Archive

I THINK the Social Services rating for Blackburn with Darwen is pathetic and that it really needs sorting out. It doesn't deserve to have three stars, it should have none. LISA GODDARD, Whitehead Street, Blackburn.

I LIVE close to the spot where Amy Houston was knocked down and like everyone else we were shocked and upset with the tragic events. I believe that after such an accident it is easy for bitterness to creep in, which I know does no-one any good. However

I HAVE been following your story on the terrible demise of Frosty the Snowman in the Preston Old Road area of Blackburn. I too am a resident of the area, but feel no sympathy for the Moss family. Many people have seen Frosty when he was alive, but unfortunately

ANY death in an accident, particularly that of a child, is sad and emotional. Emotions, however, should not be allowed to cloud the facts of a case. In your reports of December 10 and December 15, it was plainly stated that Amy Houston "had to be freed

FIREFIGHTERS today praised a lifesaver who burst into a burning home in Burnley to rescue a woman asleep inside. Wagon driver Michael Ashworth was returning to his home in Darnley Street after a shopping trip at 4pm yesterday when he saw a flicker in

BLACKBURN defender Craig Short today admitted Graeme Souness had every right to criticise the players after Rovers slumped to a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa. Souness described Saturday's woeful performance as 'unacceptable' and accused his faltering

A LOOK at the key moments from the game against Aston Villa. BRAD FRIEDEL: Involved in a mix-up with Gresko for the opening goal that ultimately led to Rovers' downfall.... 5 MARKUS BABBEL: Did a reasonable job defensively but could have offered more

FURIOUS Blackburn boss Graeme Souness slammed his players after describing Rovers' 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa as the worst performance during his time at the club. Souness told his players a few home truths as he kept them locked in the dressing room

BURNLEY residents are being urged to plan ahead and think about how festive items can be recycled. Christmas cards, bottles, cans and trees can all be recycled rather than thrown away for landfill. Cards cn be placed in the white sacks used for recycling

A STRATEGY for regeneration in the most needy areas of Burnley has been launched by the Burnley Action Partnership (BAP). The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy contains details of positive work already underway in the town as well as challenges for the next

COUNCIL workers in Pendle will to benefit from a new policy on work-related stress, approved by councillors. The new procedure aims to identify stress before employees become too ill to work and to look at ways of reducing pressure. The policy was drawn

FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning after a house fire in Nelson was started by a candle last night. The candle is believed to have been lit just half an hour before the blaze in Wadeshouse Road, ignited. It had been placed on top of the television, which

PEOPLE late with their Christmas orders were having to pay higher prices for poultry in many East Lancashire shops."I have never known such demand for small birds," said one Blackburn trader. A drink-driver caught in St Thomas's Road, Chorley, was so

CHRISTMAS came early for Accrington couple Walter and Marion Reed. They won £59,500 on the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Spot the Ball competition. Three masked gunmen terrorised post office staff and escaped with a massive cash haul. The men, who had

YOUNGSTERS from four schools have helped to plant more than 1,000 trees in Mellor. The project, known as Elwood, is part of an initiative to increase East Lancashire's tree cover. The area only has half the national average of tree cover, and 100 pupils

SAFARIS are not just about sunshine and the plains of Africa. Experts from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birdsand United Utilities are to lead a series of winter bird safari walks -- in the Forest of Bowland. Walks around Stocks Reservoir, near

EAST Lancashire MP Nigel Evans has called on the government to act to save the post office network. The Ribble Valley Tory accepted that there were hundreds of closures under his own government, but with more than 200 branches shutting this year, the

INJURY-RAVAGED Blackpool head to Port Vale this weekend, hoping to put their play-off bid back on track. Boss Steve McMahon is desperately seeking reinforcements as injuries continue to keep out John Murphy and Keith Southern, as well as Leam Richardson

STAN Ternent roared his defiance following rumours he had quit in the wake of Burnley's derby day defeat at Preston. The Clarets chief chatted with chairman Barry Kilby within minutes of an astonishing game at Deepdale, which Burnley lost 5-3 despite

THE key moments and player ratings from the game against Preston. BURNLEY BRIAN JENSEN: A black picture has been painted and there's no doubt the Dane will be disappointed with at least two soft goals.... 5 DEAN WEST: Excellent in Burnley's attacking

CONCERNED Clarets boss Stan Ternent admitted his side's soft underbelly needs firming up after conceding another glut of goals. Burnley came out on the wrong side of a bizarre 5-3 defeat at Preston, despite one of their best performances of the season

DARWEN singer Natasha Lea Jones was thrilled when Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher turned up for one of her gigs. Natasha was preparing to perform at a charity concert the Blue Cat Cafe in Manchester, supporting Tom Hingley from The Lovers. But as she was

