WHILST at the bus stop the other morning as I was going to the post office to collect my weekly pocket money, I realised I had neither bus fare nor bus pass. Returning home I picked up both plus the mandatory bottle of water. Then I wasted half an hour
IN an insult to all civilians and service personnel who died in World War Two ridding Europe of Hitler and his ilk, the EU has decided not to ban Nazi symbols. The gutless reason is that "it may restrict freedom of expression." Have we now reached the
OVER the last week, Darwen residents have received letters from Blair's local representative, Janet Anderson. The fact that these standard letters are computer generated is insulting enough to us residents who have had to suffer Blair over the last few
A 60-YEAR-OLD man was found dead at a house in Melverley Drive, Leigh. Police were called to the house at 2.30pm on Monday and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and the coroner has been
I RECENTLY received some BNP literature through my letterbox and was disgusted at what can only be called inaccurate, offensive and harmful propaganda. National statistics show that crime is not out of control and despite the rise in violent crime, there
RESIDENTS are campaigning for traffic calming measures on a road where a four-year-old boy was killed. Jordan Hynes died under the wheels of a bus after he was hit by a car as he tried to cross Wigan Road near his home in Leigh on Saturday afternoon.
A MAN today spoke of how he was minutes from death when he became stuck in mud up to his neck in Morecambe Bay. And a rescuer told how Stephen Higginbotham was lucky to be alive after he took a walk along the beach on a family day trip. Mr Higginbotham
POSTMEN and women have been given police escorts in a bid to prevent postal voting fraud after a councillor rigged an election. The security measure was revealed after former Labour councillor Mohammed Hussain pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud.
BLACKBURN midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen has insisted he's 'no cheat' ahead of tonight's FA Cup fifth round replay with Burnley. Pedersen was accused of diving to try and win a penalty in the dying minutes of the first tie at Turf Moor nine days ago
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes will tell his players to 'seize the moment' ahead of tonight's FA Cup fifth round replay with Burnley at Ewood Park. Hughes knows his team may never have a better chance of reaching the semi-finals of the world's most famous
A MAN today spoke of how he was minutes from death when he became stuck in mud up to his neck in Morecambe Bay. And a rescuer told how Stephen Higginbotham was lucky to be alive after he took a walk along the beach on a family day trip. Mr Higginbotham
EAST Lancashire motorists have been hit with more than £1million of parking fines in the last six months. Figures from Lancashire County Council - which runs the Parkwise scheme with the borough councils - show that 5,663 tickets have been issued in Burnley
BOSSES at a group set up to spearhead the regeneration of Padiham were left red-faced after a promotional leaflet spelt the name of the town wrong. Initiative Burnley asked consultants, Manchester-based GVA Grimley, to come up with the pamphlets setting
FARMERS today said not enough was being done to prevent a repeat of foot and mouth -- on the fourth anniversary of the UK outbreak. Large parts of East Lancashire were among the worst hit in the UK after the area's first case was confirmed on March 1
SHAKERS youth team take on local rivals Preston North End on Wednesday in the Lancashire FA Youth Cup. Kick-off at Gigg Lane is 2pm.
