THE 950 pupils of Beardwood High School in Blackburn were given an unexpected holiday today, Children at the Preston New Road site were sent home from class due to a suspected gas leak. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council said there was a smell of gas
THE Lancashire Evening Telegraph will again be holding its popular Christmas Carol Service at Blackburn Cathedral this year. The event will take place at the Cathedral on Wednesday, December 17, from 7.30pm. The Salvation Army Band will be playing traditional
LANCASHIRE Care NHS Trust has been officially recognised for its commitment to improving the working lives of staff. The Department of Health has awarded the trust, which provides mental health and substance misuse services, the Improving Working Lives
A NEW member has been appointed to the board which runs Calderstones NHS Trust. Peter Butterfield, who was editor of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph from 1985 to 2000, has been appointed as a non-executive director. Mr Butterfield, who has more than
CONSUMERS across Lancashire are to receive extra help in resolving "dodgy deal" disputes in the form of simple guidelines issued by trading standards watchdogs. About 12,000 copies of the easy-to-use Consumer Action Packs have been printed by Lancashire
I THINK it is a shame that the children of Blackburn are to miss out of no Father Christmas this year in the shopping centre. They say that there isn't room for this and a tree. Well why don't they open up an empty shop and make a grotto in there as there
I HAVE just returned from shopping in Preston and when it became dark the Christmas lights came on. The streets and shopping halls were ablaze with colour and lovely indeed. The whole area had a real Christmas feel about it. In the square near the town
REGARDING India and World War Two (Letters, November 29). Thinking back, what would Indians have had to celebrate today if the British had heeded the "quit India" call of 1942? At the outbreak of World War Two, eight of the eleven Indian provinces had
SHEFFIELD United visit Turf Moor on Saturday and it's common knowledge that there's no love lost between the two managers. But whatever Stan and Neil Warnock think about each other, that's between them. As far as the players are concerned, it's just another
BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness looks set to be charged by the Football Association following his spat with referee Graham Poll. Souness, was reported on two counts following his dismissal for suggesting that Poll was a Tottenham fan during Rovers' 1-0
BLACKBURN Rovers fans could be spoilt for choice this Christmas as they look to throw their weight behind Graeme Souness and the team. With Premiership big guns like Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all set to visit Ewood during the second half
PADIHAM folk proved gales and driving rain do not detract them when the town is putting on a show. The switch-on of the Christmas lights last week by the Mayor of Padiham, Councillor Bob Clark and the Mayoress, Mrs Hazel Rushton illuminated that fact.
A MULTI-million pound plan to turn an abandoned weir into a regional canoeing and fishing centre is in jeopardy after a bid for funds failed. News that the European Regional Development Fund will not be putting any cash into Padiham Weir - due to be renamed
RESIDENTS will soon have their chance to have their say on plans to build a new housing development on an abandoned sports ground. A public meeting is being held tonight to debate the proposals for 68 homes - 34 detached and 34 semi-detached - to be built
TEENAGERS congregating on street corners is not a new phenomena by any stretch of the imagination! In the Evening Telegraph in December, 1886, a report told of hundreds of young people meeting and walking about each Sunday afternoon and evening on Preston
A BUNGLING criminal is behind bars as part of what was described in court as a 'never-ending merry-go-round' of offending. Joseph Farrelly Phillips, 33, was trying to steal a woman's CD player from her car last Friday evening when she arrived to find
THE mother of a young footballer who died in a road accident says she will continue her crusade to campaign for traffic calming measures on the road where he was killed. Daniel Connor, 18, of Tyseley Grove, Earby, died of multiple injuries after his car
BURNLEY area pits decided on a Saturday shift ban following clashes between union bosses and the coal board. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) were in dispute with the National Coal Board (NCB) over concessionary coal. After a meeting of members
THE BEST friend of a man who died after falling from a horse has revealed he was dying of cancer. Cheryl Fay owned the horse taken out by Allan Clynch on Sunday. Mr Clynch, 56, was seen riding the nine-year-old strawberry roan pony, on the A679 and in
A UNION official today said he was confident of securing the LG Philips' Simonstone plant a two-month stay of execution. Ken Heaton, of the GMB, believes such a move would allow the 400 workers time to prove that their 'skill and quality' was worth retaining
AFTER having surgery on a knee injury, I'm afraid to say that's my season over with. But that doesn't mean I won't still be playing my part behind the scenes, even if I can't directly influence events on the pitch during the next six months. I intend
BURNLEY striker Robbie Blake today said he's confident the Clarets can cut the Blades down to size this weekend. High-flying Sheffield United are the visitors to Turf Moor this Saturday and Blake is convinced that his team-mates will gain revenge for
DAVID Thompson today said he had to write off the rest of the season for the sake of his long-term career. The England midfielder is now back in England where he's currently recovering from his second knee operation in the space of nine months. And although
MOTORISTS avoiding paying for road tax have been targeted by police in Darwen during a five-day operation. Police officers have been carrying out checks on vehicles in the town throughout last week resulting in one person being arrested and 31 vehicles
