A COUNCILLOR who committed benefit fraud has been told to quit by opposition politicians after being given a suspended jail sentence. Coun Arif Waghat, who represents Shear Brow ward, fraudulently claimed council tax benefit and income support of more
MICHAEL Owen handed England boss Steve McClaren another huge headache when he hobbled off against Austria last night ... and out of the European Championship campaign. His torn thigh muscle will sideline him for a month, which means England will be missing
England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce admitted that his side were left with "a lot of lessons to be learned" after recording a 2-0 win over Bulgaria at stadium:mk. Gabriel Agbonlahor's first-half header and a late James Milner penalty saw Pearce's side
A DIGITALLY aged picture of East Lancashire's most wanted child sex offender has been created in a bid to track him down. Joshua Karney was jailed on November 28, 2002, for plying a 14-year-old boy with cider and trying to grope and have sex with him
A PEDESTRIAN was knocked down on a pavement by a stolen car. Police said that the Mitsubishi Colt failed to stop after the crash in Whalley New Road, Larkhill, Blackburn, at 4pm today. Minutes later police spotted the vehicle and launched a pursuit
Shadsworth Junior School, Arran Avenue, Blackburn, had its Children In Need fundraising complicated by a visit from the Ofsted inspectors. Year 5 teacher Susan Danson, who organised the day, said: "There was a bit of panic at the beginning of the week
A LEADING councillor is calling for Darwen's mayoral chains to be returned if plans for a town council get the go ahead. Tony Melia, leader of the For Darwen Party, said if the council was set up, he wanted to see the chains back in their home town.
A RAPIST who threatened to rape a woman in front of her young son has been jailed for 12 years. David Patterson, 52, of Leeds Road, Nelson, forced a woman to go with him to a bedroom and repeatedly raped her, The High Court in Glasgow heard. He told
Energy charity Homewise are organising events in the Hyndburn area to help keep homes warm and bills low this winter. The event is part of the national Warm Homes Campaign' which aims to cut the number of excess winter deaths and reduce cold-related
A BABY boy has died after it is believed he choked on one of his brother's toys. Benjamin Hazelwood, one, of Florence Avenue, Burnley died on Friday November 9 after appearing to choke on a small plastic fireman toy that was given to his two-year-old
An out-house was badly damaged and windows of a nearby house cracked in what is being treated as an arson attack. Firefighters were called to Bradshaw Street in Nelson shortly before 9pm on Tuesday, and spent over 30 minutes putting out the burning outhouse
BURNLEY'S Graham Alexander is just a day away from one of the games of his life. Scotland have one last chance to earn their place in next summer's Euro 2008 Championships. Against all odds, they have done the double over France to get themselves into
Thousands of people across Lancashire did hundreds of silly, entertaining and just downright whacky things to raise money for Children in Need. People of all ages helped make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK. Shadsworth
PARENTS who were punished for parking illegally outside a school have had their tickets cancelled because the road is yet to be officially adopted. Five motorists were slapped with a £30 fine when they went to pick up children from The Redeemer Primary
ENVIRONMENTAL projects in the Ribble Valley could be given a cash boost following the allocation of extra funding. The Lancashire Local network in the borough has been awarded nearly £25,000 from the county council's climate change fund. The money is
A BUS driver's wife who masterminded a massive transport fraud has failed to secure a reduction in the £200,000 she was ordered to pay back. Suzanne Bailey, 36, submitted grossly inflated claims for a rebate on fuel duty in relation to the Buzy Buz Ltd
A CONVICTED armed robber who snatched a pensioner's bag while she was out shopping has been jailed for four years. Preston Crown Court was told that Philip Lord was on licence from a nine-year prison sentence for trying to rob a building society at the
CLITHEROE boss Neil Reynolds has a strong squad to choose from for their away match against Mossley. The Blues have had a turbulent week, kicking off with beating FC United, but their celebrations were tempered somewhat when their FA Trophy appeal