A MAN who faced the threat of custody over a series of brutal assaults on his girlfriend had a surprise when he attended court to be sentenced. Blackburn magistrates were told that David Evans' former partner had read about his case in the Lancashire

TRADERS in a pedestrianised street say they are fed up of being left out of Christmas celebrations after festive lights put up by Blackburn with Darwen Council failed to work. Council engineers were asked to check the bulbs which hang across Bridge Street

ROSSENDALE Borough Council's cultural services department has welcomed Maggie O'Keeffe who has been employed as arts development officer. Maggie, who will be job-sharing with Elaine Walsh at the cultural services department, graduated from the University

POLICE have appealed for witnesses after a young girl was attacked in a Blackburn street. Officers say the girl was walking along Freckleton Street, near the Railwayman's Club, with a friend on Thursday when a silver coloured car, possibly a BMW, pulled

THE government has handed Lancashire £5million to improve its recycling rates. The County Council said more of the region's households would be recycling their rubbish thanks to the windfall won by the Lancashire Waste Partnership. The money will be used

REVELLERS are being reminded that the party season could leave them with a baby as well as a hangover. Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust is circulating credit-card-sized reminders about the availability of the morning-after pill. Julie Wareing,

ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman was happy to walk away with three points from a trying encounter with Leigh RMI at Hilton Park. The Reds ran out 2-1 winners thanks to first half goals from midfielder Andy Gouck and right back Paul Howarth. Coleman

ACCRINGTON Stanley midfielder Andy Gouck knows exactly what he wants for Christmas - at least four points from two games against his former employers Morecambe. The Reds face the Shrimps at home on Boxing Day and then at Christie Park on New Year's Day

STANLEY midfielder Andy Gouck may have grabbed the headlines with his superb volley in the FA Cup, but his strike at Hilton Park may prove more important for the Reds as the season unfolds. The 31-year-old's stunning volley that sent third division Huddersfield

COLNE started the Christmas programme off with a hard-fought win against Ashton Town in the first league game at Holt House since October 22. The visitors had the better of the early exchanges and had three corners in quick succession which came to nothing

PADIHAM served up a pre-Christmas treat for their supporters at the Arbories on Saturday with a 4-1 victory over derby rivals Nelson. On a horrendous day weather-wise, the Storks management got their tactics right as Nelson were out-battled in midfield

DESPITE the fact that manager Brent Peters had the players in early to dust off those pre-Christmas cobwebs, it had little effect on the outcome of this North West Counties Division One game. In fact, the biggest hangover Bacup suffered was of their own

DALE went out of their second cup tournament in five days as high-flying Bridlington produced a superb second half performance to progress to the next round of the President's Cup. Up until the interval, Dale had more than matched their opponents, but

CHORLEY'S bid to avenge an earlier FA Cup defeat at the hands of Lancaster proved unsuccessful, as they also crashed out of the UniBond President's Cup. The main talking points concerned the referee's award of a dubious penalty to each side but the root

North End took the lead three times, only to allow Burnley to equalise three times, before finally managing to to knock away two more without conceding. For the neutral football fan, it was one of the best games in years. For fans supporting Preston,

IN these days of multi-million pound deals and players earning more in a week than many people earn in a year, it is easy for football to lose touch with reality. So the plight of little Darwen FC -- faced with extinction over a brewery bill of a few

CORONATION Street changed Church-born actress Julie Hesmondhalgh's life. In the second of our three part series on her life, she tells DONNA McKENZIE about her first day nerves, her hopes for the future of Roy and Hayley - and what really goes on, on

I FULLY agree with the Social Service star rating. Why is it always the council's fault when parents aacannot look after their children? It is unbelievable that a parent who brings their child up not to respect others and have the right standards is quick

A FATHER-of-four today praised his wife's fighting spirit after she defied all the odds to be alive at Christmas. Michael Rostron, of Surrey Road, Whitebirk, was told to expect the worst after Barbara, 47, was crushed by a fork lift truck while working

WHOEVER came up with the idea for Blackburn Rovers' Christmas party clearly has a wicked sense of humour. Last night, Graeme Souness and his players joined the rest of the staff for a pre-Christmas bash at Ewood which had a gangster theme. But considering

POLICE are appealing for late-night revellers in Burnley town centre to come forward with information after a woman suffered head injuries. The 19-year-old sustained the injuries outside the Home and Away taxi office in Cross Street on Saturday December

A TAXI driver was punched to the ground by a passenger who then drove off with his car in Burnley town centre. Police are studying forensic evidence and CCTV footage from the incident, which happened in Church Street at 3.10am on Saturday. They are also

