Archive
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EVENTS taking place in East Lancashire on Wednesday, January 21, 2003.
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. "Twelfth Night," Mechanics Theatre, Manchester Road, Burnley, 7.30pm. Todmorden Photographic Society, Masonic Hall, Hangingroyd Lane, Todmorden, 7.45pm. Whist and Domino
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Shift these town centre teenagers
THE sight of handfuls of teenagers congregating in town centres on Saturday afternoons is hardly new or unique to East Lancashire. But when handfuls become large crowds - as has happened regularly in Blackburn shopping centre at weekends for a long time
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Dynamite way to boost health
R&B singer Ms Dynamite is helping educate young East Lancashire women about their health. Blackburn with Darwen and Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale are among 75 Primary Care Trusts using a new magazine to promote local services. Your Life! - produced
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Players are facing spirited challenge
OSWALDTWISTLE Players' performances are typically spirited affairs. But the Players' April production will prove a little more spirited than usual. The show - Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit - is an improbable farce that tells the story of Charles Condomine
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A milestone for magic and mirth
THE Burnley Garrick Club is celebrating its 75th anniversary this season. And to mark the milestone a season of special plays has been chosen, the showpiece being Twelfth Night, the club's first ever Shakespeare production. Magic, mayhem and mirth are
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Stage Whispers. . .
ROSSENDALE Players present Dead of Night, a topical thriller, which will run from Saturday, January 31 to Saturday, February 7 (except Monday, February 2) in the New Millennium Theatre at 7.30pm. Jack has been acquitted of manslaughter and regales his
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Buses can cause problems
WHILE I'm glad Marion Hindle in your letters column says Blackburn bus drivers cannot do enough for you and they always stop where you ask them to, I would just ask them to think about the other drivers around them as sometimes they stop where others
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Police hunt man who raped girl, 14, in park
POLICE are hunting for a man who raped a teenage girl at a beauty spot in Leigh. The 14-year-old girl was walking alone through Astley Park when the rapist -- thought to be a man aged in his late teens -- approached her from behind. Detectives say the
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Metro dispute continues to rumble on
WEEKEND Metrolink services were disrupted when half the company's 160 drivers staged a second 24-hour stoppage. The dispute is over an ongoing trade union row. ASLEF is claiming recognition from Serco Metrolink. However, due to a single union agreement
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Catch-up courses for adults who missed out
ADULTS are being offered free courses in English and maths which could help them get work or promotion. Bury Council is backing the new National Test, aimed at those who are penalised in the job market for not having GCSEs in these subjects. After taking
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New housing plans boost town centre
ONE hundred flats and new office blocks could be built on a prime town centre site opposite Bury Town Hall. Council bosses are going into partnership with a private developer to transform green land at Townside Fields and its adjacent car park on Knowsley
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Bruce is told to up the ante
BIRMINGHAM boss Steve Bruce has been told to up the ante if he wants to land Blackburn defender Martin Taylor. Bruce has confirmed that he has made a bid for Taylor, which is believed to be in the region of £1.5 million. However, Rovers have rejected
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Warning after candle destroys bedroom
FIREFIGHTERS in Burnley have issued a warning about the dangers of decorative candles after fire destroyed a bedroom last night. The blaze at a home in Brunshaw Avenue started when an unattended candle set fire to curtains on the first-floor. The occupants
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Shop thief was 'still mourning girlfriend'
A MAN who took groceries from a Burnley supermarket told magistrates he had been leaving the shop to be sick. Mark Milne, 34, told the Burnley bench he took an "array" of medication for pain and mental health problems and had not got over the death last
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School's in for kids with problems
PUPILS can look forward to being educated closer to home thanks to a new school in Burnley. Plans for a new secondary school for children with a range of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties has been approved by the school organisation committee
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Anti-fluoride feeling high
MORE than 85 per cent of people are against adding fluoride to the county's water supply, according to a new report by Lancashire County Council's Water Fluoridation Task Group found the majority of people in the region were opposed to the plans. The
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Polling flaws 'help BNP'
THE British National Party could gain overall control of Burnley council because of flaws in the electoral system, a report claimed today. The Electoral Reform Society warned that the party could win a majority of seats on the council in spite of "minority
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25 years ago
