A BUILDER working at the site for the new Blackburn hospital was injured after a canister exploded and hit him in the chest. And today firefighters warned of the dangers of leaving aerosols too close to heaters, which can make them burst. The 38-year-old
I WAS shocked and surprised at the headline news in the Telegraph on December 5. As my child is a former pupil at the school, it was with great interest that I read the story. My experience with the school, teachers and its headmistress has been of an
RE the sell-off of Blackburn Transport by Blackburn with Darwen Council. It would be a disgrace if the council was to give up its buses and coaches as it's good value for money. If it does sell off, that could mean our council tax would have to be revised
WITH regards to the incident when some Muslim pupils were given pizza with ham, I write to inform you that the Lancashire Council of Mosques has been in contact with St James CE Primary School, Blackburn. The mistake was unfortunate and the school has
POLICE and transport bosses are boarding school buses in Burnley to try and stamp out the problem of anti-social behaviour by pupils. Bus chiefs say routes to and from certain schools in the town are being plagued by youngsters making life a misery for
Mark Hughes was delighted with the way his Blackburn players fought back from a goal down to claim their seventh home win of the season. Two goals from Paul Dickov and a third from Shefki Kuqi, in the 76th minute, completed a brilliant second half comeback
COMETH the hour, cometh the man! Paul Dickov, that patron saint of lost causes, brought Blackburn Rovers back from the brink on an afternoon of remarkable twists and turns at a breathless Ewood Park. Trailing 1-0 to a first half strike from West Ham's
A SURVEYOR today revealed one of Lancashire's historic listed buildings could be demolished because it is dangerous. Agents John Forrester revealed a structural survey carried out on Samlesbury Lower Hall showed the ruin was unsafe. The firm, acting on
BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw and Burnley-born colleague Shahid Malik have each won top prizes at the House Magazine's Annual Parliamentary Awards. The Foreign Secretary was made Commons Minister of the Year, while Dewsbury MP Mr Malik picked up a gong for
PROTESTERS in Pendle took to the streets to march against plans which could see services cut from Burnley General Hospital. On Saturday about 500 people, led by the borough's MP Gordon Prentice, marched through Nelson town centre against plans which could
A BURNLEY dental practice is to undergo a massive expansion which will lead to 12,000 NHS places being created in the borough. Integrated Dental Holdings is to convert a house next door to its Padiham Road surgery a year after a similar scheme was rejected
THE boss of a murdered policewoman has called on the people of Burnley to help him bring to justice her killer. Chief constable Colin Cramphorn appealed for Burnley folk to help convict those responsible for the shooting of PC Sharon Beshenivsky. His
PLANS to turn a run down terrace in Nelson into a flagship design project have taken a step forward despite concerns about the scheme. Nelson architect John Clancy, a co-opted member of Nelson Committee, claimed the designs on behalf of Adactus Housing
A NELSON lighting company has plans to expand overseas and double turnover in the next three years. Chantelle Lighting, which employs 50 people at Lomeshaye Industrial Estate, said it plans to create a further 10 jobs as part of the expansion. The company
A MENTAL health charity in Colne which is due to shut is appealing for a gardener to take on its allotment. Green Space, a horticultural scheme based in Burnley, has not been given enough funding to keep its projects in Colne running next year. Attempts
TWO men who ran a busy and successful "drugs shop" from a house in Rishton have each been jailed for two years. Sean Clough, 23, was the prime mover behind the venture from his house on Spring Street, while Christopher Pedigrew, 24, who lived in the same
HER grandparents owned a coach company, her mother ran her own hairdressing business and her dad became a self-employed driving instructor. Now Tina Pemberton and her two daughters have all shown their entrepreneurial flair by starting their own businesses
A PROLIFIC thief who was banned from shops in Accrington town centre has now been excluded from Blackburn's main retail areas. Blackburn magistrates heard that Michael Aspin, who has 129 previous convictions for theft, committed more offences within a
POLICE tipped off about a possible drink-driver leaving Wilpshire golf club stopped a 58-year old former captain as he neared his home in Clitheroe, a court heard. Blackburn magistrates were told that Robert William Harrison narrowly failed a breathalyser
A RIBBLE Valley luxury hotel was the setting for the latest Coronation Street wedding. But this time it was one of the soap's actors getting hitched. Jane Danson, who plays loudmouth Leanne Battersby, married former Brookside actor Robert Beck at Gibbon