BURNLEY MP Peter Pike has described the jailing of a former Taliban volunteer he campaigned to release as "a grave disappointment." Mr Pike was among a group who campaigned for the release of Anwar Khan, from Burnley, when he spent four years in jail

FIREFIGHTERS today praised a lifesaver who burst into a burning home in Burnley to rescue a woman asleep inside. Wagon driver Michael Ashworth was returning to his home in Darnley Street after a shopping trip at 4pm yesterday when he saw a flicker in

RESIDENTS from a Burnley neighbourhood blighted by empty houses have urged council bosses to reconsider their decision to reject a government scheme designed to tackle the problem. Residents group Piccadilly's Moving wants the council to charge the owners

PENDLE Council is to tell the Boundaries Committee it would prefer a unitary authority linking it to Burnley and Rossendale if the public votes for a shake- up of councils. A Lancashire or East Lancashire-wide council would be "unwieldy and impractical

A NELSON fire boss has welcomed new fireworks legislation coming into force today, which could mean his crews have a safer 2004. Station Officer Mark Woodward was on duty on bonfire night this year when firefighters and engines were besieged by youths

LITTLE Garry Davis sparked a massive police hunt when he went missing from his home after getting upset over why Christmas fell on different days each year. Garry became puzzled and walked out of his Briercliffe Street house, Burnley. East Lancashire's

TWO teenage ballerinas from Stonyhurst College, near Clitheroe have been selected for the English Youth Ballet out of more than 150 hopefuls. Serena Marchetta and Maria Huerta will start rehearsals early next year for the ballet company's first performances

BARRY Kilby looked shell-shocked and Stan Ternent was gobsmacked. No, not the great 'has he, hasn't he quit' debate - more the tell-tale reactions of two men contemplating how Burnley had grabbed all the lead roles in a blockbuster ... only to end up

BLACKBURN defender Craig Short today admitted Graeme Souness had every right to criticise the players after Rovers slumped to a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa. Souness described Saturday's woeful performance as 'unacceptable' and accused his faltering

STAN Ternent roared his defiance following rumours he had quit in the wake of Burnley's derby day defeat at Preston. The Clarets chief chatted with chairman Barry Kilby within minutes of an astonishing game at Deepdale, which Burnley lost 5-3 despite

BLACKBURN Rovers lost at home in the Premiership for the fifth time this season as Aston Villa secured a rare away victory. Second half goals from Steffan Moore and Juan Pablo Angel gave Villa their first away win since January. And David OLearys side

North End took the lead three times, only to allow Burnley to equalise three times, before finally managing to to knock away two more without conceding. For the neutral football fan, it was one of the best games in years. For fans supporting Preston,

Christmas is a time for tradition - for repeating activities that have been part of life at this time of year for generations. Christmas shopping, decorating the tree, carol singing, the school nativity, wrapping presents, roast turkey followed by Christmas

TROUBLED Darwen Football Club have been offered a last-minute reprieve after being threatened with closure by a brewery. A cash wrangle between the club and brewery Carlsberg-Tetley was due to reach the High Court today after the brewery submitted a winding-up

FESTIVE pub-goers are being urged to boycott a 'dirty dozen' hostelries which saboteurs claim are used by a controversial East Lancashire hunting group. The North-West Hunt Saboteurs Association has published the names of pubs where it says the Holcombe

LANCASHIRE Evening Telegraph Pride of East Lancashire winner, Mark Brown, was hailed a hero again by Blackburn Rovers fans. Mr Brown was the winner of the Grass Roots category in our campaign to thank unsung heroes in the community - an award sponsored

COUNCIL tax payers should expect 13 per cent rises for police services next year, it has been revealed. The figure is slightly less than the widely reported 15 per cent figure, but still means Band D householders paying £99 a year, an extra £11.43, for

A LANDLORD who was savaged by two guard dogs today welcomed the decisions to put the animals down. John Barnes, landlord of the Havelock Inn, Havelock Street, Blackburn, was bitten by the dogs as he went to investigate smoke coming from a building late

A FATHER-of-four today praised his wife's fighting spirit after she defied all the odds to be alive at Christmas. Michael Rostron, of Surrey Road, Whitebirk, was told to expect the worst after Barbara, 47, was crushed by a fork lift truck while working

PRESTON number two Billy Davies admitted North End may struggle to hang on to Ricardo Fuller when Premiership clubs come calling. The Jamaican enhanced his growing reputation with a hat-trick to sink Burnley at Deepdale. And first team coach Davies fears

A NEW video and DVD takes an inside look at the way travelling families can get involved in education. The Traveller Education Service (TES) supported 631 children during the past year as well as offering advice and support to hundreds of families. And