TIGER Woods or Roger Federer? As far as Blackburn's Nick Dougherty is concerned, there's only one winner when determining who is the leading sportsman in the world today. And it's not the Swiss chap with a racket in his hand. Dougherty is never shy
JOHN Coleman was putting the final touches to his squad tonight after watching the Reds draw 2-2 with North West Counties outfit New Mills. Fielding a side made up largely of youth players and trialists - with Paul Carden and Martin Fearon handed starting
TWO police officers and four staff have been reprimanded after failing to spot a grandfather was seriously injured when he was taken into custody. Police thought Michael Wyld, 46, of Nelson, was drunk, but he had a serious head injury after failing off
A TEENAGE mother's bank account was mistakenly credited with £135,000 - and a court was told she spent the lot. And now Sarah Jane Lee, 19, has told of her fears that she will be jailed after appearing in court and admitted retaining wrongful credit
BURNLEY produced a five-star performance against Wrexham at The Racecourse tonight. But the shine was taken off an entertaining evening by an injury to Northern Ireland international Kyle Lafferty in the first half. Andy Gray put the Clarets 2-0 up
IT'S nip and tuck at the top of the Ribblesdale Senior League - and Baxenden skipper Mark Rishton is expecting that to be the case for the rest of the 2007 campaign. The Back Lane side went back to the top of the table thanks to their win over Oswaldtwistle
VALLEY councillors have pledged to reduce their carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025 in a bid to lead the way in reducing climate change. The Rossendale Labour Group learned about the dangers of climate change from Valley expert Tom Jackson, of Rossendale
A BURNLEY school at the centre of a public inquiry has launched its own petition to the Prime Minister to fight back against protesting residents. Permission has already been given to build the 1,050-place Unity College on Towneley playing fields, but
ANDY Gray produced a first half double as Burnley took a 2-0 lead against Wrexham at The Racecourse. But while Burnley celebrated Gray's brace there was concern over Kyle Lafferty after the Northern Ireland international was stetchered off just before
CELEBRITY Burnley fan Alastair Campbell has spent £15,000 to fulfill his dream - spending the day with the Clarets team and sitting on the subs bench. And at the auction where Mr Campbell secured the prize, he went to great lengths to show how much he
FORMER Burnley striker Phil Eastwood now has another goal - providing fun and football for youngsters. The Whalley-born forward is a head coach at Teamtheme who provide specialist after-school and summer camp football coaching for children. Eastwood
WHILE presiding over last week's presentation evening for the Blackburn CIU Snooker League, federation secretary Jack Houghton suddenly felt a four-midable' sense of déjà vu. For the evergreen septuagenarian is now celebrating four decades of association
A MUM has told of her heartbreak at losing a second young son to the same genetic condition. Oliver Jackson, 15, of The Crescent, Clitheroe, died in Royal Blackburn Hospital, three days after he collapsed at school. Oliver was born with a strain of
SIX workers from Pendle Council have received certificates for completing a nationally-recognised defensive driving course, each gaining a nationally- recognised qualification. The Community Transport drivers took part in the course, which focuses on
A KARATE instructor is preparing for his attempt to break 30 wooden boards in a minute for charity. Andrew Allwood, 43, runs Tower Shukokai karate club at Darwen Vale High School on Friday nights and Turton and Edgworth Primary School on Saturday mornings
A SCOOTER-riding flasher who has been targeting women for 18 months is being hunted by police. Police believe the man, who witnesses say was in his 20s, could be responsible for a series of incidents reported in Colne and Trawden. They are also concerned
A PENSIONER walking home from a family Christmas celebration died after a car skidded out of control and crashed into him on the pavement. An inquest heard Michael Toman, 78, of Primrose Bank, Stacksteads, was returning home along The Glen when the accident
A RESTAURANT owner is starting to supply his own organic bottled lager to off-licences in Darwen. Resh Gohel, 29, of Moor Close, who with his father Sukhi Gohel owns Sukhis Indian Cuisine restau-rant, Darwen, started supplying bottles of Sukhis Lager
WEIGHING in at more than 20 stone and standing 6ft tall, Mark Haydock is a man mountain you just can't ignore. The fact that he is a multiple British champion and a world record holder in his particular sport goes a little more unnoticed. For the 32
THE ROSSENDALE Civic Trust has said it will object to a £45million development of a shopping centre and apartments in the valley. Kathy Fishwick, chair of the trust, said the plans for the Valley Centre in Rawtenstall were "fundamentally flawed". The
ANGLERS are being reminded that they must not take away any fish they catch at Walverden Reservoir, Foulridge Reservoir and Ballgrove Lake. Pendle Council has noticed fish stocks in the reservoirs and the lake decreasing, because some people have been
A "SUICIDAL" father-of-three who sparked a siege by climbing on the roof of a Tesco store could be jailed. Drunken Alexander Fishwick, 31, had hurled missiles at police, almost electrocuted himself and repeatedly put a cable around his neck and walked
Our sports reporter Gavin Gibbon has fought the world's number Ultimate Fighter and played snooker with Graham Dott. In this latest Go With Gibbon video he tries his luck at snowboarding.
