Archive

  • Biker dies in M61 horror crash

    A MOTORCYCLIST was killed in a smash on the M61 at Chorley. The man, who has not yet been named, collided with the back of a DAF lorry on the southbound side near junction eight at 7.50pm yesterday. The impact caused him to collide with another two saloon

  • Brutal bus stop attacker is jailed

    A MAN who launched a brutal attack on a man waiting at a bus stop has been jailed for four months. Blackburn magistrates heard Paul Hargreaves repeatedly punched his 60-year-old victim, knocked him to the ground and jumped on his chest. And after a bus

  • Man 'attacked wife in front of toddler son'

    A JEALOUS husband attacked his wife in front of their two-year-old son and chased her out of the house when she was wearing only her night clothes, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Paul Simon Fairbank dragged his wife out of bed, punched

  • Letter was packed with irony

    I BEGAN to read the hysterical rant of Ben Hughes (BNP leaflet is packed full of lies, (LET, March 1) in which he actually accused a political party of telling lies. Pass the smelling salts before I faint with shock! Initially, I found it quite laughable

  • Judgement Day

    The police car patrolling a down town area, Spotted a cop on the street. Pulling up, one said: "Aren't you Sergeant Nelson? Why are you walking the beat?" He replied: "I was a sergeant a while ago. That's before my demotion, you see For arresting a judge

  • Council should shop locally

    GETTING a basic name spelling wrong in a publicly funded pamphlet, Padihum not Padiham, shows a lack of professionalism by both Initiative Burnley, who commissioned the pamphlet, and GVA Grimley of Manchester, who produced it. However, what intrigues

  • Barker nets a treble

    BLACKBURN Rovers' Under 18s cruised to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Stoke City thanks to a superb hat-trick from in-form striker Keith Barker. Barker took his tally for the season to 12 in the Academy League - and 14 in total - with a devastating

  • You can be extra man

    BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder Robbie Savage today called on the club's supporters to roar the team to FA Cup glory. Savage believes the fans have a crucial role to play in Sunday's quarter final with Leicester City and he has urged them to re-create the

  • 'Heading' up the changes

    THE new headteachers set to take charge of schools planned in Burnley and Nelson were appointed by their temporary governing bodies last week. Lancashire County Council announced yesterday who the heads of the new schools, which are yet to be finally

  • Ex-convict punched car owner in the face

    A CAR owner was attacked and ended up having to have his arm in plaster after he confronted a man climbing through the vehicle window. Burnley magistrates heard how Philip Dickens was punched in the face by ex-convict Michael Pinder and hit Pinder back

  • Most dangerous road in UK

    AN ACCIDENT-ridden East Lancashire road has been named Britain's most dangerous stretch of highway. But Lancashire County Council today insisted it wasn't to blame for the accidents -- because most were taking place in Yorkshire. Figures from the AA-led

  • 'Knuckles' faces jail after match

    A FOOTBALL hooligan and convicted murderer faces jail -- for taking his sons to the Blackburn versus Burnley game. Norman 'Knuckles' Glyn Jones, the first man in England to be jailed for breaching a football banning order, was described as an "extremely

  • Uni boffins join Balkans force

    LANCASTER is about to boost the Balkans thanks to a pioneering reconstruction project. Scientists from Lancaster University are playing a key role in a 1.2 million Euro EU-funded scheme to improve irrigation and water management in the strife-torn region

  • It's not good enough

    A LANDLORD has slammed the 'masterplan' which Lancaster City Council believes will put Morecambe back on its feet. Michael Davenport, a member of the Morecambe Landlords Association, says the Morecambe action plan is being forced forward without regard

  • Charity stalls on offer at fair

    THE snow may only just be melting from Pendle Hill but Friends of Valley Gardens are already turning their attentions to the summer. The group is preparing for the Barnoldswick park's annual summer fair on June 11 and is appealing for people to step forward

  • Cash aid plea by 'skaters'

    YOUNG people in Barnoldswick have clubbed together to try and raise money for their skate park so spectators have somewhere to sit. More than 50 skateboarders created Victory Wheelie Park Group four years ago to transform a former crazy golf course into

  • 'God-racing' classes alert for teachers

    AN education boss has advised schools not to run religious workshops which encourage children to make their own gods and race them in remote-controlled cars. The warning comes after St John's with St Augustine's C of E Primary School, Accrington, was

  • 'God-racing' classes alert for teachers

    AN education boss has advised schools not to run religious workshops which encourage children to make their own gods and race them in remote-controlled cars. The warning comes after St John's with St Augustine's C of E Primary School, Accrington, was

