AN ambitious plan to cut all class sizes in Blackburn and Darwen to below 30 has been drawn up by education bosses. The Blackburn with Darwen Council move follows a new law which means all classes with children aged five to six have to be under 30 by
THE family of a one-year-old baby girl who was catapulted through a car window in a road smash today told how she was "more than lucky to be alive". Nafisa Ali, of Johnston Street, Blackburn, escaped from the crash in Bradford on Sunday with just cuts
ROY Hodgson was waiting anxiously in France this afternoon to see if his devastated striking options for tonight's UEFA Cup second leg tie against Olympique Lyonnais would be given a last minute boost. Emergency plans had been drawn up for either Martin
CLARETS' director Bernard Rothwell has admitted that the club needs an injection of cash to take it forward under the management of Stan Ternent. And with Peter Shackleton still showing no signs of coming up with the goods then that could open the door
Parkinson's Disease Society meet in the Temple Street Resource Centre, Burnley, 7.30pm. Speaker: Ron Freethy -- author and broadcaster. Blackburn Classical Guitar Society meet in The District Club, West Park Road, Blackburn, 8pm. Queen's Lancashire Regimental
EAST Lancashire's life-saving kidney unit could be run by a private contractor, it was revealed. The running costs of the long-awaited dialysis ward were to be put out to tender. Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley health bosses confirmed that the unit
CHOLERIC old colonels may spray Pimms down their club ties as they splutter indignation at the MCC, that bastion of men-only membership, at last lifting its 211-year-old ban on the admission of women, but this catching up with the times in the heritage
EVERYWHERE I go in Darwen, there are more new houses being built. Surely, they have used every bit of spare land and fields in the town. It also means more new roads and you know what that means -- more traffic! It now must be time to pull the plug on
READING your report (LET, September 11) on people's reactions when they accidentally hit an animal while driving, we'd like to remind motorists that if a female hedgehog is injured, she may well have a litter of helpless hoglets close by. If these babies
IWOULD have thought by now Hyndburn Council would have come to their senses and continued with their community safety wardens scheme. Two of the most popular things going for Accrington were the free parking and the wardens. The council had the foresight
THERE is just one word to describe the response of Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Malcolm Doherty, to criticism of the decision to survey residents on what they want from the council (Letters, September 21) -- pathetic. Here he is proclaiming huge
HOUSE burglaries in Burnley and Padiham have been reduced by over two-thirds in the last six months. Supt Mike Griffin, head of the Pennine Division which covers all Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, said the substantial success was due in part to targeting
A SCHOOLGIRL was allegedly raped by a man who pulled her into a garden -- and later offered her £20, Burnley Crown Court heard. The 13-year-old, who should have been babysitting, made a complaint of rape later that day, the jury was told. Her alleged
CLARETS' director Bernard Rothwell has admitted that the club needs an injection of cash to take it forward under the management of Stan Ternent. And with Peter Shackleton still showing no signs of coming up with the goods then that could open the door
POLICE are concerned about a missing 14-year-old girl believed to be in the Accrington area. Gillian Cooney may have a small, black puppy with her from which she is inseparable. She went missing from a care home in Lancaster 10 days ago. Gillian has family
Tuesday Topic, with Christine Rutter GRANDFATHER Jack Bennett has got a one-track mind. For nearly four years, the 62-year-old has made it his one-man mission to create a monster model train in the back garden of his home. The creation of the steam beast
HUGE discounts for schools using our NIE numeracy and literacy material in October and heaps of valuable goodies from our Treasure Chest -- all this is on offer to schools throughout East Lancashire to launch our brand new educational material for youngsters
A MASKED robber fled empty-handed after a shopkeeper refused to hand over money from a till. The raider walked into the Happy Shopper store in Coates Avenue, Barnoldswick, armed with what appeared to be a CS spray and pointed it at shop manager Abid Mamoud
TWO young children had a lucky escape when the bedroom they had been playing in went up in flames. Fire fighters believe the blaze was caused by the youngsters playing with a box of matches in the bedroom. But Amanda Scott, who lives in Bethesda Close
A CYCLIST'S pregnant girlfriend was at his bedside today as he fought for his life after being involved in a head on smash. Mark Howieson received multiple injuries when his bike collided with a Ford Fiesta car as he rode home from work late last night
AN inquest was taking place in Burnley today 21 months after a newborn baby died in hospital. Baby Charlie Louise Taylor was only 13 hours old when she died on January 19 last year in Burnley General Hospital. A major inquiry was launched by police and
