Archive
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Accrington Panthers 36 Widnes Tigers 38
Accrington Panthers 36 Widnes Tigers 38 IT was a case of the one that got away for Accrington Panthers who produced some wonderful rugby in the first home game of the season but still let victory slip through their grasp. The game started well
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Burn come alive in the Graveyard
Upper Eden 17 Blackburn 50 BLACKBURN ran in half a century of points to keep their title hopes alive and well at The Graveyard. And it promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the North Lancs/Cumbria campaign, with ‘Burn four points in front
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Big shock as small table champion Cotterill tumbles out at the first hurdle
LAST season’s Foster’s Golden Cue Small Table champion Wayne Cotterill crashed out in the first round. In one of the shocks of the tournament Cotterill, who also reached the 2014 Grand Final, lost two frames to nil against Peter Doyle. Ex-champion
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Cliviger cling on to title after Saints showdown
HISTORY repeated itself in the final of the Burnley Primary Schools tag rugby festival with Cliviger St John’s and St Joseph’s battling it out for top honours. And just like last year, it was Cliviger who emerged triumphant, showing a touch of
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QEGS emerge at the top of the table
QUEEN Elizabeth’s Grammar School ‘emerged’ as winners at a table tennis tournament targeted at those players who don’t play the game at county level. The Blackburn and Darwen Emerging Schools event was held at Pleckgate High School and it was aimed
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Champs Peel Park prove they’re the untouchables
PEEL Park will represent Hyndburn in the Lancashire School Games after they proved they were ‘untouchable’ in the borough tag rugby competition. The talented team underlined their class by retaining the title after running in seven tries against
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Talented fencing sisters keep their rivals on guard
FENCING is a real sisters’ act in the Williamson household and it is a sibling rivalry that has seen both girls crowned national champions. Lexie, aged nine, has followed in the footsteps of big sister, 11-year-old Lucy-Belle, to win the prestigious
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Wonderful Whalley are history makers
Whalley Juniors U13s 3 Fleetwood Town U13s 1 WHALLEY Juniors U13s made club history on Sunday as they fought their way to a historic victory to win the coveted Lancashire Cup. More 140 grassroots teams from across the county battled through
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Cup winners Craven are extra special
Craven Heifer 3 Boars Head 1 (Craven won 3-1 AET) HOT-shot Chris Quinton rescued Craven Heifer with a late, late show to help claim the Burnley Miners Sunday League Division One Cup. Opponents Boars Head had looked on course for a shock win
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Search for heads
SCHOOLS in Blackburn, Darwen and Hoddlesden seek new headteachers. St Annes’ RC Primary School has had applications after Barbara Cuff decided to retire from the post. The closing date for applications for the position at the Feliden Street
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It’s tough – Ofsted
INSPECTING British values has made life difficult for Ofsted, one of the watchdog’s senior officials has said. Ofsted’s schools director Sean Harford, told a heads’ conference it had been a tough call serving judgements on schools in mono-cultural
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Last Choir sings
THE South Lancashire heat of the Last Choir Singing competition will be held at Westholme Senior School’s theatre, in Meins Road, Blackburn, on Thursday. The best two choirs in the county-wide competition for junior school children will be put
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Hunt for deputies
FIVE East Lancashire schools are looking for new deputy headteachers. The posts are available at St Peter’s RC primary School, Blackburn, Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Church, Gisburn Road Community Primary School, Barnoldswick. Also Huncoat
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Plea for stability
CONTINUOUS change has made it impossible to tell how well England’s schools are performing, a head teachers’ leader has said. Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, urged a period of clarity and stability
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Asbestos fear at East Lancashire schools - including 11 in Blackburn
TEACHING unions have expressed their concern at the number of schools that contain asbestos in East Lancashire. Figures from Lancashire County Council have revealed that 186 of the region’s schools contain the hazardous building material that was
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MP urges primary to aim for award
PEEL Park Primary School, in Alice Street, Accrington, has been praised by schools minister David Laws. The school, rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2012, has now been encouraged to apply for an award. A spokesman said: “We have received
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Hi-tech teen team in high five at robot cup
A LANGHO teenager has emerged victorious at a national robotics competition for the fifth time in succession alongside his teammates from a Ribble Valley school. William Donlon, 18, competed with two of his friends at the annual RoboCup in Rugby
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GENERAL ELECTION 2015: Patients and promises in NHS battleground
