AN AMERICAN jailed for ordering the execution of Darwen accountant David Wilson has lost his bid to appeal against his conviction. Michael Austin is serving a life sentence for hiring two hitmen to kill the 47-year-old at his Withnell home. But his application
VANDALS have wrecked Bacup FC clubhouse causing thousands of pounds' damage. The clubhouse floor was a sea of glass as photographs, some of them dating back almost 100 years, and glasses were smashed. Beer was drained out of the pumps. Manager Brent Peters
AMBITIOUS plans to build a power station at a Blackburn factory have won the backing of two councils. Sappi wants to build a combined heat and power plant at its works at Blackburn Mill, Feniscowles. Bosses at the firm say the move would protect more
A MAN was due to appear in court today charged with the murder of heroin addict Paul Rothwell. Kenneth Hartley, 25, was due to appear at Blackburn magistrates court less than two weeks after Paul was shot twice on the back doorstep of his Bank Top home
MURDERS in Lancashire rose by a staggering 150 per cent, according to the Chief Constable's annual report. And the massive homicide investigations put a strain on manpower and cash, said Mr Brian Johnson, whose report showed there were 25 murders in 1987
A TOURIST attraction that hosted 30,000 sightseers a year has been forced to close - by vandalism and the Teletubbies. The doors to the Sabden Treacle Mines have shut, 14 years after they were opened by Bill Dewhurst and his family. And Bill, the brains
MORE than £6 million will be spent on council house repairs in Blackburn and Darwen over the next 12 months. Housing bosses have announced their spending plans for the coming year but claim they still need more cash. The spending plans for the borough's
ONCE again in a Budget, Labour has taken on the Tory role of bashing the motorist. The car is now regarded by government as a prime pollutant and a danger to the environment. Yet, thousands of car workers are producing thousands of new cars annually and
A BRAVE bobby has spoken about the terrifying moment he saved a man threatening to turn himself into a human torch in an apparent suicide attempt. PC David Williams wrestled the petrol-drenched man to the floor and ripped a lighter - which only seconds
A BRAVE bobby has spoken about the terrifying moment he saved a man threatening to turn himself into a human torch in an apparent suicide attempt. PC David Williams wrestled the petrol-drenched man to the floor and ripped a lighter - which only seconds
BURNLEY'S 5,700-home housing stock has been likened to a stricken ship, by council chiefs. They say it is listing, taking on water, the bow submerging and passengers threatening to jump off. And in an official report, director of community services, Ian
I KNEW we had a 'New' Labour Party, but it appears in Blackburn we have a 'New' Conservative Party if Councillor David Pearson (Letters, March 12) is to be believed. My memory may be playing me false, but I seem to recollect, over the years, Conservative
FOLLOWING the issue of a Green Paper by New Labour last October, are parents who have children with special education needs aware that, although this is only a consultation document, some local education authorities are telling parents that, "as a result
THE attack in the Lords by former Ribble Valley MP and Home Secretary, Lord Waddington, on Jack Straw's bid to identify Freemasons in the criminal justice system was bitter to the extent that he likened it to Hitlerism. It may be that Lord Waddington
READING the Nature Watch column (LET, February 4), we weren't at all surprised at the comment that the hedgehog doesn't seem to be hibernating this year. We have seen plenty of tell-tale liquorice-coloured faeces through the winter and the warm winter
A FUNDAMENTAL reform in education was launched today. It is one that is vital to the prospects of generations of children and, yet, ought never to have been necessary at all. For, on the orders of the government, all the country's primary schools are
BLACKBURN Rovers today had their legal experts examining reports from Germany that new kit suppliers uhlsport have hit financial difficulties. And that could place the new £4m deal in jeopardy. A report in today's southern German newspaper Sueddeutche
ROY Hodgson is planning a detailed World Cup campaign that will leave nothing to chance, as Blackburn Rovers aim to look and learn in France this summer. And no-one will be able to accuse the club of not doing their homework as they attempt to set up
Millwall v Burnley - Pete Oliver's big match preview WITH JUST 10 games to go and no longer any distractions from any other source, Burnley are turning into the home straight in the race for Second Division survival, writes PETE OLIVER. And, looking at
THE budget may have been bad news for motorists but one East Lancashire firm should benefit from the chancellor's fuel rises. Meggitt Petroleum Systems of Blackburn is the UK's largest manufacturer of equipment to help firms keep a tight rein on fuel
THE search is on for East Lancashire's best young entrepreneur. Ten finalists have been chosen from businesses nominated by local enterprise agencies as showing the most potential. And now the small firms are preparing to present their business plans
FORGET Ikea! For one Swedish couple, the best designs for kitchens and bathrooms are in Colne! The Verlauders called in at Ainsworth & Dent showroom during a stay in East Lancashire. And they ended up taking £9,000 worth of kitchen and bathroom displays
A FAST-EXPANDING engineering firm has bought out a rival company. Raven Manufacturing, which earlier this year announced a £500,000 investment to launch it into the satellite dish market, has bought Midland-based Concentric Satellite. Production of Concentric
BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw called for tougher punishments for re-offenders after touring the town's Bank Top area, a notorious troublespot. Police kept a high profile as Mr Straw spoke to residents and shopkeepers in the area, which was branded a "no-go
A COUPLE have attacked rail bosses after their 20 minute train journey turned into a "three hour fiasco." Eric Bellas, 67, and his wife Maureen, 63, of Somerset Road, Rishton, were on a shopping trip from Blackburn to Bolton when the comedy of errors
I BELONG to a group of five students studying Leisure Management at Blackburn College. As part of a project/assignment, we are appealing for information and stories and to borrow memorabilia with regard to "A century of music and dance" covering from
I WANT to thank the huge number of people who came to visit our centenary celebrations at the new St Barnabas' Church and community centre in Blackburn recently. We had a fantastic flower festival, various exhibits and a tremendous account of the church
LAST May, the Tory government was deservedly voted out of office because it had become arrogant and had lost touch with the ordinary people. I just wish that the people in Blackburn and Darwen would realise that the same things need to happen at local
I AM attempting to appeal to the better nature of the riders who exercise their horses by galloping through Witton Park, Blackburn, across the football pitches. They do untold damage to the ground - especially when it has been raining - and the holes
Friday Folk ANTIQUE dealer Joe Cooney is turning heads by riding around town on his latest acquisition - a giant Trojan horse. The colourful 12-foot-high wooden animal was originally owned by the Cumbrian Friends of the Earth, who used it on anti-nuclear
Drive & Stroll, with Ron Freethy: KIRKHAM MY favourite approach to Kirkham is from Wrea Green This is because I know that I am following the line of the Roman road which is now buried beneath the main street of Kirkham. There was a link through what
Political Focus, with Bill Jacobs THE Lennon-McCartney style creative tension between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown looks set to make sweet music on the evidence of this week's Budget. The first tangible evidence of the product of the Prime Minister and
BLACKBURN Rovers' young stars face another major challenge at Stamford Bridge tonight if they are to emulate the club's achievement of last season by reaching the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup. Apart from winger Paul Forsyth, who is a long-term ankle
CHRIS BRASS has opted for the quick fix on his injured knee in a bid to play a leading role in Burnley's bid to stay up. Brass went into hospital for an operation on damaged knee ligaments today but has targetted the home game against Blackpool on April
