Archive
-
Date
Driving away from common sense
IT has been difficult this week to understand what was in the minds of the group of Darwen youngsters who set up their own stunts in the style of the Jackass TV programme. What possesses a boy to jump over fires, staple a hand, set fire to feet or have
-
Date
Animal Aid column
Marvin wants to share your home HE'S a bit of a ladies' man whose sunny nature hasn't been dented by a fairly traumatic start to the year. And now Marvin the sunny-natured black cat, is on the lookout for a new home. Five-year-old Marvin was found on
-
Date
Pb grub
THE HARPERS INN, Fence WE'VE all been there. It's a week since you did the shopping and if you wanted anything more exotic than beans on toast after work, you would have to be East Lancashire's answer to Nigella Lawson. There's only one sensible answer
-
Date
Rich heritage of homes for poor
LAST year I wrote about Alms Houses and mentioned the wonderful example found at Waddington. I asked readers to list other Alms Houses which they knew of in Lancashire. An impressive list developed from letters received. Here are a few: Penny Alms Houses
-
Date
Referendum is just a cop-out
REFERENDUM? When the politicians at Westminster who are paid to scrutinise options and select the option most beneficial to the country at large realise no matter which option they choose there is a strong possibility the outcome will be detrimental to
-
Date
Quarries can be deathtraps for children
AS Manchester City and England goalkeeper my job is all about making great saves. But even I can't save children if they take unnecessary risks. That's why I am appealing to all your young readers to stay out of quarries in the summer. They may seem like
-
Date
Mum drove over her son...for a prank!
A MOTHER drove her car at her own son in a prank staged for a Jackass- style stunt website. But Beverley Clare, of Darwen defended herself saying she was only going at 5mph and her son was not hurt. And the mother of Anchor Avenue said she is ready to
-
Date
Street thug jailed
A JUDGE has hit out at the levels of street violence in Burnley after sending a thug to jail for glassing a teenager in a vicious early hours attack. Judge Michael Byrne slammed tattoed yob Paul Hartley's behaviour as "nothing short of scandalous", criticised
-
Date
Villa back for more
BLACKBURN Rovers' under 17s will play Aston Villa under 17s in a national play-off semi-final tie at Brockhall tomorrow (kick off 3 pm). Last Saturday, Rovers beat Southampton 3-1 away in the quarter-finals. Yesterday, Villa entertained Sheffield United
-
Date
Souey: I'd say no to Rivaldo
BOLTON Wanderers stunned the world of football earlier this week when news of their ambitious plan to sign Rivaldo hit the headlines. The former Barcelona and AC Milan star is reportedly close to signing a two-year contract with Wanderers. And if Reebok
-
Date
Ex-mayor anger as patriotic flag is torched
A PATRIOTIC former mayor has slammed vandals who stole his English flag and set it alight on St George's Day. Granville Lord said he was flying the cross of St George to mark the patron saint's day, but would have removed it if had offended anyone. He
-
Date
Spurned lover's brutal beating
A SPURNED slaughterhouse worker subjected his ex-girlfriend to a "vicious and sustained" attack after smashing his way into her home in the early hours. Burnley magistrates heard heartbroken Paul Andrew Davison, 20, punched sobbing and terrified Gemma
-
Date
Street thug jailed
A JUDGE has hit out at the levels of street violence in Burnley after sending a thug to jail for glassing a teenager in a vicious early hours attack. Judge Michael Byrne slammed tattoed yob Paul Hartley's behaviour as "nothing short of scandalous", criticised
-
Date
Soldiers get 'mention in dispatches'
TWO East Lancashire soldiers have been honoured in a list of brave servicemen for work around the world. Lance Corporal Adrian Redfearn, of Rishton, and Lieutenant Michael Peel, of Nelson, are among 120 soldiers singled out for their actions. The soldiers
-
Date
Soldiers get 'mention in dispatches'
TWO East Lancashire soldiers have been honoured in a list of brave servicemen for work around the world. Lance Corporal Adrian Redfearn, of Rishton, and Lieutenant Michael Peel, of Nelson, are among 120 soldiers singled out for their actions. The soldiers
-
Date
Raid team dismantle cannabis factory
POLICE today released details of a cannabis factory unearthed at an Oswaldtwistle house. The plants were found at the house in Stanley Street on Thursday night and taken to Accrington police station. Sgt Clare Holbrook, of Accrington police station, said
-
Date
Don't think of breaking speed limit
POLICE in East Lancashire today warned motorists not to think they can get away with breaking the speed limit. The warning came as officers prepared to hand over policing of mobile speed camera sites to civilians, who will take over the duty from police
