THERE were plenty of advance warnings that the new private wardens who took over parking enforcement from last week were going to be tough. There were also fears that raising revenue had become the major priority and the new system would mean clobbering
POLICE turned out in force to reassure people on a a worried estate after residents said they were scared to go out because of teenage yobs. More than 15 officers visited Whitebirk, Blackburn, in a bid to show members of the public that they were determined
ON September 6 you printed an article about road sign clutter. I am always curious when leaving Pleasington Cemetery. By the cemetery gates there is a sign pointing left for Blackburn College. I have heard of adult education and further education but
IT was certainly plain sailing when model boat enthusiasts set a course for Bury's Clarence Lido at the weekend. The event was the popular grand open regatta hosted by the thriving Bury Metro Marine Modelling Club. Around 120 model boat enthusiasts from
A PAIR of rescued ponies made an unusual journey when they stopped off at a Burnley rehabilitation centre to visit patients. The two HAPPA ponies - called Wilbur and Mungo - were at Rakehead Rehabilitation Centre based at Burnley General Hospital, Casterton
A TOP boss at Burnley council has warned members to sort out the leadership crisis in the borough and said: "The future of the town is more important than politics." Monitoring officer Nick Aves, who is responsible for making sure the council meets its
A NEW crackdown on unauthorised parking has been branded ridiculous after a milkman had a ticket slapped on his van while he was making a delivery. The dairy driver was given a £30 fine after parking on double yellow lines for "two minutes" at around
DAVE Challinor was a bitterly disappointed man following the Shakers' 2-2 draw at Shrewsbury Town on Saturday. The influential skipper admitted the result was a 'kick in the guts' and called on his teammates to cut out the mistakes which are costing valuable
BURY midfielder Lee Duxbury has had his contract terminated by mutual consent. The 34-year-old Keighley-born player, who signed from Oldham Athletic at the start of last season, would be the first to admit things haven't worked out as he'd have liked
THE Nelson mother of a soldier charged with murdering an Iraqi civilian today thanked local people for their support. Kevin Lee Williams is a former pupil at Primet High School pupil, Colne, and a trooper with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. He is accused
A WOMAN accused of murdering her love rival's neighbour told police she had turned up at his new girlfriend's house in a Halloween outfit in order to warn her that he had raped her, a court was told. In police interviews with Heather Stephenson-Snell
I WOULD prefer MPs Ivan Lewis and David Chaytor to vote according to the views of their constituents and not their own views, or those of the Labour Party, or of the Government. Examples include their vote against corporal and capital punishment and for
FORMER pupils at Colne Grammar School are trying to get in touch with their old friends for a reunion. Four girls people will remember as Barbara Binns, Carolyn Riley, Kathryn Kennedy and Margaret Beechey, who still meet up regularly, are trying to get
EAST Lancashire NHS bosses were slammed for spending more than £20,000 designing new logos. Shadow health secretary David Blunkett said the cash had been wasted on image instead of treating patients and Blackburn councillor Frank Gorton described it as
HAPTON grandfather David Palmer set off on a cross-Channel swim expecting a gruelling 20 hours in icy-cold waters. Mr Palmer, 41, who owned two record exchange shops in Burnley and Blackburn, was aiming to raise £10,000 for the Lancashire Army Cadet Force
RISHTON residents are rallying against a bid to install a phone mast in the town. More than 120 people have signed a petition in protest against phone giant 02's plan to build a 15 metre high mast off Walmsley Street. And the plans, due to be discussed
STRONGMAN Mark Felix has revealed he will be back after coming sixth in a competition to find Britain's Strongest Man. Mark, 38, of Great Harwood, endured dozens of tests of his strength and stamina at the competition, held in Minehead, Somerset. The