A CORONER has warned there could be thousands of people with an asbestos 'timebomb' ticking away inside them. Michael Singleton made the warning as he recorded a verdict of death by industrial disease at the inquest of an 86-year-old man who was exposed
A RAGING man beat his disabled partner after a day's drinking, complaining she had not washed up and calling her lazy. Burnley magistrates heard Christopher Michael Greenall, 26, told the victim Michelle Edwards he expected her to clean the house all
AN angry young dad assaulted his partner -- and then said he would only leave once she had shown him some respect, a court was told. Burnley magistrates heard how engineer Simon Clark, 23, had called the mother of his child "cocky with a big mouth" and
KEITH Lowe headed back to Wolverhampton Wanderers today refusing to rule out a Turf Moor return. The defender's loan spell at Burnley ended following Saturday's 3-0 defeat away to a rampant Sheffield United. Clarets boss Steve Cotterill has already hinted
THERE is a growing clamour for a new Bank Holiday to be introduced into the English calendar. Some wise souls have put forward VE Day as an historic date to let the nation celebrate with their loved ones. Others think we should fall in line with Scotland
Andrew Flintoff's Sports Personality of the Year award has been greeted with delight at his home county Lancashire. The 28-year-old all-rounder secured the accolade as a result of his heroics in England's Ashes success over Australia. And Lancashire chief
THE Bee Gees? Now there's a band with some dodgy baggage. But they are damned fine songwriters, up there with the best when it comes to exploring love's fickle heart. Included here are such classics as To Love Somebody and the note perfect How Deep Is
AMID rumours he's about to retire from rap, Eminem releases a greatest hits collection and calls it Curtain Call. But whether it's over or not, it's been an amazing career (so far?). Old hits like My Name Is and The Real Slim Shady still sound good, and
IT'S hard to believe Girls Aloud are on their third album but, three years in, the five-piece are still going strong with another accomplished set of pop songs. With the genius Xenomania songwriting team behind them, the girls are now comfortable in their
KEITH Lowe headed back to Wolverhampton Wanderers today refusing to rule out a Turf Moor return. The defender's loan spell at Burnley ended following Saturday's 3-0 defeat away to a rampant Sheffield United. Clarets boss Steve Cotterill has already hinted
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes said he wants to see more of the passion that resulted in an angry confrontation between Brad Friedel and Robbie Savage during Saturday's five-goal thriller with West Ham. As emotions ran high during a stirring second half,
THE WIFE of a former Darwen chief inspector today paid tribute to her childhood sweetheart who was a "pillar of society". Vernon Baker, 71, was born and raised in Tockholes, before serving around the county as a police officer from 1954. It was not until
THE pilot of a hot air balloon has spoken of the dramatic moment it plunged into overhead power cables on a remote hillside. Derek Grimshaw, 63, was taking four passengers on a pleasure flight over East Lancashire when strong winds brought it crashing
THE FAMILY of a man left brain damaged by his cousin's dangerous driving today slammed the two-year maximum jail term for the offence. Robert Gilbertson was a front seat passenger in the high-performance MG ZR driven by 'arrogant' and uninsured Phoenix
SATISFACTION with Rossendale Council services has increased, an independent survey revealed today. Results show 62.4 per cent of people are very or fairly satisfied with the way the council is run -- compared with 27 per cent in 2003. The survey also
AGE Concern in Blackburn and Darwen is holding a series of information sessions to help older people take care of money matters. Sessions will cover topics like types of accounts available, cards, sources of other finance and advice on saving and borrowing
CLUB Heaven and Hell in Blackburn has appointed one of the UK's top night club managers. Adele Lord, 30, from Rochdale has managed venues in Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Plymouth over the last four years. And after monitoring her performance,
A 34-YEAR-OLD cleaner stole cash and jewellery from her employers over a period of months, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Jackie Eccles was caught after her boss became suspicious and set up a closed circuit TV system in the bedroom
BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw and Burnley-born colleague Shahid Malik have each won top prizes at the House Magazine's Annual Parliamentary Awards. The Foreign Secretary was made Commons Minister of the Year, while Dewsbury MP Mr Malik picked up a gong for
CROOKS are rifling through bins in a bid to steal identities and credit card details. Now police have offered Blackburn Bank Top residents free shredders to destroy personal documents. Police said that over the past week they had received reports of two
