A MAN from Leigh is among a gang ordered to pay back more than £150,000, following a money laundering and drug trafficking operation worth more than £4 million. A judge at Manchester Crown Court made a confiscation order against John Hart, of Barker Street
PATIENTS who abuse nurses, doctors and medical staff are set to be banned from receiving treatment at East Lancashire hospitals. The move comes after almost a quarter of staff were subjected to bullying by patients during 2004. The new measures are part
POLICE patrols have been stepped up around a Burnley girls' high school in a bid to catch a sex pest. And police in Burnley are warning schoolgirls to be on their guard after three pupils at St Hilda's RC High School were subjected to sex attacks. Officers
WIDNES 48, LEIGH CENTURIONS 26: The harsh realities of life in Super League were hammered home to Leigh Centurions in their final warm-up game ahead of their debut season in the elite division writes Mike Hulme After two encouraging performances in earlier
LEIGH RMI 0, YORK CITY 3: RMI paid the price for poor finishing when instead of winning their first game in 20 outings, they crashed to yet another defeat. Fielding a new-look side containing four players who have only joined the club this month, RMI
BLACKBURN Rovers were still sweating on the future of their unsettled skipper Barry Ferguson today. With just hours to go before the transfer window slams shut, Rovers manager Mark Hughes was bracing himself for one last-ditch attempt by Rangers to lure
SOME calamitous goals have been scored in the FA Cup down the years but few compare to the one Colchester United goalkeeper Aidan Davison conceded at Ewood Park on Saturday. For 21 minutes, Phil Parkinson's plucky League One battlers had held out against
THREE East Lancashire MPs are to band together to try to stop government cash cuts in Whitehall grants to their local councils. Labour backbenchers Gordon Prentice, Greg Pope and Peter Pike will ask ministers to think again about reductions in their local
POLICE patrols have been stepped up around a Burnley girls' high school in a bid to catch a sex pest. And police in Burnley are warning schoolgirls to be on their guard after three pupils at St Hilda's RC High School were subjected to sex attacks. Officers
MACCLESFIELD TOWN 2, SHAKERS 1: Danny Swailes will not look back on this victory with any kind of fondness despite picking up another win bonus. The Bolton-born defender was in no hurry to leave Gigg Lane but the club's perilous financial position precipitated
POLICE had to intervene in a fight between two men in Radcliffe's shopping centre, a court heard. Anthony Rivett, aged 20, of Ringwood Avenue, Radcliffe, appeared at Bury Magistrates Court charged with a public order offence. Rivett admitted behaviour
THE leaders of Pendle Council want to throw off the shackles of bureaucracy. Ruling councillors are dismayed to find staff are tied up in red tape and not being able to get on with their jobs. The Government has introduced a range of assessments and performance
A DRIVER who was so drunk he couldn't stand after a road smash that injured a couple and killed their dog has walked free from court. Building worker Arshad Mohammed, 23, had been travelling "like lightning" before he hit the vehicle carrying Brian Brooks
GANNETT, the parent company of Newsquest, owner of the Bury Times Group, posted record results in 2004. Profits increased by 5.6 per cent to £200.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2004, compared to £190 million in the same quarter of the previous year
A SKATEBOARDER has become the first to be prosecuted for repeatedly breaking a Manchester bylaw. Magistrates fined 18-year-old Andrew Richardson, from Sandyland Drive, Prestwich, for ignoring warnings to stop skateboarding in designated no-go areas in
PLANS to convert a former Rossendale chapel into a block of apartments are set to approved, despite residents objections. Councillors will discuss proposals for 14 apartments at next months development control committee. The applicant wants to convert
STEVE Cotterill believes new signing John Oster can bring 'a touch of quality' to Burnley. Former Sunderland winger Oster, 26, was thrust into a full debut in Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup win over Bournemouth, just 24-hours after signing a short-term deal until
STEVE Cotterill has told Danny Coyne he will have to wait to reclaim his number one spot. Burnley boss Cotterill hailed his defence after a seventh successive clean sheet at Turf Moor provided the platform for two Ian Moore goals to edge Burnley into
JOHN Oster will be hoping his arrival at Burnley finally puts a promising career back on track. The former Grimsby, Everton and Sunderland winger made his Clarets debut on Saturday, just 24 hours after signing a short-term deal until the end of the season