BLACKBURN busmen withdrew their services for an hour at lunchtime because of treacherous roads. After their morning rounds they decided the conditions were too dangerous and waited until the roads were salted before setting off in the afternoon. Accrington
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10 years ago
A WOMAN who spent half a year's social security on a facelift said every depressed woman should have one. Carole Bidder from Ingham Street, Padiham, spent £2,400 of her income support on the operation which removed skin under her eyes and on her cheeks
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Chinese New Year celebrations to hit bus services
BUS passengers are advised that the annual Chinese New Year celebrations taking place in Manchester on Sunday will affect bus services entering and leaving the city centre. Various road closures mean that many bus services, including the free city centre
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£2.5m for poor areas
THE four most deprived wards in Hyndburn are to receive a £2.5million cash boost to tackle problems. The council's cabinet will be asked to approve the allocation of £959,295 of the money to existing projects to tackle deprivation in the borough when
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'Turn yourself in' call to hit-and-run driver
A POLICE chief today issued a personal plea to the hit-and-run driver who killed a 34-year-old man and said: "Turn yourself in." Officers are now certain that the vehicle which knocked down and killed Shaun Metcalfe in Oswaldtwistle on Saturday night
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Police hero of M65 suicide bid
A HERO policeman today recalled how he saved the life of a suicidal man who tried to jump to his death from a motorway bridge. Off-duty Sergeant Neil Persechino, 38, stretched over the railings with his feet off the ground to grab the man just as he let
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Driver threw drugs away
DRUGS thrown on the floor by a disabled Clitheroe woman when her car was stopped by police were later found to be heroin and crack cocaine, a court was told. Turner, 37, of The Crescent, pleaded guilty to possession of both drugs before Blackburn magistrates
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Birthday cash gift helps stroke unit
A WOMAN delighted staff at Burnley General Hospital after raising cash at a birthday party with a difference. Esme Sutcliffe, from Burnley, celebrated her 60th birthday by throwing a party and asking friends and family to donate to the hospital rather
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Blake: Cup can offer a lifeline
ROBBIE Blake has stoked up the FA Cup fourth round clash with Gillingham by declaring it the biggest game of Burnley's season. Blake was back among the goals as the Clarets drew 1-1 with West Brom last weekend to keep their mini-revival rolling along.
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Trash and Treasure sale
A TRASH and Treasure sale opens at 10am on Saturday, Feb 7 at Tyldesley Methodist Church, Elliott Street. Refreshments made by Sunday school staff will be available and entrance is 20p. Stalls at £6 can be booked on 0161 790 3493.
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Blake: Cup can offer a lifeline
ROBBIE Blake has stoked up the FA Cup fourth round clash with Gillingham by declaring it the biggest game of Burnley's season. Blake was back among the goals as the Clarets drew 1-1 with West Brom last weekend to keep their mini-revival rolling along.
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Bruce is told to up the ante
BIRMINGHAM boss Steve Bruce has been told to up the ante if he wants to land Blackburn defender Martin Taylor. Bruce has confirmed that he has made a bid for Taylor, which is believed to be in the region of £1.5 million. However, Rovers have rejected
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Ten-year request for landfill site
A DECISION on whether to allow a landfill site and waste-transfer station in Darwen to continue for the next decade will be made this week. Two planning applications have been submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council by Edmund Proctor Ltd, at Bent Hall
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Shoplifter wanted to be jailed
STEALING two boxes of dark chocolate had a "magical" outcome for a 47-year-old Darwen man. Blackburn magistrates heard that Anthony James Wale stole the confectionery because he wanted to get away from a man who was bullying him at his hostel accommodation
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Forum for town
ORGANISATIONS in Bacup have come together to work out what they can offer to the people of the town. Representatives from groups including Top of the Valley, the Bacup and Stacksteads Partnership, the Chamber of Trade, Sure Start, police, the council
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Warning over 'cold-call' security salesman
POLICE are urging caution after residents complained of companies cold-calling them at home. Police said they have received complaints from Rossendale residents concerning security companies who make 'cold-calls' followed up by home visits during which
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Spend a penny - give a penny: Pub's novel cash raiser not for the squeamish
A WATERFOOT pub is allowing its customers to relieve themselves in more ways than one. For regulars at the Railway pub, Bacup Road, are being encouraged to give a penny when they spend a penny. Gents can now get rid of their spare change whenever nature
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Make your bike safe
POLICE will be security code marking children's bikes and mobile phones at Golborne Asda on Saturday, January 24, between 10am and 4pm. The event has been organised in conjunction with Wigan and Leigh Crime Prevention Panel and Homework Association.
