BIODIVERSITY simply means the variety of life. It is not just restricted to rare or threatened species, but obviously the fauna and flora under threat are given special attention. One of the most impressive schemes in Britain has been devised by the Sefton
MALCOLM Cocking gave a faultless display on his 500cc Triumph as the Northern British Bike Championship came to an end on Sharney Fold in Bacup. The Oldham rider negotiated the 32 observed sections without picking up a penalty point to win his class for
IF EVERY Lancashire Evening Telegraph reader donated a tin of food all the destitute and needy in the area could be fed this Christmas. That's the claim by Wendy Hobson, the organiser of the 'Be a Star, Light Up Someone's Christmas Campaign'. We have
THERE once was a time when Michael Thompson used to enjoy a good game of football or badminton with his mates -- but then he started to grow. And grow and grow. The only thing for it was to take up basketball and some 25 years later he is still involved
A REPORT has revealed that Britain's murder rate has reached its highest level since records began more than a century ago. A study of 20 police forces shows that killings were up 22 per cent in London, 13 per cent in West Yorkshire and 10 per cent in
TO Eric Leaver. I was amazed at how delightfully ill-informed you are on Fire Service issues. I felt compelled to distribute your e-mail address to every firefighter in East Lancashire (I also posted it on the 30Kfirepay web site) so they can also congratulate
IN REPLY to Leaver at Large (LET, October 23) I am glad that someone has the nerve to stand up to the bullying tactics being employed by the firemen. I agree wholeheartedly with Eric Leaver with the suggestion that if the firemen put in for a reasonable
MY mother who lives in Lancashire County Council's Hameldon House for the elderly in Burnley, was taken to hospital very ill last October. She was put in a ward where 15 of the 19 patients were elderly. I learned that five of them were there because they
BEFORE you go slagging off firefighters in your paper, be sure that you quote the right facts will you, Eric Leaver? I work in GMC and the calls at my station have more than doubled in the last eight to 10 years. I notice that nowhere do you say what
I FEEL I must write in protest to the despicable article written by your columnist, Eric Leaver, "Bolshie fire crews can go to blazes". Never before have I read such a one-sided opinionated load of twaddle in my life. In answer to Mr Leaver's points,
TOWN hall safety chiefs are sending out a strong warning to landlords who could endanger the lives of their tenants by failing to provide essential fire safety equipment. The advice follows the council's recent successful prosecution of a landlord after
JOE Royle has been installed as the new manager at Ipswich Town and the natives are reportedly restless. The reaction on Wearside was no more enthusiastic when Sunderland turned to the "experience" of Howard Wilkinson to take over from Peter Reid. The
BLACKBURN Rovers' Under 19s marched to another impressive win at the weekend which ensured they returned to the top of the table. Rovers' young guns won 2-0 away to Huddersfield in a game which was played at the former ground of Unibond League side Wakefield
CALL me paranoid if you want but I thought two teams played at Highbury on Saturday. It's just that when I glanced at the national papers on Sunday and Monday, I could have sworn that only Arsenal appeared to have turned up for the game according to the
EAST Lancashire MPs Nigel Evans and Peter Pike are split over plans to drag House of Commons working hours and procedures from the 19th to the 21st century. Burnley's Labour MP Pike believes it will make Parliament more efficient but Ribble Valley Tory
ONE of Burnley biggest employers is due to appear in court tomorrow after a worker's arm was crushed by a paper roller at a factory. Health and Safety officials have charged Papermarc after Brett Hall, 34, of Burnley, suffered serious arm injuries when
YOUNGSTERS causing a nuisance in the Scott Park area of Burnley will come to face to face with teachers and police in a move to crack down on anti-social behaviour. Police patrols have been stepped up after neighbours complained about regular noise and
HEALTH bosses today revealed they have a £3.5 million gap in their budget after a huge increase in emergency admissions. Care chiefs blamed the deficit on the amount of time which they had been forced to use and pay for private hospitals because of the
THE Church Family Bonfire will be held at the Vicarage on Saturday. The fire will be lit around 6pm. Firework display and refreshments available. Tickets available from Roger Green on 01282 433744. Donations of suitable scraps of wood would be appreciated
BURNLEY'S new £3million town centre bus station was officially opened yesterday -- as building contractors completed work with just seconds to spare. The futuristic glass structure off Croft Street was opened by Professor David Begg, chairman of the Independent
A SCHOOLBOY trapped under a police car after a suspected stolen vehicle chase has appeared before Burnley Magistrates. The 15 year old, from Brierfield, is accused of aggravated vehicle taking and vehicle interference. He was bailed to return and attend
COUNCIL tenants in Pendle have been banned from holding bonfires in their gardens because they cause too much damage. The warning came from staff at the council's housing services department who said they will not tolerate people staging bonfires on land
WHO owns the fire engines? Not the firefighters, surely. If they don't want to use the engines, let the Army use them instead of the Green Goddesses. ARTHUR CONWAY, Ouseburn Road, Blackburn.
