POLICE have accused a foster parent of being regularly drunk and running a pub blighted by violence. But Dorian O'Connor, landlord of the Brickmaker's Arms, Yorkshire Street, Burnley, denied the claims and said all the children they had fostered over
A POLICEMAN is being investigated for misconduct after being accused of ramming a patrol car into another motorist's vehicle. Fitness instructor Stephen Harrison said he has been unable to return to his profession because of the injuries caused in the
A north west MEP is calling for political parties to put the issue of population on their agendas. Chris Davies says that measures to reduce climate change will be a complete waste of time unless rapid world population growth is halted. The Liberal
THERE was mixed success for Sandygate Boxing Club fighters in the ABA Area Under 20s Novice Championships at the weekend. While Ben Brindle won the light middleweight title, John Campbell was robbed' of glory in the welterweight final - and had the backing
KEVIN Maree has a list of boxing conquests that would surely make him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world had they happened in the ring. The 29-year-old can list the likes of Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno and Steve Collins among his successes
A TAXI firm receptionist who wed two suspected illegal immigrants - hoping to profit from both liaisons - has been spared jailed by magistrates in Burnley. Town magistrates heard that Karen Gartside, 35, of Eldwick Street, Burnley, had committed bigamy
Although we now have the white lines, we still don't have the speed-sensitive variable sign we were promised. We continue the campaign and have had contact with "The Darrener" who may feature our cause
My adopted karate club, Tower Shukokai, opened in Darwen in October 1987. The first two members, Nick and Caroline Heatlie Jackson are pictured with head instructor, Andy Allwood. Nick and Caroline are still members of the club. Martyn Skipper October
DAVE Place is good enough to mix it with the professionals claims the organiser of the Blackburn Premier Darts League. Place won the title for the third consecutive year and Brian Gouldthorpe believes he has the talent to make it big. "Dave Place is
A disqualified driver who drove himself to hospital after hurting his leg in a fall from a roof was stopped on his way home. Dean Anthony Hartley, 20, of Leicester Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance.
DARWEN's oldest established karate club has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Tower Shukokai first opened its doors way back in 1987 and to mark the occasion and special presentation was made to its two first students - who are still members
ROSSENDALE maintained their winning run thanks to a battling performance to defeat Wigton in difficult conditions The wind and rain meant that both sides had to play a much tighter game than they would have liked. Dale started brightly with the wind
BLACKBURN recorded an eighth straight league victory but were made to sweat on the result by a hard-working Didsbury outfit. The game was played in wet and blustery conditions and the visitors won the toss and elected to play with the wind in the first
Did you know that Cissy Greens in Higher Deardengate is world famous? Barry Howarth the owner says his shop is a major tourist attraction with customers coming from Germany, Canada, America and Australia to purchase his pies and pastries. They are
ST Stephen's Junior School have made their Mark when it comes to providing quality football coaching. For the Blackburn school has achieved the coveted FA Charter Mark in recognition for the high standard of football it provides. The school runs daytime
Yoga classes are being held at the Conservative Club on Bank St. Sessions are on Thursdays between 10am and 11.30am. Contact 01706 216236
AN Accrington school celebrated its improved attendance record with a special assembly. Spring Hill Primary in Exchange Street has been working in conjunction with Lancashire County Council over the past three years to improve attendance, and has smashed
A SCHEME to resurrect small-sided football in Burnley is under way following the launch of an under sevens friendly league. The league, held on designated small-sided pitches on Towneley Park, is part of an initiative to get more youngsters playing the
A CHEF cooked up a storm at a primary school - teaching pupils how to make healthy pizzas and flapjacks. Philippa James visited Roe Lee Primary School, Blackburn, today for a healthy foods workshop. Philippa, who runs the Mawdesley-based Philippa Fine
A JUNIOR first citizen has been selected to represent the interests of youngsters across Rossendale. Katy Wright, aged six, from Year Six at Broadway County Primary School, Helmshore, is the new mini mayor for Rossendale. She was chosen for the prestigious