-
Date
Holland's Pies dispute is settled out of court
A FORMER employee of Holland's Pies who planned to take the company to an employment tribunal has settled out of court. Father-of-one Faruk Hussain, 25, of Pendle Street, Accrington, had brought a case against the Baxenden based company after being dismissed
-
Date
Chemists on Duty
MONDAY, APRIL 25 BLACKBURN: 10am-1pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; 10.30am-4.30pm: Superdrug Pharmacy, 5 Stonybutts; 10.30am-4.30pm: Boots Chemist, 2 Cobden Court; noon-1pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road. DARWEN: noon-1pm: Lloyds Chemists,
-
Date
Chemists on Duty
THURSDAY, APRIL 29 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohens Chemist, 63 Whalley Range; To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 6.30pm: Donald Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive;
-
Date
Chemists on Duty
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The
-
Date
Clarets youngsters learn the hard way
CLARETS midfielder Lenny Johnrose is backing Burnley's young side to grow stronger on the basis of their battle to beat the drop this season. The 34-year-old has been impressed with the Clarets young guns since his return to the club on transfer deadline
-
Date
New boy Liam makes good first impression
LEIGH opened their 150th anniversary season with a 64-run victory over a Huyton side who had done the double against them in league games last year. But the first group match in the Premier Division Knockout Trophy competition had started badly for the
-
Date
Athletics: Local lad Mike's capital display
RADCLIFFE distance runner Michael Aspinall put in a superb performance in the London Marathon to finish in a very impressive 2 hours 34 minutes 26 seconds. The 20-year-old student's excellent achievement meant he finished an amazing 114th out of an estimated
-
Date
Survival would 'top promotion year'
CLARETS boss Stan Ternent will regard survival in the First Division as one of the major feats of his management career. While he has enjoyed promotions with both Burnley and Bury, maintaining the Clarets status this term will be a landmark achievement
-
Date
Rovers' Tugay talks
BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness is ready to open talks with Tugay over a new contract. The former Turkish international midfielder's present deal is due to expire in the summer. But Souness has revealed he wants to offer new contracts to both Tugay and
-
Date
Gala day nostalgia for display
A DISPLAY celebrating the history of Darwen Gala will go on show during the weeks leading up to this year's event. Organisers of the gala, which takes place on August 21, plan to show memorabilia dating as far back as the first ever events. Chairman John
-
Date
Parking charges re-think
PROTESTERS have forced councillors to defer a decision to introduce car parking charges in Rawtenstall. Thousands of shoppers, commuters, residents and traders have been consulted over the past month about car parking charges. Many people are opposed
-
Date
Driver on gun charge
A LEIGH man accused of carrying a revolver and a dismantled handgun in his car is to appear before the Crown Court. John Martin Flatley, aged 44, of Maple Crescent, Leigh, was stopped by police in Spotland Road, Rochdale, last month, and the vehicle was
-
Date
Fraudster's jail term is cut
A FRAUDSTER who dishonestly obtained £600 from a Government department has had his jail term cut by London's Criminal Appeal Court. Mayula Kibula, 31, of Castle Street, Tyldesley, was jailed for 15 months at Sheffield Crown Court in February, after pleading
-
Date
Recycling collections to start
WEEKLY recycling collections are due to start next month, but Blackburn with Darwen Council said it has no plans to extend its controversial fortnightly rubbish collections. Every home in the borough will receive a green recycling box and collections
-
Date
Brothers face murder bid trial
TWO brothers who denied a charge of attempted murder will face trial in July. Migtaba Ali, 19 aMustafa, 20, both of Montague Street, Blackburn made a brief appearance before Preston Crown court. Both denied attempting to murder Makhdoom Ali and a second
-
Date
McCartney on fact-finding tour
LABOUR Party chairman Ian McCartney is to visit Blackburn on Monday. The Minister without Portfolio is to meet Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Sir Bill Taylor before undertaking a tour of the town. According to Councillor Bill Taylor, Mr McCartney
-
Date
Karen blessed by pop idol win
A LUCKY lap-dancer has scooped a competition to meet her favourite pop idol in one of the world's most glamorous cities. Karen McIntyre (above), 19, flew to Hollywood this week for a dream meeting with one of pop's biggest names -- Christina Aguilera.
