Archive

  • Time to review van tipping ban

    WHEN a ban on vans using public tips was brought in across East Lancashire there were plenty of warnings of what was likely to happen. It didn't take a genius to forecast that rather than spend time and money irresponsible people would just dump rubbish

  • The Saturday Message

    with the Rev Kevin Logan, Vicar of Christ Church, Accrington. . . SATURDAY Message reader, you shall be taken from this place, and thence to a place of execution where you shall be... "Hang on a mo," you interrupt. "What's the charge?" You've been found

  • Quality and quiffs get the joint jumping ...

    SIXTEEN years and still going strong. The Burnley Blues Festival got off to a cracking start last night with the main stage at Burnley Mechanics offering entertainment of the highest quality. It was a night that offered something for everyone and proved

  • Around Ingleton Falls

    Drive & Stroll, with RON FREETHY THIS five-mile walk is circular and well marked. Despite the excellent marking you can be a little confused by the name of the two rivers. The Twiss and the Doe have interchanged their names several times over the

  • They really were good old days

    IMAGINE a place where children play happily in the street, a place where people can leave their windows and doors open without fear of intruders. Imagine a place were the words 'compensation,' 'paedophile,' 'asylum' and 'junkie' are never heard. Imagine

  • Muslims are being paranoid

    WHY do Muslims like Shuiab Khan ask if being a Muslim makes him a terrorist? Is it because the current wave of terrorism appears to be carried out by Muslims? I am a Catholic born in Britain of Irish parents as are my two brothers. We were never paranoid

  • War declared on litter louts

    RESIDENTS are being asked to make an extra effort to help in the war on litter. Following the Atherton Cleaner Greener Group's weekend blitz on the stream and embankment grot spots in Brook Street and Prestwich Street, Cllr Sue Loudon has appealed for

  • RMI down but hopeful

    Halifax 2 Leigh RMI 1by Martyn Hindley: LEIGH RMI have been relegated from the Conference for the first time in their short history after defeat at Halifax. But manager Phil Starbuck is telling his players to keep fighting -- hoping that confusion over

  • Souness: Thanks for sticking by us

    GRAEME Souness has praised the Blackburn Rovers fans for the way they've stuck by his struggling squad this season. The Blackburn Rovers boss is calling on the supporters to inspire his side to victory in the two home games he sees as central to Rovers

  • Teenager found in school at 1am

    A TEENAGER was found asleep under a table at a school in the early hours, Burnley magistrates heard. The court was told Lee Jarvis, 18, and another man were discovered at Earby County Primary School by police after the alarm went off at 1am. He was arrested

  • Councillor pleads for more bins in dog mess row

    A BURNLEY councillor has urged the council to provide more dog fouling bins to help encourage pet owners to be more responsible. Councillor Margaret Lishman had asked for more bins in her Briercliffe ward, but was told that the money would have to come

  • Elevate cash 'too little too late'

    A BURNLEY councillor claims the £15million Government cash boost to regenerate housing in the town is "too little, too late". Councillor Mozaquir Ali believes people's hopes for a huge transformation of the town will not be realised with the amount of

  • £2.4m homes repair scheme go-ahead

    A £2.4 MILLION repair scheme to restore homes in the Whitefield area of Nelson has been given the go-ahead by councillors. Doors, windows, gutters, pipes and stonework will be repaired at 106 houses in nine terraces in St Mary's Street, Every Street,

  • Easter taste to market

    THE monthly farmer's market will be in Ramsbottom on Sunday with a distinctly Easter theme -- visitors can sample special Easter duckling curd or fresh hog roast. The market is open from 10am to 3pm in Market Place, weather permitting. The next market

  • Words of advice for Dubya and David

    THE President of the United States and the captain of the England football team must secretly be wishing they could somehow turn back time. Were that possible, certain decisions they made would be very different. Linking George W Bush and David Beckham

  • Stepping out for festival

    A WALKING festival is being organised for later this year. The event, the first one to be held in Pendle, will be held from Friday to Monday, September3- 6. Each day will feature about five different walks of varying lengths throughout the borough, some

  • Attacker had found victim in bed with woman

    A 37-YEAR-old man who attacked and injured another man has left Burnley Crown Court free. Ian Redman had struck after finding victim James Taylor in bed with a woman. Redman was later charged with raping the woman but was cleared, the court was told.

