THE parent company of Baxenden-based Hollands Pies has reported its growth has slowed in a "very competitive" market. But Northern Foods plc, which also makes Goodfella's pizzas and Fox's biscuits, has revealed in a trading update to the stock exchange
THE new owners of a Colne landmark are being threatened with enforcement action to carry out repairs. But Altrincham-based Downs Court Properties which owns The Shackleton Hall, Church Street, have responded by saying "if the council is going to act
A NELSON dad was prosecuted for child cruelty after his three-year-old daughter got out of the house and roamed the streets when he fell asleep. The dad, said to be a former drug addict, was told by a judge it was only "good fortune" and "no credit to
BINMEN could face £60 fines for leaving a village's streets in a mess when they collect residents' rubbish. Worsthorne Parish Council is threatening to become one of the first parish authorities in the country to invoke its power to issue fixed penalty
MAGISTRATES have been slammed for sending out the wrong message after two fly-tippers were given a "slap on the wrists" by the courts. Hyndburn has been blighted by the problem in the last year and was recently named as having the dirtiest streets in
A PASTOR used his church's newsletter to launch an attack on the council for closing pensioners' facilities. Alan Barnes, pastor at United Reformed Church, Bent Street, Blackburn, spoke out over the temporary closure of a old people's day centre and
A 58-YEAR-OLD alcoholic drank himself to death, an inquest heard. The hearing was told that Malcolm Williams had a blood alcohol level equivalent to five and a half times the legal drink drive limit. And the results of toxicological tests on the dead
A STREET of derelict houses is set to be knocked down ready for the next stage of regeneration under the Elevate scheme. Hyndburn Council has now received the £15,000 of funding needed to demolish all of the properties in Chester Street, Accrington,
BLACKBURN Rovers have completed the signing of David Dunn for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old midfielder agreed a three and a half year deal with the club this afternoon after passing a stringent medical. Dunn looked like he was heading to Bolton
A TEENAGER dubbed The Little Gangster' has been jailed - after breaching an Anti-Social Behaviour Order seven times in just six months. Tearaway Lewis Elliott, 18, has tormented residents and shopkeepers in a reign of terror in the Mill Hill area of
TWO Rossendale police officers have been awarded medals for their bravery after one of their colleagues was shot and badly wounded. Sergeant Paul Leigh and PC Lukmaan Mulla are both to receive the Queen's Gallantry Medal. They were involved in an armed
A TERMINALLY ill man who has been denied a cancer drug on the NHS believes new research could strengthen his case. Keith Ditchfield, 52, said he had high hopes that his appeal to make health chiefs pay for Nexavar would be successful following the results
LORRIES are blocking a narrow village road - because satellite navigation systems are sending them the wrong way. Coun Darryl Smith said residents in Chatterton had been facing problems for months due to articulated lorries driving through the village
HYNDBURN is still a hot spot' for teenage pregnancy, despite a drop in the number of young girls becoming mothers before they reach 18. Figures reveal the number of girls who fall pregnant while under 18 has fallen by 16.8 per cent over seven years.
AN AMATEUR footballer missed out on a big game - but still ended up starring in Hatch of the Day! And Howard Best's manager couldn't believe it when he received a text saying: "Boss, I can't make it tomorrow, I've just delivered my first child." Howard
CHANGES are being made to the way Rossendale residents can exercise their right to a postal or proxy vote in a bid to improve security. All postal and proxy voters will receive a letter from Rossendale Council to explain the changes introduced as a result
RESIDENTS claim they are living in fear of stepping across their door-steps after a car was turned over by youths "terrorising" a Darwen estate. A Renault Clio was turned on its side and the driver's window smashed in Harwood Street at about 1.45am on
