Archive

  • Boy, 11, hurt in accident

    AN 11-year-old boy suffered a head injury after, police said, he ran from between parked cars and into the path of a Ford Fiesta on Newchurch Road, Stacksteads, at 4.30pm yesterday. John Holt of Osborne Terrace, Stacksteads, was taken to Rochdale Infirmary

  • Poignant tributes to death-crash students

    A SEA of flowers have been left at the spot where two Blackburn College students died in a crash. Friends and relatives have been leaving the floral tributes at the side of the Grane Road at Belthorn since Gareth Edwards, inset left, and Joseph Slupski

  • Accident at crash blackspot

    THREE cars were involved in an incident at a notorious accident blackspot in Grane Road, Haslingden. A collision near to the picnic site on Saturday involved a Fiat Punto driven by Lindsay Pilkington, 32, of Hill Rise, Haslingden, and a Vauxhall Astra

  • Nuke kids tuck in to pizza

    SIXTEEN children from Belarus tucked in to a pizza meal shortly after arriving for a four-week holiday with East Lancashire families. The seven to 10-year-olds were treated by Pizza Hut, Blackburn. The visit has been organised by Blackburn-based Friends

  • Stolen car in head-on horror

    TWO young people involved in a head-on smash in a stolen car were today still seriously ill in hospital. The driver of the car suffered such bad facial injuries that he was unrecognisable and police struggled for two days to identify him. The accident

  • Valley firm torched by raiders

    BURGLARS ransacked a Rossendale textile factory before setting it on fire causing extensive damage to the building and stock. A brand new computer part of a new system due to be installed today was stolen along with a substantial amount of cash from a

  • Bank loan help to drugs pusher

    A TEENAGE drug pusher who took out a bank loan to finance his dealing has been sent to custody for two years. Burnley Crown Court heard how Darren Feeney, 19, who also attacked a man with a piece of wood, had made up to £800 profit. His former cohabitee

  • Mullin's fears realised by keeper Perez

    JOHN Mullin's worst fears were realised as his former Sunderland team-mate Lionel Perez paved the way for Scunthorpe's shock 2-1 win at Turf Moor yesterday. Perez made his debut on loan from Newcastle United and made his class show with a string of top-class

  • £162m help for minority pupils

    CHILDREN who live within East Lancashire's ethnic and travelling communities are being targeted in a £162million government push to raise standards in education. Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council will receive almost £4million

  • French connection undoes Clarets

    Division Two: Burnley 1 Scunthorpe United 2 - Pete Oliver's verdict EVEN in these import-laden days, you wouldn't expect to be undone by Scunthorpe's French connection. But the unfashionable east-coast club evidently has the pulling power to attract foreign

  • McAteer's cup hopes dashed

    JASON McAteer's hopes of making his Blackburn Rovers return in Wednesday's Worthington Cup third round tie against Premiership leaders Leeds United appeared to have been dashed today. The former Liverpool star, who had two 90-minute workouts last week

  • On the write track

    BOOKWORMS and budding writers joined workshops and discussion groups at a new literary project. The event at the Platform Gallery, at Clitheroe rail station, was part of the New Pages scheme, which received lottery cash to help set up creative writing

  • Village study after brewer's parking crackdown

    AN £8,000 traffic and transport study of Whalley is to be carried out before it is decided whether to turn a village green into a car park. Whalley was thrown into chaos when brewer Whitbread banned motorists from its car park at the Whalley Arms last

  • Slow start for pioneer of pay parking

    AFTER last week'smention of the the upcoming anniversary of the opening of Blackburn's "new" market on November 11, 1964, I am reminded that its rooftop car park was open to the public much earlier. So it was - the previous December. Opening it nine months

  • TEN YEARS AGO: Build plan revealed

    A "NEW town" development which could have swallowed up massive tracts of East Lancashire countryside was revealed to stunned councillors. The plan to build Yuppie-style housing, commercial units and leisure facilities on at least 900-acres of green field

  • ICE HOCKEY: Close-run thing as Hawks lift trophy

    BLACKBURN Hawks fans had cause for celebration this weekend as their side lifted the Anglo-Welsh Cup. The two-legged challenge match between Bobby Haig's side and Welsh rivals the Flintshire Freeze, resulted in home and away wins for the Blackburn outfit