  • Council's extra help for home buyers

    HOME buyers in Hyndburn can benefit from a reduced fee for local searches. Searches deal with questions covering planning, building control, highways and environmental health, and are required by building societies and banks lending mortgages. Hyndburn

  • Jobs offer for staff facing axe

    THIRTY-EIGHT workers who face losing their jobs at a Bury-based textile factory will be offered alternative employment. The staff at Milliken & Company in Wellington Street will be hit by the company's decision to close its industrial products division

  • Chemists on Duty

    WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; The Surgery (Chiropody), 132 Lammack Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The

  • Do you want spam with that?

    IF you have a website naturally you will feature an email address so people can contact you. However, one of the problems of the internet are spam messages to your email account that waste your time and can even be fraudulent. If this happens to you then

  • After 44 years, Rodney decides to call it a day

    A ROSSENDALE council worker who is thought to be the longest serving employee at the authority has decided to down tools and take early retirement. Joiner Rodney Sellars has worked at the council for 44 years -- since he was taken on as an apprentice

  • Tourism body folds as funds dry up

    A BODY set up to boost tourism in Lancashire has been forced to fold after its funding came to an end. Lancashire Tourism Partnership was set up with government Single Regeneration Budget money in 1996. Since then the £7.5million originally granted has

  • Discounts on holidays 'pure luck'

    LANCASHIRE'S Trading Standards chiefs have discovered it is "pure luck" whether holidaymakers can get discounts on advertised package prices featured in travel brochures. While one holiday in Mallorca could be bought for £935.46 less than the brochure

  • Benefits cheat had eight jobs

    A 58-YEAR-OLD benefits cheat had at least eight jobs during a three year period when she claimed nearly £10,000 she wasn't entitled to. Blackburn magistrates heard that when she was first interviewed grandmother Barbara Pinder only admitted working as

  • Vice girls tarnish town's image

    PROSTITUTES are tarnishing Blackburn's image by working near a new gateway designed to welcome people to the town. Drivers coming up through Redlam are having to pass prostitutes touting for business at Whalley Banks before reaching the gateway as the

  • Croquet club fundraising day

    BURY Croquet Club will be holding its annual open day to raise money for Bury Hospice on April 17, at Coronation Park, Radcliffe, from 1pm. Visitors can play the game, have a go on the tombola and enjoy refreshments. During the same weekend, Bury Croquet

  • Rundown sites revamp gets green light

    A PLAN to demolish some of Bury's worst housing and breathe new life into the Pimhole area of the town has been given the go-ahead. More than 130 homes around Ingham Street are earmarked for demolition to make way for between 60 and 80 new properties.

  • Lancaster is bombed out by Starbuck

    MARTYN Lancaster is the first casualty of Leigh RMI's mass end of season shake-up - whether the club are relegated or not. The central defender, who joined the club 15 months ago from Chester City, will be released at the end of the season as manager

  • Labour group talking rubbish

    AT the council forum on April 1, I asked the Labour group to return the grey refuse bins to weekly collections because of the many complaints received from the people of Blackburn with Darwen. Not unexpectedly they refused. I had been told previously

  • Wrong of Lords to dismiss wish of the people

    THE letter March 31 headed "We must protect democracy" presumed that the unelected House of Lords was some bastion of democracy for trying to deny North West voters the opportunity to vote by post. The reality is that the Tory members of the House of

  • High price of Centurions' victory

    Leigh Centurions 46 Halifax 20 by Mike Hulme: THE Centurions runaway victory over major rivals Halifax may have come at a high price. Key half-back Tommy Martyn was rushed off to hospital for x-rays on a possible broken jaw after, Leigh claim, he was

  • Drunken man gassed

    A BINGE drinker who took a swing at a police officer ended up being CS gassed, Burnley magistrates heard. Christopher Holt, 35, of Patridge Hill Street, Padiham, was given 75 hours community punishment by District Judge Paul Firth. He admitted threatening

  • Nugent on goal trail - at last!

    BURY 2 TORQUAY UTD 1: TWELVE months have elapsed since Dave Nugent scored his last goal for Bury, but Good Friday's winner brought relief not just to him, but to everyone connected with the Shakers. Because the three points gained from the victory over

  • Lottery to aid hospice

    RESIDENTS in Pendle are being urged to help a local charity by signing up to a weekly lottery. Pendle Council has allowed Pendleside Hospice to put a leaflet about its weekly lottery in with council tax bills set to around 38,000 homes in the borough.