Former Burnley manager Stan Ternent could return to football management with Wrexham. The ex-Clarets boss is believed to have been interviewed for the position last week as the Robins seek to appoint an experienced "senior manager" to help steer the
CLITHEROE boss Neil Reynolds has launched a broadside at the Football Association after the Shawbridge club were today thrown out of the FA Trophy. The Blues were kicked out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player - defender Kieran Fletcher
A Blackburn Rovers fan who flashed V-signs at Liverpool fans and was abusive to police has been banned from football for three years. David John Cooper, 39, of Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour. He was fined
A TOWN council could cost each household in Darwen less than £5 per year. Campaigners say the increase in council tax would be a small price to pay for the benefits the move would bring to the town. A town council for Darwen is one the key aims of
AMBITIOUS Turton have a five year plan to get in to the North West Counties League. While they are exciting long term aims for the club on the outskirts of Darwen, the short term goal will be to concentrate on the West Lancs League campaign. For hopes
FIREFIGHTERS hit out at vandals for endangering their lives after a derelict mill was set alight in Bacup. Fire crews tackled the fire in Acre Mill Road, Stacksteads, at noon yesterday for one and a half hours. They said the fire, reported after a passerby
AN ORGANISED gang of thieves could be targeting pub and club goers in Burnley, according to police. And officers are appealing to people to be more vigilant with their mobile phones, wallets and purses after the string of thefts in licensed premises
PARENTS have backed a school after it was put into special measures following an inspection which labelled it inadequate. An Ofsted inspection revealed that St Aidan's CE Primary, Mill Hill, Blackburn, was failing its pupils in teaching and learning,
AN aid worker who is raising money for a mission to war-torn Sierra Leone has thanked those who have donated cash. Christine Bailey, from Andrew Close is flying out to the West African country on Sunday for a three-month trip to help provide homes for
A 21-year-old man found dead in his bed had died of natural causes, an inquest heard. Luke Smith, a former St Theodore's school pupil, passed away in April this year at the family home in Burnley Road, Reedley. Burnley Coroner's Court heard yesterday
A DARWEN nursery has been found to be "good" by Ofsted inspectors. Barnabas Day House Nursery in Watery Lane is described by inspectors as a place where children are happy, well taken care of and well nourished, and learn to understand about simple good
THE first phase of a £10million plan to regenerate two disused Victorian mills in Burnley has been unveiled by a regene-ration company. Eight new industrial units, on the site of Finsley Gate Mill, are expected to bring dozens of jobs to the town.
HASLINGDEN'S very own Elvis is back in the building. Last month tribute act Steve Preston was injured in a high speed motorway crash and forced to cancel all forthcoming gigs. He and his son John Patrick were driving back from a gig in London when the
A man has been arrested after police seized 76 suspected ecstasy tablets from an address in Rishton. Police officers executed the warrant on Saturday at an address in Burton Street. A 23-year-old man from Rishton was arrested on suspicion of possession
A SCHOOL in Padiham has been rated outstanding by school inspectors. Pupils and teachers at St Leonard's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School have been celebrating after receiving a glowing report from Ofsted. The school, which was inspected
MARK Hughes was only 21 when he appeared in his first FA Cup final, but even then his Manchester United team-mates knew he was a gladiator they could trust. Arthur Albiston, who was a member of the United team that beat Everton at Wembley in 1985, said
CLARETS chairman Barry Kilby admits Burnley are sizing up a long-term manager who can lead them through the club's Turf Moor redevelopment. Since taking over the chairman role back in December 1998, Kilby has overseen the trials and tribulations of just
FORMER Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson has confessed he almost gave up on Mark Hughes when he was a youth team player at Old Trafford. Atkinson admits he thought the Welshman was slipshod and lazy' as a teenager, and he considered pulling the
Every Cloud has a Silver Lining, or so they say, and maybe this week following our defeat at Old Trafford, the upside is that people might finally stop talking about Mark Hughes as Fergie's successor at the Theatre of One Sided Referees, sorry Dreams.
