VANDALS have caused thousands of pounds damage to Gawthorpe Hall by smashing win-dows and stealing lead piping. Police are stepping up patrols at the stately hall, in Padiham, after vandals smashed 16 window panes at the 400-year-old Elizab-ethan house
A GROUP of thieves picked a bad spot to operate as officers were watching from the police station across the road. Burnley Magistrates Court heard Gavin Thomas, 30, was seen running away and dropped a bottle of body-wash - but there was no evidence he
TALKS are underway to try and secure the future of the cafe in a Pendle park. Councillors are fighting to get Alkincoates Park cafe in Colne re-opened before the school summer holidays with talks underway with a local operator to run it on a franchise
TOWNELEY hall, Burnley is letting visitors in for free to celebrate the 100 year anniv-ersary of the oil painting gallery. The hall is usually free to residents of Burnley but on Monday the building will be free to all visitors. The gallery was created
ALEX McDonald scored his fifth goal for Burnley Reserves to earn a point at Carlisle United tonight. The Clarets fielded a young side for their penultimate Pontin's League game at Brunton Park, and it was the hosts who took the lead in the first half
THE son of a man whose blood soaked body was found at his home 17 years ago has called for police to re-launch their murder hunt. Horse dealer Leslie Jackson was found beaten to death in the bathroom of his sheltered bungalow in Sussex Drive, Blackburn
A HAIRDRESSER lived a flamboyant lifestyle after fraudulently obtaining almost £1million to buy two luxurious seaside homes. Deborah Clarkson, 45, who used to run a salon in Accrington, claimed to be earning £250,000 a year on mortgage applications.
A WOMAN claiming benefits failed to tell authorities when she got married and claimed more than £25,000 which she wasn't entitled. Burnley Magistrates heard how Asha Khatun, 40, now a mother-of-two, was claiming housing and council tax benefits as well
TWO men have been given anti-social behaviour orders after residents' lives were made a misery by a drunken gang. And police are appealing for witnesses to come forward who have been victims of the drink-fuelled rampages as they seek to impose similar
A BUSINESS has won a prestigious award after recording a massive increase in exports. Fort Vale, which is in the process of moving from Nelson to Simonstone, has been given The Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2008 for Outstanding Export
PUPILS at West Street Primary School, Colne, rounded off their healthy lifestyle week with a walk to school. Children from nursery, through to Year 6, have been learning how to live well. "It's very important that the children learn all aspects of a
"Dinky Links" fun activities for all children from birth to 4 (drop-in) - 9.30 to 11.30am. Senior Citizens Wednesday Club, Bingo and tea and biscuits - 1.30 to 3.30pm
The Friends of Turton Tower are trying to revive the tradition of Turton Fair and have chosen Monday, May 26 - Spring Bank Holiday - as the date to hold it. Plans are in place to bring animals to the Tower, folk musicians and children's activities.
A man who punched his long-term partner during a row at their home has been given a community sentence. Painter and decorator Karl Witts was told that courts took a very serious view of those who committed assaults in a domestic environment. The court
VALLEY taxi drivers have been praised for improving their standards after a bad report last month. Spot checks carried out on a quarter of Rossendale's taxis showed a considerable improvement compared with a similar exercise carried out in March and
THE family of a popular Burnley shop owner who died of a suspected heart attack have spoken of their grief. Dennis Howard, 65, who owned Worsthorne Village Shop for 20 years, died on Wednesday morning. Mr Howard, of Higgins Street, Worsthorne, had lived
THREE drug addicts who abandoned a car in the early hours were all arrested on suspicion of stealing stone found in the back of it, a court was told. Burnley Magistrates heard how Christopher Peter Haworth, 28, had taken the vehicle off his mother and
A Blackburn man who admitted drugs offences, as well as a burglary, has been warned to expect a jail term. Michael Jackson, 22, of Ferndale, pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing heroin with intent to suply on January 16 and another of possessing
A DROP-in surgery is starting for people looking for business advice. Colne company Hilton Bowers launches a free drop-in business surgery facility to help anyone with a business related issue on Saturday, May 3. Wendy Bowers, from Hilton Bowers, said
RESIDENTS in Burnley are being encouraged to use their vote and have their say on the way their area is run. Elections will be held in all 15 wards in the borough on Thursday May 1. One seat in each ward is up for grabs and a total of 54 candidates
TEACHERS, college lecturers, driving examiners and civil servants went on strike today to protest over pay. At least 88 schools across East Lancashire were affected, as members of the National Union of Teachers, Universities and Colleges Union, and
AN unidentified animal has been spotted roaming around the Darwen countryside, sparking fears that a wild cat has moved into the area. The beast has seen stalking hedges around Harwoods Lane, Hoddlesden, near to the old railway line and the grave yard
A 28-year-old Afghan asylum seeker went berserk after drinking alcohol for the first time in his life, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that Mireaayajunnah Hashimi attacked police officers who attended a disturbance which arose because he
BLACKBURN Rovers fans have been treated to some cracking goals this season. And now it's your chance to vote for the best. The winning player will be presented with a special trophy before the final home game of the season against Derby County.