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Police hunt for bungling cash grab gang
FOUR men armed with sledgehammers were being hunted today after they tried to break into three cash machines. The incident at Primrose Garage, Whalley Road, Clitheroe, then a shop in Roman Road at the junction with Stopes Brow, Blackamoor, Blackburn,
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Witness plea after assault puts victim in hospital for three weeks
A MAN suffered a fit and spent three weeks in hospital after being attacked in Blackburn town centre. The 29-year-old was attacked on December 18 in full view of Christmas shoppers, inside the three day market complex. Afterwards, he walked out of the
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Healthy ways to take off the pounds
BLACKBURN North Healthy Living Centre has developed a new six-week course for those who are worried about stepping on the scales after Christmas and Eid. Healthier You is for those who want to lose weight and feel healthy. Course organiser Sanam Asghar
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Convicted 'gunman' caught on camera in shop thefts
A BLACKBURN store manageress did not give chase when a man stole two boxes of Famous liqueurs from her shop because she feared for her safety, a court was told. But Blackburn magistrates heard Scott McKay was famous enough with the police for them to
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Shunned husband attacked police car
A MAN involved in a row with his bride's family vented his anger by throwing a brick through the rear window of a police car, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Mudassar Shamim had followed his wife to her parents' home in Aberdare Close
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Straw's terror alert to Muslim pilgrims
EAST Lancashire Muslims travelling to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage were today warned to be "vigilant" to the danger of terror attacks. Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw, who made the call, said he believed terrorist groups were planning
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Five-goal show takes Heys top
Air Miles Manchester Football League: PRESTWICH Heys reclaimed top spot in the Premier Division with a 5-2 victory at fellow hopefuls Leigh Athletic. Abid Uddin and Derek Watson hit the back of the net twice each for Heys in a thrilling match, with Jon
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Make your bike safe
POLICE will be security code marking children's bikes and mobile phones at Golborne Asda on Saturday, January 24, between 10am and 4pm. The event has been organised in conjunction with Wigan and Leigh Crime Prevention Panel and Homework Association.
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Catch-up courses for adults who missed out
ADULTS are being offered free courses in English and maths which could help them get work or promotion. Bury Council is backing the new National Test, aimed at those who are penalised in the job market for not having GCSEs in these subjects. After taking
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Show is a beauty
THREE fairy godmothers, a wicked witch and a cuddly panda are just some of the interesting elements in Temple Street Pantomime group's February production - The Sleeping Beauty. The production, which runs from Thursday, February 5, to Saturday, February
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Super ship, shame it was made in France
I FIND it very disappointing that the new Queen Mary 2 launched by the Queen was built in France by French workers using French material. Surely this should have been built here in Britain? Councillor D PEARSON, Rawstorne Street, Blackburn.
