Archive
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Church of England minister jailed for historic sex assaults on teenage girl
A Church of England minister has been jailed for historic sexual assaults on teenage girl. Justice caught up with Thomas De Lacey more than 30 years after he committed the sexual offences, while he was in training to become a clergyman. Thomas
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Meet all of the adorable leap year babies born in Lancashire hospitals
Pictures have emerged of the adorable babies that were born on Thursday’s leap day (February 29). A leap year only takes place every four years meaning the ‘leapling’ babies, who are born on the ‘extra day’ of the year, have rare birthdays.
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King George's Hall in Blackburn to get £8m revamp in £20m town boost
East Lancashire's premier entertainment venue in Blackburn is to get a multi-million pound renovation. The £8 million revamp of Blackburn's King George's Hall will be paid for from an extra Levelling Up grant of £20m to Blackburn with Darwen Council
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Kompany desperate to share overdue celebration with Burnley fans
Vincent Kompany is sick of leaving Burnley’s fans nothing to celebrate and is desperate to reward them with a victory fist pump this weekend. The Clarets boss made a habit of sharing the afterglow of another three points with supporters during
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Great British Menu viewers ‘emotional’ as Blackburn chef ‘makes history’
A Blackburn chef will represent the region in the national finals of the Great British Menu, after winning the North West heat. Kirk Haworth will be the first chef to bring a fully plant-based menu through to the finals of the BBC show. On
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Swansea City handed injury boosts ahead of Rovers clash
Swansea could welcome back several players from injury against Rovers, head coach Luke Williams has confirmed. Jamal Lowe, Bashir Humphreys, Azeem Abdulai, Harrison Ashby and Josh Key have all trained this week as the Swans prepare to host John
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Lords Deputy Speaker and ex Lancashire councillor dies aged 80
A Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness Ruth Henig, has died aged 80. Lady Henig was a child of Jewish refugees who came to the UK from the Netherlands in 1940. She went on to become a history lecturer at Lancaster University, eventually
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Rural road 'impassable' as snow falls across East Lancashire
A road in Burnley is “impassable” due the the wintry conditions in East Lancashire. Police have warned motorists to be careful in Rossendale and Burnley as snow may cause hazardous conditions on the roads. Police have asked motorists to “delay
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East Lancs town hall boss talks community cohesion in Netherlands
Blackburn with Darwen Council's chief executive has represented the UK at a conference in The Netherlands to outline the borough's work on community cohesion and levelling up. Denise Park was invited to attend the gathering in The Hague by the
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Jon Dahl Tomasson on Rovers exit and new challenge with Sweden
Jon Dahl Tomasson addressed his Rovers exit during his first press conference as Sweden manager. Tomasson was appointed by the Swedish FA on Monday, less than a month after his Ewood Park tenure came to an end. “I left Blackburn because it
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Public invited to consultation over new Issa Foundation cemetery plans
People are being invited to hear of new proposals for a cemetery between Oswaldtwistle and Blackburn. The ‘open platform for residents’ focuses on plans by the Issa Foundation for a Memorial Garden and Cemetery, located on farmland off Blackburn
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Eustace keen to replicate 'intensity and desire' against Swansea
John Eustace has already come up against Swansea this season, but the Swans look rather different these days. Eustace oversaw a 1-1 draw in South Wales on the opening day, returning to the Midlands with a valuable point. Michael Duff was in
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'We are still close' says Mohsin Issa of brother as he steps back from Asda
Blackburn billionaire Mohsin Issa has denied there is a rift with his brother and business partner Zuber. The 52-year-old, from Blackburn, dismissed rumours of disagreements with his younger sibling saying the pair "get on exceptionally well" in
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Billionaire Issa brothers' Asda to become highest paying UK grocery retailer
Asda, which is part-owned by Blackburn’s billionaire Issa brothers, has today announced proposals for a £150 million investment in pay for retail staff. The investment will see the supermarket giant become the highest paying UK grocery retailer
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Azhar Ali debacle sees 'divisive' George Galloway secure Rochdale by-election
Labour has apologised to the voters of Rochdale for not fielding a candidate after the by-election triumph of George Galloway, who the party warned will stoke “fear and division”. Keir Starmer’s party said Mr Galloway “only won because Labour did
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Traffic queueing on M65 after crash early this morning
Traffic is queueing on the M65 this morning (March 1) following a crash. The crash at junction 4 in Blackburn was first reported at around 6.45am this morning. All lanes have now re-opened but traffic is still slow through the area. An
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Tories blasted over 'disgraceful attacks' and false claims at fiery meeting
Rossendale Conservative councillors were warned about a series of accusations, including some described as ‘slanderous’ or ‘incorrect’, during a budget debate, and threatened with suspension if they did not withdraw and, in one case, also apologise
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Homeless man's shame after being caught pooing in shop doorway on Christmas Day
A homeless man was twice caught on CCTV having a "dump" in the doorway of Matalan in Accrington. The second incident occurred on Christmas Day, where he pooed outside the shop at Fountain Retail Park in Hyndburn Road, with the first a week earlier
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‘My brother died after cancer battle - he wouldn’t believe how much we fundraised’
A woman from Darwen has helped raise around £45,000 for charity in memory of her brother, who died after a failed stem cell transplant to treat his leukaemia. Rebecca Turner, from Darwen, has helped raise money for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals
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Hyndburn businesses offered 50 per cent discount at food festival
Hyndburn businesses can get 50 per cent off stall prices at this year's Accrington Food Festival. The festival, on June 1, headlines a weekend of events in Accrington, starting with a continental market on Broadway on Friday, May 31, featuring
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Prolific shoplifter tried to leave Lidl with trolley full of goods
