RUG RATS: A Bury carpet company came to the rescue after thieves stole a disabled woman's life savings. Knot Mill Carpets offered to supply and fit Miss Agnes Keith's hall carpet at her Andrews Close home in Ramsbottom after a thief barged his way into the property to steal around £100 in cash.

The money had been saved by the victim and her sister Lillian to pay for either a holiday or a new carpet.

A member of staff at the carpet company became aware of the sisters' predicament and offered to fit a carpet of the ladies' choice for free.

TICKET TO RIDE: A Radcliffe man was ordered to pay £15 court costs after failing to pay a taxi driver £1 for a trip home after a night out on the town. The 53-year-old had gone out with just £3 for a few drinks and only had 20p on him when he ordered the taxi. The man was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1 compensation to the taxi driver.

JOB LOT: Bury's unemployment figures continued to rise. A new post-war total was reached with more one in 20 persons out of work. The number of jobless in the town increased from 1,635 in June to 1,689.

NAKED FLAMES: A gas leak in the Moorgate and Brook Street areas of Bury resulted in police warning householders to extinguish all naked flames. Officers diverted traffic from the scene and fire fighters stood by as gas and local authority workers tried to locate the source of the danger. Loudspeaker vans toured the area warning residents not to use naked flames. A local bakery had to shut down its ovens during the scare.

READ ALL ABOUT IT: Still more readers were turning to the Bury Times with circulation figures increasing by 2,000 to a record 52,000.