COUNCIL bosses have come under fire for running a scheme where children do time behind bars at a prison housing dangerous sex offenders. MPs, police officers and leading national charities said it was "wholly inappropriate" for children as young as eight
POST Office chiefs have apologised after a branch ran out of money. Elderly people were unable to withdraw pensions at Little Harwood Post Office, Whalley Old Road Blackburn. A nearby post office had shut, sending its regular customers to the Little
PATIENTS forced to travel out of their home town under hospital changes will have to take the bus because parking is "insufficient", bosses have admitted. Services are to be divided between hospitals in Blackburn and Burnley, meaning thousands of people
A FORMER leader of the Liberal Democrats on Blackburn with Darwen Council is to be reported to a national watchdog for allegedly breaking planning rules. Darwen councillor Paul Browne is being reported to the Standards Board for England by rival councillor
A DANGEROUS pervert due to be released from jail within days has lost a bid to have a camera ban overturned. Child sex offender Daniel Edmunds, 20, took secret photographs of young women's bottoms on his mobile phone for his own gratification and snaps
THE family of a bus driver killed in a crash have told of their grief at his sudden death. Russell Horne, 64, of Revidge Road, Blackburn, sustained multiple injuries when the bus and an articulated lorry collided on the A56 near Edenfield on Thursday
A FAMILY holidaying in Spain were kept under siege at their luxury villa by a 30-strong gang of armed yobs. The terrified holidaymakers say they were trapped while the menacing thugs hurled bricks at windows and tried to get into the property. Lyndon
A BODY which helps to fund town centre improvements in Burnley has appointed two new members. The Business Improvement District (BID) has a new chairman and vice-chairman on board to help improve Burnley town centre. Stan Kennedy, general manager of
ROSSENDALE Borough Council has adopted a new policy to minimise the risk of poisoning on its premises. Councillors agreed the proposals to deal with asbestos poisoning and legionnaires disease. The council has a duty to carry out asbestos surveys on
RECREATIONAL and sporting facilities in Edenfield are set to be improved, and a new community centre developed. The news comes after Rossendale Council agreed to lease the recreation ground to the local community association. Plans by Edenfield and
AN EGG-shaped sculpture at the top of Wycoller Park has become the second Panopticon to be officially unveiled. The Atom, by the Haworth Road car park, was heralded with a ceremony yesterday attended by designer Peter Meacock. The bronze coated, egg-shaped
DETECTIVES hunting a thug who carried out an unprovoked attack on a shopper have released CCTV images of a man they would like to question. The victim, a 23-year-old man, was sitting on a bench near to Boots and Woolworths in St James's Street, in Burnley
A FORMER delivery driver who narrowly escaped jail for a drink drive offence appealed his sentence. Albert Walsh, 42, who used to play for Burnley Rugby Union Club, had been unable to stand still, his eyes were glazed and staggered after police followed
A TEENAGER has been banned from drinking in public in an East Lancashire borough after being made the subject of an ASBO. Matthew Spencer, 17, of Aylesbury Walk, Burnley, made lives hell for residents living on the Kibble Bank estate, Reedley magistrates
BLUNDERING work-men had to dig up a prestige paving project in order to re-fit a drain after it was discovered it was too small. More than £100,000 has been spent transforming Sudell Cross, Blackburn, into a pedestrian-friendly plaza. But a week after
A POWER cut caused a bank's security systems to fail - leaving the branch unlocked when it was closed. And the woman who discovered the HSBC bank in Padiham was unsecure, with no staff in the building, said it would have been an ideal opportunity for
AN EAST Lancashire school has become the first in the county to make China's official language Mandarin a compulsory subject. Independent Westholme School, Blackburn, has joined only a handful in the UK to make the subject a set part of its language
Blackburn Rovers' Brett Emerton will line up against the side that tried to sign him at the Riverside today. "There's no denying that there was an interest in me from Middlesbrough during the summer," said Emerton. "But I always wanted to stay at Blackburn
GIFTON Noel-Williams has been taken off the transfer-list following his return to Burnley's starting line-up. The 26-year-old striker looked set to leave Turf Moor after being placed on the list at the end of last season. But after a string of good