RESIDENTS are celebrating after a corner shop was refused a licence to sell alcohol. Fifteen letters of objection were sent by Whitehall residents living near the shop in Cemetery Road who said they feared anti-social gangs of teenagers would start to
Paul Cruise of B and M Henderson has kindly agreed to sponsor our waterproofs. This is the second time Paul has done this. When we were first starting out as under 8's Paul put up the cash for our very first waterproofs. He is a great supporter of
Glynn Thompson has been recognised by our governing body for his contribution to Harwood Rovers. Our Head Coach for the Rovers' "Mini League" has been with the Club for 10 years in which time he has made a massive contribution to the bedrock of the
FOUR teenage girls have been arrested following a "despicable" racist attack on a family at a fun fair. Police said an Asian family were lucky to escape injury after they were set upon by a gang at Burnley Fair, Fulledge Recreation Ground, on Sunday.
A 42-year-old man suffered a broken arm, bruising and cuts in an assault in Darwen. The victim, who also had cash stolen, was knocked out and does not remember who his attacker was or where he was assaulted but it happened between 2am and 5am on Sunday
Glen Chapple and Muttiah Muralitharan have been included in Lancashire Lightning's 13-man squad for tonight's Twenty20 Cup quarter-final against the Warwickshire Bears at Edgbaston. Muralitharan is flying back from Colombo after competing in a Test
A TEENAGER who received an organ donation when she was just nine months old has disagreed with calls for a new donor scheme. Lauren Leach, 18, believes Sir Liam Donaldson's call for everyone to be treated as willing organ donors, unless they have explicitly
YOUNG tennis ace Charlie Hutchings recently enjoyed a day trip to Wimbledon - but he is hoping to one day return as a player. The nine-year-old got a close up look at the stars of today knowing exactly what is required if he is to be a star of tomorrow
"LAZY" parents who park on zig-zag lines outside schools have been told to "clean up their act" after an eight-year-old girl was left with a broken arm. The girl, a pupil at Lord Street Primary School, Colne, was running towards the building last Wednesday
A PROLIFIC criminal admitted flouting an anti-social behaviour order but has won his freedom while he awaits his fate. Joseph Farrelly Phillips, 37, was given the order in a bid to stop his ever-increasing car crime, to keep him away from people's homes
AN office block in the heart of Blackburn is due to go under the hammer tomorrow. The three-storey office complex at 15 Preston New Road could fetch up to £500,000 when it is put up for auction by Preston-based Pugh and Company. Richard and Maralyn
Editor’s note: A jury rejected the allegations against Mr Haworth and acquitted him of all charges on 28 January 2008. A TRAINEE solicitor has appeared in court charged with indecency offences with a girl under 14. Former Darwen man Paul Haworth
A COUPLE looking for the perfect family home had their prayers answered when they found a rundown church in need of redevelopment. John and Sandra Houlihan have spent the heavenly sum of £200,000 renovating Bentham Road Methodist Church in Mill Hill,
A MAN has been fined after he claimed more than £1,200 in benefits which he wasn't entitled. Reedley magistrates fined Gary Macro, 24, of Hill Street, Padiham, £50 and ordered him to pay £200 costs. He was also ordered to pay back the overpaid amount
A DRUG addict who acted as a "gofer" for a heroin dealer he owed cash has been jailed for three years. Burnley Crown Court heard how father-of-two Qamar Zaman, of Halifax Road, Brierfield, was caught "red-handed" with 22.8grammes of heroin, worth up
A PIZZA shop boss who attacked a rowdy customer has walked free from court. Mohammed Ali, 19, struck after victim drunken Shaun Whelan, who had had had nine pints in a night on the town, was said to have kicked his delivery vehicle and spat at him