THE long-serving managing director of Baxenden-based Holland's Pies has left the company. Graham March, who has been with the firm for about 20 years, parted company with the firm as part of a management restructuring throughout Holland's Pies' parent
CARS worth a total of £1M have been stolen in the borough so far this year -- but police say many thefts could have been prevented. Bury Police has revealed that -- in half of the stolen car cases -- keys used to steal the vehicles were taken during burglaries
BURNLEY are in a race against time to gain international clearance for new signing Amadou Sanokho. The French midfielder, signed on a short-term deal over the weekend, remains hopeful of winning a place on the bench for tonight's tough-looking trip to
RAMSBOTTOM UNITED...6, SHOTTON COMRADES...1: RAMS' quest for glory in the FA Vase began with this one-sided victory over North East side Shotton, and the score line could easily have been in double figures. There was a debut for Shaun Spence, in for the
WORK has finally begun on a 100,000 sq ft leisure complex set to bring a new cinema and bowling alley to Blackburn. Manchester-based Peel Holdings has confirmed demolition work to clear the way for what will be East Lancashire's biggest leisure park,
KIND-HEARTED readers are helping a toddler faced with a lifetime of deafness after being touched by her plight. Ellie McAnish, who lives with parents Sara, 37, and Billy, 43, in Belthorn, is in a race against time to secure funding for a cochlea implant
UP to a third of people living in East Lancashire are putting their lives at risk by not getting treatment for high blood pressure, experts warned today. The grim statistic comes as dozens of free blood pressure testing points are set up across East Lancashire
A SOLDIER who cheated death after his parachute failed in mid-air was saved by his healthy lifestyle, his father said today. Sergeant David Bolton, of Blackburn, plunged 75ft after he collided with another parachutist, causing his chute to collapse. He
A FATHER who lost his son in a terrorist bomb attack today paid tribute to the soldiers who helped him and said: "Their regiment must not be axed." Michael Gallagher lost his son Aiden, 21, in the "Real IRA" car bomb in Omagh on August 15 1998. He was
A MOTHER wept as she relived the moment she was arrested on suspicion of murdering her two sons while visiting her other child in hospital. And Donna Hanson told how detectives revealed to her partner Robert Woods that she had considered having a termination
ROTHERHAM TITANS...42, SEDGLEY PARK...22: SEDGLEY Park's initiation into rugby's second level continued with a second successive defeat, but it was against title favourites Rotherham, who were a Zurich Premiership side last season. Sedgley won an early
IN answer to JC (Letters, September 3) I don't think that councillors' allowances are too large. As well as full council meetings, there are many other miscellaneous meetings; indeed, a councillor is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most people
BT, please make someone happy YESTERDAY I spent the entire afternoon trying by telephone to get in touch with BT. There I was, dangling at the end of the line with an 'out of this world voice' telling me that 'they really, really valued my call but could
THOUSANDS of people in East Lancashire are using loan firms charging up to 60 per cent interest because their credit ratings are so poor. Advice workers today said the area was becoming a target for doorstep loan firms after new figures show nearly one
A MUSICAL extravaganza held to celebrate the life of stage star Stan Tate has raised more than £3,000 for Blackburn's Thwaites Theatre. The two-night show, full of surprises, was organised by friends Terry Barber and Brian Whittaker to pay tribute to
IT'S what many would call perfect casting. For little did Samantha Payne realise that when she was chosen to play pregnant newlywed Shirley in A Night On The Tiles, that she too would find herself expecting her second child. Samantha broke the good news
ANIMAL Aid is dismayed at latest Home Office statistics showing an increase in animal experiments. From 2002 to 2003 the number of animals used rose by 59,000. Each year, millions more specially-bred animals are killed, unaccounted for, simply because
MY sister sent me a cutting from your paper regarding your campaign to retain the Queen's Lancashire Regiment. I paid a fleeting visit to Blackburn in July and took my family to see the East Lancs Regimental Museum in the local Art Gallery and Museum.