THE dangers of chewing tobacco have been highlighted after a study found the practice was popular among Asian people in East Lancashire. Experts said chewing tobacco put people at risk of developing mouth cancer. They spoke after a major study found
SOME of Burnley's most famous landmarks are being shown to thousands of people in a bid to improve the borough's image and boost tourism. Bus company Burnley and Pendle has signed up to the Better Burnley campaign which aims to change people's perceptions
A CIVIC society has hit out at the demolition of an "architecturally impressive" former school. David Smith, of the Burnley Civic Society, has said the former Todmorden Road Junior School, in the town should have been redeveloped. And he criticised
OWNERS of Vauxhall cars in Pendle have been warned to be on their guard against organised thieves. Police believe a group of specialised criminals is working in the area, stealing Vauxhall-made cars to strip them of parts to be sold on. In the latest
ROSSENDALE Council has confirmed that it is in negotiations to secure a site in Rawtenstall as its new permanent civic centre. Council bosses have been searching for a new base since its former offices at the Astoria closed in 2005. Meetings have been
A thief stole six Dell laptops valued at £6,000 after breaking into business premises through an insecure door. The computer equipment was taken from Caligen Form, on Broad Oak Road, between 7.20am and 7.45am on Tuesday January 16. A red Rover was
CATHEDRAL bells rang out over Blackburn today to honour the 100th birthday of one of the town's most famous sons - author Alfred Wainwright. The author of popular guides for walking in the Lake District was given a full three-and-three-quarter hour peel
Councillors on Calderdale Council's Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel have expressed concern about the aging facilities at Todmorden High School and at Hipperholme and Lightcliffe High School. They asked for a detailed report on the implications
AN aerospace comp-any which runs a facility in Nelson is being sold to an American firm for $4.8billion. Smiths Group plc has agreed to sell its aerospace company, Smiths Aerospace division, to General Electric Company. Smiths employs several hundred
Accrington Stanley's game against Bristol Rovers, scheduled for January 27, has been postponed. Rovers are still involved in the FA Cup and will be playing Derby County in the fourth round on that day.
A MAN who failed to appear for a court hearing has been arrested by police following an internet appeal. Mark Queen, 34, from Darwen, was arrested on Sunday at an address in Blackburn. Queen was due to appear on trial for an alleged burglary, last June
ENVIRONMENTAL tests have revealed that a Hyndburn road junction is East Lancashire's worst air pollution hot spot. The junction of Whalley Road and Blackburn Road, Clayton-le-Moors, near the Hare and Hounds pub has been plagued by traffic fumes. Now
ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman urged his side to kick on from their comeback win against Mansfield last night. Stanley took the lead after just 25 seconds but fell 2-1 behind before goals from Michael Welch and Shaun Whalley secured the points
A MAN said to be in a critical condition after a suspected drug overdose discharged himself from hospital hours later, police said. Paul Ashworth, 27, whose last known address was Cairo Street, Burnley, was found collapsed in Hart Street, off Church
DETERMINED Steven Reid has vowed to "work his socks off" and return from his knee injury nightmare in time for the start of next season. The injury-plagued Blackburn midfielder admits there is no point feeling sorry for himself after rupturing his anterior
Burnley's Championship game against Stoke City has ben re-arranged for Tuesday, January 23. The game was postponed on New Year's Day due to a waterlogged pitch. All tickets bought for the original date will be valid for this rearranged game.
A small number of residents were evacuated after a fire in an area due for demolition under the Elevate regeneration scheme. Firefighters were called to Alaska Street, Blackburn, in the Infirmary area of town, at 5.30pm on Monday. They said a fire was
PUPILS and staff from two Burnley schools will be rolling up their sleeves to take part in a clean-up in Padiham today. The tidying blitz is part of Burnley Council's Clean Burnley campaign which has seen a number of the borough's wards cleaned up.