THE troubled Silentnight group today revealed a shock £7.1 million loss for the first half of the year. The announcement comes just weeks after a bitter boardroom battle to take control of the Salterforth-based business. The company admitted its £7.1
A MAN said to have attacked his niece's estranged husband after a bonfire party may be facing a retrial. Roger Atkinson, 55, had been accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent but the jury in the case was discharged after it failed to reach
A BLACKBURN organisation helped North West fell walkers raise £1,700 for the Cancer Research Campaign. Training 2000 provided transport for Kendal Fell Club and Friends so they could climb Snowdon, Sca Fell, Pike and Ben Nevis, the four highest peaks
TWO familiar faces will be at Accrington Asda on Saturday for the official opening of the new George clothing section. Georgia Taylor and Jennie McAlpine, also known as Toyah Battersby and Fizz from Coronation Street, will take part in a fundraising day
AN Accrington Christmas shopping brochure will be distributed to around 125,000 shoppers. The colourful, glossy guide contains information about Christmas shopping in the town, including late night opening times, details of free parking and the latest
FILM fans are ready to take their seats for movie premiere night in Accrington this week with the opening of the town's new cinema. Manager Brandon Neal is now overseeing the final preparations at the four-screen complex before its opening on Friday.
BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent wasted little time blasting his side's 'shambolic' defending after the remarkable 6-5 defeat at Blundell Park last night. "You can't have to score seven goals away from home to win," he moaned with frustration etched on his face
LOOK at the key stats and moments from the game against Grimsby. BURNLEY MARLON BERESFORD Didn't actually make a save as almost every Grimsby effort seemed to find the back of his net...6 DEAN WEST Good ball in for Burnley's first but was too often caught
GRIMSBY Town hosted a Hallowe'en Party at Blundell Park last night - and Burnley joined in the "fun" with a horror show of defending. At the end of 90 minutes of carnage it was Claret blood that had been spilled on the floor as they came off worse in
LEAVING the office the other night I bumped into what can only be described as a gang of children wandering around the Boulevard in Blackburn. All were in some form of fancy dress and the oldest among them could only have been about 12. With the clocks
EWOOD chief Graeme Souness believes Rovers' UEFA Cup 'Battle of Britain' with Celtic will make men of his young players as he prepares to lead them into war at Parkhead tomorrow. Souness is a seasoned veteran of Celtic clashes from his days as both a
RICARDO Fuller is expected to return to Preston's starting line-up as the Lilywhites face wounded rivals Burnley in a tea-time hot pot of a local derby. While Preston have bagged three points in the last two games - a much better ratio than having just
A TEENAGER who attacked his pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend in a drunken rage has been jailed for 90 days. Blackburn magistrates heard that Neil John Irwin started pushing the girl around after a night at the pub. And when his mother tried to intervene
A GRANDFATHER who dedicated his life to entertaining Darwen people in hundreds of plays has died aged 76. Family and friends will say goodbye to Ron Coupe, a founder member of the Darwen Library Players, at his funeral in the United Reformed Church, Bolton
A 19TH CENTURY Ramsbottom primary school is to close next year, despite a campaign to keep it open. The fate of St Paul's CE, in Crow Lane was sealed after an independent adjudicator backed the council's decision to close the school. Following a full
A MASKED raider who went into a man's flat in the early hours armed with a metal bar, has been jailed for four years. Burnley Crown Court heard how alcoholic Eddie Ward had taken valium, Temazepam, beta blockers, painkillers, anti-depressants and about
A LANCASHIRE campaign to ban lethal pocket money fireworks has paid off after the Government promised to make 'air bombs' illegal. Consumer minister Melanie Johnson yesterday announced proposals to ban the 'bombs', which are sold in packs of four for
THE new owners of a controversial nightclub today reassured neighbours about their plans to reopen it and said: "You won't lose any sleep!" Councillors last week told Blackburn-based Hopecroft Design Ltd that they could have a licence for Cubes, in Duke
CELTIC supporters today extended an hand of friendship to Rovers fans ahead of tomorrow's UEFA Cup clash and said: "Come drink with us." The Glasgow club's reputation has been tarnished in the past by the sectarian hooliganism with city rivals Rangers