IN response to your vitriolic campaign against Members of Blackburn with Darwen Council having a concessionary pass for the "roof top" car park. Can I first of all point out that since I was elected to the Council nine years ago I have always held a pass
HOW very disturbing it is to read in the press about the sheer contempt some people have for this country. Only this week we heard Sheikh Oman Muhammad spouting on about how the Russian school massacre was just and that it was pay-back time for the people
A LEIGH man was left unconscious in a pool of blood after a vicious attack on a railway station, a court was told. Steven Povah, aged 47, was attacked by a gang of Bolton Wanderers fans after a derby match with Manchester United on February 22 last year
A BUS driver from Bury has appeared before magistrates in connection with a road accident. Peter Townsend (35), of Daisyfield Court, Fountain Street, faces charges of driving a First Bus single decker in Drake Street, Rochdale, without due care and attention
A MOTHER wept as she relived the moment she was arrested on suspicion of murdering her two sons while visiting her other child in hospital. And Donna Hanson told how detectives revealed to her partner Robert Woods that she had considered having a termination
A SURVEY to see what lurks beneath the surface of Bury's ponds and lodges has netted a few surprises. Ecological consultant Dave Bentley took a tour of the borough's freshwater habitats when Bury Council hired him to find populations of the great crested
PRIMARY schools are set to profit from a new environmental scheme aimed at reducing the number of batteries being sent to landfill sites. Lancashire County Council has written to every primary in its area -- Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Burnley, Pendle and
POLICE in Padiham are cracking down on men using toilets in the town as a meeting place for casual sex. The toilets, below the library, in Church Street, are being used by homosexual men as a "cottaging" venue. The walls have been covered in obscene graffiti
A MOTHER-of-two who caused trouble at Burnley Magistrates Court has been bound over to keep the peace. The bench was told how Wendy Sims, 33, recently said in court to be a lollipop lady, had been unhappy about the method she was to pay a fine. She went
WORK has started on a £1million project to boost a Nelson community. And youngsters yesterday turned up at the town's St Mary's parish hall to help get the scheme under way. Children and their parents took their own inflatable hammers and saws along to
OASIS may be sipping a pint at a Tottington pub on Saturday - following an invitation from an Australian band. The Gallagher brothers have been invited to The Hark & Towler pub in Market Street to watch Shutterspeed, who come from Brisbane. The band
"COUNCIL Watcher," and indeed Councillor Roy Walker, seem to be attempting to portray councillors Bibby and Taylor as innocent victims in the recent Standards Board inquiry into their conduct. Had there not been a case to answer, the Standards Board for
THE sensitive nose of Blackburn lorry driver John Barton was praised after he alerted fire crews to three fires in as many months. Mr Barton, 23, of Hamilton Street, sniffed smoke at the back of a mill in Mossley, near Ashton-under-Lyne and rushed to
STRAY dog Bruno has been branded too old to be man's best friend. Georgina Allen, secretary and welfare officer of Hyndburn Stray Dogs In Need said she is struggling to find a home for the eight-year-old dog brought into kennels five weeks ago. Bruno,
BLACKBURN Rovers are close to appointing Mark Hughes as the club's new manager. As I understand it, Hughes has indicated he's ready to replace Graeme Souness in the Ewood Park hot-seat. And Rovers will make an official approach to the Football Association
RADCLIFFE BOROUGH...1, BLYTH SPARTANS...1: BORO were no doubt grateful for a point from a game in which they rarely threatened. It was not until the final minute that they found the back of the Spartans' net, leaving the lowly Geordies cursing their luck
FURIOUS residents were told plans to demolish their homes to make way for a new academy appeared to be a "done deal". Around 200 people from the Redearth Road area of Darwen gathered to make their views on the proposed demolition known at a meeting in
SIX semi-detached houses are to be built in Cornholme after planning permission was granted by Calderdale Council's planning committee. Members gave approval for the houses to be built on land off Spring Villas and members also said yes to an application
COUNCIL house tenants in Rossendale want their homes transferred to housing association control - a move that could unlock massive investment into their properties. A group set up to review the future of Rossendale's council homes has recommended taking
A FORMER chief ambulance officer has spearheaded a campaign to honour staff who lost their lives at work. Norman Lakin, 71, was a chief ambulance officer for 21 years - serving in Blackburn, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire - and is now the national president
LATEST research suggests that people exposed to passive smoke have a 50 to 60 per cent risk of a heart attack. And, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal, non-smokers who live with a smoker, have a 15 per cent greater risk of premature
IN reply to Mr Honeyford (Letters, September 3) I must say that the "respectable" mask was well and truly lifted off the BNP by the programme The Secret Agent, broadcast by the BBC recently. During the programme members of the BNP admitted carrying out
THE whole point of my recent letter about mobile phone base stations was to try and put the known facts in front of people like David Foss (Letters, September 3). Obviously there is no human activity which is totally without risk but there are some risks
THE FUNERAL of Bury music man, "Doctor Rock", will be held this Friday. The service will take place at Bury Parish Church at 12.30pm, followed by committal at Rochdale Crematorium for close family and friends. Mr Keith Hand (56), of Bury and Bolton Road
EXPECTANT mums were turned away from Fairfield Hospital's maternity unit because it was full up. An urgent review is now being undertaken to find out why Fairfield -- and three other neighbouring hospitals -- were forced to close their doors to new admissions