  • Class war the real issue

    HOW clearly Mary Dodd's letter headed 'Hunt should chase its own' (Citizen, last week) illustrates the fact that the issue for many of the anti hunt lobby was not animal welfare but a warped idea of class warfare. Not content with the hunting ban, she

  • Think again about funding

    I HAVE just learned that Lancaster City Council proposes to withdraw funding from the Maritime Festival in 2006. Surely this is a short-sighted idea when the festival must bring a considerable sum of money into the city. My wife and I are supporters of

  • Give them a place to misbehave

    I WRITE in connection with the article 'Flush them out' (February 23). I take issue as urinals are closing up and down the country and some of the reasons given are somewhat spurious. To blame it all on the impropriety of certain members of the male species

  • Time to be positive about resort

    IT SEEMS that my advertisement has struck a raw nerve with Cllr Peter Robinson. I saw it as a positive contribution to future thinking on regeneration projects for Morecambe and Heysham but he seems to be following his Lancaster based colleague's negative

  • Battle of wits for students

    THE RIGHTS of embryos, the merits or otherwise of Damien Hirst's conceptual art and what Hitler might have done with genetic engineering -- not what's usually discussed over a brew in the sixth form common room. But then again, the Debating Matters competition

  • Where's the sense in road closure?

    LANCASTER City councillors say that they have 'fully thought out' their solution to the Morecambe South Road problem. I can only conclude that they don't have a common sense thought between them! Closing any road is a drastic step, bringing many unwanted

  • Masterplan as clear as mud

    WHAT percentage of the residents in the Morecambe regeneration zone have approved the council's proposed £75 million 'masterplan' for the West End. As a taxpayer and contributor towards the cost of the consultants who were commissioned to find the answer

  • Atoms maintain title push

    HEYSHAM Atoms kept up their push towards the summit of the North West Counties amateur rugby league division four table when they recorded an excellent 16-14 win at Cadishead Rhinos. The Atoms did well to return from Salford with maximum points and are

  • City in dock over postponement

    LANCASTER City's Conference North clash with Runcorn FC Halton was postponed last Tuesday night after most of the Dolly Blues' squad became stuck in traffic on the M6. Nw the club faces D-Day tomorrow (Thursday) when the Football Conference meets to decide

  • Blues grind out three points

    OKAY, it may not be total football - but Lancaster City are developing a fan club with their ability to grind out results. Southport boss Liam Watson certainly is not a fan - but Kettering chief Kevin Wilson is a grudging admirer. While a bitter Watson

  • Striker in sights

    BURNLEY could turn to Luton Town hot-shot Steve Howard to sharpen up their strike force. Clarets boss Steve Cotterill has admitted making tentative enquiries about the 28-year old, who has topped the Hatters scoring charts for the past three seasons and

  • Shrimps serve up a cracker

    WHO says 0-0 draws are boring? That tried and tested footie formula was whizzed out of the window at Christie Park as two Conference leading lights served up a cracker. Aldershot didn't make the long trip to defend - but in the face of one of the most

  • Bowl 'em over

    ANIMAL Care in Lancaster is hosting a charity 10-pin bowling night at the Superbowl in Morecambe on April 13 at 7.30pm and wants to hear from people keen to join in. Tickets to include two games of bowls, food and entertainment, are £15 each and more

  • Resort museum opens

    A LOCAL museum housing artefacts from Morecambe's long history is to be opened in the resort's library. It ends years of struggle for Poulton Heritage Group to find a home for the many items it has collected over the years. For Poulton Neighbourhood Management

  • Parade fancier than ever

    COMMUNITY groups can walk in fancy dress at this year's Darwen Gala. The committee behind the annual event hopes to inject new life into the traditional road parade. And groups who don't wish to organise a float are asked to walk in costume instead. There

  • 'We need £1/4m to save roof'

    PARISHIONERS at St Peter's Church, Darwen, are being urged to help raise £250,000 to repair the building's leaky roof. A campaign group has been set up to organise and co-ordinate fundraising, and an appeal will be officially launched to the community

  • Insight into needs of the deaf

    DEAF people in Rossendale will find it easier to communicate with town hall staff - thanks to a local training scheme. Workers at Rossendale Council have completed a training course run to give them an insight into the needs of deaf customers. Eleven

  • Photo trouble for postie Jimmy

    ROSSENDALE postie Jimmy Eaton is facing disciplinary action from Royal Mail after he appeared on the front of a Conservatives Party newsletter wearing his uniform. Today the postal worker - who is a Conservative councillor in Rossendale - said he was