MORTEN Gamst Pedersen normally tops the scoring charts rather than the music charts. But the Blackburn Rovers midfielder, who is second only to the king of Norway in terms of popularity in his homeland, has further enhanced his cult status by recording
AT the start of the season, Lancashire all-rounder Tom Smith was just hoping to get some experience in the Red Rose County's first team. But this coming winter, he will be part of the ECB's academy squad based in Western Australia - a group of players
Blackburn Hawks anticipate a difficult challenge tonight as they prepare to face Scottish champions Fife Flyers their second Northern Ice Hockey League fixture. But Hawks make the long journey north to Fife in fine form, currently unbeaten in their first
BLACKBURN Rovers have teamed up with charity Scope to kick out disability discrimination in football. The club already boasts some of the best disabled facilities in the country. But disabled supporters now have better access to food and drink -
AN ACCRINGTON church has a full-time pastor for the first time in 12 years after an increase in its congregation. Steve Thomasson has served as the minister-in-training at Ernest Street Baptist Church for the past three years while studying at Spurgeon's
A JUDGE demanded a review into council vetting procedures after a convicted thief got a job as a binman - and stole from a 92-year-old with Alzheimer's. Recorder Philip Butler jailed Daniel Reid, 20, of Malvern Avenue, Hapton, for two years, and then
SOME STARS deserve a good ribbing. They swan around in their designer clobber and diamond-encrusted sports cars snivelling on about their "art" and "media intrusion". So last night's Star Stories (Ch4) starring "George Michael" was a breath of fresh
Beside an ancient crossing of Pendle Water, this group of attractive Listed Grade II farm buildings and walled garden is the perfect base from which to explore the Pendle area. The old farmhouse, known as Park Hill has been restored using traditional
TWO centuries ago Carmenere was a popular grape in Bordeaux but then virtually disappeared. That was until 15 years ago when the Chileans realised much of what they had been growing and calling Merlot was in fact Carmenere. Here's a strong (14.5%
HERE'S the wine equivalent to a Ryanair flight. It has no frills but does a reasonable job at an absurdly low price. What you get is a blend of Colombard and chardonnay from France's southern Atlantic coast with a sensible 12 per cent alcohol level
IT'S funny how a little thing like not being offered a steak knife can spoil your enjoyment of an otherwise excellent meal. But if you've ordered a steak, you do expect to be given the requisite impliments to complete the task. The Walton Arms has
A bank worker is swapping pound notes for musical ones after winning a national competition to sing with a leading opera company. Emma Harrison, 22, of Manchester Road, Nelson, a customer service worker at Yorkshire Bank's Nelson branch, triumphed in
POLICE in Accrington are launching a crackdown on the growing problem of petrol thieves who fill-up and drive off without paying. Officers have targeted one filling station in Burnley Road after it was revealed that there had been more than 50 incidents
By Keith Sowerbutts. All the girls loved Steve, a man about town He was charming, handsome and funny The kind of hunk you would see on the screen Being wealthy, having plenty of money. Shirley met her best friend Joan Saying she'd had a bit
IN the name of art we have had smelly bed-linen, pickled animals, a tin can and various other monstrosities foisted upon us by the so-called art world. This has to be a huge con trick. If private investors want to invest their own money in this nonsense
I WANT to publicly thank Gary Mullen for his kindness, and fabulous performance recently at King George's Hall. My son and I even had the privilege of meeting Gary before his outstanding tribute to Freddie Mercury and the music of Queen. It would have
DARWEN Leisure Centre is a wonderful complex. It has a vast sports hall with a multitude of uses, badminton, football, netball, to mention but a few, tiered seating which can be extended from the wall, a second large practice hall and, in between, a room
Mark Wright, 28, from Barnoldswick, has defied all odds and qualified for the V8 Hotstox World Final taking place at Northampton International Raceway tomorrow. Mark nicknamed "The Scavenger" races under number 356, which he proudly bears as a tribute
CARL Fogarty has lost one of his major riders this week. Aussie Steve Martin will race for the DFX Treme Honda team next season after agreeing a deal to race alongside Italian Michel Fabrizio in the World Superbike Championship. Martin, who has
Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes has defended his decision to give Lucas Neill the captain's armband, insisting the contract rebel is the best man for the job'. The decision to appoint the Aussie as skipper has not won universal approval on the terraces