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Councillors should resign
I CAN'T find words to express how I feel about the state of Hyndburn Council and the so-called councillors who have caused it. (Well I could but you wouldn't print them). They should not be made to resign -- that would be an easy way out for them. They
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Boycott Turkey for holidays
IF and when Cyprus enters the EU in May, the Turkish Cypriots will be entitled to move south and anywhere else in the EU. So it does not matter if Turkey fails to reach the required standard financially and in human rights as people can move to Cyprus
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No right to treat people this way
AFTER reading the inquest report on Paula Greenall (LET, January 6) and the humility she suffered all through her short life it grieves me to call myself "human" when so many people out there have no sense of humanity. What gives a person the right to
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Punishment should fit the crimes
LISTENING to people's grumbles as I stood in the butcher's queue the other day, I soon came to the conclusion that the vast majority of people in Britain feel increasingly under threat from crime. That they have little faith in the authorities that are
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Euro leaves two in five undecided
A POLL on plans for a North West Regional Assembly show many people are still undecided. While 32 percent said they would vote in favour of the elected body, 27 per cent said they would vote against and the remainder said they did not know how they would
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Police hero of M65 suicide bid
A HERO policeman today recalled how he saved the life of a suicidal man who tried to jump to his death from a motorway bridge. Off-duty Sergeant Neil Persechino, 38, stretched over the railings with his feet off the ground to grab the man just as he let
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Get out of town, gangs told
SHOPPING chiefs today slammed young "Goths and Moshers" for intimidating shoppers in Blackburn town centre. Arnold Wilcox-Wood, manager of Blackburn Shopping Centre, said the teenagers were causing a nuisance in Church Street every weekend and demanded
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Jail for drug addict who hid heroin in bra
A DRUG addict who flouted a court order for a third time is starting a four-month jail term. Burnley magistrates yesterday revoked the community rehabilitation imposed on Michelle Marie Smith, 27, who stuffed heroin down her bra. They told her no sentence
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Supermarket special offer
SHOPPERS at a Burnley supermarket will be able to pick up information on the services provided by the county council along with their groceries this week. The Lancashire County Council trailer will make its fourth visit to the town on Thursday. It will
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Witness plea in attacker hunt
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a pensioner was assaulted in Burnley at the weekend. The 68-year-old man, who had been at Paradise Working Men's Club on Saturday night, was hit over the head with a heavy object in what appears to be a motiveless
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Cliviger Bulletin
THE JANUARY meeting of Cliviger Parish Council was postponed from Friday, January 16, and will now be held tonight, starting at 7pm, at the Village Hall. Included in matters to be dealt with is a planning application for a single-storey extension to the
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Surgeons failed in 'fundamental duty'
A PENSIONER was 'robbed' of his only working kidney by two surgeons in an operating theatre 'disaster', the GMC heard yesterday. Mahesh Goel, 41, a former locum at Burnley General Hospital, faces being struck off if he is found guilty of serious professional
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Something fresh on menu at cyber-cafe
BRIERFIELD residents will be able to surf worldwide and discover new interests with the opening of the town's cyber-cafe. The facility, based at the corner of Colne Road and Halifax Road, was set up by community group Brierfield Action in the Community
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50 years ago
A DOWNPOUR flooded homes in Brecon Road, Blackburn. The water was up to 18 inches in the middle of the road and the same in some back gardens. And six-year-old Roma Jepson of White Road, Blackburn, achieved a merit in music and elocution.