-
Date
Barker is best at Copthorne
WITH a favourable weather forecast at last, and carp seemingly ready to feed, prospects for the next few days appear to be very good indeed. For some, like those at Copthorne last Saturday for example, it really cannot get a lot better yet for others,
-
Date
Duff, Dunn and the likeable Scot who shaped their careers
DAMIEN Duff once described him as a massive influence on his career. But the former Blackburn Rovers star and Republic of Ireland international is just one of a host of Premiership footballers who can count Alan Irvine as a man who helped to get them
-
Date
Sedgley Park: The future's bright
WITH promotion already won, Sedgley Park President Geoff Roberts is already looking to the future. "We have a strong management structure, we know what we're doing, we know how to market the club and we feel we are ready for the challenge the step up
-
Date
Starbuck plans for next season
WITH the disastrous few months Leigh RMI have had, the last thing you would expect to hear from Phil Starbuck is that he is looking forward to next season. Yet the Hilton Park manager is keen to build on the club's potential and believes RMI will bounce
-
Date
Saturday sermon with The Rev Kevin Logan, Vicar of Christ Church, Accrington
I sat watching a big-screen Jesus being whipped to shreds. The first nail drove into a clawed hand, apparently Mel Gibbon's own. He didn't just want to direct his controversial Passion; he wanted to identify himself as one of those responsible for the
-
Date
Baskets to brighten your home
THE plug plants on my windowsill are just about ready now to be potted on into this year's summer hanging baskets. If you have enough space in a frost-free greenhouse or porch to house your hanging baskets until all danger of frost has passed, you can
-
Date
We must keep our identity
CHRIS Davies letter (LET, April 22) is just typical of a pro euro left-wing liberal who wants to chuck away what little identity British people have left. Why don't you ask a British fisherman if we should join the new EU constitution? And if our so-called
-
Date
Quango work is better paid
SATURDAY'S LET, April 17 had the usual slot for the future week's speed camera sites. In the article was the information that civilian operators are taking over the operation of mobile speed cameras! At a starting salary £16,000, isn't it surprising how
-
Date
Thanks for helping the fight
I WANTED to write and thank all your readers who lodged their support of the British Lung Foundation's (BLF) campaign for the implementation of the new NICE COPD Guideline. More than 2,000 people returned signed postcards in just 14 days to the BLF asking
-
Date
Tyre centre arson drama
A DISUSED tyre and exhaust centre was badly damaged in a suspected arson attack in Leigh early on Saturday. Firemen were called to the former ATS garage, on Rothay Street, at 2.15am after flames were seen coming through the roof. Police evacuated an elderly
-
Date
Douglas will get right position
BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness is hopeful Jonathon Douglas will agree to sign a new contract with the club. As we revealed earlier this week, Rovers have already opened talks with the young Irishman about a new deal. But so far Douglas has rejected Rovers
-
Date
Manager defends right to drop Todd
GRAEME Souness has broken his silence over the dispute which led to Andy Todd being dropped from the first team. Souness wanted Todd to be a substitute in Rovers' recent game with Leeds United but the former Bolton and Charlton defender refused to take
-
Date
New honour for soldier Paul
A BURNLEY soldier awarded an MBE for his services to the Army took time out of his busy schedule to meet Burnley Mayor Coun Lilian Clark. Paul Fletcher, warrant officer 1st class in the Royal Logistic Corps, and his family joined Coun Clark in the mayor's
-
Date
Record bid has strings attached!