BURY'S first team squad are backing Graham Barrow 100 per cent in the wake of criticism of him from a section of fans on the club's official website messageboard. The players have been stung by the fierce, personal abuse of their manager and called an
IF ever a football manager deserved some luck it's Bury FC's Graham Barrow, and there might just be some for him on the injury front this week. The Shakers chief could have four of his first team squad back in full-time training in the next few days,
THOUSANDS of pounds is to be spent waging war on high school litter louts. The money will be spent on developing a citizenship and anti-littering project in schools -- a move which has been welcomed by local politicians and headteachers. Councillor Ann
STEVE Cotterill expects Burnley fans to be on their best behaviour at Ewood Park tonight. Three Clarets' fans invaded the pitch in the first meeting of the two sides at Turf Moor nine days ago. But Cotterill feels those isolated incidents overshadowed
THERE can only be one winner between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley tonight. Whether the game is decided after 90 minutes, extra-time or on a nail-biting penalty shoot-out, either Rovers or the Clarets will earn their place in the FA Cup sixth round. Tears
UPBEAT Burnley boss Steve Cotterill has called for one more massive effort from his leg-weary troops at Ewood Park tonight. Cotterill insists his side can still cause an FA Cup shock away to Blackburn Rovers as the two old rivals resume hostilities in
AS a native of Norway, it's not unreasonable to think Morten Gamst Pedersen might have grown up completely oblivious to the fierce rivalry that exists between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. After all, the 23-year-old was brought up in Vadso, a town with
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes will tell his players to 'seize the moment' ahead of tonight's FA Cup fifth round replay with Burnley at Ewood Park. Hughes knows his team may never have a better chance of reaching the semi-finals of the world's most famous
MORE than half of East Lancashire employers have problems recruiting staff with relevant skills, according to a survey by the Learning and Skills Council. This week Clayton Financial, a leading financial and accountancy recruitment consultancy, issued
WITTON ALBION 4, RADCLIFFE BORO 1: Boro capitulated to a second four-goal Unibond Premier Division defeat inside a week when they were out-muscled by Albion. They were in contention until a goal in first-half injury time set them back, after that they
A 13-YEAR-OLD girl was left with injuries to her face after allegedly being attacked in Darwen. Louise French, who lives in the town centre area with her mother, claims she was set upon by a teenager after arguments in school spiralled out of control.
EAST Lancashire drivers have been hit with more than £1million of parking fines in the last six months. And despite taking control of parking enforcement a month after every other borough, Blackburn with Darwen Council has issued more tickets than anyone
PLANS to scrap the link between school holidays and two boroughs' traditional wakes weeks have been put on hold. Lancashire County Council has agreed to talk to chambers of commerce about the impact any change to school holidays would have. Officers want
MUSLIM leaders today rounded on a former Blackburn Islamic college student who has admitted plotting to blow up a transatlantic plane by becoming a suicide bomber. The Lancashire Council of Mosques branded Saajid Badat a 'rotten apple' and pledged they
STAFF fled in terror when a four-wheel drive vehicle was driven into the side of a wall in a daring ram- raid at an Unsworth finance firm. Three men clambered through the gaping 6ft by 4ft hole made by the Mitsubishi Shogun at Stratton's Financial Services
AN ELDERLY woman has died after being rescued from her burning home in Simister, Prestwich. Fire crews were called to the home of Mrs Doreen Don in Nutt Lane just after midday on Friday after a neighbour dialled 999. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus
Blackburn Arts Club present "The Late Edwina Black," Club Theatre, Gilbraltar Street, 7.30pm. Digital Photography Workshop, 10am-noon; Luncheon Club, noon-1pm; Social Afternoon, 1pm-3pm; Sequence Dancing, 1.30pm; Out of School Experience, 3.30pm-6.30pm
THE Hunting Act 2004 has nothing to do with animal welfare and everything to do with political prejudice, and this weekend has shown it. Politicians have created a situation that has resulted in police officers being diverted from frontline policing activities
LEIGH Centurions' forward Richard Moore will not face disciplinary action after being placed on report during the Centurions' Engage Super League defeat by Salford on Saturday. The Rugby Football League have determined the former Bradford prop has no
THERE can only be one winner between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley tonight. Whether the game is decided after 90 minutes, extra-time or on a nail-biting penalty shoot-out, either Rovers or the Clarets will earn their place in the FA Cup sixth round. Tears