WITH a hospital trust recently out of ‘special measures’, plans to take key services away from Blackburn and Burnley and health outcomes and life expectancy worse than the national average, local voters in this election will take a close interest in
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Blackburn stonemason honoured by American group for efforts in the community
A BLACKBURN stonemason has won an award for his work in the community – from the American monumental builders association. Brent Stevenson was given the award on his recent visit to the Monument Builders of North America’s (MBNA) conference in
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Margo Grimshaw: Recalling days of working in Sun, Star and Moon at the town’s mills
ECLIPSE! Being brought up Feniscowles the word eclipse had nothing to do with the sky as far as I was concerned. It was actually the name of the mill where my mother worked — and the Star was the paper mill where my dad worked. And strangely
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New £30k scanner for ‘faster’ diagnosis installed at Royal Blackburn Hospital
A SECOND ultrasound scanner has been installed at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, which should ensure quicker diagnoses for patients with mouth and throat cancer. Bosses were delighted to see the £30,000 machine delivered, thanks to a donation by
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Accrington taxis targeted by thieves
TAXIS in Accrington were targeted by thieves who made off with cash and a designer handbag. Police in the town were called by two drivers at different firms, who both reported their windows being smash in Higher Antley Street. MORE TOP STORIES
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Penny-pinching will not cut it
RE, CHEERS: East Lancashire brewers raise a glass as chancellor George Osborne cuts beer duty A penny? When most pubs are charging £3 or more for a pint this is meaningless. I also noticed that the day after the chancellor announced a freeze on fuel
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Mistake to build on Baileys Field
ANOTHER case of deja vu. How many times have we been told that Baileys Field is NOT being used for development, housing or otherwise. I have even been told by Darwen town councillors that there will be no development on the field. BUT not only
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Amount of asbestos in our schools is worrying
THE revelation 186 schools in East Lancashire contain asbestos is a worryingly high statistic. The figures released by Lancashire County Council show 42 schools in Burnley contain the hazardous building material that was banned from being used
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Smoking rules are backwards
RE, Blackburn smokers enjoy cigarette at Ewood Park for first time since smoking ban So on the one hand, a common-sense move to give smokers somewhere to go. On the other hand, a totally bonkers rule that e-cigs are banned in the grounds. A bit
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Rely on your parents for money? Don't worry - you're not alone...
MORE people are relying on their parents for a handout, a new study has found. An increase in rent prices, coupled with fewer jobs, has led to the majority of north west parents bailing their children out of debt, research by TopCashback found.
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Ribble Valley dance troupe put on Disney dazzle in Paris
A TROUPE of Ribble Valley dancers strutted their stuff at Disneyland Paris against some of the UK’s best. The Wilpshire dancers took part in the annual event which saw more than 400 entries compete for the title. MORE TOP STORIES: The 12
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Dave Burnley column: Hard luck stories from Southampton loss
WHILE there was a well documented partial eclipse of the sun taking place on Friday that the whole country could observe, there was also a less reported partial eclipse in the sun at Southampton on Saturday. The Clarets returned from St Mary’s
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Hundreds of bodies to be exhumed on route of long-awaited £4m Blackburn road
THE diggers have moved in and archaeologists are on site as work begins on Blackburn’s long-awaited £4million Freckleton Street Link Road. The construction of the new highway will finally provide the £12million Wainwright Bridge - dubbed the ‘Bridge
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UPDATE: 150 killed in French Alps plane crash
THE crash of an Airbus passenger plane in the French Alps has killed all 150 people on board. French prime minister Manuel Valls said a helicopter had managed to land near the crash site and had found no survivors. MORE TOP STORIES: There
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Blackburn charity raises £5,000 towards mobility vehicle for girl with rare disorder
A BLACKBURN charity says it has raised about £5,000 to help a Feniscowles girl who suffers from a rare disorder. Al-Imdaad Foundation UK, based in Audley Range, is planning to buy 11-year-old Enola Halleron a specially-adapted vehicle with a side
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Curtain goes up on government money to improve Colne Muni
EAST Lancashire theatre-goers got a surprise Budget boost when Chancellor George Osborne gave Colne Muni a £56,000 grant for new seating. Just weeks ago Pendle Leisure Trust’s bid for funding to refurbish the theatre was rejected by the Arts Council
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TOP OF THE CHOPS: College sports ace in charity hair cut
A COLLEGE sports ace has parted with her locks in aid of a charity which donates hair to child hair-loss sufferers. Anna Hollingsworth, a sports activator at Nelson and Colne College, had her cut at the Christian Smith salon in Barrowford.