A BLACKBURN teenager has been selected to represent the North West in a nationwide search to find the next generation of football coaches. Joe Walmsley was picked to take part in a five-day Young Leaders' course run by The Football Association and FA
JONATHAN Norman is not a man to hang about when it comes to making the grade in martial arts. For the Burnley College student was just 13-years-old when he gained his Ju Jitsu black belt and now, just five years later, he is a third Dan. However, it
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a manhole where foam was bubbling up in Huncoat early yesterday. Police on patrol spotted the foam spread over about three square metres in Whinney Hill Road at about 2.30am and called firefighters. They discovered water
SHORT-TEMPERED Malcolm Cooke assaulted two people for the wrong reasons, a court was told. Hyndburn magistrates heard that Cooke head-butted a man he mistakenly though had smashed his car window. And on another occasion he assaulted his girlfriend because
AUSTRALIAN pace bowler, Mike Whitney, had few pretensions to batting beyond some heroics against Richard Hadlee in the drawn 1987 Boxing Day Test. So, without question, his greatest knock was at Rishton in 1990. He said: "I'd never made a half-century
POLICE are making a fresh appeal for anyone who might have seen a robbery which left a 15-year-old unconscious. The robbery occurred when the teenager was walking a female friend home along Marsden Hall Road, Nelson. They were approached by several
RESIDENTS will soon see their rundown communities transformed under the multi-million Elevate regeneration scheme, council bosses have pledged. The vow comes after Burnley Borough Council revealed it was spending the Elevate cash faster than ever before
A bowling club is throwing its doors open to youngsters in a bid to stop vandalism. Burnley Road Bowling Green, Accrington, is holding a taster day for children' on Sunday, and hopes that getting them interested in the sport it will prevent further damage
TWO hundred tubes of dangerous fake Sensodyne toothpaste have been seized in Blackburn and Darwen following a national alert. The seizures were revealed as a pensioner spoke of his weeks of agony after developing gum problems whilst using the product
ONE of the biggest junior leagues in Lancashire is expanding and is forming its first girls only age group. The Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and District Junior and Youth League is inviting teams to join a girls under 14s age group in time for the new
MINI CCTV cameras are being placed in parked cars as part of a police 'sting' operation to crackdown on vehicle crime. Crime figures in Accrington have been skewed by a high number of thefts from vehicles over the past year. Thieves are targeting cars
A HEADTEACHER has received "the best retirement present I could have asked for" after it received an "outstanding" Ofsted report. Glenys Purchase will retire from Meadow Head Infant School, Blackburn, this week. This month, Ofsted inspectors judged
IF you are a fan of country and western music get along to KSC Club, Forest Street, Nelson, on Friday, July 27. Young female vocalist Kate Rhodes is appearing. Organisers are hoping for a good night. Trevor Parker from the club said: "This type
The Royal Oak in Bridge Street, Ramsbottom, now has a full range of Thwaites cask beers - traditional and seasonal - a major step as the pub was previously keg only. Licencees Elaine and Adrian Singleton have also introduced a jam and guitar night
THE Royal Oak in Pleckgate, Blackburn, has new owners at the helm. Tim Pye and Michael Hargreaves, formerly of the Dog and Otter in Great Harwood, have taken over the popular pub that serves a range of cask ales and wines from Byrnes of Clitheroe.