THE number of teenage mums in Burnley has fallen by over a quarter in the past eight years - but the level is still higher than the national average. Now after Burnley was identified as one of four hot spot' areas in the county extra funding is to be
ROSSENDALE Council had to abandon its Rawtenstall temporary base only weeks after it was opened - because it has no disabled access. The council's cabinet made the controversial decision to make Hardman's Mill in Newhallhey its debating chamber and meeting
A 16-year-old girl told a court via a recorded video interview that a doctor sexually assaulted her as she lay in a hospital bed. Dr Naveen Shivan, who was an ENT doctor in the former Blackburn Royal Infirmary, has gone on trial at Preston Crown Court
BURNLEY have rejected Celtic's offer for teenage striker Kyle Lafferty. The Scottish champions yesterday tabled a bid, reported to be £500,000, for the up-and-coming 19-year-old. In response to the Glasgow club's approach, Clarets manager Steve
I was listening to Sounds of the Sixties on Saturday morning. Radio Two. It's always been and usually is hosted by Brian Matthew, but he's not well. According to his BBC biography he began "broadcasting" in 1948 - so he'll have to be - what? Well into
I see they're building an airport arrivals lounge in place of Blackburn Market. Well that's what I assumed by looking at the artist's impression of the £5million market plans. I half expected to see a baggage carousel snaking around Penny Street. How
A long-standing agreement between a Ribble Valley high school and a council over the use of a sports centre has been terminated. Ribble Valley Borough Council has served 12 months notice to Long-ridge High School ending their 27-year dual-use agreement
A CHARITY-run care home is to close after running up debts of £30,000. Bosses told staff and residents at Viewfield House, in Oozehead Lane, Blackburn, they could not longer afford to maintain the building yesterday. But the 12 residents have been reassured
Ryan Nelsen and Franny Jeffers made their comebacks in Blackburn Rovers' behind-closed-doors friendly with Rangers in Glasgow yesterday. Nelsen has been sidelined since last summer after undergoing an operation on his hamstring, but he passed his first
COUNCIL homes in Ramsbottom are among those set to benefit from a cash boost of nearly £8 million. Six Town Housing, which manages Bury Council's housing stock, will receive a cash injection of £7,920,000 to bring their homes up to standard. The money
AN inquest has opened into the death of a Pendle man who died after plunging from a sixth floor Thai hotel balcony. Lee Middleton, of Oak Street, Colne, died from serious head and neck injuries following the fall on December 18, the hearing at Burnley
Cash collected from a festive lights display was handed to the Burnley General Hospital radio team. Each year, residents in Kibble Bank put on a Christmas lights extravaganza and ask for donations to a particular charity. This year, they raised more
FIRE bosses have blasted a hoax caller for wasting "vital resources" after a hoax call saying that people were trapped in an burning house. Three fire engines, two ambulances and two police cars wasted an hour driving around the Whalley New Road area
THIS is the terrifying moment when an armed raider entered a Blackburn petrol station and threatened a cashier with a six-inch knife. Police have released CCTV images of the raid at Preston Way Garage, Preston New Road, in a bid to identify the robber
REFERING to your leading article of January 10, may I congratulate you on your humanitarian sympathy for those who chew gum as a means of stopping smoking or of treating other (unspecified) ills. Certainly one does not wish to deprive ailing persons
REGARDING the Brownside Holiday Park (LT, January 13), once again Burnley councillors have failed to seize an opportunity which could have brought a little more prosperity to Burnley. Sadly, another attempt to breathe some life into this dying town through
AS a retired local government officer who served (operative word) at three different authorities - including Blackburn CBC - I should like to add my voice to those condemning the disgraceful misuse of public funds as reported by your newspaper (January
BURNLEY have been linked with a January transfer move for Charlton centre-half Jonathan Fortune. Sources in the south claim that the Clarets are favourites to land the Addicks defender who has become frustrated at a lack of first team football. Fortune
SUPPORTING Stanley should carry a health warning - FOLLOWING THIS CLUB COULD CAUSE STRESS AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. For this crackerjack game was littered with moments of quality and shambolic defending in even quantities but, at the end of the day, Stanley
We may be experiencing unseasonably mild weather, but reader Chris Walker managed to snap this delicate ice formation on Pendle Hill.
GET ready to boo, hiss, and have a good old sing song when the story of Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates comes to Burnley. It's on until January 20. Burnley Pantomime Society presents the tale of a castaway's adventures on a desert island. There's
BLACKBURN Rovers were today hoping to complete the signing of former Ewood favourite David Dunn. Rovers chairman John Williams has been granted permission to speak to the player after Birmingham finally accepted his latest offer last night. A medical
Blackburn Hawks suffered back-to-back defeats on the road in a disappointing weekend for the ice hockey aces. Hawks slipped to a 6-3 reverse against Newcastle Vipers in the English National Ice Hockey League on Saturday, before falling 6-4 to arch-rivals
A NEW bus shelter which has been repeatedly targeted by vandals is to be removed. The shelter, in Whalley Road, Clayton-le-Moors, near Devonshire Drive, was put up in 2001 but has attracted anti-social behaviour. In March last year CCTV was installed
POLICE called to a disturbance outside the Roxy nightclub, Darwen, found about 50 people on the street. Blackburn magistrates heard that the officers saw Karl John Wane wielding a crutch as he struck out at other people. He then ran at a smaller group
Designer Wayne Hemingway is set to run his fifth marathon, this time with his eldest daughter. Mr Hemingway, who was brought up in Blackburn, will run the London Marathon on April 22, with Tilly, 19. They hope to raise more than £5,000 for housing