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Events to be staged in memory of young Clarets fans who died suddenly
A CAMPAIGN is under way to provide a series of memorials to a 14-year-old Burnley FC fan who died suddenly this year. Friends and family of Jack Pickles have already ensured a tree has been planted at Todmorden High, where he was a Year 10 student
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St Mary's takes a glimpse of the eclipse
On Friday 20th March staff and students gathered outside the College to catch a glimpse of the partial eclipse. Despite a cloudy start, our students were able to get a decent look at the eclipse using some pretty nifty (and safe) make shift apparatus
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East Lancashire ambulance service worst performer in country again
THE ambulance service for East Lancashire was again the worst performer in the country on its headline response target, new figures showed. North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) responded to just 65 per cent of the most life-threatening incidents
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New footie kit
SPORTY youngsters from Broadfield Specialist School, in Fielding Lane, Oswaldtwistle, have taken to the pitch wearing a new football kit. Wearing blue shirts, red shorts and blue socks, their latest match ended in a narrow defeat against St Christopher
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Sharp fall in the use of ‘face down’ restraint on East Lancashire’s mental health wards
THERE has been a dramatic reduction in the use of ‘dangerous’ restraint techniques on East Lancashire’s mental health wards in the last month. According to recorded figures, face-down restraint was used on about five occasions at Lancashire Care
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Game group
A SCRABBLE club will be held at Great Harwood Library, in Queen Street, from 1.15pm on April 1. The session, which lasts until 3.30pm, is free but places are limited. Refreshments are also provided, and other traditional board games may also be played
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Parents’ evening
A PARENTS’ evening will be held at Peel Park Primary School, in Alice Street, Accrington, on Thursday. The school’s book fair will also be available, a spokesman said. Details from the school office on 01254 231583.
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Members sought
THE Prospect Foundation’s men’s group, Men’s Shed, worked with hand fretsaws at the weekend. Led by Graham Barry Southwell, the Hyndburn group met on Saturday and is looking for new members. For more information on the group, call 01254 230348
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Thanks over reading help
THE families of children at All Saints’ Church of England Primary School, in Church Street, Clayton-le-Moors, have been praised for giving up their time to listen to book-reading there. A school spokesman said: “A huge thank you to those parents
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Link is ended
HYNDBURN Council is to formally quit a joint council committee, it was announced. The PLACE joint committee of Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, Blackburn with Darwen, and Lancashire councils no longer meets but still technically exists
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Rock concert
FIVE-piece Allusondrugs will perform at King George’s Hall, in Northgate, Blackburn, from 7pm on Saturday. The rock band from Yorkshire formed in late 2012 and recently signed to Clue Records. Tickets cost £7 in advance, or £10 on the door.