A TATTOO artist who counted former world superbike champion Carl Fogarty among his customers killed himself after his girlfriend broke off their relationship. An inquest heard that Paul Gornall, 46, locked himself in his garden shed and inhaled exhaust
A £2.5MILLION international fake clothes racket operating from the back streets of Blackburn has been smashed, trading standards officials said today. Officers from Blackburn with Darwen Council have raided three addresses and a garage in streets off
CART drivers will be pulling out all the stops to raise cash this weekend. Competitors from Blackburn and the Ribble Valley will be challenging for the title of soap box derby champion. And the top gear event organised by Langho FC Sports and Country
A PASSENGER war has begun after a bus firm expanded its fleet ready to take on Blackburn Transport and undercut its fares. Catch-me-bus.com, which was founded with one bus and one route in April this year, has bought 12 more vehicles and will today begin
DISASTER struck for Great Harwood at Cheadle Town in NWCL Division Two last night. Harwood manager John Hughes blamed himself for putting out a side to match Cheadle's 'competitive' nature only to find the entire Cheadle team had changed due to a change
WHILE Burnley suffered a defeat at the hands of their local rivals, the second string can take the positives out of a keenly contested derby clash. For while Dale ran in the tries Burnley could take a lot of pluses out of the game -- especially the performance
STEVEN Lowe ran in two tries as Rossendale climbed away from the foot of the table thanks to a hard-fought victory. The centre scored in each half as Dale came from behind in a game where the strong gusty wind more than played its part. Playing with the
THE odds on Neil Hodgson winning next year's World Superbike Championship have been slashed following Ducati's surprise announcement this week about his new team-mate. It was widely expected that the newly-crowned WSB champion Colin Edwards would link
IN a busy double-header weekend, Blackburn Hawks drew 5-5 with Whitley Bay in the English cup at the Arena before crashing 2-9 in the league at Altrincham Aces. Having beaten the Warriors from Whitley 4-2 in a league match last month, Haig's went looking
NELSON ended Padiham's unbeaten run in the NWCL Division Two in an enthralling Lancashire derby at Victoria Park. The Storks, riding high in second place in the league, were under pressure right from the kick off as Nelson dominated the first half. John
HENNING Kabaar scored a hat-trick of tries as Blackburn continued their impressive start to the season with a powerful performance against arch-rivals Burnley. The fixture was played at its usual high tempo but played in fine spirits where good rugby
FOUR-TIME World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty believes his new team are making giant strides as they prepare to make their debut next season. After testing at Almeria in Spain, the Blackburn-based team owner revealed he was content with the progress
RUGBY League officials are delighted with the response from the Blackburn public as they gear up for the first Test match to be played at Rovers' Ewood Park Stadium. The first of Great Britain's three match series against New Zealand will be staged at
LOWTON High School had to be evacuated after a firework was thrown into a classroom. Firefighters were called last night to the St Helens Road school after smoke from the device set the fire alarm off. Children and adults using parts of the building for
POLICE are hunting for two men who carried out a car jacking in Bury. A 39-year-old man was forced out of his Mercedes after he was asked for a light for a cigarette while he was parked in Roach Bank Road, Pilsworth. The men then escaped in the car. Detective
RMI manager Steve Waywell has turned down a move to Hyde United and pledged his future to Leigh. Waywell was approached by the Tameside club and offered an attractive package to take over at the Ewen Fields less than two weeks after they sacked former
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. The Pendle Jazzmen, Bull and Butcher, Manchester Road, Burnley, 9pm. Omid Djalil, King George's Hall, Blackburn, 8pm. Brendan Shine, Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre, 7.30pm
THE story of what happened to Darwen student Jennifer Preston when she was caught up in the weekend gales while travelling on German railways highlights everything that is wrong with our own public transport system. Her train was held up because of broken
THE word orchid comes from a Greek word meaning a testicle. The underground tubers of some species are in fact shaped like a human testicle. This is true of the early purple orchid which is common in Britain. Its scientific name is Orchids masculata.
