

    HONDA has announced the prices and ‘on sale’ dates of its new-for-2011 motorcycles. In the 125 corner, the revised CBR125R is available now and costs £3,170 OTR. Its CBR250R bigger brother, a brand new edition to the range, has a single-cylinder

  • Toyota top for safety

    TOYOTA built the safest MPV, according to Euro NCAP’s test results for 2010. The seven-seat compact people carrier was given the top five-star rating for all-round safety performance by NCAP, and achieved the highest combined percentage scores in each

  • Scholes all set for a rally Fiesta

    Blackburn’s Phil Scholes has teamed up with Mellor based co-driver Bradley Johnson for a crack at the Fiesta Sport Challenge in the Gwyndaf Evans Motorsport-prepared Ford Fiesta ST he acquired late last year. They start their campaign on the Malcolm Wilson

  • Buyers opting for smaller cars

    THE economic downturn, coupled with greater awareness of greener motoring, means used car buying trends are moving with the times. According to an analysis of checks done with HPI during 2010, nearly 40 per cent of all the cars it checked were small

  • Hard-working, respectable folk are angry

    Millions, billions, trillions. I like numbers; enjoy mental arithmetic; and think there is some beauty in the wonderful symmetry of maths. But even for me, these big numbers can convey little in the way of understanding. So, when I heard on Tuesday

  • MCC heading to Lancashire League

    LANCASHIRE League grounds will play host to the MCC this summer - with Bacup landing the prize of a major representative game. The MCC will face a Lancashire League U21 team at Lanehead in an attractive fixture on Friday, August 5. East Lancashire's

  • New engine for Alfa

    ALFA Romeo’s Giulietta five-door hatchback range has been boosted by the addition of a new second generation MultiJet diesel engine. The firm’s new 2.0 JTDM-2 140bhp unit boasts low fuel consumption and running costs. It features reduced CO2 emissions

  • Lancia to star at show

    Race Retro brings together the very best in historic motor sport, on two and four wheels at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, this weekend. Motorsport enthusiasts will see startling displays of rare and legendary cars and bikes, meet drivers and riders

  • Retro all the rage as Gary Gee drives Pond

    Race Retro, billed as Europe’s premier historic show, gets underway tomorrow and features three East Lancashire drivers and their prized rally cars. Live action at Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry, is on Saturday and Sunday when around 50 iconic

  • Whalley set to cut his Accrington Stanley ties

    ERIC Whalley is set to cut his ties with Accrington Stanley in the next few days, the Lancashire Telegraph understands. Whalley was chairman of Stanley between 1995 and 2009 but a number of fans have called for him to relinquish his majority

  • 900 jobs to go at East Lancashire hospitals

    EAST Lancashire’s hospitals are to shed almost 900 jobs including doctors, nurses and dentists. Bosses have revealed the drastic plans to axe a fifth of the workforce at Blackburn, Burnley and Accrington Victoria hospitals over the next five

  • CRICKET WORLD CUP: Vettori hoping to lift spirits

    Following the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has called on his team-mates to offer the nation some "light relief" when they take on Australia tomorrow. More than 75 people were killed by a 6.3 magnitude quake