AS a native of Norway, it's not unreasonable to think Morten Gamst Pedersen might have grown up completely oblivious to the fierce rivalry that exists between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. After all, the 23-year-old was brought up in Vadso, a town with
PLANS to scrap the link between school holidays and two boroughs' traditional wakes weeks have been put on hold. Lancashire County Council has agreed to talk to chambers of commerce about the impact any change to school holidays would have. Officers want
THERE is never any love lost between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. The origins of the rivalry date back well over 100 years. The clubs first met at Turf Moor in September 1884 with Rovers winning 4-2 -- but a year later Burnley hit back with a 5-1 victory
WORK to clean up Nelson's grot spots has been boosted by talks over the future of Riverside Mill. The mill, in Charles Street, backs on to Bradley School and has been derelict for about five years. It is a magnet for fly tipping and arson attacks and
PLANS are underway for a special week of events across Bury to entertain, exercise and inform the women of the borough. Timed to coincide with International Women's Week, the events, from March 7 to March 11, kick off with a curry workshop on the Monday
A RADCLIFFE pub was evacuated after an electrical fault caused a fire in the cellar. The blaze, at the Swan and Railway in Spring Lane, happened after a power cut on Sunday evening which left many properties in the area temporarily without electricity
A WASTE disposal truck driver may have died while searching for a lost mobile phone in a rubbish tip, an inquest jury has been told. Richard Buckley, aged 45, of Fitzgerald Close, Prestwich, died in hospital in July, 2003, after he was found at a waste
CLARETS captain Frank Sinclair has no fears that Gary Cahill can help to keep Blackburn at bay if he fails to recover in time for tonight's FA Cup clash. Sinclair hopes to overcome a hamstring injury to bolster Burnley's back line for the fifth round
UPBEAT Burnley boss Steve Cotterill has called for one more massive effort from his leg-weary troops at Ewood Park tonight. Cotterill insists his side can still cause an FA Cup shock away to Blackburn Rovers as the two old rivals resume hostilities in
SENATOR International -- East Lancashire's biggest office furniture company -- has acquired its neighbour Allermuir for an undisclosed fee. The Altham-based firm which had turnover exceeding £50million last year and has 620 employees, said Allermuir was
EAST Lancashire businessman Kevin Horkin has begun a move to expand the retail side of his empire. Mr Horkin, founder of Spex Opticians, is opening three new practices and extending a fourth. The move will take the number of Spex Opticians to nine, and
NEWCASTLE TOWN 4, RAMSBOTTOM UNITED 1: This NWCFL Division One defeat leaves the Rams struggling to keep in touch with the leading trio and probably ended any real chance of overhauling runaway leaders Fleetwood Town. Manager Derek Egan persisted in playing
DEVELOPMENT giants Peel Holdings has bought out United Utilities' share in the £50million Rossendale windfarm scheme. The move is part of United Utilities decision to sell its windfarm development portfolio for an undisclosed sum. Joint venture partner
COUNCIL tax in Blackburn with Darwen is set to rise by a fraction under five per cent - and the man responsible for the increase today said people would be happy to pay it. Despite the fact that the 4.9per cent increase - one of the highest to be set
THERE is never any love lost between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley. The origins of the rivalry date back well over 100 years. The clubs first met at Turf Moor in September 1884 with Rovers winning 4-2 -- but a year later Burnley hit back with a 5-1 victory
FARMERS today said not enough was being done to prevent a repeat of foot and mouth -- on the fourth anniversary of the UK outbreak. Large parts of East Lancashire were among the worst hit in the UK after the area's first case was confirmed on March 1
NEWLY-elected councillor Mohammed Hussain smiled for the cameras and raised his right arm in 'triumph'. He was expecting a victory before the count because he had rigged somewhere in the region of 250 votes. But despite his outward jubilation, Hussain
POSTMEN and women have been given police escorts in a bid to prevent postal voting fraud after a councillor rigged an election. The security measure was revealed after former Labour councillor Mohammed Hussain pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud.
SEDGLEY PARK 12, BEDFORD BLUES 23: With National Division One results elsewhere going their way, this latest defeat was not as damaging as it could have been to the Tigers' hopes of preserving their first division status. The first half was characterised
TOWN hall bosses are bracing themselves for a flood of appeals after a ruling that parking fines in the borough were invalid. Legal officers are now drafting a report into a decision by the National Parking Adjudication Service last week and its implications
