FIRMS in East Lancashire are warned to watch out for a boom in internet fraud. John Rafferty, fraud investigations expert at Chorley-based Lathams, believes unsuspecting firms could lose millions. "Fraudsters have not been slow to identify this as a new
VILLAGERS in Guide have been left reeling with news that yet another development in their area is to be given the green light. Blackburn with Darwen Council planning experts have advised councillors to approve a project to build 33 homes on land off Haslingden
A PROBE was launched last night into the shock resignation from a Blackburn race watchdog of a man who founded the organisation 35 years ago. The Commission for Racial Equality in London is investigating why Labour stalwart Roy Martin quit the Blackburn
COMPANY boss Ishmail Lorgat needed surgery to his eye after being savagely beaten by an employee for whom he was doing a favour, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Mohammed Amjad Ali launched an unprovoked and brutal attack on his boss
THE plans to build a new Wembley Stadium have had a mixed reaction . Many think the Twin Towers - known worldwide - should be left standing and the new stadium built around them. All well and good, but they were built in a different era - football and
A NEW radio series about the millions of children torn from their homes in wartime Britain 60 years ago has been produced by an East Lancashire man. The stories of the evacuees, now in their 60s and 70s, are told in their own words in the Radio Four programmes
I WAS utterly amazed by Burnley's selected team on the opening day of the season. No Andy Payton, no Tom Cowan. Graham Branch and Paul Smith included. This seems to be a return to the daftness of exactly a year ago when a vital good start was sacrificed
FOUR more people have appeared in court in connection with the alleged smuggling of more than six million cigarettes into the UK in two trucks belonging to an East Lancashire haulage firm. Stuart Taylor, 42, of Lane Ends Cottage, Balderstone, who is boss
THE Football League are still looking for relatives of Bob Crompton, one of the 100 League Legends honoured during last season's 100th championship campaign. Arguably the greatest name in Blackburn Rovers' history, Crompton is one of nine 'legends' whose
VILLAGERS on the fringe of a beauty spot feared their rural way of life would disappear if planners approved a business enterprise. More than 80 per cent of the population of Barrow, near Whalley, were against a scheme to build a hotel and conference
HOT-SHOT striker Billy O'Callaghan is back after suspension for Accrington Stanley's first home league game of the season against Trafford tonight. O'Callaghan's firepower was sorely missed as the Reds spurned a host of chances in their 1-0 defeat at
RESULTS - Premier Division: Barnoldswick Utd 0, Leyland motors Athletic 3; Blackrod Town 2, Lansil 2; Burnley Utd 2, Dalton Utd 3; Charnock Richard 5, Springfields 1; Fulwood Amateurs 0, Kirkham & Wesham 0; Norcross and Warbreck 0, Freckleton 0; Vickers
I AND my daughter Jessica's stepfather, Carl, would like to thank everyone for their contributions and turn-out for the charity night at St Paul's Working Men's Club, Blackburn, for Manchester Children's Hospital, where Jessica is being treated for leukaemia
HEINZ Ketchup are sponsoring two national schoolboy football competitions for the second year in a row. The food manufacturers put their name to the prestigious 94-year-old English Schools Trophy, which is the schools version of the FA Cup, for the first
MAY I thank all the people who helped me on Friday, July 30, after my husband, who has Alzheimer's Disease, collapsed while we were waiting for the 10.15am bus to Blackpool on Blackburn Boulevard. My husband had to be taken to Blackburn Infirmary. This
DENIS Underwood kept his second consecutive clean sheet to deny Dale a deserved victory in last night's derby clash at The Showground. The Harwood boss was forced out of retirement on the eve of the new season following Andy Johnson's shock departure
LATER this week Mo Mowlam, Northern Ireland Secretary, will make an announcement on the IRA ceasefire. In other words she will be deciding whether it still exists. She will also have to define just what a ceasefire actually is. True, the IRA has not murdered
REGARDING the market traders going metric (LET, August 6), when I was in business for over 40 years selling timber and sheet material to the trade and DIY enthusiasts, on my rulers, which had to be stamped by the local authority, there were 12 inches