BARNOLDSWICK town council has defended its decision to order the retirement of an award-winning town clerk at 65 - despite him wanting to carry on. Councillors voted to retire Robert Kandt when he hits the national pensionable age on January 3 2008
CHURCH leaders have won their bid to bulldoze the former Gannow baths - and build 40 homes to help pay for their new place of worship. Neighbours of the proposed New Life Church development in Sycamore Avenue, Burnley, were worried the blueprints would
In the first of our exclusive six-part series, Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes tells us about the early years and his inspirations. WEMBLEY Stadium, May 18, 1985. Manchester United's 10 men, against all the odds, had just defeated Everton 1-0
A MAN argued with his mum and her partner when he returned home after a 24-hour drinking binge. Blackburn magistrates heard that Ashley Donnelly went up to his bedroom and began smashing things up, eventually throwing something through the double glazed
A 14-year-old pupil at St Augustine's RC High School, Billington, who was arrested over possession of cannabis has not been charged by police. The youngsters has, instead, been given a final warning over his involvement in the incident. The boy was
MIKE Newell, Peter Reid and Joe Royle are among the names who have already applied for the vacant managerial post at Burnley. As I understand it, the trio have sent their CVs to Turf Moor in a bid to become Steve Cotterill's successor. Reid declined
BRENDAN Flood will call on all of his business acumen as Burnley step up their search for a new manager. The board have drawn up a list of criteria that they wish their next appointment to have. But although ambition is a key factor, Flood insists Steve
WELL, in keeping with what must rank as the most civilised parting of the ways twixt a football club and manager in recent times, the first thing to say is thank you, Steve Cotterill. Thank you for persuading the board to upgrade Gawthorpe and put the
A MAN has appeared in court charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and making threats to kill his wife by setting her on fire. Karl Witts, 39, of Railton Avnue, Blackburn, is alleged to have daubed his wife with paint and then poured white spirit
THERE are many differences between East Lancashire's Hollyoaks actress Suzanne Hall and the face we think we know from nightly instalments of the teen soap. The first is cosmetically obvious. The feisty woman who comes to life once the director shouts
A Government minister who claims he was accused of organising "gangs of Asian thugs" to physically force voters to support a Labour candidate in last year's local elections has taken his libel claim to the High Court. Shahid Malik, originally from
A MAN was seen running out of Mothercare pushing a stolen pram. Blackburn magistrates heard that Corrigan Barton later sold the £290 pram in a pub for just £40. Barton, 32, of Preston New Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft from Mothercare, theft
THE Government's housing policy has come under attack from an opposition MP. Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, said Labour's development plan meant there were sites in the borough being left undeveloped when they were actually ideal for
I always try to write this article within a few hours of the final whistle of Rovers' weekend game (so these days that's more often than not on a Sunday evening). I do so because I feel it's important to write primarily as a Rovers fan. I don't want
A CIGARETTE that had not been put out properly caused substantial damage to the living room of a house. The owner of the home in Pringle Street, Blackburn, had left the terrace house shortly before 1.15pm on Friday and had left a cigarette smouldering
LIVERPOOL legend Alan Hansen believes Blackburn boss Mark Hughes is one of the most talented managers in Britain. And the former defender and BBC pundit has likened Sparky to a young Harry Redknapp. Rovers' eight match unbeaten run came to a shuddering
BLACKBURN and Darwen have the highest proportion of students in independent high schools in the North of England. Figures from the Department of Children, Schools and Families show the borough has the biggest percentage of pupils aged 11 to 15 in private
A 54-year-old man tried to kill himself after being arrested for indecently assaulting a young girl. Duncan Twisse committed one attack in his car and as the 12-year-old girl tried to push him away, he said: "There's no point fighting, I will always
Mark Hughes has defended Blackburn Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen's decision to withdraw from the New Zealand squad. Nelsen pulled out of this Saturday's All Whites' World Cup qualifier against Vanuatu, in Port Vila, and Wellington four days later, as his
COMMUNITY groups are being urged to apply for grants from a new £750,000 fund aimed at getting people to be more envirnomentally friendly. The cash is available through Lancashire Local committees which will help local groups and voluntary organisations
BLACKBURN ROVERS striker Jason Roberts should be fit to face Fulham. The 29-year-old suffered a grade one tear in his thigh during Rovers' 3-0 Carling Cup win over Birmingham City in September, and he has been sidelined ever since. It follows a long
REMEMBRANCE Sunday is an emotive day. Is there anyone, young or old, who doesn't have the image in their mind of young soldiers in the trenches? At Remembrance services and meetings, people talk glibly of 'our grave young men who gave their lives for