MOTORISTS driving along the M65 near Darwen are now being directed to the newly named Blackburn with Darwen Services at junction four. A new blue sign was installed before the entrance to the slip road after complaints from Darwen residents about the
FUNDRAISING champion Jimmy Eaton is hoping to end the year on a high when he makes a final push for this year's charity crusade. Coun Eaton is well-known in the Rossendale Valley for his fundraising activities and, alongside his wife Janet, raised £23,000
A FORMER student at an Islamic college in Blackburn has been charged with conspiring with 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid to cause an explosion. Sajid Badat, 24, who studied for two years at the Islamic College of Knowledge and Guidance, in Moss Street, Blackburn
THE war on graffiti in Blackburn and Darwen is being taken into classrooms. Council workers are visiting all schools to give a presentation entitled 'The Writing's on the Wall' to youngsters. It tries to get them to see the harm graffiti can cause to
THE chief officer of Lancashire Probation Service today moved to reassure residents that offenders released into communities were monitored "rigorously". John Crawforth was speaking after an annual report into the county's service revealed it to be performing
TRUANCY sweeps in three East Lancashire communities found 70 children out and about with their parents, despite officially being too ill to go to school. Now police are warning parents to ensure they only keep their children off school when there are
A HEAD at one of the biggest junior schools in East Lancashire today stood defiant over league tables - refusing to be associated with the data released by the government today. David Whalley, head at Audley Junior School in Blackburn, said his school
FIRE chiefs today vowed to tackle school arsonists after new figures revealed firebugs were behind hundreds of fires costing more than £7m. Firefighters tackled almost 1,000 blazes at schools between April 1999 and September 2003, the statistics reveal
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLDS across East Lancashire are still struggling with maths, benchmark examination results revealed today. All Blackburn with Darwen Council-run schools failed to reach the target level of 100 per cent of children reaching Level 4 in Key Stage
NORTH West Counties Football League Division Two side Padiham have lost their second manager in the space of four days. Former Burnley and Wigan Athletic player Andy Farrell hs asked the club to release him from the post for family reasons after his wife
WENDY Dodds and Martin Lee have just returned from the desert in Namibia where they were contestants in the third series of the BBC's "SAS: Are you tough enough?" On the show, the volunteers are put through their paces in extreme environments. The course
THE National Union of Teachers called on parents and teachers to back their campaign to boycott Key Stage testing on the day results were published. The union is campaigning for a national boycott of the National Curriculum Tests (SATs) saying workload
A HEAD at one of the biggest junior schools in East Lancashire today stood defiant over league tables - refusing to be associated with the data released by the government today. David Whalley, head at Audley Junior School in Blackburn, said his school
A LOOK at events, from amateur theatre to rambles through our beautiful countryside. Christmas Fair, St Francis School, Cherry Tree, Blackburn, 6pm-9pm. Blackburn Drama Club present 'A Man For All Seasons,' Thwaites Empire Theatre, Bolton Road, Blackburn
SCHOOL league tables are out again - renewing the controversy over whether and how educational progress should be measured. Today the row has a new edge with the head of one of East Lancashire's biggest junior schools publicly announcing that he refuses
TRADING Standards chiefs today warned shoppers to avoid buying and drinking any counterfeit booze following the discovery of counterfeit 'Kirov' brand vodka contaminated with methanol. Lancashire County Council trading standards service said although
AS a classically trained historian I take issue with the comments of Mark Cotterill (Letters, November 29), who claims that the Celtic Cross is a Christian image. The Celtic Cross was in evidence all across the British Isles long before the advent of
WE OFTEN read in these pages of the problems facing our children and young people today, including abuse and bullying, bereavement and family breakdown, extreme exam stress and truanting. I wonder if readers realise that this month they have the opportunity
ONCE again before a schoolboy football game at Pleasington playing fields I had to remove dog excrement from the pitch (from the goalmouth to be precise) before we could start the game. We as an association have to pay for the use of the pitches and I
A NEW crackdown on under-age drinking is being launched on the third anniversary of a Burnley town centre initiative against violent disorder and criminal damage. The '100 per cent proof' campaign is a new proof of age scheme which aims to prevent under
FIRE chiefs today vowed to tackle school arsonists after new figures revealed firebugs were behind hundreds of fires costing more than £7m. Firefighters tackled almost 1,000 blazes at schools between April 1999 and September 2003, the statistics reveal
DAVID Thompson today said he had to write off the rest of the season for the sake of his long-term career. The England midfielder is now back in England where he's currently recovering from his second knee operation in the space of nine months. And although
A BANNED soccer fan breached his court order on the day of the Turkey versus England match, a court heard yesterday. Burnley magistrates heard how Lee Pickering, 21, had to surrender his passport and sign on at the police station the afternoon England