PLANNING permission to build three industrial units on Goose House Lane, Darwen is recommended for approval when it goes before the planning and highways committee tonight. The application also involves demolition of a building on the site and removal
A sportswear giant has revealed that three under-threat stores in East lancashire are set to remain open. JJB Sports announced earlier this month that it was axing 800 jobs and closing 72 of its shops to try to improve performance after profits dropped
L-R are Margo Grimshaw, Proprietor Susan Brodie and Secretary of the Blackburn and East Lancashire branch of the Royal Society of St George Laurence Loft.
L-R are Amy Leeming from Specsavers, The Mayor of Blackburn Maureen McGarvey, The Mayoress of Blackburn Ann Law-Riding and Hayley Barton from Specsavers.
L-R are Hayley Barton,The Mayor of Blackburn Maureen McGarvey and Amy Leeming from Specsavers outside the winning shop.
PEOPLE living near to a proposed £22million leisure complex have agreed that something needs to be done to improve the rundown site. But there are concerns that the plans for Robin Bank, Darwen, could cause traffic problems. Developer and chairman of
ACCRINGTON Stanley Reserves were in Pontin's League action last night. The Reds went down 1-0 at home to Tranmere Rovers Reserves at the Fraser Eagle Stadium.
A DOUBLE family reunion took place when 75 descendants of the Thom and Dugdale families gathered from as far afield as Australia, USA, Norway, Denmark, Abu Dhabi, and all over the UK. Two generations ago the Thom family was known for its close connections
DECADES ago, the workplace not only provided jobs, it was often the focus of workers' socialising, too. Sports and social clubs organised events and activities, and ran a variety of sports teams, with employees taking part in football, bowls and darts
FORMER footballing ace Bryan Douglas will be the special guest at a talk in Brindle next week, which will look back at Blackburn Rovers in the 50s and 60s. Entitled 'Blackburn Rovers in the Bryan Douglas era', it will show memorabilia and photographs
EVERY youngster learns from an early age about the vital role played by birds and bees in the natural world. Without the principle of pollination, by which flowers and other seed plants are reproduced, our gardens and countryside would look comparatively
THE dance section of The Blackburn Festival of Speech Music and Dance is taking place in Darwen over the next two weekends. Held in the Library Theatre, starting at 9.15am for all events, the first leg of the competition is on Saturday and Sunday, and
A WOMAN has bought a specially-adapted caravan to help give disabled people more affordable holidays after experiencing the difficulties they face at first hand. Susanne Ingham, 34, of Cravens Heath, Blackburn, discovered that disabled people spend almost
I hope he doesn't mind, and I don't think he will as this has been published in the newspaper today anyway, but I wanted to let the Bank Top/Wensley Fold community know about the new pastor at Grace Community Church. Ian and his wife Liz, are two of
PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice has pledged that people in the borough who lost out as a result of the abolition of the 10p rate of income tax will be fully compensated, and the money they lost will be backdated to April 1, the start of the financial year.