THE human species really is arrogant and this also applies to far too many scientists. Take, for example, a birds beak. The bill is described as a "dead" opening to the mouth, less efficient than ours because birds have no teeth and no sense of taste
BROCKHALL-BASED Science In Sport rode to glory in the Cyclo-Cross event in Whalley after winning the senior team event and took individual titles in the juniors and ladies. The first and biggest event of its kind in Lancashire saw SIS and Oakhill College
THE tempting aroma wafting from Fairfield Farm Shop has had the customers flocking and it is all in the name of a good cause. The shop in Longsight Road, Clayton-le-Dale, has been taking part in British Sausage Appreciation Week and inviting customers
I NOTICE that Eric Leaver is still inflicting his "blunt" (and wry?) opinions on us. Funnily, my thesaurus offers 'dull' as a rather apt alternative to blunt. His recent attack on firefighters really did take the biscuit, coming as it did from the safety
I AM writing to express my disgust at Eric Leaver's remarks on stress in the case of firefighters. Has he ever seen a corpse that's been burnt, or gone to an accident and had to cut a man from a car who had children with him screaming for help? I agree
REGARDING your story headlined "Major amounts of cash pouring in town" (LET, October 14), for a ghastly moment, I thought that Darwen was being mistaken for Gotham City with the dynamic duo, Councillors Dave Smith and Andy Kay, fighting the rest of city
FOR more than 20 years in the water industry, I purchased the many and varied chemicals used in water purification and sewage treatment to remove bacteria, etc. Chemicals to purify, not to medicate!! The use of fluoride in our public water supply could
HEALTH bosses today revealed they have a £3.5 million gap in their budget after a huge increase in emergency admissions. Care chiefs blamed the deficit on the amount of time which they had been forced to use and pay for private hospitals because of the
A PASSENGER war has begun after a bus firm expanded its fleet ready to take on Blackburn Transport and undercut its fares. Catch-me-bus.com, which was founded with one bus and one route in April this year, has bought 12 more vehicles and will today begin
Oldham 64 Tyldesley 21 - WEAKENED Tyldsley felt the full force of leaders Oldham and were thrashed 64-21. Tyldesley were forced to make six changes and were outclassed. Their only reward in a hard first half was a try from Andy Dickinson converted by
BLACKBURN midfielder David Dunn believes Rovers have what it takes to triumph in their eagerly-awaited 'Battle of Britain' with Celtic. Confidence in the Rovers camp is sky high following Saturday's victory over Arsenal at Highbury. But Dunn believes
HAD things panned out differently, Highbury hero Brad Friedel could have been facing Blackburn in tomorrow's much-hyped 'Battle of Britain'. Liam Brady, the former Celtic manager, tried to sign America's number one during his time in the hot-seat at Parkhead
A BURNLEY charity shop has unveiled its partywear section in time for bargain hunters to look good during the festive season. The Barnardo's shop in Yorkshire Street is now offering a wide range of stunning ball gowns and sophisticated dresses at a snip
A POLICE officer feared he might be struck down by disease after blood-stained spit landed on his lips. Burnley Magistrates heard how teenager Dean Anthony Taylor, 18, had spat at both the officer and a colleague and also struck one in the shin after
A SERIAL thief who has spent much of the last two years behind bars has won her freedom, to see if a curfew works in a bid to keep her out of shops. Burnley Magistrates heard how Denise Burton, 38, who had almost 70 previous convictions for stealing,
THE latest town centre pub and club venue was today hailed as the "final piece of the jigsaw" for Burnley's rejuvenated Hammerton Street after it was revealed it attracted more than 2,000 people on one night. And town centre manager Lisa Durkin toasted
A SCHOOL in Nelson is combating truancy with a new club. Headteacher Martin Burgess said the Prince's Trust 'xl' club was already having a positive effect on the group of year ten students at Edge End High, some of whom rarely attended school previously
OLYMPIC fencer Robert Kiss will bring his expertise to Bury when he begins a new fencing class for children and adults. The eight week course starts on Sunday, November 24, and is aimed at beginners over the age of eight years and will be based at the
AS a young mother with three children aged eight, six and three, I am delighted that Jim Bowen has now gone from Radio Lancashire(LET, October 7). When one's children repeat the language used by Jim Bowen, how can one tell them that they shouldn't be
IN JULY, 2001, I had a mammogram screening and went on to have surgery. I have just had another mammogram at Accrington Victoria Hospital. I must reassure women that having a mammogram is not as bad as Jean C Lewis found (Letters, October 3). She must
NO wonder they call his column Leaver at Large, I think he must have escaped from an asylum to write such rubbish (October 23), regarding the firemen's strike threat. Instead of sitting in his office has he ever attended a motorway accident involving
ELDERLY and disabled people in Pendle will be treated to a feast of fun and good food at this year's Bit of a Do event at Colne Municipal Hall. Entertainment will include songs from 20th century musicals sung by Mark Wilkes, Lynette Creane and Simon Lee
STAFF at Gregg's bakery, on Church Street, Darwen, were voted tops for hygiene and cleanliness by Blackburn with Darwen Council. They were presented with a Silver Platter Award by council health education officer Cath Snape.