  • Apology called for

    I AM not a Conservative, but was happy to hear Councillor Edna Arnold did not resign from the Racial Equality Council, for the simple reason she has done nothing wrong or improper. Neither has any of the other panel members involved in selection. Councillors

  • Gifts pour in for church repairs

    MORE than £1,000 was received towards the cost of essential repairs at St John's Church, Cliviger, at a gift day, when a service was conducted by the vicar, the Rev Lawrence Laycock. The Parochial Church Council have launched an appeal for funds following

  • Murder: Plea to caller to get back in touch

    POLICE in Burnley are appealing for a man who called them with information on the night murder victim Colin Hughes was killed to get back in touch. The anonymous caller rang from a telephone kiosk at the junction with Rossendale Road and Cog Lane at 58

  • Heroin addict's victim was 89-year-old woman

    A HOUSE breaker who raided an 89-year-old woman's flat and also struck twice at one house, has been jailed for two years and four months. Father-to-be Nicholas Binns, 25, appeared in court and later the same day went out burgling. The "chronic heroin

  • Three hurt as smash closes road

    THREE drivers were injured in a spectacular crash in Accrington Road, Hapton. Police say Stewart Thwaite, 20, of Brockenhurst Street, Burnley, was driving a Peugeot 309 from Hapton towards Burnley when the vehicle went out of control near to the pets'

  • Quartet of qualifications

    A CARPET firm is toasting a quartet of qualifications. Four employees at Gaskell Textiles of Accrington have gained NVQs and attended a special graduation ceremony. Julian Bickford, national sales manager for underlay, achieved level five qualification

  • Knickers theft 'odd and bizarre'

    A MIDDLE-aged man who climbed into his next door neighbour's home and helped himself to her daughter's knickers, has gone to jail for three-and-a-half years. Burnley Crown Court had heard how John Kelvin Brown's victim no longer felt safe in her own home

  • Direct Line flies the Green Flag

    A CAR breakdown service giant has been taken over just weeks after it bought an East Lancashire firm. Insurance group Direct Line has snapped up the Green Flag roadside recovery business in a cash deal worth £220 million. In August Green Flag bought Accrington

  • Firms hit back

    MANUFACTURING is hitting back. For the first time in more than a year firms have reported an increase in sales to UK customers according to the North West Chambers of Commerce quarterly survey which East Lancashire firms contribute to. "Overall the story

  • Residents voice fears over homes scheme

    WORRIED residents opposing plans to build the largest housing estate seen in recent years in Pendle will meet tonight to outline their opposition. Fairclough Homes has applied to Pendle Council to build 167 houses on land between Halifax Road, Nelson,

  • Top award is in the Bank!

    CHAMPAGNE corks are popping at a popular East Lancashire hotel and conference centre which has scooped a prestigious award. Astley Bank in Darwen was named Hotel of The Year in the Lancashire Life and Lake District Life Food and Wine Awards. Managing

  • Car clamp man lost his temper

    ANDREW Foxton lost his temper when he saw his car being clamped by DVLA staff. And when police arrested him for using threatening behaviour he said: "I'll only get a bind over." Foxton, 28, of Broadgate, Darwen, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour

  • All good Practice at ward open day

    A HOSPITAL ward throws open its doors to visitors tomorrow. Ward 19 at Blackburn Royal Infirmary is holding an open day for GPs, students and hospital staff to promote an exciting new project. The ward is an elective ward which cares for patients who

  • Quarter century marked with awards

    TWO East Lancashire probation officers have clocked up their "silver jubilee" 25 years with the service. Walter Waide, from Rossendale, and Janet Robinson, from Waddington, were presented with awards at headquarters in Preston. The duo were two of six

  • Teenager thrown from car to his death

    A 15-year-old passenger died after a car spun out of control and hit a lamppost and a tree. Matthew Gale, of Manor Road, Wigan, was thrown from the E-reg Ford Escort into the path of another car on the B5251 New Road, Chorley, in the early hours of Saturday