ANGLERS are being asked to report catches from the River Ribble in a bid to discover if seals have damaged fish stocks in the winter. Two seals invaded the River Ribble earlier this year in search of food, and locals named one Murphy' as it was thought
The Britannia Coconutters performed at an event to celebrate the 20th birthday of Ramsbottom Heritage Society. The town's civic hall, the venue for the occasion, was bustling with activities. They included interactive demonstrations, 3D photography
The funeral of a man at the centre of a murder investigation was held yesterday. Patrick Healey, 34, of Wycoller Avenue, Burnley, was found collapsed in the stairwell of a house in Sandpiper Square on May 21 after a day of drinking with friends. A post
DO you get the feeling that the pendulum has swung a little too far but is now starting to swing back? Am I reading the little signs and signals - the hints about marriage and such? I do hope so, for we have gone too far down the road of anything goes
MARK Hughes believes Premiership spending is spiralling out of control following the influx of cash from the new television deal. Already this summer, Premier League clubs have splashed out a staggering £284 million on new players - their biggest ever
ST JAMES the Less church in Rawtenstall held a duck race with a twist on Sunday. The recent bad weather meant that the water levels were too high to have the annual event in the stream so they decided to have a virtual duck race on the computer. Father
STEVE Cotterill admits he is hunting for more summer signings after luring former Manchester City defender Stephen Jordan to Turf Moor. Jordan yesterday completed a free transfer move to Burnley, signing a three-year deal having been released by City
A CANON who planned his funeral after being diagnosed with cancer is rejoicing after battling back to health. Honorary Canon Simon Bessant, 51, from Pleckgate, Blackburn, was told he had the disease in 2005 after finding blood in his urine. And he said
PARKS in Blackburn, Burnley and Hyndburn have been named among the best in the north west. Eleven parks in East Lancashire were revealed today as winners of Green Flag Award - the national standard for parks and green spaces. In Blackburn the winners
I AM trying to find out the whereabouts of Mavis Valet (maiden name) who lived in Beaumaris Avenue, Mill Hill in her teens and attended the Apostolic Church, Randel Street, Blackburn in the 1950s. I believe she emigrated to either Australia or New Zealand
MENTAL health services haven't changed much in the past 20 years, people are asking for help, not receiving it and committing suicide. I suffered post-natal depression 21 years ago. All the psychiatrist wanted to know was how was I sleeping, eating and
DO ANY of your readers, when asked where they come from, every reply Blackburn with Darwen? Do they heck. Likewise I don't believe anybody ever answered Hyndburn. They are names of administrative areas - not people's home towns. So what if nobody's heard
HOW dare Kate Hollern make a statement living today and pay tomorrow.' The Labour Party has short memories. Is that what it was doing with the Academy, leaving the bill for future generations to pay for. I am ashamed and saddened by what has happened
THE heat is on for Robbie Savage as Blackburn Rovers train in temperatures approaching 35-degrees. Savage, along with the rest of the squad, had to take several water breaks as they prepared for Sunday's clash against FC Vetra in Lithuania at their
ANDRE Ooijer is ready to put six months of injury hell behind him by helping to lead Blackburn Rovers back into the UEFA Cup. The Dutch defender, who produced some of his best performances for Rovers during last season's European campaign, is back in
PUPILS at Stonyhurst College, Hurst Green, are staging a production of the musical Les Misérables. Les Misérables is based on Victor Hugo's classic story of unjust treatment of the poor and political agitation in 19th century France. Auditions will
A BEDROOM fire was started by children playing with lighters at a property in Bridgefield Close, Rishton, around 9pm last night. A babysitter had been looking after the children at the time. The house was evacuated once the fire alarm sounded and the