Store staff were on red alert after a prolific shoplifter was seen filling a trolley. Blackburn magistrates heard the manager was warned about a possible "trolley push out" and security staff positioned at the door intercepted Christopher Chapman
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Trial date set for Blackburn man who allegedly strangled woman
A Blackburn man is to stand trial after he denied strangling and assaulting a woman. Damien Thompson, 38, of Borrowdale Avenue, Blackburn, pleaded not guilty to both charges against him at Preston Sessions House yesterday (Wednesday, February 28
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On-site farm shop and cafe planned for East Lancashire dairy
An East Lancashire dairy has submitted plans to build a new farm shop and café at its site in the Ribble Valley. Alston Dairy, based in Alston, near Longridge, wants to improve the shop area at its main dairy site, which currently is just a counter
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Racist thug sparked panic at town hall by shouting at staff and head-butting screens
A man who went berserk in the reception area at Blackburn Town Hall has been jailed for 18 weeks. Blackburn magistrates heard Paul Proctor shouted racist abuse at reception staff, head-butted and punched security screens and damaged various items
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Hair awards to be held at Blackburn College to 'reflect the wealth of talent'
Blackburn College will be hosting the North of England Hair Awards for the first time this year, where the country’s best student, junior and senior stylists and barbers will battle it out to be crowned ‘All England Champion’. Taking place on Monday
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Great memories of Accrington in Sixties with Catlow's on corner of Broadway
Recently in Looking Back we carried a photo of Bull Bridge in Accrington in the Sixties. Today we have a different view of the town centre from the bottom of Burnley Road looking down Broadway. On the right is the Odeon Cinema, later the
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Octagon Bolton brings Jane Austen for a modern audience with Northanger Abbey
It’s Jane Austen but not necessarily as you know it. Northanger Abbey comes to Bolton’s Octagon Theatre tonight following a six week run in London but as one of the stars A K Golding points out, you don’t have to be an Austen fan to enjoy it.
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Motorcycle racing podcast recorded in East Lancs becoming fastest growing in UK
A podcast that is recorded, edited and produced 'out of a back bedroom' in East Lancashire is becoming the fastest growing video podcast show in the UK. The 'Off Track Podcast' is a motorcycle racing podcast created and hosted by Dave Neal from
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Brewery creates ‘mental health’ beer – and you can buy it in Wetherspoons
A Burnley-based mental health organisation has partnered with a brewery to craft a special beer. Mental health organisation Six Connections and Burnley’s Moorhouse’s Brewery have partnered to craft Ask Twice, a beer designed to encourage open conversations
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Man to stand trial after denying sexual assault and intimidation
A man is to stand trial later this year after denying charges of sexual assault and intimidation. Thomas Oliver, 41, pleaded not guilty to the charges during a hearing at Burnley Crown Court. Oliver, of Colne Road, Brierfield, did however plead
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Two women sexually assaulted whilst shopping at Royal Blackburn Hospital
A man sexually assaulted two women in 'broad daylight' whilst they were shopping at WH Smith in Royal Blackburn Hospital. On Saturday, April 22, 2023, Sharikh Riaz pretended to browse the shelves at the store inside Royal Blackburn Hospital when
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Garage boss banned after fraudulently claiming £28,000 Covid loan
A man whose company was liquidated in 2022 has been banned from acting as a director for 10 years after he fraudulently claimed £28,000 via the Bounce Back Loan scheme. Umar Ghafoor, 36, whose last known address was Gordon Road, Nelson, told the
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East Lancs warden and microchip reunite dog with family after three years
A heart warming reunion took place recently as a family was reconnected with their beloved French Bulldog, Tina, who had been found in Accrington after being stolen almost three years ago. The story highlights the importance of microchipping pets
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Council to review its selective landlord licensing schemes
A local authority is reviewing is selective landlord licensing schemes which aim to drive up the standard of rented housing. Burnley Council proposes to renew four existing areas and add two more. Residents and landlords will now be consulted
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Five special wildlife sites drop off council list
Blackburn with Darwen Council is to rejig its map of District Wildlife Sites. The borough currently has 37 of them, originally identified in 2011. The majority of these DWS sites lie on the town fringes of Blackburn and Darwen. They are
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John Eustace's verdict on Blackburn Rovers' pivotal run of matches
John Eustace insists Blackburn Rovers' season won't be defined in the next 10 days despite a crucial run of fixtures. Rovers start a big tripleheader of games in South Wales against Swansea City, who sit level on points and with the same goal difference
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Seventy-six affordable homes to be built following council approval
Seventy-six new affordable homes are set to be built following council approval. The homes will be developed on land east of Charter Lane, Charnock Richard, Chorley, after Your Housing Group completed the purchase of the 5.4 acre site. The
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More than 12,800 children in East Lancs borough live in poverty
The child poverty rate in Blackburn with Darwen borough is almost twice the national average affecting more than 12,800 five to 15-year-olds senior councillors have been told. The alarming government figures are revealed in a report to the council's
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Nursery where children receive 'cuddle and reassuring words' praised
An Accrington nursery where staff were described as ‘good role models’ has been praised during a glowing inspection. Little Tinkers Day Nursery caters for 46 toddlers and is based on Laneside Avenue. The nursery was rated ‘Good’ in all areas following
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Student's excitement ahead of indoor rowing championship finals
A Year 8 student from an East Lancashire school will compete in the final of a national rowing competition at the Olympic Park in London today (March 1). Essa, who attends The Hyndburn Academy in Rishton, will head to the Copper Box Arena in the
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'Knife teens', homophobic slurs and football bans - February in the magistrates
Last month magistrates in East Lancashire had to deal with an array of different offenders for a multitude of various offences, ranging from 'knifepoint robberies' to football hooligans. Hundreds of people attend the magistrates' courts every month