THOUSANDS of East Lancashire firms are set to come under the taxman's gaze! Commercial properties are being revalued for business rates in a major project which gets underway in May. The job is being carried out by the valuation office, an agency of the
LOVE-STRUCK David Buckel told of his heartache as he was unable to bring his Filipino bride to his Accrington home. The authorities refused to issue visas to his 28-year-old wife Rowena and her daughter Marie, six, despite the fact that the couple had
A SPLIT in Labour ranks threatened Blackburn Council's plans to appoint an £11,000 per year graffiti troubleshooter. Coun Frank Gorton, whose refusal to back the bid to appoint an officer responsible for dealing with vandalism in the town, claiming the
A BUSINESS plan has been put together by town hall bosses which aims to create 1,000 new jobs in Blackburn and Darwen over the next 12 months. Economic experts at the town hall have been working on a development plan and see the next year as a key period
Obituary LONG-serving Burnley magistrate Elsie Hargreaves has died after collapsing at her home. Miss Hargreaves, 77, a JP for 40 years and former chairman of the licensing bench, lived alone and called close friends on Friday to alert them when she felt
A COUPLE who spent six years trying for a baby today paid tribute to the health visitor who helped to save their daughter's life. Tiny Kirsty Bury is back home for Easter after making a remarkable recovery from a 48-hour operation to correct a rare heart
THE POOR old NHS gets lots of stick, but East Lancashire baby Kirsty Bury is living proof of the excellence and dedication of our health workers that, so often, goes unsung. The tiny infant was an apparently healthy baby, but she was born with a rare
Ron Freethy's Easter Walk - SPRING WOOD and WHALLEY I WAS once asked in a television interview to list my three favourite Lancashire Walks, and I had to hedge my bets a bit. But if it was a springtime stroll, and as I was looking for my first choice,
Looking Back, with Eric Leaver THOUGH the official retirement age is still 65 , nowadays many workers have opted for a life of leisure long before that. But 50 years ago, some doughty sorts in East Lancashire were backing Britain - and getting a big pat
PETER Shackleton's new formal offer for Burnley Football Club has been accepted in principle by the board of directors. The lifelong Burnley fan delivered documents to Saturday's game with Bristol City which finally convinced the board that funds were
ANDY Payton turned back the clock to topple Second Division leaders Bristol City with the goal that has reopened Burnley's route to safety. Payton's first penalty for seven seasons earned the Clarets a 1-0 win at a tension-racked Turf Moor to put City's
Bolton Wanderers 2 Blackburn Rovers 1 - Peter White's big match verdict ROY Hodgson should have made at least one pre-deadline signing, adding Inspector Morse to the payroll in an attempt to solve the mystery of just what has happened to his Euro-hopefuls
ENGINEERS showed their mettle at a meeting! Members of the North West branch of the Welding Institute attended a lecture given by Roy Bradshaw, of Graham Engineering. The lecture, held at the firm's Nelson site, looked at the use of stainless steel. Previous
A SERIES of workshops aimed at helping small firms prevent problems in the workplace has been announced The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service in the North West has organised the workshops covering discipline, terms and conditions of employment
THE new working time directive adopted by the government is good news for workers. That is the opinion of Pendle MP Gordon Prentice. Despite the row between some unions and the government over it allowing individuals to negotiate their own opt out - with
A COMPANY boss who has had three cars written off is demanding action over speeding motorists causing havoc outside his home. Chris O'Conner, of Portfield Bar, Great Harwood, has made his plea in the wake of this week's fatal accident at the blackspot
IT IS clear that the new education authority for Blackburn and Darwen, which came into being with the council gaining unitary status this month, has a difficult task from the outset. For classroom standards are revealed as being well below national average
JOHN Ward was full of praise for the Burnley supporters who gave him a remarkable welcome back to Turf Moor on Saturday. And with a bumper following from Bristol City hailing their manager for delivering promotion from the Second Division, Ward was given
Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal - Peter White's big match preview THE Arsenal defence has come in for its share of deserved praise in their emergence as genuine title contenders. But the real key to the Gunners' challenge could lie a little further forward
JASON Wilcox's red card and another booking for Colin Hendry has blown a huge hole in Blackburn Rovers' squad for the home game against Wimbledon on Saturday week. Wilcox admitted he was "devastated" after collecting his second red card of the season
Burnley 1 Bristol City 0 - Pete Oliver's big match verdict THOSE of a nervous disposition should look away now. Burnley's roller coaster shows no sign of slowing down and the tension can only get worse as they hurtle towards delight or desolation. After
