Archive
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Accrington Stanley 2 Grays Athletic 3
JOHN Coleman and Jimmy Bell anticipated there would be goals in this game. What the Accrington Stanley management duo probably hadn't bargained for was play-offs hopefuls Grays delaying their charge for the title as they inflicted only a second home
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Hughes bids to end Latics’ European dreams
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes reckons Rovers can extinguish Wigan's dream of qualifying for Europe if they beat them at Ewood Park tonight. Paul Jewell's side have enjoyed an incredible debut season in the Premiership, where they have not only cemented
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Contract battle for Tommo
FORMER Blackburn favourite David Thompson heads back to Ewood tonight desperate to show Wigan manager Paul Jewell why he's worth a new deal. The injury-plagued midfielder quit Rovers to join the Latics in January on a short-term contract until the end
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Pump up the volume
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes has called on fans to pump up the volume' as Rovers prepare to step up their bid for a Champions League place at home to Wigan Athletic tonight. With just seven games of the season remaining, Rovers can go level on points with
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Pensioner rap for builders
A PENSIONER has hit out at two East Lancashire builders who were fined by magistrates after admitting pushing' him into having £2,000 of work done at his home. The builders, from Accrington-based Red Rose Roofing, admitted breaking consumer protection
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I’ve got the kids very well trained
I'm making the most of this because I know it won't last. At the risk of sounding very smug and self-satisfied, I have to report that every Sunday for the past month I've had breakfast in bed. My daughters are at an age where they are keen to become
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Pupils channel their energy
EAST Lancashire primary schools are being urged to channel their energy into winning an award. The call comes from Powergen, which is looking for entrants for its newly-created Positive Energy School Awards Any class or group of pupils aged between
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'Let’s take holidays at same time'
A TEACHING union is calling on education chiefs to give all Lancashire schools a six-term year. Lancashire County Council rubber-stamped plans to bring in a new school year last summer. From September, schools in its 11 districts will adopt a standard
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Joy as friends reunite
THE smile on little Melissa Sweeney's face told its own story as she finally got to hug her stolen puppy which was missing for almost a week. The five-year-old's family, of Gladstone Close, Blackburn, offered to pay £10,000 as a reward for the safe return
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Big pile of bin bags breached order
A BLACKBURN woman who piled more than 20 bin bags full of rubbish in her back garden was in breach of a previous abatement order. And town hall officials are now seeking an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) against Hayley Wignall in order to protect
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Straw defends Condi’s tour
DESPITE the Secretary of State's visit to Blackburn being dominated by protests over the Iraq war, Jack Straw today said the trip was a "great success." The Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary said he was not "embarrassed" by the noisy anti-war demonstration
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Security operation a success
EAST Lancashire's biggest police operation was hailed as a success as Condoleezza Rice's visit to Blackburn passed without one arrest. Officers from Lancashire and Merseyside, with back up from the FBI and rooftop snipers, ensured the safety of the two
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Five shops damaged after arsonist strikes
ARSONISTS caused damage to five Rishton shops after starting a fire in a basement. Fire crews worked for more than two hours to extinguish flames and clear smoke from the shops and living accommodation in High Street. The alarm was raised by a member
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Air pistol culprit to prison
AN Accrington man who went round to his girlfriend's house and threatened her and her mother with a gun after she put the phone down on him has been jailed. Shaun Varley, 32, turned up at the victims' house in a taxi with the unloaded air pistol after
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Gun terror at bookies
STAFF and customers were forced to the floor at gunpoint during an armed robbery at a Blackburn bookmakers. Five customers and staff were told they would be shot if they did not co-operate with a masked raider, who burst in carrying a shotgun in a plastic
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A ‘Do’ that is just right for all the family
A FAMILY night of entertainment is being held at Bacup Leisure Hall on Friday. It will be the third event held at the venue known as The Do' which aims to provide a night out for families. Dale Connearn, Bacup Leisure Hall's development manager, said
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Why I’d vote myself out of Lords
I WAS amused to read on Saturday that my local MP (if a person without a vote can have an MP) wants to get on the joint committee of the Lords and Commons that is to look at the future of the House of Lords. As it happens, Gordon Prentice and I agree
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Derelict court to serve up sports
