A PENSIONER has been charged with the murder of Nelson mum Mandy Houghton. Alan Fare, 72, of Victory Close, Nelson, was charged by detectives following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service and is due to appear at Preston Magistrates'
Sweet-toothed thieves have broken into a train station and smashed a vending machine, making off with several bars of chocolate. As well as helping themselves to a selection of tasty treats, the trio stole a charity box from the on-site Costa Coffee
A FAMILY has paid a heartfelt tribute to a "much-loved mum, sister and grandma" who was found dead in her home yesterday. Detectives launched a murder inquiry after Mandy Houghton, 58, was found unresponsive with serious head injuries in her house
PART of the eastbound carriageway of the M65 between Junction 8 for Altham and Padiham and Junction 10 for Burnley will close overnight (THURSDAY) for weekend works. The stretch of motorway between the exit and entry slip roads at Junction 10 will
THREE out of Lancashire’s five hospital trusts have not reported any coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours. However, a total of three deaths were reported to NHS England by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and the Southport and Ormskirk NHS Foundation
ROLLS-Royce has announced 200 job losses at its two Barnoldswick factories as it cuts 3,000 jobs across the UK. The loss of more than a quarter of its 730 worker at the two fan-blade factories Bankfield and Ghyll Brow was described as a ‘gut-wrenching
Rovers have now moved in to ‘Phase 2’ of their return to training guidelines having been given the go-ahead by the EFL. From Thursday, the players will be allowed to train in groups of 12, the previous restrictions having only permitted up to five
A BMW has been towed away after it’s driver – who only held a provisional licence – was caught twice in just under two weeks by police. Officers in Burnley first tracked-down the driver after he failed to stop when asked by patrols. On this
A HIGH street retailer is planning to reopen the vast majority of its UK stores next week. The doors to Debenhams will be reopened at three locations in Northern Ireland and 50 across the UK over the coming weeks. The company's Blackburn store
All signs are pointing towards an extended Ewood stay for Stewart Downing – with the player and manager Tony Mowbray wanting him to sign on for another season. Despite turning 36 next month, Downing has impressed since his move from Middlesbrough
Huddersfield Town have confirmed that one of their staff members tested positive for COVID-19 during the latest round of testing at Championship clubs. Sheffield Wednesday and Preston had already confirmed they each had one employee among the nine
PICTURES showing queues of dozens of cars waiting to get into a prominent Lancashire fast food restaurant have surfaced. Hundreds of McDonald’s stores across the country re-opened their Drive-Thru service this week after they were forced to close
AROUND 1,500 jobs are set to be axed and another 12 showrooms closed at struggling car dealership Lookers as the group announced plans to slash costs in the face of the coronavirus crisis and a tough car market. Lookers said it was launching redundancy
Elliott Bennett is set to return to training with the Rovers squad for the first time since his positive coronavirus test last week. Bennett’s period of self-isolation, which has lasted 10 days, ends today and he will re-join the rest of his team-mates
A MAN who hid drugs in a cereal box inside his home has been jailed. Matthew Hefford, of Thorn Street, Burnley, was arrested by the targeted crime team in Burnley back in March. At the time, officers had reason to believe that the 33-year-old
THE driver of a Golf will soon appear in front of Magistrates after being clocked travelling at eye-watering speeds on the motorway. Police officers sighted the motorist sitting in lane three on the M6 on Wednesday. Upon inspection, they discovered
A DRIVER has received a stark warning from police officers after they used the hard shoulder to avoid traffic. And when pulled over and asked why they were in the emergency lane, the motorist explained to officers that they were ‘late for work’
A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing in a residential area. Police officers were called to Hereford Road in Blackburn at around 4.30pm on Wednesday after receiving reports that a man had been stabbed. Paramedics
A NEW teaching block and separate sports centre extension facility could be coming to Burnley College if plans are given the green light. College bosses have submitted an application for the facility on Princess Way on the west side of the River
TWO men who raided a shop closed because of coronavirus lockdown have been jailed. Deputy District Judge Phil Barnes, sitting at Blackburn magistrates, told the pair small businesses were finding it hard enough at the moment without the added loss
A TERRIFIED woman had to flee barefoot from her home after her partner launched a terrifying attack on her with a metal pole. Unprovoked Owen Francis Maughan rained blows down upon the body, face and head of his girlfriend on June 23 last year
A COUNCIL has written to dozens of shops asking about their plans to reopen as the coronavirus lockdown is eased. Ribble Valley council officials have contacted more than 250 high street retailers in the borough. The government has said non-essential
THE coronavirus pandemic has further delayed a problem-plagued flagship £12.5million extra-care housing scheme. The redevelopment of Albion Mill in Blackburn will now not be complete until September with the first elderly residents moving in the
BLACKBURN MP Kate Hollern has called on the government to improve the supply of Personal Protective Equipment for council staff. The Labour backbencher said local authorities were crying out for the vital safety kits needed during the coronavirus
A COUNCIL finance boss has warned a government coronavirus grant scheme to support small businesses is likely to run out of cash. The Covid-19 Discretionary Business Grants Programme was set up to help firms which missed out on two other schemes
MORE than 10,000 hard-up households in Blackburn with Darwen borough are expected to benefit from the government's £150 payment towards their council tax. And its finance boss expected the number eligible for the benefit to rise sharply as coronavirus
NELSON and Colne College is encouraging firms and adult learners to take advantage of the lockdown situation by upskilling workers. The college has unveiled a new higher education offer, which is designed to help part-time learners meet the needs
TWO small charities based in East Lancashire have received donations of £1,000 each as part of the Movement for Good awards. Burnley Boys & Girls Club (BBGC) and Friends of Serenity are amongst 17 charities in the county set to benefit from the
A FATHER-OF-THREE caught selling class A drugs from a Pringles tub has been sent back to jail. Preston Crown Court heard how 33-year-old Matthew Hefford, who has previous convictions for robbery and burglary, was caught red-handed by police selling
THE enforced break from Premier League action looks set to work in Jay Rodriguez’s favour. The Burnley striker came off with a knee injury in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham back on March 7 in the final game before the coronavirus pandemic brought all
BLACKBURN with Darwen borough has given details of how the public can watch its annual meeting and mayor making online this evening. It will be the first time a full council forum has been hosted remotely. The move to digital is caused by the
THE new Test, Trace and Isolate (TTI) system was launched in England at 9am on May 28. Not all of its functions are yet up and running and the app is still to be launched – but we are making progress. Its success will depend on of all of us taking
Thousands of litres of hand sanitiser have been decanted and bottled by staff at Haslingden High School for the NHS frontline. More than 4,000 litres of hand gel is ready to be sent off to health service staff after a callout for help from Blackburn
It took more than 60 hours across three days to bring the Darwen Moor fire under control. As flames ravaged the grassland over the weekend, around 50 firefighters and ten fire engines from Lancashire and Greater Manchester battled to contain
With the Championship season re-starting in just 16 days time, RICH SHARPE looks at the issues facing second-tier clubs. THE two most powerful warriors are patience and time. Equally time is money. And it seems there is no time for patience where
AN East Lancashire care home is keeping residents on the ball with games of socially-distanced bingo. Hope House, based in Rishton Road, Clayton-le-Moors, is using tablets and WhatsApp video calls to allow residents who have opted to self-isolate