ROSSENDALE manager Derek Egan is facing a selection headache ahead of tomorrow's trip to table-topping Curzon Ashton. Tom Clark and Kevin Brown are both out with foot injuries, while Danny Warrender, Adam Cook and striker Phil Eastwood are all struggling
Steve Wilkes has revealed he will be fielding a completely untried and untested defence as Padiham host Blackpool Mechanics at the Arbories. Regular centre-halves Matt Woods and Ross Barnham are both suspended, while goalkeeper Gavin King is away. King
In Division Two Darwen welcome back skipper Jason Jones for the visit of bottom-of-the table Holker Old Boys. Jones has missed the last three games through suspension and manager Wayne Watkins praised the young players who have filled in in his absence
NELSON have signed Lee Barrett, from Colne, former Clitheroe striker Lee Lysons and Padiham forward Ed O'Neil. Manager Denny Khan said: "I've been looking for a big striker for a while now to play alongside the other quick lads in the team." However
COLNE boss Nigel Coates will be looking to take advantage of Bacup Borough's current plight when the two sides clash at the Holt House tomorrow. Bacup are bottom of NWCL Division One and Coates will be looking to pile more pressure on their local rivals
Blackburn Rovers striker Matt Derbyshire is expected to the lead the line for England Under-21's tonight against Bulgaria. Stuart Pearce's men have won their first four European qualifiers without conceding a goal. And Derbyshire will be looking
Blackburn Rovers' David Bentley will start on the bench tonight as England face Austria in Vienna. Boss Steve McClaren will give David Beckham a run-out ahead of Wednesday's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia. But he is not expected to
A CLITHEROE man today admitted waging a blackmail and bomb hoax camp-aign against supermarket giant Tesco in a bid to extort £1m. Philip McHugh, 52, of Milton Avenue, threatened to plant bombs and contaminate food, caus-ing Tesco to close 14 supermarkets
IF England fail to qualify for next summer's European Championships then the players should carry the can - not Steve McClaren. In my opinion, sacking McClaren would achieve very little, other than leave us right back at square one. It's not the manager's
A 38-year-old woman caught drink driving believed she had been set up by her former boyfriend. Blackburn magistrates heard Janet Richards had been contacted by her ex who said he wanted to talk to her urgently about their child. But as she made the
BLACKBURN Rovers winger Keith Treacy is set to make his long-awaited debut for the Republic of Ireland's Under 21s tonight - but it's in the Premier League where he ultimately wants to make his mark. After a couple of false starts due to injuries, the
AN undercover policeman was sold heroin by a mobile phone salesman who was wearing his works ID badge round his neck. Blackburn magistrates heard that the 26-year-old did the "deal" in his lunch hour after being put under pressure by a man he owed money
JASON Roberts has vowed to shrug off his injury problems and help propel Blackburn Rovers back into Europe. The former Wigan Athletic striker, who is on the comeback trail after missing the last seven weeks with a thigh muscle injury, has set his sights
SOMEHOW I suspect estate agents around the country were jumping up and down in front of their TV sets last night as their profession got a real pasting in ITV's new comedy drama Sold. It portrayed a bunch of trendy house-shifters as the most unscrupulous
WORK is set to begin on Monday on a state-of -the-art bus and rail Interchange in Nelson. The £4.5 million state-of-the-art interchange which will replace Nelson's bus and railway stations is part of the regeneration of the town centre. The interchange
As bassist with the Happy Mondays, Paul Ryder experienced the highs and lows of a rock and roll lifestyle. Now he's back with a new band and, as he tells us, a new outlook on life. IT'S not unusual for a Manchester band with a frontman named Ryder
HE is the star of Radio 1's The Milk Run, Radio 4's Banter and is now a TV panel show regular on BBC Two's Mock The Week, which is just about to start a new series. Russell Howard is an award-winning comedian who literally lives for comedy - and actually
THERE'S a lot of hype right now about who's going to take over from Steve Cotterill. Well I'm a loyal person and I wouldn't mind Steve Davis getting the Burnley job one little bit especially given the other names that have been touted around. It seems