A DERELICT tennis court in Waterfoot's Edgeside Park is being transformed into a wheeled sports and kick-about area to help keep kids off the streets. The £130,000 project at the Edgeside Lane site is being carried out by environmental charity Groundwork
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Clean-up plan set for launch
TOWN leaders are set to approve a new plan to tackle the problems of flytipping and rubbish across Burnley and Padiham. Council bosses have drawn up a series of schemes which they hope will improve the look of the town and help keep it clean a concern
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A tax briefing over breakfast
A breakfast briefing is to be held in Burnley to give firms advice on tax relief. Northern Technologies are to host the event at their Advanced Manufacturing Centre, Bancroft Road, Burnley, on Wednesday, April 26. The breakfast will give local firms
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Shops to fight demolition bid
TRADERS vowed to continue their David and Goliath fight with Burnley Council as the authority said it would carry out plans to buy six businesses in Curzon Street to allow a £55million shopping centre to be built. The council's executive is expected
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1,000 offered jobs at new schools
MORE than 1,000 staff at schools in Burnley and Pendle have been offered jobs as part of the secondary education shake-up Building Schools for the Future. Teachers and support staff in the current schools received job offers on Saturday after being matched
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Have your say on hospitals shake-up
NINE out of ten homes in East Lancashire will this week receive a document outlining the future of the area's hospital services. A health chief today urged people to respond to the proposals, which she said will shape healthcare for the next 10 to 20
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Taste of Lancashire day goes down well
FOOD producers and visitors from across the North West flocked to East Lancashire this weekend for a taste of some of the best culinary delights the region has to offer. A host of traditional and exotic food and drink was on show as the 9th annual Lancashire
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MEP’s challenge call over China
Nelson solicitor and Euro MP Sajjad Karim, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on International Trade, has called on the EU to challenge China over trade barriers against imported car parts. He said: "It is important to show the world that the EU will not
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Heading in the right direction
STEVE Cotterill felt that Burnley did enough to end their away day hoodoo at Hillsborough The Clarets chief rued three missed headers from Michael Ricketts, Chris McCann and Frank Sinclair that would surely have won the game for his side. And when in
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Sheffield Wednesday 0 Burnley 0
REMEMBER, remember, the fifth of November? For that remains the last time Burnley won a league match away on the road. High flying Luton Town didn't know what hit them that day as the 10-man Clarets dug deep into their reserves after Ade Akinbiyi's hat-trick
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You want Bellamy? No way Jose!
BLACKBURN Rovers today dismissed speculation linking Craig Bellamy with a summer move to Chelsea. A story in one of the Sunday tabloids claimed Blues boss Jose Mourinho was lining up a shock move for the Welsh international. But no contact has been
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Cotterill looks to the positives
STEVE Cotterill is urging battle-hardened Burnley to build on the positives following Saturday's stalemate at Sheffield Wednesday. The Clarets were unfortunate not to earn their first away win since November after creating, but wasting, several gilt-edged
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Parking offenders’ ‘double whammy’
IRATE motorists who throw away parking tickets are being hit with a "double whammy". As well as facing an increasing parking fine they are being prosecuted for littering. And two of the first cases to be put before the courts have resulted in £200 penalties
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Sun-thing to make drivers slow down
A NOTORIOUS accident blackspot is being made safer for road users thanks to interactive signs powered by sun and wind. The £10,000 signs flash a "Slow Down" message to all drivers on the A675 Belmont Road when they register vehicles going over the 50mph
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Dad punched wife and kicked his son
A MOTHER who intervened when her husband became aggressive towards her son was punched in the face. Blackburn magistrates heard that Dariusz Szopinski then kicked the boy very hard on the backside leaving him lying on the floor crying in pain. Szopinski
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‘Sherlock’ family recovered watch
THE family of a Whalley pensioner turned detective after a treasured watch was stolen in a burglary at his home. Albert Ashworth's relatives managed to track down the stolen goods over the internet before tipping police off and helping to put the thief
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Village hall fears grow
Tockholes could lose its village hall unless residents support it, members have warned. The Village Hall Committee (VHC) is talking with representatives of Tockholes Chapel, which owns the hall, to continue leasing it free for two years. But to keep
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‘Wonderful’ talks with Muslims
AROUND 500 people shouted and booed as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice walked into Blackburn Town Hall for a meeting with community leaders. After being greeted by the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Coun Yusuf Jan-Virmani, she spent 90 minutes
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Man in hospital after pub brawl