  • Green grant keeps firm warm

    A GREEN grant has allowed a Helmshore firm to slash its energy costs and improve the comfort of its workforce. Protofab Ltd, of York Avenue, has cut energy costs by a third thanks to the grant made available by Action For Haslingden. The company, which

  • Cash booster in drugs fight

    A PROJECT aimed at reducing drug misuse among Asian people in East Lancashire has been given a £450,000 boost. The National Lottery Charities Board has awarded the cash to the Blackburn-based Lifeline project, a drugs prevention service which covers the

  • Alyson's blaze drama honour

    A 999 operator was today receiving a commendation for helping to save the lives of five children in a burning house in Bacup. Fire control operator Alyson Harwood will receive the formal commendation at a ceremony at Lancashire Fire and rescue Service

  • Extra jobs for town stores

    COUNCILLORS have given the go-ahead for two of Pendle's largest firms to extend their stores and create extra jobs. Asda and Boundary Mill were granted planning permission to enlarge their neighbouring stores in Corporation Street, Colne, to provide extra

  • Clarets form watch (v Scunthorpe)

    CRICHTON: One first-half mistake caused a few flutters but he kept his side in the hunt a couple of times after half-time...7 WEST: Untroubled defensively but the wing-back's distribution was poor at times...5 SMITH: Struggling to find his best form,

  • College mourns again as student dies in smash

    A COLLEGE was in mourning today after a teenager died in a road smash just days after two fellow students were killed in a head-on collision. Christopher Woodward, 19, was driving a 16-valve Renault Clio along Whitebirk Drive, Blackburn, towards Brownhill

  • Council wants to protect heritage

    A HALF million pound lottery bid to preserve and upgrade Blackburn town centre's oldest and most attractive buildings has cleared the first hurdle. Town hall bosses put up the bid as part of a £3.3million project to transform the town centre and help

  • Ternent calls on fans to keep the faith

    BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent has called on the Clarets fans to keep the faith and promised to get his side in the promotion "shake-up" at the end of the season. The Clarets' unbeaten home record went out of the window yesterday when they lost 2-1 to lowly

  • Children believe this toy will come to life - but will it?

    STICKY, squelchy, stretchy aliens have landed in East Lancashire and are taking over homes, classrooms, microwaves and fridges everywhere as part of the latest toy craze. But stories that the Aliens in Pods can mate and have babies or that they will open

  • Events in East/Central Lancashire on Tuesday, October 11th

    Re-launch of Musbury Fabrics Furnishing Gallery, Oswaldtwistle Mills. Opening by Bill Beaumont, 11am. Children's Concert - Tubalat Brass Quartet, Skelmersdale Arts Centre, 2pm. Friends of Lancashire Students Symphony Orchestra Charity Shop, Lord Street

  • Auction mart project green light

    BOSSES at Clitheroe Auction Mart have been given the go-ahead to build on a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Ribble Valley Council's planning committee heard Clitheroe Auction Mart Limited wanted to extend its Lincoln Way building onto the nearby

  • Giant beaten to death - murder trial

    A GENTLE giant with gambling and money problems was savagely beaten to death by a well-known Accrington snooker and pool player, Preston Crown Court was told today. Anthony Leecy, 27, died after being attacked and subjected to a frenzied and savage beating

  • JFIVE YEARS AGO: Jobs boost for area

    SCORES of new jobs were set to be created in Darwen after the purchase of two mills by entrepreneur Arthur Morgan. He bought Hampden Mill, the former Vernen Carus factory, for £500,000. And he had also clinched a deal to buy the vandal-plagued T J Harwood

  • Have forces cuts gone too deep?