TWELVE Apostles Church, Leigh, is holding its Christmas Fayre on Saturday (Nov 2) at noon in the Parish Hall, Wesleigh Lane. There will be all the usual attractions, including bingo, and refreshments will be available. Admission is 20p.
A CAMPAIGNER against the closure of 32 care homes in Lancashire has accused her borough council of "hoodwinking" people by over-estimating the cost of legal action. Kath Shackleton, a member of the Hyndburn Action Committee, part of a network of groups
EAST Lancashire MP Nigel Evans is to visit the BAE Systems plant in Samlesbury to find out the likely impact of the sale of part of the company on the workforce there. Unions fear that up to 400 jobs could be lost if the firm goes ahead with the disposal
CAR parking capers abound in Blackburn, where you'll soon have to pay for the privilege of leaving your car while you go shopping, but then again you might not! Having recently announced an end to free on-street parking, councillors have now decided to
BURNLEY boss Stan Ternent wasted little time blasting his side's 'shambolic' defending after the remarkable 6-5 defeat at Blundell Park last night. "You can't have to score seven goals away from home to win," he moaned with frustration etched on his face
IF you have the misfortune to be delayed for six hours on a train make sure it is in Germany. That is the message from Jennifer Preston, of Darwen, after she was caught in gales that swept across Europe at the weekend. Jennifer, 20, of Sunnyhurst Lane
GENEROUS children from a Ramsbottom primary school have donated their new and old toys to children living in less fortunate countries. Children from St Joseph's RC in Queen Street have been filling shoeboxes for street children for a host of countries
HYNDBURN MP Greg Pope will visit a Rossendale community centre on Friday, to honour supporters and take part in an official naming ceremony. Mr Pope will be among several guests at the Haslingden Community Link, Bury Road, at 12.45pm. He will unveil a
A HATCHERY where more than three million chick eggs were destroyed by fire is to close with the loss of 45 jobs. Mike Haines, manager of Mayfield Chicks, Ewood Bridge, Haslingden, said 25 workers would be made redundant while the remaining 20 had left
POLICE today appealed for help from the public after a firebug struck five times in 24 hours. A leisure centre, a youth and community centre, a wagon and two cars were among the targets and police believe the offender could be a juvenile arsonist who
COUNCILLORS serving on Wigan MBC will be holding the following advice surgeries: THURSDAY, October 31: Golborne Library (10-11) B Strett, D Kelly; Lowton Civic Hall (6-6.45) P Franzen; Abram Library (10.30-12) E Smethurst.
A SPOKESMAN for Lancashire police officers today insisted research into the health risks of a controversial radio system should have been done five years ago. The Home Office has announced that officers will be asked to volunteer for a 10-year monitoring
POLICE are asking members of the public to help them cut down on truancy in the run up to Christmas. The clampdown is part of an initiative by Lancashire County Council education authority to get children throughout the county back to school. Teams of
TORRENTIAL rain and gale force winds failed to put a dampener on Bury AC's inaugural Tim Sargeant memorial autotest. As the final round of the ANWCC championship, the event attracted a healthy 20-car entry at Spring Street car park. And although the organisers
RICHARD Cresswell used his head for the second time in four days to send Preston into the lead. But it wasn't enough to stop a Portsmouth team full of Premiership names from fighting back to take the three points. North End's travelling support will feel