A ROBBER waved a hammer at staff in a bid to steal jewellery from a town centre store before being chased away by the owner. The man went into A Ainsworth and Sons Jewellers, Darwen Street, Blackburn, at 9.05am today and demanded that staff hand over
AN MP has expressed her concern after a leading property developer announced it was leaving East Lancashire. The Hurstwood Group, which is based at the Link 665 Business Centre, Todd Hall Road, Haslingden, is relocating to new headquarters at a £2million
THIS is Burnley Football Club's home shirt for the new season. Club sponsor Holland's Pies will have their name emblazoned across the front and back of the new shirt, which is again manufactured by Italian sportswear manufacturer Errea. The new shirt
SCHOOLS can visit Anne Frank's bedroom without leaving the country, thanks to an exhibition at Blackburn Cathedral. Visitors to the Anne Frank and You exhibit will be able to experience a life-size replica of Anne's bedroom, where she wrote her celebrated
SIDECAR ace Dave Holden extended his lead in the Wirral 100 Championship after claiming maximum points at Oulton Park. Holden, from Great Harwood, and passenger Rob Coward, seized the advantage when race leader John Holden retired on the last lap. Holden
A SCHOOLGIRL who refuses to allow a debilitating illness to get in the way of her life has been nominated for a national award. Caroline Shorthouse, 16, of Bowfield Lane, Balderstone, will travel to South Africa this summer to play hockey for her school
AT the same time that Henry VIII was taking to the throne of England, a new school was founded in Blackburn, close to the parish church. Now 500 years on, the history of that school - Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School - has been celebrated in a new book
A BUILDING student has been recognised as the region's best young brickie. Wesley Rackham 19, from Rawtenstall, who attends Accrington and Rossendale College, won first place in the senior bricklaying category at the recent regional heats of the Skillbuild
WHILE most of us find it impossible to watch anything other than The Apprentice on a Wednesday night, there is another programme which is well worth setting the recorder for. Over on BBC2, Dan Cruickshank's Adventure in Architecture is definitely one
TWO in three motorists support a lowering of the legal drink-drive limit, according to a poll of more than 17,000 drivers. Women in the survey of members of the AA were even keener than men in backing a reduction in the current limit of 80mg of alcohol
A CAR which crashed through a crowd of young partygoers killing a Burnley-born schoolgirl was travelling very fast', a court has heard. Lipene Sila is accused of murdering Jane Young, who had moved to New Zealand from Ightenhill in Burnley, after she
Colne were left frustrated after they couldn't find a way past Atherton Collieries in the North West Counties Division One, with the match ending goalless.
TWO men from Haslingden have been charged with money laundering offences by officers from Lancashire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit. George Alan Waring, 58, of Hud Rake, and Leslie Wayne Cowe, 36, of Hud Hey Road, were both charged
Rossendale United will have a major say in the battle to avoid the drop from UniBond Division One North when they host rock-bottom Bridlington Town at Dark Lane tonight. The East Yorkshire outfit are scrapping with Woodley Sports to escape the drop,
THE Pendle and Burnley Grand Prix is an 11-race series, which runs from May until August. They vary in length from three miles to 13.5 miles and cover a mix of fell, road, trail and country. Runners can count their best eight results towards their Grand
ANDREW Flintoff is "ready to go" for the first Test against New Zealand and is already bowling at his optimum. The informed report comes from a highly-qualified source, Flintoff's former England team-mate Marcus Trescothick - who was today given the
A MISSING cat has sparked a nationwide search after being 'spotted' 200 miles away from home in London. Seven-year-old Silver disap-peared from her home in Water Street, Hapton, on April 14, leaving her owners Angela and Jim Jones frantically searching
Liona Riding has won Blackburn Road Runn-ers' Club Championship for the first time in her career, and received her trophy at the club's recent awards night held at Cherry Tree Cricket Club. The women's Fastest Runner' Championship was the most closely
TRADERS at an historic market hall face difficult times after claiming that the visitor numbers have dropped dramatically. National statistics released this week show that high street footfall has fallen by over eight per cent during the last 12 months
It's the dignity of people who are grieving over loved ones who've been murdered which never ceases to surprise me. My jobs over the last 11 years, as Home and Foreign Secretary, and now Justice Secretary, have brought me into far more contact with such
HOUSEBUYERS are invited to an open viewing day for a house with a huge pricetag. The Manor on Leabank Country Estate, Rawtenstall, is on the market for £995,000 and viewers are invited to look around between 11am and 4pm on Sunday. The house includes
FORTY years ago, in April 1968, political parties in Nelson and Colne were preparing for a by-election, following the death of MP Sydney Silverman, who had served the constituency for almost 33 years. And the local Labour Party marked the golden jubilee
WE turn the clock back more than half-a-century this week, to put an old team from Bacup Borough FC in the spotlight. It's the team from the 1952/53 season - do you recognise any of the players? They are from left to right, back row: trainer D McNamara
TEN-pin bowling first came to Burnley in 1963, when film and TV star Douglas Fairbanks Junior opened the latest of his eight bowling alleys at Finsley Gate. Launching the venue, Fairlanes Bowling, he scored a lowly two points with his first ball. The