TYPICAL! You wait four months for one goal and then two arrive at once. Still, this is the FA Cup and Ian Moore we are talking about - a marriage, conveniently for Burnley, made in heaven. Bournemouth gave the Clarets a real cup fright as they handed
BLACKBURN Rovers were still sweating on the future of their unsettled skipper Barry Ferguson today. With just hours to go before the transfer window slams shut, Rovers manager Mark Hughes was bracing himself for one last-ditch attempt by Rangers to lure
WHITBY TOWN 0, RADCLIFFE BORO 2: Boro produced a fine away performance to register an important win over their Unibond League rivals. Borough had an early chance to go ahead when Foster moved clear, but his attempted chip was off target. Whitby responded
THEY are cold and barren places. But the moors and fells of Lancashire are beautiful too. It's why they attract thousands of walkers, ramblers and climbers. But every year scores of visitors get into difficulties. For many, it's thanks to Bowland Pennine
A FAMILY plagued by thieves and trespassers have sent feathers flying - by recruiting a goose to protect their home! The Islam family were unable to have a dog as a family pet because of their religion. So up waddled Hamzah the Guard Goose. Hamzah, whose
A 'SEXUAL predator' who murdered twin Sally Geeson on New Year's Day before killing himself may have attempted a similar attack in Lancashire, police revealed. David Atkinson, 31, shocked the country when he set himself on fire and jumped to his death
PATIENTS who abuse nurses, doctors and medical staff are set to be banned from receiving treatment at East Lancashire hospitals. The move comes after almost a quarter of staff were subjected to bullying by patients during 2004. The new measures are part
A COMPANY suing the Ministry of Defence in a bid to save its future has made its managing director and five staff redundant. But Richard Hampson has pledged to continue working on the legal challenge in a last-ditch bid to win back his job. The boss of
A MAN has appeared in Bury Magistrates Court accused of possessing ecstasy tablets with a street value of £150,000. David Ridehalgh, aged 50, of Berkshire Court, Bury, faces a charge of possessing 30,000 tablets of ecstasy. It is alleged the drugs were
TRANSPORT chiefs have welcomed the conviction of a parking attendant who doctored evidence on a ticket and they have moved to assure motorists that the actions of "rogue employee" Gavin Moses were a one-off. Moses, aged 27, from Bury, was ordered to complete
CAMMELL LAIRD 2, ATHERTON COLLS 0: Colls were struggling from the opening minute when they went behind from the penalty spot. Keeper Paul Masher was penalised for a foul and Jamie McCoy put the home side ahead from the spot. The game was a dour affair
A NELSON man is fighting for his life after a suspected street attack. Police were today hunting two men seen running from the scene of what they believe was a serious assault on the 44-year-old. Officers said it happened outside the Irish League Club
A COUNCIL beset by financial problems is leaving up its Christmas lights until May in a bid to save money. Hyndburn Council has faced many problems in the last year - a mounting budget crisis, a stalled housing renewal programme - now critics fear it
STEVE Cotterill believes new signing John Oster can bring 'a touch of quality' to Burnley. Former Sunderland winger Oster, 26, was thrust into a full debut in Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup win over Bournemouth, just 24-hours after signing a short-term deal until
TEENAGERS in Darwen are less likely to stay in education after the age of 16 than youngsters anywhere else in the country. New figures show that only 54 per cent of 16-year-olds from schools in the town opt to go on to college once they have finished
FRAUDSTERS have rifled through almost every bin in a community in a bid to steal peoples identities. Bin bags left out for collection in Newton Street and Perry Street, Darwen, were ripped open as thieves looked for personal details. Police believe the
A 60-year-old man was so distraught at failing a breathalyser that he dowsed himself with petrol and set fire to himself, a court heard. Blackburn magistrates were told William Ronald Snape had made a serious attempt to take his own life as he felt he
A MAN who 'hit the whiskey' after drinking heavily at a party punched his wife as they made their way home in a taxi. Blackburn magistrates heard John James Blackledge leaned into the back seat and hit her repeatedly in the face. The court heard he 'laid
LANCASHIRE is to lose its own emergency fire control room and be replaced by a regional centre covering five counties. The secretary of the Lancashire Fire Brigades' Union today claimed the move would put lives at risk because, he said, such a wide area
SEDGLEY PARK 20, HENLEY HAWKS 21: Tigers were on the receiving end again when Henley Hawks pulled off a surprise 21-20 win on Saturday. Full report and reaction on Tuesday The Hawks spent most of last season in the relegation danger zone and it took a