A BURNLEY factory was evacuated when an electrical problem caused a fire in a compressor. Firefighters from Burnley, Nelson, Colne and Padiham arrived at Hycrome, on Heasandford Industrial Estate, yesterday to find the compressor room well alight. Leading
FIREFIGHTERS had to battle against thick smoke and heat to dismantle a blazing machine at a Huncoat factory. The fire, at Coating Applications, in Newhouse Road, started at noon yesterday after a fault in a coating machine ignited oil inside. Station
FISH and chip shop owner Andy Stevenson celebrated with a famous cricketing mate after his chippy proved to be a six-hit! Andy, 38, opened the takeaway in Marlborough Road, Accrington, after quitting his job with British Gas. Now customers who are hooked
BOXER Kevin Maree is in serious training for a new challenge, the New York Marathon. Kevin, who boxes at bantamweight, decided to look for a new challenge when he broke a wrist in his last fight and was put out of boxing for a while. He decided on running
A CLOTHING firm that counts the Royal family amongst its customers is to close its Nelson factory by the end of the year with the loss of around 30 jobs. Production at garment manufacturer Grenfell will be transferred to a plant in Lanarkshire, Scotland
A MOTHER-of-two struggling to come to terms with the death of her boyfriend turned to drugs and crime. Burnley magistrates heard how Elaine Christie White, 28, was helped by a friend and stole children's clothes for the woman's son as a sign of gratitude
CLAIMS that Antiques Roadshow personality Eric Knowles made sexist comments to a colleague at leading auction house Bonhams have been withdrawn. Mr Knowles, who was born and went to school in Nelson, had denied the allegations by fellow worker
A TEENAGER who was looking after a woman's drugs stash, has walked free from court. Daniel Morgan, 18, had tried to hide the ecstasy tablets and cannabis resin from officers who turned up at the woman's Bacup home. Burnley Crown Court heard how he concealed
BRADFORD City chairman Geoffrey Richmond claimed today that talks had restarted with Blackburn Rovers over striker Robbie Blake. And, in a surprise move, Leicester City have also appeared on the scene and asked to be kept informed of any developments.
THERE is a saying in football that it doesn't matter how you win, just so long as you do win. Judging by the prevailing mood inside Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon, that theory would not cut too much ice with the Burnley faithful at the moment. First
DRINKERS in East Lancashire could face price rises of up to 17p a pint if a controversial full measure law comes into force. Landlords and brewers are warning that Government proposals to ensure customers get a full pint of beer - not including the head
HE was one of those remorselessly cheerful people, who somehow manage to see a silver lining in every dark cloud. You know, the really annoying type. 'Never mind', he said, 'you could have actually gone to see them lose at Huddersfield'. The problem was
CLARETS striker Alan Lee will miss Burnley's games against Bristol Rovers and Bournemouth at the turn of the month as he bids to help the Republic of Ireland Under-21s progress in the European Championships. Lee has been named in the Ireland squad for
EGIL Ostenstad could well turn his back on a potential transfer to Turkey in order to join Blackburn Rovers - Kevin Davies moving to Southampton in a straight swap. Fenerbahce have a bid on the table for the Norwegian striker - believed to be around £4
CLITHEROE Castle Museum came to life over the weekend with lots of super activities for all the family. Visitors found out about everything from why Clitheroe is famous for its geology, to how to make fossils. Youngsters also got the chance to pan for
TRADERS are threatening to quit a village centre in a row over a brewery decision to ban motorists from a popular car park. Whalley has been thrown into chaos since Whitbread closed the Whalley Arms car park between midnight and 11.30am last week. Shoppers
A HIGH-PROFILE campaign to kick racism into touch on the football terraces was snubbed by Blackburn Rovers. A posse of top Premiership clubs had pledged to support the 'Lets Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign. But Rovers said they were happy with their
LANCASHIRE Under 14s continued their fine season by beating Derbyshire by six wickets at Radcliffe CC. Derbyshire were restricted to 157-7 and Lancashire cruised home with six wickets to spare largely thanks to S Croft, who hit an unbeaten 62. Meanwhile
BEER drinkers were today reeling at the prospect of paying as much as 17p a time to have their pints topped up. Apparently even the lined glasses introduced a few years ago do not guarantee a full 20 fluid ounce pint. And then we have to take into account