A PROLIFIC thief who was banned from shops in Accrington town centre has now been excluded from Blackburn's main retail areas. Blackburn magistrates heard that Michael Aspin, who has 129 previous convictions for theft, committed more offences within a
REFEREE Eddie Ilderton handed lacklustre Derby an early Christmas present when he rescued a point for them at Pride Park. The 'man in the middle' awarded an 81st minute penalty to the home side after deciding Preston's defender Youl Mawene had handled
KEEPING one step ahead of thieves is not an easy task. Week by week, those who want to burgle our homes or break into our cars think of ever more sophisticated ways of achieving their criminal ends. We put complex alarms on our cars and fit special locks
A MAN attacked a teenage mother in the street, Burnley magistrates were told. The bench heard Dominic Slater, 20, put his hands to the 16-year-old's neck as she sat on a bench in Burnley town centre. He then walked off but went back and kicked her legs
A 42-year-old man was caught shoplifting just three weeks after being made subject to a community supervision order for similar offences. Blackburn magistrates heard that George Wright stole gift sets worth £162 from Debenhams and later told police he
THE FAMILY of a man left brain damaged by his cousin's dangerous driving today slammed the two-year maximum jail term for the offence. Robert Gilbertson was a front seat passenger in the high-performance MG ZR driven by 'arrogant' and uninsured Phoenix
How the Rovers players fared in the win over the Hammers. BRAD FRIEDEL: Not his usual decisive self and his frustration boiled over in a spat with Savage. 6 STEVEN REID: Stepped in as an emergency right-back but didn't look entirely comfortable. 6 MICHAEL
MILLIONAIRE ex-soccer star Dave Whelan is planning to say thank you to the supporters of his old club. The JJB business tycoon is laying on a New Year's Eve treat for Blackburn Rovers fans - a free pie each. Whelan, who emulated his old friend Jack Walker
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes said he wants to see more of the passion that resulted in an angry confrontation between Brad Friedel and Robbie Savage during Saturday's five-goal thriller with West Ham. As emotions ran high during a stirring second half,
BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder Robbie Savage today admitted getting dropped by manager Mark Hughes was the 'kick up the backside' he needed. The 31-year-old, who joined Rovers from Birmingham in a controversial £3 million move earlier this year, has confessed
FREE sporting activities have been laid on by Burnley Council to keep youngsters active this Christmas. The programme, for eight-16 year olds, includes sure shot, basketball shoot out, junior swimming and multi-sports sessions, including football, kwik
A PERSISTENT thief banned from Burnley town centre ended up in custody after being found in the town's shopping centre. Burnley magistrates heard John Barnes, 37, subject of an Anti-social Behaviour Order (ASBO), was not committing any crime. He later
A FATHER of five who attacked his wife because Ramadan may have made him short tempered has been given 12 months community supervision. Mubarik Ali, 66, repeatedly slapped the victim as she lay in bed. His wife banged her head on the radiator during the
A MAJOR £28million development in the heart of Burnley has fallen behind schedule. Work to complete the first phase of the new St Peter's Health and Leisure centre will now not be finished this year as planned because the project has been delayed by three
POLICE and transport bosses are boarding school buses in Burnley to try and stamp out the problem of anti-social behaviour by pupils. Bus chiefs say routes to and from certain schools in the town are being plagued by youngsters making life a misery for
A BI-LINGUAL binman is littering his language with foreign phrases to help communicate with residents. Young refuse collector Mark Foster has taken up learning Urdu in an effort to be more effective in his job as he works the streets of Pendle. He is
A NELSON-BASED Euro MP has backed a new drive to give racism the red card. Sajjad Karim has called on other MEPs to throw their weight behind the campaign to end racism in football. He said: "Racism is no more acceptable in the football world than it
A DEPRESSED Nelson man took a massive overdose of tablets to deliberately end his life, an inquest heard. Thomas Stubbley, 43, of Ringstone Crescent, was on anti-depressants but took more than four times the amount that can prove fatal. The Burnley inquest
PROTESTERS today voiced their fury over the redevelopment of a former mill in Hollin Hall. Furbs Property Co Ltd was given planning permission last December for 13 three-storey houses and 11 two-storey houses, as well as the conversion of Empress Mill
A QUEEN'S Lancashire Regiment territorial soldier accused of faking photographs showing an Iraqi prisoner being tortured will not face criminal charges. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was insufficient evidence to convict Stuart Mackenzie