A MAN suffered a fractured skull after being caught up in a brawl in an Oswaldtwistle pub. Stephen Hitchen, of Aspen Fold, Oswaldtwistle, was injured at the Golden Cross pub, in Union Road, at 1.40am on Saturday. Police said they initially believed
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Muslim march
THOUSANDS of East Lancashire's Muslims took to the streets of Blackburn to celebrate the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad with a walk through the town. Police estimated that at least 6,000 Muslim men braved the pouring rain yesterday for the holy march
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Youths abused priest
A ROMAN Catholic priest was subjected to racial abuse by a group of drunken Asian teenagers when he asked them not to loiter near his church. Blackburn magistrates heard that Father Francis Parkinson had previously had problems with teenagers hanging
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Secret sex dad is jailed
AN ACCRINGTON father of two who had secret sex sessions with an innocent schoolgirl is starting a three- year jail term his second for abusing young girls. Gary Hutchinson, 39, was convicted of two counts of indecent assault and two of a serious sex
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Muslim faith school gets up and running
THE North West's first Muslim state school opened today. Previously privately-run Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School, Shear Brow, Blackburn, has reopened under local authority control making it only the sixth state-funded Islamic high school in Britain
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Downpour dampener for market
MORE than 30 food producers were in Rossendale yesterday for the latest Farmers' Market. But the weather cut short the event. Stallholder Rachel Hutchinson, right, is seen taking a rain check and pondering whether to stay open in hope of better
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Town’s post office will move to store
BARROWFORD Post Office is set to move from its current home to a new base in a convenience store in the village. Post Office bosses have announced the office will move from its base at Gisburn Road to the Spar store at The Fountains, 200 yards away.
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Post office closure fight
RESIDENTS have launched a petition after the sudden closure of a Burnley post office. Community leaders have started a campaign to get the branch, in Cog Lane, re-opened following the resignation of the sub-postmaster which forced the office to close
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Probe into blaze
FIRE crews were today investigating a blaze which ripped through a bar and restaurant in the centre of Colne. Firefighters were called to the Istanbul Bar and Cafe, Church Street at about 6pm yesterday after the fire broke out in a chefs' rest room on
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Jealous partner glassed woman in face
A WOMAN who attacked another girl for dancing with her boyfriend was spared a jail term but not without a ticking off from a judge. Lisa Harwood, 21, had threatened to batter Joanne Irving, headbutted her and then glassed her, leaving her scarred.
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Health trust plea to NHS
EAST Lancashire's hospital authority will not be able to plug a financial black hole alone, its chief executive has warned. East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust must get help from an NHS authority which oversees all healthcare in Lancashire if it is to
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Appeal for car driver
POLICE in Rossendale are appealing for witnesses after a 14-year-old girl was struck by a passing vehicle and suffered a leg injury. Investigators are urging the motorist involved in the collision in Newchurch Road, Stacksteads to come forward and speak
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Human torch rescue drama
HORRIFIED onlookers told of the moment they witnessed a man turn into a human fireball at an East Lancashire caravan park. Residents at the Holden Mill park, Grane Road, Haslingden, looked on as the man doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire
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Ex-mayor’s ‘vendetta’ vandalism mystery
A FORMER mayor today spoke of his terror after his home was targeted by yobs. Granville Lord said he believed somebody with a personal vendetta could be responsible for the attacks at his home in Guy Street, Padiham. In a bid to catch the culprits he
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Tonsil problem 'ruined B-test'
A SUSPECTED drink-driver who didn't give police a breath test couldn't blow hard enough as he had had tonsilitis, a court heard. Liam O'Callaghan, 18, had given a positive roadside test but did not give a sample at the police station despite being asked
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Sure signs of life up on Beacon Fell
I ALWAYS know when we are into spring when some of the birds which spend the winter on the Fylde Coast head for the hills and begin nesting. One of my favourite hills overlooking the Fylde is Beacon Fell whilst one of my favourite birds is the curlew
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Album review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones (Polydor)
Listening to the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album you could be forgiven for thinking that you have been given the wrong disc. Because although the New York trio's trademark elements are all here, the sound is startlingly different to that of its predecessor
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Scrap the charges
RE: Blackburn Infirmary area residents-only parking. How many people like myself who are being taken for granted by this council would like to have this charge rescinded, due to the closure of the Infirmary in June? The new forms must be returned by