  • Chemists on Duty

    MONDAY, APRIL 12 BLACKBURN: 10am-1pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; noon-1pm: Moss Pharmacy, 98 Audley Range. DARWEN: noon-1pm: Geloo Bros, 14 Union Street. ACCRINGTON: 10am-noon: Boots Chemist, Broadway, Accrington; noon-1pm: Rishton Pharmacy,

  • Chemists on Duty

    TUESDAY, APRIL 13 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst Road; Geloo Bros, Cleaver

  • Chadwick determined to play a part

    LUKE Chadwick is desperate to help dig Burnley out of their Division One hole. The on-loan Manchester United winger has been a virtual ever-present on the substitutes bench this year, starting just three league games as the Clarets scrap for their First

  • Souness: Thanks for sticking by us

    GRAEME Souness has praised the Blackburn Rovers fans for the way they've stuck by his struggling squad this season. The Blackburn Rovers boss is calling on the supporters to inspire his side to victory in the two home games he sees as central to Rovers

  • Planners look at amended chapel bid

    AMENDED plans to convert a former chapel into 12 apartments are set to be considered by planners in Rossendale next week. Barnett Construction Ltd based in Forest Bank Road, Crawshawbooth, are planning to transform the former Rakefoot Methodist Chapel

  • Treasure found in Lancashire

    THE reporting rate for treasure finds has increased 15-fold in Lancashire since the appointment of a new finds liaison officer last December, it has been revealed. Since September 1997, when the Treasure Act became law, eight cases of treasure have been

  • Square revamp forces lender to move

    A NOT-FOR-PROFIT money-lending organisation is moving premises due to the planned renovation of Lord Square in Blackburn. East Lancs Moneyline (ELM) is moving to Higher Church Street, Blackburn. The trust, a grant-funded, not-for-profit organisation,

  • Classic car rally marks centenary

    THE East Lancs Railway will provide the perfect platform for a rally and classic car event later this year. Gleaming Rover cars of yesteryear will be parked alongside veteran sparkling locos at the show, to be staged at Bury's Bolton Street station on

  • I'm in the market for bright ideas

    BRITAIN has a great tradition of coming up with brilliant inventions... and then failing to make money out of them. But one man from is East Lancashire is aiming to change all that. JENNY SCOTT spoke to him... THINK of British inventors and you picture

  • Thanks to the terrific toddlers

    THE Meningitis Trust would like to thank toddlers in the North West for helping to raise £330,000 towards the fight against meningitis. Thousands of under-fives joined in our special Toddle Waddle sponsored walk and helped to make it the biggest fundraising

  • We'll be fag-end of E Lancs

    I TAKE exception to your headline: "Regeneration is taking place across the region." There's not much sign of it here in Darwen -- unless you count the lumps of stone which have been dropped into the middle of Market Street. Reporter Danny Brierley looked

  • Firemen stoned by ambush yobs

    A FIRE chief today called for action after yobs lured firefighters into an ambush - just weeks after a report highlighted East Lancashire as a blackspot for attacks on fire crews. The thugs pelted firefighters with large stones after starting deliberate

  • Vice girls tarnish town's image

    PROSTITUTES are tarnishing Blackburn's image by working near a new gateway designed to welcome people to the town. Drivers coming up through Redlam are having to pass prostitutes touting for business at Whalley Banks before reaching the gateway as the

  • Rovers caught up in a Dallas drama

    DALLAS was probably the most successful American TV export to hit these shores. And the Texan city has now been blessed with a dramatic British soap opera of its own courtesy of the Blackburn Rovers Academy. The Brockhall Boys' incredible season has continued

  • Firemen stoned by ambush yobs

    A FIRE chief today called for action after yobs lured firefighters into an ambush - just weeks after a report highlighted East Lancashire as a blackspot for attacks on fire crews. The thugs pelted firefighters with large stones after starting deliberate

  • Blazes rages through mill

    FIREFIGHTERS tackled a blaze which raged through the night at a disused Brierfield mill. Fire crews were called to the former Pre Cast factory in Walter Street at about 1.30am today to a blaze in a two-storey section of the building. Up to 20 firefighters

  • Croquet club fundraising day

    BURY Croquet Club will be holding its annual open day to raise money for Bury Hospice on April 17, at Coronation Park, Radcliffe, from 1pm. Visitors can play the game, have a go on the tombola and enjoy refreshments. During the same weekend, Bury Croquet