  • Driving us mad

    MOTORISTS claim they are being caught in "infuriating" rush hour tailbacks after new lanes were painted at a commuter delay blackspot. Engineers have been criticised for altering the layout at Whitebirk Roundabout, off junction six of the M65 at Blackburn

  • Battle of wits for students

    THE RIGHTS of embryos, the merits or otherwise of Damien Hirst's conceptual art and what Hitler might have done with genetic engineering -- not what's usually discussed over a brew in the sixth form common room. But then again, the Debating Matters competition

  • The fatal injection

    A BLACKBURN toddler died when a nurse mistakenly injected him with a muscle relaxing drug which stopped his heart, a court has heard. The jury was told that 18-month-old Jake McGeough suffered "irreparable damage" after Rose Aru gave him the drug instead

  • BLACKBURN

    Derrin Nauendorf, King George's Hall. Livesey Women's Institute, Livesey Community Hall, York Terrace, Feniscowles, 7.30pm. "Forty Years a GP," by Dr Ian Ramage. Blackburn Drama Club present "Two Planks and a Passion," Thwaites Empire Theatre, Bolton

  • Changes make things worse

    THE Blackburn exit at junction six of the M65 and the Whitebirk roundabout is one of the main arteries into the town. Hundreds of motorists use it every day to get to and from work or as they travel to shop or deliver goods. It's vital that traffic flows

  • Classes are an essential facility

    MANY thanks for putting your article AXED on the front page of the LET (March 3) because this is something that affects all of our community; those currently engaged in non-vocational classes, those who have done so and those who might wish to in the

  • Youths assault 'good Samaritan'

    Police in Greater Manchester are hunting a gang of youths who attacked a man described as a "good Samaritan". The 40-year-old was driving past Scholes precinct in Wigan when he saw a man on the floor being punched in the head by five or six teenagers.

  • Heads roll

    TWO long-serving headteachers are being axed under plans to shake up secondary education in Burnley and Pendle. Adrian Lythgoe, head at Barden High School, Burnley, and Martin Burgess, head at Nelson's Edge End High, have not been chosen to take charge

  • The fatal injection

    A BLACKBURN toddler died when a nurse mistakenly injected him with a muscle relaxing drug which stopped his heart, a court has heard. The jury was told that 18-month-old Jake McGeough suffered "irreparable damage" after Rose Aru gave him the drug instead

  • Defence woe for RMI boss

    LEIGH'S failure to deal with set-pieces cost them dear again. Their defensive frailties handed their opponents victory and Carlisle, following three successive defeats, were delighted to get back on to the winning track. Two of the three goals came from

  • Rovers boss has nothing to fear

    MARK Hughes will hardly be quaking in his boots at the prospect of facing Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter finals if the Foxes' performance at Burnley is a reliable indicator of what to expect at Ewood Park on Sunday. Hughes' trusty lieutenant, Eddie

  • Ford model is focus for crooks

    POLICE today have warned Ford Focus owners in East Lancashire to be extra vigilant as their cars are being targeted by car thieves. In what police have called "an emerging trend" the models are being broken into - usually by smashing a window - and the

  • Young Sherlocks track down 'killer'

    SUPER sleuth children put their detective skills to the test to solve a murder. But rather than revealing a real-life murderer and crime scene, the perceptive youngsters were taking part in an educational event to teach them about the finer points of

  • Teen drinker's vicious assault

    A DRUNKEN teenager who attacked a girl in the street was jailed -- but won her freedom at the same time. Burnley magistrates heard how student Claire Louise Duckworth, 18, who was the subject of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order, had had a cocktail of alcohol

  • 100 charities breaking law

    ALMOST 100 East Lancashire charities face investigation and legal action as part of a clampdown, it has been revealed. The bodies are named and shamed on a database of charity 'defaulters' kept by governing body the Charity Commission. Each charity with

  • Plane survives wheel scare

    A PLANE was forced to make an emergency landing after a wheel fell off during take-off from Cockerham. The Cessna 185 suffered damage to its landing gear as it left the small airfield with five parachutists on board. Pilot Gordon Cooper managed to get

  • Beach battle wins tourism prize

    THE group that brought the war to Morecambe last summer has won a major tourism prize. Poulton Heritage Committee has been presented with the Maxwell Bicker Award for 'tourism achievement' by the resort's Hotel and Tourism Association. The group was behind