SMOKE alarms saved the life of a man after fire ravaged his terrace home, a fire chief said today. Kurt Stephens, 40, managed to escape from the house in Ulster Street, Burnley after the blaze broke out at just before 2am. Mr Stephens was in the bath
FOUR people have been arrested as part of a high-profile crackdown on burglary in Burnley. Police executed a series of warrants in the town yesterday and recovered drugs including what is believed to be heroin and crack cocaine as well as suspected stolen
A NEW crackdown on under-age drinking is being launched on the third anniversary of a Burnley town centre initiative against violent disorder and criminal damage. The '100 per cent proof' campaign is a new proof of age scheme which aims to prevent under
RIOTS in East Lancashire have made world-wide headlines in recent times, but even those were not of the ferocity of the Blackburn Cotton Riots of 1878. One day Sarah Eddleston, a 14-year-old girl, was driving a horse-drawn milk float along Montague Street
A DISABLED man has presented a petition to the Mayor of Pendle calling for a council crackdown on able-bodied motorists using disabled parking spaces. Steve Allen, and his wife Frances, who are both blue badge holders, launched the petition after finding
A SUSPECTED drink-driver who knocked down a pedestrian in an early hours police chase has been spared jail. Burnley magistrates court heard Alex Bernaby Shepherd, 25, hit victim Graham Vernon outside the Tower Bar in Colne after accelerating away from
SCHOOLS and youth clubs were being encouraged to do their bit towards helping to restore the area's woodlands. The start a tree nursery campaign was just one of the projects being launched in East Lancashire by the British Trust for Conservation volunteers
PROTESTING lecturers clashed with the college principal of Accrington and Rossendale College in a row over pay and conditions. Two petitions signed by hundreds of lecturers were handed in at a meeting of the college governors. One was about new contracts
HYNDBURN Council leader Peter Britcliffe has called an emergency meeting today to discuss an overspend which he says could bankrupt the council. Coun Britcliffe was expected to tell councillors they would have to tighten their belts. "We will undoubtedly
A 43-YEAR-OLD man who worked as a treasurer for a residents' association siphoned money from the group's bank account into his own, a court heard. Paul Dunn, of Greenhill, Great Harwood, admitted four charges of theft when he appeared before the bench
A NURSING home matron told an inquest she was "devastated" after a nurse in her charge wrongly ordered drugs for an 82-year-old grandmother who later died. Eveline Birtwell died in Blackburn Royal Infirmary on August 26, 2001, after spending four days
EAST Lancashire MPs Nigel Evans and Lindsay Hoyle have called on the government to boost the number of closed circuit television cameras in rural areas. The Ribble Valley Tory and Chorley Labour back bencher believe CCTV could have a massive effect in
I FIRST came to Blackburn in April 1974. Labour had -- to its surprise and everyone else's -- won the February election by a hair's breadth, and Barbara Castle was back in high Ministerial office, in charge of both the NHS and our vast social security
BURNLEY striker Robbie Blake today said he's confident the Clarets can cut the Blades down to size this weekend. High-flying Sheffield United are the visitors to Turf Moor this Saturday and Blake is convinced that his team-mates will gain revenge for
NEW Year's Eve. A time for celebrating. But for Paul Weller it's a time that still brings back the pain of a serious illness that almost ended his career. The year was 1997 and Weller's nightmare was just beginning. "It was horrible - probably the worst
TWO friends who set up a football coaching business for school pupils have done so well they have bought premises in the town centre. Nick Jackson-Cooney and Mike Livesey from Darwen started coaching local primary school children after receiving a £1,000
A SCHEME to ban troublemakers from Darwen pubs is being stepped up in the run up to Christmas. Pubs taking part in the BAR-U scheme will display a poster listing the 'Ten Commandments' of orderly behaviour customers are expected to comply with. Anyone
FRAUD investigators are recruiting Rossendale residents in a renewed drive to catch benefits cheats. Almost 80 people have been caught by Rossendale Council's investigations unit since April and three successful prosecutions have taken place since then
SKATERS from the Blackburn School of Ice Skating stole the show at a charity evening -- with a little help from a legend. Six couples staged a scene from the ballet Nutcracker, to mark the launch of the Christmas ice rink at London's Somerset House, one
THE National Union of Teachers called on parents and teachers to back their campaign to boycott Key Stage testing on the day results were published. The union is campaigning for a national boycott of the National Curriculum Tests (SATs) saying workload
NEW health watchdogs giving patients a voice are now up and running in East Lancashire. Patient and Public Involvement forums officially took over from community health councils on Monday and there will be one for each health trust in the area. A recruitment
STEVE Lowe is keeping his fingers crossed that his "Lucky Bus" away travel has saved up enough good fortune to make this weekend's trip to the south coast all the more memorable. For the lifelong Accrington Stanley fan has spent the last three weeks organising
IF it wasn't for Andy Gouck's remarkable late strike in the first round, Accrington Stanley might not be preparing for an FA Cup second round tie at Bournemouth on Saturday. However, if it wasn't for the curiosity, determination and passion of one loyal
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLDS across East Lancashire are still struggling with maths, benchmark examination results revealed today. All Blackburn with Darwen Council-run schools failed to reach the target level of 100 per cent of children reaching Level 4 in Key Stage