DAVID Dunn still finds it hard to believe how his career has suddenly taken off in the last few months. But the 18-year-old attacking midfielder is enjoying every minute of it and is more than ready to do his duty if required by Blackburn Rovers here
UP to 1,500 Blackburn Rovers fans could be in Lyon for tonight's big UEFA Cup clash -- but the reputation of English football supporters preceded them as they travelled to France. Monday night in the country's second largest city was much like a Monday
A fan's-eye view from Ewood Park, by Phil Lloyd LEAVING Goodison Park on Saturday, I walked back to my car through Walton Cemetery. It was somehow a fitting place to reflect on Rovers' current situation which is becoming, if you'll pardon the phrase,
A fan's eye view from Turf Moor, by Stephen Cummings PRESTON are doing well at the moment aren't they? So are Blackpool: a 3-1 victory away at the league leaders' place is certainly something to write home about. And what do you make of the Di Canio business
DISTRAUGHT parents Simon Carr and Debbie Martin have joined the world-wide quest for a cure for the brain condition which claimed the life of their eight-day-old daughter. The couple struggled to fight back the tears as they took the heart-breaking decision
Telegraph Insight THE intense focus on Englishmen abroad is, of course, the merited result of recent deplorable actions by the hooligan minority. That behaviour tends to be focused at a national level -- with recent World Cup scenes doing nothing for
UEFA Cup 1st round 2nd leg: Olympique Lyonnais v Blackburn Rovers - Peter White's big match preview COACH Bernard Lacombe remains wary of the threat of Blackburn Rovers could pose his Olympique Lyonnais team in the Stade de Gerland tonight. But he pledged
MISSING tug-of-love twins were back with their father after a police hunt and an airport alert. Five-year-old Nigel and Christopher Bamber were found in North London after their mother Teofilia collected them for her weekly visit. But the boys were not
IF THE slogan "Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" helped Labour to power, then Tony Blair is obviously aware that putting it into practice will help to keep it there. For in today placing the fight against crime high on the government's list
REGARDING recent comments on the timing of the Millennium celebrations, may I offer my two-penn'orth? Setting aside the complications made by the adjustment to the Julian calendar and assuming that civilisation, as we know it, commenced at the year 0001
CARL Fogarty jetted out for Japan today boosted by the news he's still top dog at Ducati. The Blackburn bike ace, who goes into the final round of the World Superbike Championship on Sunday six points behind leader Troy Corser, had been sweating on a
WHILE raising taxes on pension funds and motorists, the Government is happy to spend more than £7 million on promoting the unwanted Euro to firms and individuals. About 90 per cent of our trade is concentrated within Britain or with countries that will
ICAN understand the despair the lady from Great Harwood who asked how her dying town could be helped (Letters, September 23). The decay of small towns, with boarded-up shops, For Sale notices and established businesses, once the care of communities, now
A BURNLEY council chief has called for Home Secretary Jack Straw to review the case of an Asian woman who poisoned her husband with arsenic. Deputy council leader Rafique Malik is the first leading male Muslim figure to question the guilty verdict in
A MURDER inquiry has been launched in Burnley after a man was found dead at his home. John Stoiles, 53, was found on Saturday lying on the floor at his home address in Ashley Street, Stoneyholme. An ambulance was called to the house shortly before 9am
A TELLY mad grandma almost lost the chance of a starring role in a new TV show after a hair-do left her "looking like a skunk." June Knight, 47, of Brockenhurst Street, Burnley, went for the streaks because she wanted a new look before appearing on Sky
ROY Hodgson was waiting anxiously in France this afternoon to see if his devastated striking options for tonight's UEFA Cup second leg tie against Olympique Lyonnais would be given a last-minute boost. Emergency plans had been drawn up for either Martin
DEFENCE boss George Robertson is to visit British Aerospace's Samlesbury site tomorrow. The Secretary of State for Defence is taking time out from the Labour Party conference in Blackpool to tour the site where more than 4,000 aerospace workers are employed
TEACHERS in all types of schools in East Lancashire are invited to look through our latest newspapers in education resources for themselves tomorrow and Thursday. Our brand new Maths Motivation Materials and Super Story Search literacy resource will be
A MURDER inquiry has been launched in Burnley after a man was found dead at his home. John Stoiles, 53, was found on Saturday lying on the floor at his home address in Ashley Street, Stoneyholme. An ambulance was called to the house shortly before 9am
A CYCLIST'S pregnant girlfriend was at his bedside today as he fought for life after being involved in a head on smash. Mark Howieson received multiple injuries when his bike collided with a Ford Fiesta car as he rode home from work late last night. He