TWO out of three wasn't a bad start to the season for Formula Palmer Audi hopeful Tom Bradshaw. After claiming pole position for the first of three races at Donington Park, the highly-rated 18-year-old from Blackburn picked up two second places. Bradshaw
A BUSINESS which was founded in Rossendale in the 1970s is set to move to new headquarters in Bolton. Hurstwood is to move to the purpose-built 10,000 sq ft office complex named Oceanic - part of its hugely successful Navigation Park complex - in June
DANIEL Barritt and Phillip Morrow have got their 2008 British Rally Championship campaign off to a flying start after finishing fourth on the opening round. Barritt, from Hapton, and his Northern Ireland-based driver didn't have an easy time on the two-day
Chorley Harrier Graham Schofield was looking for a new challenge after compl-eting 12 marathons, including eight Londons', and so to celebrate his 55th birthday, he signed up for the 2008 Marathon des Sables. The competitors were housed in eight man
Two Blackburn men have been committed to Preston Crown Court on drug supply charges. Richard Paul Brunt, 33, of Leicester Road, faces charges of being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and possessing 12 wraps of crack and 27 of heroin
A FORMER Blackburn firefighter has launched a website to help people avoid rogue traders. Barry Shelmerdine has set up Trade Grader to give people a chance rate plumbers, electricians or gas engineers who have carried out work for them. Mr Shelmerdine
RECENTLY my wife and I had reason to sample the "magic roundabout" at Whitebirk. It's a bit like a Formula One racing circuit with traffic lights, with cars switching lanes and going round the block at least twice, at 30 plus mph. It is no better than
I WRITE to ask for help from businesses, shoppers and motorists in the smaller East Lancashire towns. Throughout Britain, independent shops are vanishing from our High Streets and market towns.Our small town still has a thriving High Street and a relaxed
I READ with interest the current flurry of articles in the press about the difficulty of maintaining pupil discipline in the classroom. The problem has escalated to such an extent that teachers are now in the process of industrial dispute, one of their
BURNLEY striker Kyle Lafferty admitted he was close to tears when he was told his season had come to a premature end. It is less than a week since the 20-year-old was discharged from hospital after having an emergency appendix operation. His physical
ROQUE Santa Cruz has spoken of his joy at hitting the magical 20-goals mark during an impressive debut season for Blackburn Rovers. Only a handful of foreign strikers have managed to achieve that feat during their first year in English football, but
We all need to increase our exercise these days. We're always being told to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day and especially if we're a bit portly round the middle! So if you're free on a Monday morning, and fancy an easy hour's
Burnley's Michael Haworth finished 28th and 22nd overall in the first round proper of the British Superbike Championship at Thruxton. In his first race for over a year following injury, Haworth had a problematic start and soon found himself playing catch
THE midweek Veteran's 25 mile time trial at Cocker-ham proved a bonanza for our local riders, who came away with more than their share of the prize money on a cold and windy country lane course. The Blackburn-based North Lancashire Road Club were winners
Round two of the MSA British Championship, held at the M61 Bolton West Services, saw a win for Mini man Alastair Moffatt. Second place went to Dave Mosey, in another Mini Special, with Ashley Lamont third in a Westfield.Organised by Bolton-le-Moors Car
A man is due to appear in court this morning in connection with an alleged stabbing at a home in Water Street, Accrington. Richard Allan, 26, from Pinewood Drive, Accrington has been charged with Section 18 wounding with intent and remanded to appear
FOUR people had to be rescued after a serious fire broke started in the stairwell of their flats early today. Firefighters were originally called to a shed fire in Oakenhurst Road, Blackburn at 1.40am, but as they got closer, they saw heavy plumes of
FORMER Clarets boss Stan Ternent is firm favourite to become Huddersfield Town's new manager. His appointment is expected to be announced at a Press conference at the League One club's Galpharm Stadium tomorrow. Ternent, who still lives in the Burnley
Brogden Hall Farm, Barnoldswick, is the venue for Vale MXC Club's Championship meeting on Sunday. The meet is open to all classes, from autos, youth, 125 and adults. Racing starts after signing on at 8am.
Round two of Darwen Motorcycle and Car Club's Trials Championship takes place at Cliviger on Sunday, starting at 11am. The meeting is open to all classes, including adult expert, intermediate and novice. The venue is situated one mile from Cliviger on
The New Era Club host their first meeting of the season at Oulton Park with a huge programme of racing for all classes, including Sound of Thunder, GP125, Classics, F600, Hornets and Ducatis. Racing starts at 11am following practice. Admission is £12
RESIDENTS have been left confused after pictures of Darwen's new football ground were published - showing a 30,000-seater stadium in the United States. The image, described as an "artist's impression of the planned stadium", showed the University of
ASWAD Thomas won't be returning to Accrington Stanley for their final two games of the season. The 18-year-old defender - on-loan from Championship side Charlton - is eligible for Stanley after serving a three-game suspension, which he picked up following
We would like to thank the vigilant members of the public who contaacted us this past weekend with information about these vehicles. Due to your help we have been able to issue Section 59 warnings to the motorists. Should they or anyone else be caught