A BURNLEY company is sponsoring a world-record attempt to make the first ever kite-powered crossing of the Gobi Desert. Network VEKA, the Burnley-based national trade body, is sponsoring 60-year-old consultant professor Brian Cunningham in his record
-
Date
Serbian pair jailed for thieving spree
A SERBIAN couple who snatched handbags from mostly elderly and vulnerable victims in "professional" thieving jaunts in Burnley, were today both behind bars. The pair, who were joined in one offence by a schoolboy, targeted a pensioner on a walking frame
-
Date
Sunny side up idea for power
A PIONEERING solar power trial has been backed by councillors. Pendle Council is one of only a handful of authorities to take part in the scheme, which could slash heating bills by up to 60 per cent. The project is part of a partnership between the council
-
Date
Sunny side up idea for power
A PIONEERING solar power trial has been backed by councillors. Pendle Council is one of only a handful of authorities to take part in the scheme, which could slash heating bills by up to 60 per cent. The project is part of a partnership between the council
-
Date
Teenager punched street stab victim
A TEENAGER has told a court he did not stab Sean Whyte in a disturbance in a Colne street. Hasan Mumtaz, 18, of North Street, denies murdering Sean Whyte, wounding and violent disorder. His brother Wasim Mumtaz, 21, also of North Street, denies violent
-
Date
Board is failing town say Tories
LABOUR councillors today claimed Accrington Town Centre Regeneration Board is failing the town. And they have said it should be helping all of Hyndburn's town centres - not just Accrington. But Tories at Hyndburn Council hit back, saying they were still
-
Date
Popetown TV anger goes public
CAMPAIGNERS bidding to force the BBC to back down over plans to screen a controversial cartoon. It ridicules the Pope and campaigners are calling on "right thinking people" from throughout East Lancashire to attend a protest meeting on Thursday. One of
-
Date
Wife's £70,000 trail of deceit
A WOMAN obtained more than £70,000 by forging her husband's signature on loan agreements and credit card applications. Blackburn magistrates heard that Christine Helen Crossley's marriage was in the "death throes" when she embarked on her cross-county
-
Date
Chemists on Duty
FRIDAY, APRIL 30 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst
-
Date
Chemists on Duty
MONDAY, APRIL 26 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst
-
Date
Chemists on Duty
TUESDAY, APRIL 27 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst Road; Geloo Bros, Cleaver
-
Date
MBE for Betty's loyal service
A PENSIONER awarded an MBE in the New Year's honours list today relived her day at the palace and said: "I still don't think I deserve it!" Betty Barker travelled to Buckingham Palace to receive her 'gong' from Prince Charles. Betty, who lives in Waddington
-
Date
Colne sign Adams
COLNE have signed experienced Kiwi all-rounder Andre Adams to replace Mark Cleary, who walked out on the club this week. Adams, 28, who has played 41 one day internationals for New Zealand, is a right arm medium pace bowler and a good batsman. Meanwhile
-
Date
Champs face Aussie blitz
ANDREW McDonald will get a tough early test of his bowling credentials at Alexandra Meadows tomorrow. The Australian professional and his new HASLINGDEN team-mates go to East Lancs for a meeting of last year's top two. Cricket chairman Stuart Taylor said
-
Date
Soccer: Five minutes of madness
SPENNYMOOR UNITED...3 RADCLIFFE BORO...1 Unibond League Premier Division THIS loss at Brewery Field ensured a nail-biting finale to the regular season. Boro complete their league fixtures when Burscough visit Stainton Park, and Kevin Glendon's boys need
-
Date
From here to the world
YOUNGSTERS from Darwen Vale High School will become international DJs when their radio station broadcasts across the world. The pupils launch their radio station on the internet for a week in July, and listeners are expected to tune in from as far as
-
Date
Mum drove over her son...for a prank!
A MOTHER drove her car at her own son in a prank staged for a Jackass- style stunt website. But Beverley Clare, of Darwen defended herself saying she was only going at 5mph and her son was not hurt. And the mother of Anchor Avenue said she is ready to
-
Date
Husband forged wife's name
A MAN going through a divorce forged his wife's signature on an insurance document, a court was told. Anthony Lees, aged 56, of Sycamore Drive, Radcliffe, appeared at Bury Magistrates Court and admitted a charge of making a false instrument to deceive
-
Date
Furniture wagon in crash with car
TWO people were taken to hospital after a furniture delivery van collided with a car in Hoghton. The Pristine Pine van's trailer ended up on its side almost in a front garden after pushing a stationary Vauxhall Corsa up the road. Chorley councillor David
-
Date
Rap's the way to best of health
YOUNG people in Blackburn are set to rap their way to better health. A group in the Bank Top area plan to produce their own CDs to promote healthier lifestyles. The youngsters have successfully bid for a £2,500 grant from the Neighbourhood Renewal Community
-
Date
Schools 'to topple like dominoes' fear
EDUCATION professionals today warned that schools will fail education watchdog inspections if teachers are not told what is expected of them. And a leading teaching union said East Lancashire schools "will topple like dominoes" into special measures if
-
Date
Woman jailed for drunken killing
A MOTHER-OF-FOUR who killed a 68-year-old man while in a drunken rage has been jailed for two and a half years. A court heard that Barbara Bower had gone looking for her teenage daughter and went to the house, which was converted into flats, thinking
-
Date
Hawks aim to end on a high
BLACKBURN Hawks are still in with a chance of winning the English Ice Hockey League North's play-off title, but face the toughest of tasks. The only team they have been unable to 'cut it' against this season have been the Sheffield Scimitars. In seven