WAREHOUSES suspected of supplying potentially dangerous counterfeit toys for sale in Blackburn have been shut down. In a huge Trading Standards operation, 20,000 toys, worth around £100,000, were seized from a string of warehouses across Salford. As
AN East Lancashire farming leader has told livestock producers they can still make a profit, even amidst the disease outbreaks that have blighted 2007. National Farmers' Union livestock chairman, Thomas Binns, who farms at Downham in the Ribble Valley
Blackpool manager Grayson has moved to distance himself from the managerial vacancy at Burnley. Although he admitted the interest was flattering, he said his only thoughts are on helping Blackpool do well in the Championship. "That's all it is - speculation
A WOMAN eating her tea while watching TV heard a noise and turned round to see her husband hanging from the banister. An inquest heard Derek Francis Ryan died four days later at Royal Blackburn Hospital. But a pathologist said he may not have died
ENGINEERING apprentices from Pendle companies collected prizes at the North West Aerospace Alliance 2007 Youth awards. The event, held in Blackpool, attracted 130 guests from the aerospace industry, educational institutions and sponsors. The AV
A PIONEERING sports club which launched the first disabled children's football team in Lancashire has received a £5,000 boost. Blackburn's Lammack Juniors Football Club runs weekly sessions for 250 under-18 boys and girls, including 27 young people with
Paul Crone and Father Chistmas with Ellie Wilson (8) switch on the Christmas lights
Whitney McPhee, Kerrie Fishe, Gemma Haig, Leanne Clarke and Claire Stewart in joyful mood
X Factor Star Rowetta meets Gabrielle Finch, 8, of Clayton-le-Moors and Hannah Kelly, 8 of Darwen.
The Mayor of Blackburn Cllr Maureen McGarvey joins Michael Le Vell, David Dunn and members of the Lancashire Hotpots as they switch on the Blackburn Christmas Light switch on.
AN innovative way of teaching languages has helped dozens of youngsters gain top marks in Spanish. Paul Howard, a modern languages teacher at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School (QEGS), has based his teaching on the Michel Thomas Method. It works by breaking
Phil Flare, lead singer with Wham Bam Glam, the the 70's tribute group opens the night's event outside Blackburn Town Hall, during the Christmas Light switch on.
BURNLEY will step up their search for a new manager today after drawing up a shortlist of candidates. Operations director Brendan Flood met chairman Barry Kilby yesterday to finalise their wanted list, and they will now spend the next few days trying
SWIMMING 92-year-old supergran Ada Gibson has been named as Hyndburn's fittest over 50 at a community awards ceremony. Ada scooped the inaugural Ambassador Awards prize after regularly rolling back the years and raising charity cash in a swim-a-mile
TWO vehicles believed to have been used in an armed robbery on a cash delivery van at a building society have been recovered by police. An abandoned white Renault Kangoo van was discovered at the junction of Hapton Road and Levant Street, in Hapton -
STANLEY boss John Coleman has said he won't abandon his attacking sensibilities despite the Reds' patchy home form this season. Accrington face Rotherham at the Fraser Eagle Stadium tomorrow after winning just three of their home games and losing the
FOR someone who only has six GCSEs to his name I do sometimes wonder what might have been. Following an intense discussion in a parked car recently, the question was raised as to whether I would join the armed forces in the current political climate.
STANLEY boss John Coleman is hoping to exorcise the ghost of last weekend's defeat at Huddersfield Town with a home win against Rotherham tomorrow. A last-minute goal by Luke Beckett broke Stanley hearts as they lost 3-2 against the Terriers but Coleman
THOUSANDS of people across East Lancashire will be doing their bit today for Children in Need. Events will be taking part across the region for the annual fundraising campaign which culminates in tonight's TV show on BBC 1. Last year over £33million
COMMUTERS experienced traffic chaos this morning after a three-car crash on the M66 near Ramsbottom. Queues were stretching for more than two miles after the accident on the south-bound carriageway near junction one at around 7.30am.
FORMER Accrington Stanley favourite Andy Todd admitted he can't wait for tomorrow's clash at the Fraser Eagle Stadium. Todd was a sensation when he joined John Coleman's Reds revolution, initially on loan from Burton Albion, as he helped Stanley to win