  • Concert to raise funds for hospice

    THE Houghton Weavers will perform a concert in aid of Hospice Care for Burnley and Pendle on May 7. The folk group will be on stage at the Merlin Suite at Rolls Royce Sports and Social Club, Skipton Road, Barnoldswick. The event is being organised by

  • Electronic signs will ease traffic snarl-ups

    ACCRINGTON'S congestion problems could soon be tackled by a £2million scheme to bring electronic boards to the roadside. Lancashire County Council has confirmed it intends to introduce the signs on roads into Accrington once schemes in Burnley and Lancaster

  • Bypass 'pie in the sky'

    A FORMER policeman who produced Hyndburn's first detailed maps has drawn up plans for a Clayton-le-Moors bypass to end the area's traffic chaos. But Adrian Shurmer's proposal has not met with approval from all quarters, with one of the area's councillors

  • Rangers' French connection

    A PARTY of French rugby players have been enjoying Leigh's generous hospitality on their Easter tour. Leigh Miners Rangers junior section, hosting the fourth bi-annual tour from their French counterparts Ville Francye de Rouergue, have organised trips

  • Chemists on Duty

    SUNDAY, APRIL 11 BLACKBURN: 10am-1pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road; 10.30am-4.30pm: Superdrug Pharmacy, 5 Stonybutts; noon-1pm: RH Wilson Chemist, 75 Whalley New Road. DARWEN: noon-1pm: Geloo Bros, 14 Union Street. ACCRINGTON: 11am-1pm: Lloyds Pharmacy

  • Chemists on Duty

    THURSDAY, APRIL 15 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohens Chemist, 63 Whalley Range; To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 6.30pm: Donald Wood Ltd, 53 Fishmoor Drive;

  • Chemists on Duty

    FRIDAY, APRIL 16 BLACKBURN: To 9pm: Lloyds Pharmacy, 4-6 Railway Road; Cohen, 63 Whalley Range. To 8pm: Johnston Pharmacy, 50-52 Johnston Street. To 7.30pm: Aston Pharmacy, 95 Accrington Road. To 7pm: Moss Pharmacy, 314 Bolton Road; The Pharmacy, Oakenhurst

  • Mayor in tune with way to raise funds

    A BOROUGH mayor hopes to hit the high note for charity by hosting a fund-raising concert at a village hall. Serenata will take to the stage at Chipping Village Hall next Friday at 7.30pm. Ribble Valley Mayor Alan Yearing is hosting the concert, called

  • Ban 'likely' to have increased fly-tipping

    COUNTY Hall bosses have admitted for the first time that their ban on vans using public tips is 'likely' to have contributed to rocketing reports of fly-tipping. They have now agreed to start working with borough councils to help tackle the problem. The

  • Chadwick determined to play a part

    LUKE Chadwick is desperate to help dig Burnley out of their Division One hole. The on-loan Manchester United winger has been a virtual ever-present on the substitutes bench this year, starting just three league games as the Clarets scrap for their First

  • Rangers' French connection

    A PARTY of French rugby players have been enjoying Leigh's generous hospitality on their Easter tour. Leigh Miners Rangers junior section, hosting the fourth bi-annual tour from their French counterparts Ville Francye de Rouergue, have organised trips

  • War hero's ex-pal in plea to D-Day veterans

    A MAN whose heroic school pal was killed after the D-Day landings in 1944 has appealed for Normandy Veterans to get in touch with him. Richard Walsh used to go to school with Jack Banks, who was 16 but lied about his age in order to become a soldier.

  • Baby, what a hitch for faith-walker!

    A BORN-AGAIN Christian's plans to reconstruct the scene of Jesus carrying the cross yesterday were scuppered - when his wife went into labour. But former alcoholic Steven Williams vowed the event would still go ahead in Darwen early next week instead.

  • Chivalry lives on, by George!

    RED roses will be given out to ladies in Blackburn and Darwen on St George's Day, April 23, to celebrate English Heritage. The event, which will see 1,500 roses handed out, will kick off with a procession of costumed characters from the King James I period

  • Northern Souls Arena film date cancelled

    FILMING for a feature film which was due to take place next week at Blackburn Arena has been cancelled. Due to operational circumstances, Northern Souls Films Ltd, has had to change location and will not be filming on Friday April 16. The company has

  • Hospitals in line for £100,000 reward

    HOSPITALS in East Lancashire look set to benefit from a £100,000 Government reward for improving patient care. The Department of Health has offered the incentive for any Accident and Emergency department which ensured at least 94 per cent of its patients