A "LONELY" 66-year-old Clitheroe man used the 999 service as a chatroom, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that in one call John Robert Buller told the emergency operator he was having difficulty with his internet access. And in a later call
POLISH-born Marcin Bialecki was well-known in Clitheroe for incredible yarns about his five-year ordeal in Nazi death camps during the Second World War. Following his death, his family told Adrian Worsley how his love for life came from what he had to
A DAD of four ended a Father's Day family outing by attacking the mother of his children while the youngsters were in the house. Drunken Martin McGranaghan, 30, punched his frightened victim Joanne Cullen in the face after she reminded him of his responsibilities
How the Clarets players fared in the defeat at Bramall Lane. JENSEN: Blameless for any of United's top-drawer goals. 7 DUFF: Rocked back on the defensive from the start. 6 SINCLAIR: Moved to left back where Webber caused chaos. 6 McGREAL: The warhorse
STEVE Cotterill has tipped Sheffield United and Reading to gain promotion to the Premiership next season. The Burnley manager was speaking after seeing his side beaten 3-0 by bogey side United, who inflicted a seventh straight Bramall Lane victory over
THE pilot of a hot air balloon has spoken of the dramatic moment it plunged into overhead power cables on a remote hillside. Derek Grimshaw, 63, was taking four passengers on a pleasure flight over East Lancashire when strong winds brought it crashing
When The Coral formed a decade ago, they started with Oasis covers. This year they toured with those childhood heroes across Europe, as well as releasing a third full-length album. The Invisible Invasion. The Wirral wizards round off 2005 with a gig in
At first, all the bands emerging from the Libertines' urchin punk scene were lumped together. But now The Paddingtons have marked out their own territory with vicious, high-energy rock'n'roll and some fashionably high cheekbones. Catch them in Preston
Your diary of the big gigs coming to Lancashire soon, including the likes of G4, Doves, Joss Stone, The Strokes, The Coral, Australian Pink Floyd, The Magic Numbers, The Levellers and Fun Lovin' Criminals. DECEMBER 14 Doves, Guild Hall, Preston, £17.50
Boisterous teen four-piece Thee Unstrung recorded their debut album in the summer but it's not out till the New Year. Meanwhile this EP jumble-sale of musical styles and derivative swagger is suffering from an ever-slipping release date too. It's not
AGE Concern in Blackburn and Darwen is holding a series of information sessions to help older people take care of money matters. Sessions will cover topics like types of accounts available, cards, sources of other finance and advice on saving and borrowing
POLICE are warning youngsters they are stepping up action in an area of Darwen plagued by juvenile nuisance. Teenagers believed to be mainly from the Anchor area have been hanging around the Hollins Grove part of the town and causing problems, including
A RARE signed Paul McCartney picture has been sold in a silent auction to raise funds for a terminally-ill Bacup youngster. Campaign patron Ted Robbins, star of TV's Phoenix Nights, called on his cousin, the former Beatles rocker, to help six-year-old
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build homes at a former wool mill in Cowpe have been put on hold - at the applicant's request. The Hurstwood Group wants to build 18 apartments and 28 homes at Kearns Mill, a former wool dyeing mill, which closed at Easter 2004.
A TOWN'S bid for CCTV to help shoppers feel safer has been given a £7,000 boost. Whitworth is to become one of the first towns in the country to benefit from CCTV cameras hidden by advertising boards after Rossendale's Lancashire Local committee backed
A HEARTBROKEN son today launched a search for a first glimpse of his father -- 50 years after he was killed in a car crash. Paul Chadwick has never seen his dad after the only known photograph of the Haslingden man was buried with his grandmother when
A 31-year-old man tried to start up a wagon to drive home after a night out drinking in Blackburn centre, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that when Steven O'Donnell failed to get the lorry started, he turned his attentions to a car which
BLACKBURN will play host to a European first when a 'groundbreaking' art exhibition from Japan leaves Asia for the first time. 'Parallel realities: Asian Art Now; Work from the 3rd Triennale' is going on display at various venues across the town as part
A FAMILY and their Christmas presents were saved by a smoke alarm after their pet dog knocked over a candle and started a fire in their home. Jennifer McLean, 33, was asleep on her settee following a Christmas party when her eight-year-old springer spaniel
THE FAMILY of a man left brain damaged by his cousin's dangerous driving today slammed the two-year maximum jail term for the offence. Robert Gilbertson was a front seat passenger in the high-performance MG ZR driven by 'arrogant' and uninsured Phoenix