HAVE you, or anyone you know, had a frightening, weird or wonderful weather experience? Did you find your partner during a flood? Give birth during a gale? Did a storm make your wedding day a washout? Lion Television are looking for people to take part
ALL eyes will be on Andy Flintoff as Lancashire aim to pile on the misery for Roses rivals Yorkshire at Old Trafford tonight. Flintoff is expected to play despite suffering a thumb injury in the first leg of the floodlit National League double header
DID you hear about the German tourist who was given £180 compensation because he had not had use of a sunbed for the whole of his two weeks vacation? Since the hotel in question had 1,000 guests and just 80 sunbeds, his chances were slim. We all have
ONE of the best meetings of the flat season starts at York today and with heavy rain forecast, the ground could cause some big priced upsets. I had a late night last night with Jim Hughes from Uncle Jack's pub, Lower Darwen, who was staying overnight
MARYPORT Close in Blackburn is due for demolition and we have been watching with interest as the gas, electricity and water companies have dug holes in order to isolate these services. However, as more and more holes have been dug, we have begun to wonder
FIXTURES for Saturday, September 4 (kick off 2.15pm) - Colborne Trophies Premier Division: Bee Hive v Manxman (P1); Crown Berger v Railway Hotel; Griffin Celtic v Ewood Amateurs (P2); Old Toll Bar v Alexandra Hotel (P3); St Mary's College OB v Centurions
MAY I, on behalf of Sheena O'Donohue, our chairman for 1999, and her committee thank you for the coverage (LET, August 2) of the Brierfield and Reedley Gala and give a very big thank you to all those who supported it by taking part in the parade or on
AT a time when the world is becoming smaller through quicker travel, computer technology and satellite communications, it would appear that the imperial measure of a yard has also become smaller - and lost one inch. I was amazed to see in Shelley Wright's
A Burnley punter has placed a £1,000 bet on under pressure manager Ruud Gullit leaving Newcastle United. The "away the lad'' bet was put on at the William Hill bookmaker's shop. Newcastle are bottom of the Premiership after three games without a point
A DRINK driver who smashed into another car dashed to a nearby phone box to report his car stolen to police. Burnley magistrates heard how Jason Emmett, 27, ran off after running the other vehicle off the road and was later found to be two-and-a-half
A TERRIFIED mother today told of her terror at finding a rat sitting inside her baby's cot after a plague of rodents descended on her home. Mrs Tina Taylor, 20, lives in a private rented house in Albert Street, Burnley, with her two children Cory, three
RESIDENTS and motorists can have their say on controversial traffic calming schemes in the borough at a public meeting tonight. Hyndburn Council's traffic management review panel will hold a series of public meetings to discuss transport issues. The all-party
AN ANIMAL sanctuary which is battling to secure its future has taken in six new animals. The latest arrival at the Only Foals And Horses Sanctuary, Oswaldtwistle, is a black stallion who has been named Lucky Eclipse because he was brought in shortly after
HUMAN table football and sumo wrestling helped staff celebrate their firm's 20th anniversary. Blackburn company Partwell, which specialises in cutting equipment, was founded by managing director Ashley's father, John who is now executive chairman. A company
A TIMBER firm has hit the acquisition trail. Palgrave Brown, based in Brinscall, has bought two new roof truss manufacturing sites in Darlington and Hampshire. The sites will be added to Palgrave Brown's existing 13-strong national network of manufacturing
A SIZZLING summer of fun-filled activities was laid on for more than 500 youngsters by their local council. From psychology to cookery and art to the internet, dozens of off-beat subjects were on the menu, not forgetting the ever-popular football and
PARTIALLY-sighted piano tuner Barry Heaton has a new driver - thanks to the skill of medics who performed a lifesaving heart transplant. Former Royal Mail manager Robert Smith, 49, has taken the part time job three years after the operation at Wythenshawe
A FORMER house parent at a Merseyside care home convicted of sexually abusing four boys, one now a Darwen man, has been jailed for 12 years. A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Basil Williams-Rigby, 54, guilty of 22 charges, but acquitted him of offences