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Traffic likely
ROADWORKS will get under way in Stanley Street, Accrington, from Friday until next Thursday. Engineers from National Grid Gas will lay 3.2 metres of new piping, the county council said. The work, outside number 237, is expected to affect traffic
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Top on coffee
TWO baristas are hoping to be the cream of the crop in a national competition. Phillip Joule, from Beehive in Blackburn and Clare Cheetham of Chorley, have made it past the first road of the Starbucks Championship after having their skills and
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Vote due on funding bids
MORE than £100,000 worth of grants are set to be given to organisations in the Ribble Valley by the borough council. Councillors on the Policy and Finance Committee are set to vote today on whether to confirm the grants after a series of applications
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Darwen set for new bus route to go with 'fantastic' new retirement village
DARWEN is set to get a new bus route to go with its “fantastic” new retirement village. Councillors approved the extra care residential development on Frederick Street and Shorey Bank despite concerns about extra traffic on the A666 and nearby
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Did you spot Shakespeare's Macbeth being brought back to life in Blackburn?
AN ACTOR who has performed Shakespeare plays more than 500 times is set to bring the Bard’s tragic Macbeth back to life - as a present day comedy character. Veteran thespian Dean Taylor, who is well known in East Lancashire for his outdoor productions
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Ben Mee: Burnley dressing room ‘very confident’ of securing Premier League survival
THE Clarets dressing room remains ‘very confident’ of securing Premier League survival, according to defender Ben Mee. Burnley were beaten 2-0 at Southampton on Saturday, but lost no ground in the battle to avoid the drop with all of the bottom
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Player-coach Jared Owen bids to sign off on a high with Blackburn Hawks
BLACKBURN Hawks’ title winning season will be Jared Owen’s last, after five years with the club. The player-coach has announced he will leave the Moralee Division One North champions following next month’s play-offs for family reasons. The
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Accrington Stanley's Sean Maguire keen for more as goal drought is ended
ACCRINGTON Stanley’s Sean Maguire wants to finish the season on a goalscoring high after ending a three-month drought against York City on Saturday. Maguire had not found the net since Wycombe Wanderers visited the Store First Stadium on December
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Colne boss wants his record-breaking side to fight until the end
COLNE boss Steve Cunningham wants his record-breaking side to keep their feet firmly on the accelerator as they prepare for a trip to Ashton Athletic tonight. The Reds made it 10 wins on the spin for the first time in the North West Counties League
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Stephen Cummings column: Burnley still have real chance despite loss
IT has become one of Sean Dyche’s key phrases during the course of this season - the one about being able to look beyond the result and see a future in any given performance. Although it might sound bizarre to be talking about the future of the
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Controversial plans to turn house into children’s home set to be approved - despite 36 letters of objection
CONTROVERSIAL plans to turn a house into a children’s home are set to be approved today despite 36 letters of objection being lodged with the council. Pathfinders Childcare Ltd wants to create a “residential institution” for two youngsters in local
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Cyclist in hospital with serious head injuries after Blackburn smash
A CYCLIST was in hospital last night after suffering serious head injuries in a collision between his bike and a car. The 40-year-old man, from Blackburn, was said to be in a stable condition in Royal Preston Hospital. MORE TOP STORIES:
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‘Untouchable’ 18-year-old facing prison term after subway attack on student
A TEENAGER — said by police to be part of a gang of supposed untouchables in Burnley — is facing jail after being convicted of robbing a student in a subway. Eighteen-year-old Sheikh Juned was part of a duo which stamped on the head of Burnley
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Deadline approaching for early bird Burnley season tickets
BURNLEY fans are running out of time to snap up their season tickets for the 2015/16 season at a discounted rate. The deadline to buy early bird season tickets for next year is close of play on Tuesday, March 31. MORE TOP STORIES: Any supporter
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Simon Smith column: Support still with Gary Bowyer - but Brighton display must be one-off
WELL, that was awful. Even the normally ‘glass half full’ Gary Bowyer struggled to find any positives and the only smile to be had was that the man behind me had 0-0 instead of ‘no goalscorer’ and naively passed up £40 to sweeten the pill.