  • Battle of wits for students

    THE RIGHTS of embryos, the merits or otherwise of Damien Hirst's conceptual art and what Hitler might have done with genetic engineering -- not what's usually discussed over a brew in the sixth form common room. But then again, the Debating Matters competition

  • Heads roll

    TWO long-serving headteachers are being axed under plans to shake up secondary education in Burnley and Pendle. Adrian Lythgoe, head at Barden High School, Burnley, and Martin Burgess, head at Nelson's Edge End High, have not been chosen to take charge

  • Oh what a Beauty

    A POOCH petition won a job back for a great lady of the stage - after she was sacked for making a co-star sneeze. Beauty, one of the star of the Grand Theatre LADOS production of 'Anything Goes' this week, has been re-instated after a campaign. The Yorkshire

  • Think again over new plant - MP

    MORECAMBE MP Geraldine Smith has hit out at plans for a waste recycling plant in Middleton - and wants county councillors to think again. Residents packed out a public meeting on Monday night to argue against the plans. And they have the full support

  • Poaching hits deer numbers

    NORTH Lancashire's wild deer population could have been reduced by as many as 40 animals, gamekeepers have told police officers attempting to snare poachers. Sergeant Dal Dawkins, of Lancashire Police, says intelligence from gamekeepers suggests between

  • Three hurt in banger horror

    THREE men were rushed to hospital after a car careered off a track and ploughed into them during a Sunday race meeting. The accident happened just before 1pm during Warton Stock Car Club's meeting at the track near Carnforth. A car, one of around 50 bangers

  • Road closure goes ahead

    AN EXPERIMENTAL road closure has gone ahead as planned despite a mass petition being lodged against it. Residents, parents and teachers have battled for weeks against the planned closure of South Road in Morecambe - but it was last used as a through road

  • Sir Chris climbs new peak

    BRITAIN'S best-known mountaineer says he is ready for his new challenge - taking a leading role at Lancaster University. Sir Chris Bonington's red and gold robe is ready for his installation as Lancaster University's new Chancellor today (Wednesday).

  • Pupils help in big dig

    YOUNGSTERS will be digging in to help volunteers planting shrubs in a Nelson Park. Pupils at Walverden School will don their gardening gear and lend a hand to the Friends of Walverden Park as they plant a range of shrubs including forsythia, viburnum

  • Early morning death smash probe

    AN INQUEST was today opened into the death of a Nelson man killed in an early morning car smash. Shahid Akram died after the car he was driving hit a tree. The 24-year-old, of Poplar Street, was trapped in the Toyota Carina after the accident at 3.30am

  • Charity stalls on offer at fair

    THE snow may only just be melting from Pendle Hill but Friends of Valley Gardens are already turning their attentions to the summer. The group is preparing for the Barnoldswick park's annual summer fair on June 11 and is appealing for people to step forward

  • Cash aid plea by 'skaters'

    YOUNG people in Barnoldswick have clubbed together to try and raise money for their skate park so spectators have somewhere to sit. More than 50 skateboarders created Victory Wheelie Park Group four years ago to transform a former crazy golf course into

  • Link road is not a bypass

    IT'S time to stop referring to the "Northern by-pass! The route bypasses nothing. The Lancaster bypass was built many years ago and has proved its worth by the volume of traffic using it. It is known as M6 motorway. What we now require is a road to link

  • Southport Speare City

    PHIL Wilson has lost his keeper battle after being speared by Southport. The outstanding keeper, regarded by many as the best in the Nationwide Conference North, has decided to quit the Giant Axe and will move to Haig Avenue after City's clash with Ashton

  • Hero Robbo boosts Shrimps

    MORECAMBE are heading towards the Conference play-offs - and that's no Bull after a matador-like display at Edgar Street. The Shrimps could easily have been swallowed up at Hereford but their gutsy display would not have been out of place at Madrid's

  • Torrisholme's cup stunner

    TORRISHOLME booked a semi-final spot in the Adam and Gaskell Cup after stunning Premier Division outfit Squires FC. The Division One side caused one of the cup shocks of the season with two Dean Knight goals. Storey's also moved into the last four as

  • Please let me settle down

    A TRAVELLER has blasted Lancaster City Council, saying: "I just want to settle down." Mark Wilson is trying to make a field on Out Moss Lane, Morecambe, into his home - and is fed up that people have complained. Now the city council is in the process