    THE compulsory call-up of Territorial Army troops for peacekeeping duties in Bosnia and Kosovo is, surely, proof positive that the manpower cuts in the country's regular forces have gone too deep. The end of the Cold War may have diminished Britain's

  • NON-LEAGUE SOCCER: Darwen 2 Woodley Sports 3

    DARWEN boss Steve Wilkes was livid after watching his side pay the price for two refereeing blunders in this League Challenge Cup preliminary round tie. In a controversial finale, Woodley's Andy Seddon jumped to meet a right-wing corner in the dying seconds

  • Rail bosses should be in the dock

    THOUGH the passage of time may dull the grief, the anger over the Paddington rail disaster will not diminish - not when it is now disclosed that those who died were effectively killed by corporate greed. More than that, a price was deliberately put on

  • NON-LEAGUE SOCCER: Leek Town 2 Accrington Stanley 2

    STANLEY player-manager John Coleman scored the 500th-goal of his career and Jonathan Smith his first for the club. But a late Leek equaliser denied Coleman a double celebration and the two sides will now meet in their FA Umbro Trophy first round replay

  • Disabled targeted

    THE Labour-run council has done it again. It has abused its power and hit at the disabled people in our community. It has proposed to do away with four parking spaces in Yorkshire Street, Burnley, to make room for another taxi rank. Is this council not

  • SUPERBIKES: Blame it on Ryo

    CARL Fogarty smashed his own World Superbikes points record in the final round in Japan. But he was unable to break the local stranglehold on the two races in Sugo. The new world champion was second in the first race and fifth in the final race of the

  • Canal is a killer

    I REFER to an article (LET, October 4) about having £20,000 to spruce up roads and canals. I lost my son, Shaun Smith, in June. He tragically drowned in the canal and several children have since died in the same circumstances. Instead of cleaning the

  • No time for tantrums

    COULD I congratulate you on your editorial (LET, September 30) regarding independent Hyndburn councillor, Adrian Shurmer. Never have I read an editorial in any newspaper that put the true facts about any one person or issue, a truly marvellous piece of

  • Cyclist hurt in pick-up collision

    MOTORCYCLIST Joseph Meeks suffered an arm injury when he was involved in a collision in Hargher Street at the junction with Howard Street, Burnley. Mr Meeks, 30, of Lanark Street, was riding his Yamaha 2R 600cc machine when it was involved in an accident

  • Farewell to a grand old lady

    FURTHER to my letters (LET, Aug 25 and Sept 25) about the lack of care provided for old people in Burnley, my mother died on Friday, October 1 at 6.30pm. After four years of nursing her at home, I was at the end of my tether and almost had to consider

  • Job fears as factory is sold to rivals

    UNION leaders today voiced fears over 600 jobs after one of East Lancashire's biggest factories was sold to a rival firm in Preston. The Potterton Myson factory in Padiham, right, has been bought by Baxi Partnership as part of a £480million deal. Baxi

  • Board hits back in 'fat cat' wage row

    THE board of Burnley and Padiham Community Housing have hit back in a jobs row. Coun Harry Brooks resigned from the board after making attacking "fat cat salaries'' and describing the selection process for housing board officers as farcical. The board

  • Rovers star's cup hopes dashed

    JASON McAteer's hopes of making his Blackburn Rovers return in Wednesday's Worthington Cup third round tie against Premiership leaders Leeds United appeared to have been dashed today. The former Liverpool star, who had two 90-minute workouts last week

  • Beadell's about to blow a gasket!

    GARAGE owner Dave Beadell is going up the wall after scaffolding and building work blocked the entrance to his business. Dave, who runs Dave's Garage in Back Wellington Street, Accrington, says his customers can no longer get to his workshop. He says

  • Peep behind the scenes

    ENGINEERING and manufacturing firms can find out how to open the door to innovation this week. Northern Technologies in Nelson is staging a major open day on Wednesday to give firms a behind the scenes insight into its services. Staff at the firm help

  • Teenagers have a head to start up in business world

    BUSINESS-MINDED teenage 'tycoons' showed they have a firm grasp of running a company when they achieved distinctions in a Young Enterprise exam. A group of 11 Pendle high school students out of the 75 who sat the exam recorded high enough marks to earn

  • Family fury at school trek

    THE family of an 11-year-old boy who faces catching two separate buses to travel less than two miles to school have launched a campaign to get a new service installed. And Melvyn and Bernadette Eccles, of Garden Village, Darwen, are urging parents in

  • Tragic breakdown of pills-death dad

    A CORONER praised initiatives to tackle the problem of suicide among young men at an inquest into the death of Mark McLennan, a father found dead in his flat. Acting coroner Michael Singleton said schemes such as the Football League's, aimed at addressing