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More than 15,000 tickets sold to Blackburn Rovers fans for Liverpool FA Cup replay
BLACKBURN Rovers have sold 15,100 tickets to home fans for the big FA Cup quarter-final replay with Liverpool at Ewood Park. And with Liverpool certain to sell out their 7,000 allocation, Rovers are hopeful of having a full house for the hotly
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Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel could miss Blackburn Rovers FA Cup replay
THE FA has charged Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel with violent conduct after he appeared to stamp on Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea in Sunday’s Anfield clash between the sides. Unless Skrtel successfully appeals he will be handed a
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Patients evacuated from Royal Blackburn Hospital after fire
ABOUT 60 patients were evacuated from the Royal Blackburn Hospital after a fire broke out in the early hours. The fire started in a room on the third floor at about 1am, with smoke spreading to the adjoining rooms and wards. MORE TOP STORIES
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Man who admitted unlawfully practising dentistry caused burning and blistering to mouths of family
A MAN who admitted unlawfully practising tooth whitening caused burning and blistering to the mouths of a family of four he treated. Craig Dean, 41, of Ayrshire Close, Buckshaw, Chorley, pleaded guilty at Chorley Magistrates’ Court to unlawfully
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Man taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital after house fire drama
A MAN was treated in hospital after a bedroom fire in Nelson. The resident, believed to be in his 50s, suffered the effects of smoke inhalation after a blaze at his home in Bevan Place on Sunday night. He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital.
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Ex-addict turned back to drugs after company went bust
A REFORMING drug addict turned to old habits after losing his job when the firm he worked for went bust. Blackburn magistrates heard Frederick Jason Sagar had been out of trouble for two years and had turned his life around. MORE TOP STORIES
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Man in court charged with making indecent images of children
A 30-YEAR-OLD man has appeared before Blackburn magistrates charged with making indecent images of children. Paul Millward, of Dean Fold, Water, Rossendale, was sent to Burnley Crown Court on three charges of making indecent video images of children
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Boiler theft teenager jailed for 30 months after 20-minute police chase
A TEENAGER has been locked up for 30 months for his role in the theft of central heating boilers worth £50,000. Kyle Ellis, 19, was recruited as a getaway driver in a “sophisticated” burglary on an engineering company at Springvale Mill in Haslingden
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Former Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle ‘still suffering from mental issues’
EX-CLARETS skipper Clarke Carlisle, who yesterday pleaded guilty to a drink-driving offence, is still ‘clearly in some trouble’ with mental health issues, a court has heard. Carlisle nearly crashed into a delivery lorry as he was driving his Mercedes
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Defender Duff knows Burnley must start turning chances into goals in survival bid
BURNLEY need to be more clinical in front of goal if they are to secure enough wins to survive in the Premier League, according to Michael Duff. The 37-year-old was left ruing missed chances along with the rest of his team-mates in the 2-0 defeat
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Slaughterhouse boss fined for his role in horsemeat scandal
A SLAUGHTERHOUSE boss from Todmorden has been fined for his role in the horsemeat scandal. Peter Boddy, 65, who runs an abattoir in Hey Head Lane, was fined £8,000 after admitting two charges of failing to abide by rules covering traceability of
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Doneil Henry will be back at Blackburn Rovers before season's end – but only as a spectator
DONEIL Henry will be back at Blackburn Rovers before the end of the season – but only as a spectator. Henry underwent an operation at the weekend on the serious hamstring that cut short his impressive loan spell at Rovers. MORE TOP STORIES:
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Defender Tommy Spurr insists Blackburn Rovers will not let their season peter out
FIT-AGAIN defender Tommy Spurr insists Blackburn Rovers will not let their season peter out. But the left-back admits the performance in Saturday’s dismal defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion was ‘not acceptable at all’. MORE TOP STORIES:
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IRREPLACEABLE: Tributes paid to motorcyclist killed in Lake District crash
A MOTORCYCLIST who died in a Lake District crash has been described as ‘irreplaceable’ by his devastated family and friends. Grandfather Steven Heaney, 55, was killed when his Honda bike left the road while he travelled as part of a convoy, police