  • Abusive teen mum awaits sentence

    A DRUNKEN young mum who repeatedly spat at a hospital security guard and sank her teeth into a police officer is behind bars awaiting sentence. Burnley magistrates heard how Charlene Newton, 19, and her boyfriend had gone to Burnley General Hospital's

  • Clarets blitz it

    BURNLEY youths went goal crazy to romp to a stunning 4-0 win away at Wigan Athletic. Four Clarets got their name on the scoresheet as Terry Pashley's youngsters racked up their first win in the Merit League Division One at the second attempt. Burnley

  • Cott's men dig deep again

    'BACK to basics' was the call to arms from Steve Cotterill. And a 19th clean sheet of the season at least provides a basic platform for Burnley to now step forward and finish an eventful season on the front foot. With such a small squad decimated through

  • Protestors stand up against G8

    PEOPLE are to gather to discuss poverty, war and climate change ahead of the G8 Summit in a bid to rid the world of 'elitism'. Locals are to meet in Lancaster next Monday to discuss issues raised by the planned summit of international leaders at Glen-eagles

  • To Russia with love

    A TEACHER is jetting off on a mission to help a Russian town devastated by nuclear disaster. Peter Armitage, of Carnforth High School, will travel with a convoy of humanitarian aid to Zudac in Belarus - an area badly affected by fallout from the Chernobyl

  • Striker in sights

    BURNLEY could turn to Luton Town hot-shot Steve Howard to sharpen up their strike force. Clarets boss Steve Cotterill has admitted making tentative enquiries about the 28-year old, who has topped the Hatters scoring charts for the past three seasons and

  • You can be extra man

    BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder Robbie Savage today called on the club's supporters to roar the team to FA Cup glory. Savage believes the fans have a crucial role to play in Sunday's quarter final with Leicester City and he has urged them to re-create the

  • Ford model is focus for crooks

    POLICE today have warned Ford Focus owners in East Lancashire to be extra vigilant as their cars are being targeted by car thieves. In what police have called "an emerging trend" the models are being broken into - usually by smashing a window - and the

  • MP's outrage at sordid sex sites

    EAST Lancashire MPs today called for more action to tackle the area's sordid outdoor sex sites. Their calls came as another beauty spot was named and shamed as being a meeting place for people to engage in sex acts. And today the dog walkers who use Billinge

  • Violence victims 'not alone'

    A HARD-HITTING domestic violence campaign is set to sweep Blackburn with Darwen to reassure victims that they are not alone. Blackburn with Darwen Community Safety Partnership hopes to raise the profile of domestic abuse and encourage people to seek help

  • Brave teen gets wishes granted

    A WISH came true for courageous Bank Top teenager Sajeel Dar when he was given a new laptop and a family holiday by a children's charity. The 13-year-old, of Shaw Street, suffered renal failure, collapsed lungs and spent two months in an intensive care

  • Ford model is focus for crooks

    POLICE today have warned Ford Focus owners in East Lancashire to be extra vigilant as their cars are being targeted by car thieves. In what police have called "an emerging trend" the models are being broken into - usually by smashing a window - and the

  • All right Jack

    BLACKBURN peer Lord Patel has denied that his long-term support of the Government is costing MP Jack Straw the backing of Muslim voters. He spoke out after refusing to support the government over its controversial new anti terrorism laws. The Muslim Labour

  • 100 charities breaking law

    ALMOST 100 East Lancashire charities face investigation and legal action as part of a clampdown, it has been revealed. The bodies are named and shamed on a database of charity 'defaulters' kept by governing body the Charity Commission. Each charity with

  • MP's outrage at sordid sex sites

    EAST Lancashire MPs today called for more action to tackle the area's sordid outdoor sex sites. Their calls came as another beauty spot was named and shamed as being a meeting place for people to engage in sex acts. And today the dog walkers who use Billinge

  • 'Knuckles' faces jail after match

    A FOOTBALL hooligan and convicted murderer faces jail -- for taking his sons to the Blackburn versus Burnley game. Norman 'Knuckles' Glyn Jones, the first man in England to be jailed for breaching a football banning order, was described as an "extremely

  • Alcock recovery inspires final fling

    AND Chelsea thought they'd been involved in an exciting game. Accrington Stanley's northern section semi-final of the GLS Conference Cup might may not have been as prestigious as the Champions League in terms of world football, but extending their unbeaten

  • Man hurt in bike showroom explosion

    The owner of a motorcycle showroom has suffered burns after a reported explosion at his shop on Wednesday. Roy Armstrong was rescued from a fire at the showroom and workshop on Fletcher Street, Bury, by his son. For full report see BBC Manchester