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'102 names left off war memorials'
THE names of more than 100 ex-service personnel are missing from Hyndburn's war memorials, an historian claimed today. Walter Holmes has been researching the borough's war casualties from 1914 to 1920 for the last 10 years and has compiled a database
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New housing plans boost town centre
ONE hundred flats and new office blocks could be built on a prime town centre site opposite Bury Town Hall. Council bosses are going into partnership with a private developer to transform green land at Townside Fields and its adjacent car park on Knowsley
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Estate faces bulldozers
A PROBLEM housing estate is facing the bulldozers and another is to be refurbished after being sold off by Bury Council. Troubled Tulle Court and Kersal Close in Prestwich are so unpopular with tenants that the majority of apartments lie empty with no
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Born and sped! TV star gets driving ban
TELEVISION star Michael French told how fame had made him a recluse as he tried to avoid a driving ban after speeding in East Lancashire. The 41-year-old actor revealed how he had suffered abuse as a result of the celebrity status which he shunned. He
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Scouts set to Jam with Europe
BURNLEY Scouts will join more than 20,000 Scouts and Guides from across Europe next year when they take part in EuroJam Jamboree. The 12-day event is at Hylands Park, in Essex, next summer and will be packed full of activities. Howard Mitchell, district
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Brewery looking for new outlets
JENNINGS, the Cumbrian brewery and pub company, has announced plans to buy more pubs in East Lancashire. The firm said it has £5m to spend on purchases and refurbishments in the next year and is looking out for quality ventures. Director of pub operations
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Royal treat for music lovers
A GREAT Harwood pub has some top bands coming up for music-lovers. Janice Booth, landlady of the Royal Hotel, Station Road, said a variety of bands appearing at the pub were gaining good reputations. On Friday there are 'The V8s' and on Thursday, January
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Marion's in the Pitcher!
MARION Renaghan, above, has gone from chucking out customers to chucking them in! The 39-year-old has taken over at Pitchers bar in Salford, Blackburn. Marion, who worked as security at O'Neill's in King William Street, has researched far and wide to
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Residents bitter over beer plans
A BEER lover has attracted a barrel-load of protests with plans to build a micro brewery in his garage. Barry Tyson, of Pole Lane, Darwen, wants to develop his hobby to produce two barrels, or 72 gallons, of beer per week. But some neighbours have protested
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Drink-driver almost five times the limit
A DRINKER almost five times the drink-drive limit escaped a jail sentence after magistrates were told she was now getting help. The Burnley bench heard that student Alison Leach smashed into a parked van and then hit some metal railings before a member
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A taste of fame for restaurant's menu
A RAMSBOTTOM restaurateur is celebrating receiving an honour in the latest Michelin guide to the best UK eateries. Ramsons restaurant, in Market Place, was established 20 years ago by its owner Chris Johnson. It was announced this week as being one of
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Yobs stone priest's car
PARISHIONERS have condemned vandals who pelted a priest's car with stones. Father Philip Boast was leaving St Joseph's Church, Stacksteads, about 8pm on Saturday when the attack happened. Fr Boast, who was taking a parishioner home following Mass, was
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Terror attack on night of mayhem
A YOUNG pregnant woman enjoying a night out with her boyfriend was set upon by balaclava-clad armed robbers wielding hammers. Police say the unprovoked attack on the couple walking home in Rawtenstall was just one incident on a night of robbery and mayhem
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Probe into boundary changes
AN inquiry into the future of Parliamentary seats in Lancashire was due to be held today. The Government's Boundary Commission for England has drawn up plans for the reorganisation of boundaries which would increase the number of Lancashire seats from
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Hospital traffic chaos near end
A NEW traffic system is set to be introduced to minimise disruption at Blackburn's £100million new hospital site. Since work on the single site scheme at Queen's Park last July there have been numerous disruptions caused by construction work. But, aside
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Get out of town, gangs told
SHOPPING chiefs today slammed young "Goths and Moshers" for intimidating shoppers in Blackburn town centre. Arnold Wilcox-Wood, manager of Blackburn Shopping Centre, said the teenagers were causing a nuisance in Church Street every weekend and demanded
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Stanley sign up international striker
ACCRINGTON Stanley have boosted their squad by signing Northern Ireland international Lee McEvilly on a month's loan from Rochdale. Manager John Coleman revealed his delight at snapping up the highly rated striker, who he was keen to sign before the former
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Chinese New Year celebrations to hit bus services
BUS passengers are advised that the annual Chinese New Year celebrations taking place in Manchester on Sunday will affect bus services entering and leaving the city centre. Various road closures mean that many bus services, including the free city centre
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Green light for facelift of The Rock
A MULTI-MILLION pound facelift to transform Bury town centre has been given the go-ahead. The plans were given outline permission at a meeting on Thursday (Jan 15) to redevelop The Rock, following a lengthy consultation period by Bury Council. The council's