Lord Greaves column: The latest New Labour speak is "aspirations". Gordon Brown says he will raise the aspirations of the British people and then meet those aspirations. Even the Queen had to use the word several times when she opened the new parliamentary
Burnley butcher Stephen Berkins has made it to the regional final of a national food hero competition. Stephen, winner of the North West Sausage Champion award 2005/6, will be up against four other North West finalists when chef Gary Rhodes and a panel
AT the start of every season when the fixtures come out, there are always one or two that you look for straight away and this year the trip to Christie Park was at the top of my list and what a night it turned out to be. Another away victory with a blood-and-guts
BUILDING work has started on a new £4.7million hotel on land in Burnley which has been derelict for several years. The Express by Holiday Inn is being built near the Old Spa Mill site off Pendle Way, Burnley, and will feature 102 rooms and a range of
A TV actor will return to Pleckgate High School Maths and Computing College in Blackburn tomorrow. Former Pleckgate pupil Cat Simmons currently plays Detective Kezia Walker in ITV's popular crime drama The Bill, and has also appeared in episodes of
A MAN has been charged in connection with a £100,000 raid on a supermarket, police said. David Bennet, 29, from the Moseley area of Manchester, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of burgling the Tesco Express on Casterton Avenue in the early hours of
A SUSPECTED spy has insisted that he was not trying to make a bomb at his home. Peter Hill, 23, who was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell military documents to Russia, spoke out through his solicitor after appearing in court charged with possessing
Two drivers walked away unharmed from a head-on collision in Mellor. The two Saab cars were travelling along Mellor Lane and had reached the junction with Nickey Lane at around 8.20am yesterday when the crash occurred. Neither driver required hospital
MACMILLAN Cancer Support would like to hear from peo-ple of working age affected by cancer or from employers who have experience of managing people with a cancer diagnosis. On November 20 we are launching our Working Through Cancer campaign and we need
I WOULD like to share with all your readers who may have missed out what a fantastic night my family had at the Witton Park bonfire. It was my first time and took my 18-months old son, husband and the grandparents and we had such a fun family night.
RECENTLY there have been a number of reports in the newspapers which lead one to think that crimes against senior citizens are less important than those carried out against the rest of society. One case is that of a 67-year-old man who died as a result
AS WE gave, respectively, a reading and an address at the civic service on Remembrance Sunday in the cathedral - as well as standing at the door to greet those who attended - we both noticed, unless we were mistaken, that whilst there were a number of
The Salford Film Festival has been revived, with a little help from some famous friends. The return of the festival was supported by Sir Ben Kingsley among others. Highlights include Joy Division: The Documentary, introduced by Peter Hook, five of Sir
Due to unforseen cricumstances the AGM for The East Rural Youth & Community Centre had to be stopped and has been re scheduled. The details are as follows. The Re - Arranged AGM Tuesday 20th November 7.30pm Hoddlesden Youth & Community Centre
Clitheroe will today learn if they can still compete in this season's FA Trophy competition at a disciplinary meeting in Greater Manchester. The Blues were controversially thrown out of the competition for allegedly fielding an ineligible player in the
FIVE men arrested in drugs raids yesterday are set to appear before magistrates charged with suspected drugs offences. Six addresses across the area were targeted in the latest in a series of raids as part of Operation Nimrod, the countywide initiative
BURNLEY defender Michael Duff has been named Championship Player of the Year at the North West Football Awards. The 28-year-old was at a ceremony at Manchester's Midland Hotel last night to collect his prize, after fending off competition from ex-Preston
THE jury in the trial of a prison officer accused of sex assaults on three female workers at a north west jail will continue its deliberations today. Trevor Wright, 47, of Heron Close, Blackburn, denies nine charges of indecent assault, sexual assault
A CHIEF fire officer has called for industrial units to be kitted out with adequate sprinkler systems in order to avoid further firefighter deaths. Chief fire officer of the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Peter Holland, was speaking in wake of the
ACCRINGTON Stanley defender Leam Richardson believes if the Reds cut out the mistakes then they can make a serious push for promotion. Stanley let a two-goal slip against Huddersfield Town on Saturday to crash out of the FA Cup in the first round. And
ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman has warned his side need to tighten up at the back or face another long hard season. The Reds crashed out of the FA Cup on Saturday after surrendering a two-goal lead against Huddersfield. And, not for the first
A YOUNG musician celebrated her 17th birthday by playing the trumpet at the Royal Albert Hall. Natalie Graham took to the stage last night after winning the chance to play at the prestigious venue in a competition run by the Music For Youth Foundation
