NEW Zealand star Chris Cairns will not be returning to Bacup in 2007. The Kiwi legend, who took the Lanehead side to the brink of the Lancashire League title last season only to be pipped at the last by Burnley, won't be returning to Bacup because of
MOBILE phone giant Vodafone has come under fire after customers in Earby were left without a signal for 20 days. A technical fault on the company's mast above Thornton-in-Craven has left Vodafone customers without any reception since December 15. Vodafone
COLNE boss Nigel Coates has praised his squad after an impressive run of just one defeat in their last eight matches. He said: "We don't have the big squads of the likes of FC United and Salford City but I am delighted with the way we have been playing
KIND-hearted bank officials are to pay a parking fine for a Santa charity collector who got a ticket while paying in cash at their branch. Blackburn Round Table member Andrew Bridge spent three days dressed as Father Christmas to raise £3,500 with his
THERE may not be many shops on the banks of the River Ribble - but look out for the January seals! There have been sightings of a grey, blubbery mammal where the river winds its way through Ribchester. Anglers who fish the stretch of water have been
RESIDENTS and businesses have spent £3,000 on a device in a bid to stop motorists speeding in their village. Instead of applying for a Lancashire County Council grant, members of the Waterfoot community clubbed together because they wanted the device
A TRIPLE rapist is set to be interviewed by police in jail after two more potential victims came forward. Detectives have revealed that the women have claimed Great Harwood rapist Shaun Greenwood, who was jailed for life in the summer, had forced himself
THE headteacher of Hameldon Community College has spoken for the first time about a difficult first term - and sent a defiant message to the critics. The school was visited by police 19 times in the first five weeks of term and it is also at the centre
A GOOD start but room for improvement. That is the frank first-term assessment from education chiefs, headteachers and union leaders of the start made by the £250million Building Schools For The Future (BSF) programme. As the spring term gets under way
A MUSLIM leader has hit out after the new site for a mosque in Clitheroe was targeted by vandals. Windows in the former Mount Zion Methodist Chapel in Lowergate, Clitheroe, were smashed, prompting police to investigate if the attack was racially motivated
KIND-hearted bank officials are to pay a parking fine for a Santa charity collector who got a ticket while paying in cash at their branch. Blackburn Round Table member Andrew Bridge spent three days dressed as Father Christmas to raise £3,500 with his
I VISITED the flourishing Rossendale Aviation Society recently, which meets at Haslingden Cricket Club. The subject was the history of the Lancaster Bomber which had its origins in our county. What I did not bargain for was meeting four men who flew
YOU cannot talk about the Lake District without mentioning Alfred Wainwright, the famed walker, author and illustrator, whose pictorial guides to the Cumbrian Fells have inspired generations. Global sales of Wainwright's unique hand-written and hand-drawn
A PUB manager whose bar was the scene of a baseball bat attack has insisted "this is not a rough place". Gordon Harness was speaking after three men were jailed for the violent assault at the Queen's Hotel, Accrington. Mr Harness, 58, who took over
IRRESPONSIBLE landl-ords who live outside East Lancashire and allow their properties to be used as drug dens are being targeted by police. Officers growing increasingly concerned about rented homes in Burnley being used for drugs have called on landlords
COUNCIL staff are to monitor areas around takeaways in Burnley and issue £75 fines to any customers who are caught dropping litter. The move is part of a crackdown by the borough council on the problem of litter associated with the town's takeaways.
A CARE home manager who has battled with cancer is celebrating 21 years of dedicated work looking after the elderly. Single mum Kath Parkinson first joined Springhill Care Home, Accrington, as a part time book-keeper in 1986 in order to supplement her
Sports reporter Gary York looks ahead to Burnley's FA Cup tie at Premiership side Reading in our latest video bulletin. In it, he discusses Burnley's chances of progression and how seriously Steve Cotterill will be taking the competition. To watch
Blackburn Rovers reporter Andy Neild looks ahead to the FA Cup tie at Everton in our latest video. In it, he discusses who may be handed the captaincy in the absence of Lucas Neill and how seriously the club will be taking the competition. He also
Mark Hughes is hoping his Blackburn Rovers strikeforce will be boosted by the return of Franny Jeffers. Jeffers has been struggling with a groin injury since the back end of November, but he's expected to return to training any day. Once he's regained
A MOTHER-of-two attacked her frightened stepmother in a Nelson park and verbally abused her, a court was told. Anna Marie Gilbert, 31, was said to have "gone berserk", hit victim Monica Buhajewska, pulled off her sunglasses and stamped on them as their
CLARETS manager Steve Cotterill admits Reading's Premiership prowess has come as no surprise to him. The Royals lie in ninth place on the back of their 6-0 mauling of West Ham on New Year's Day. And Burnley boss Cotterill puts much of their top flight
PENDLE, with a population of 90,000, could be twinned with a Chinese province that has six million inhabitants. Delegates from the municipal government of the Changzhe province will be visiting the area on Monday to forge business links between the two
YOUNG thespians in Burnley are looking for a new chairman. Since Andrew Walker stepped down at the end of 2006, Burnley Youth Theatre has been advertising the post within its board of directors. Applications from other people in the community are
A 45-year-old shop assistant stole from the till to fund taxi travel because she had a phobia about using public transport, a court was told. Blackburn magistrates heard that over a four-month period Sheila Brynes helped herself to £870 by generating
BURNLEY'S most problem families are to be targeted as part of crackdown against anti-social behaviour. Burnley Council is to spend about £550,000 targeting up to 18 of the borough's most difficult families to address problems of unruly behaviour so it
MARK Hughes has a tough decision to make regarding the captaincy as Blackburn Rovers head to Everton this weekend for an FA Cup third round tie. Regular skipper Lucas Neill is suspended for the trip to Goodison Park, which begs the question who will
ALMOST 20 per cent of North West workers do unpaid overtime and miss out on an average £4,216 pay each a year, according to new union figures. The Trades Union Congress said the Government's Labour Force Survey revealed that 16.3 per cent of the region's
I had thought this would have been an almost impossible task. But somehow we, along with our friends in the American government, actually got people feeling a bit sorry for Saddam. I have read many comments and posts on the internet in the past
THE family of an 81-year-old hit and run victim have made an emotional plea to the driver to come forward. Stanislava Wislocki was knocked down and critically injured as she was crossing Preston New Road, Blackburn, at about 6am on Friday December
LEISURE facilities in Darwen will be the envy of other towns within two years, council bosses believe. The plans for rebuilding the centre over two sites have proved controversial. But Coun John Milburn, executive member for leisure and culture at Blackburn
RAWTENSTALL-born actress Jane Horrocks has launched a Christmas card recycling scheme and wants others to join in. In 2006, Lancashire people recycled 25 tonnes of cards to help Woodland Trust and Recycle Now's Christmas Card Recycling Scheme smash its
A LOST purse could be a vital clue for detectives searching for a sex attacker. The small, black imitation-leather purse, which contained a small amount of cash, was dropped by a 41-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted near the George and Dragon
STEVE Cotterill has backed Ade Akinbiyi to make the Clarets stronger. The strapping striker returned to Turf Moor this week in a deal worth £750,000, less than 12 months after joining Premiership side Sheffield United. Manager Cotterill feels his squad
OLYMPIAKOS striker Yiannis Okkas will not be joining Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window. The Cypriot international, who was due to start a week-long trial with Rovers next week, has been told by his Greek employers that he will not be allowed
AGE Concert Blackburn with Darwen would like to thank all our customers and donors who supported our Darwen Shop Christmas Party Days. We raised £745.98 across the weekend, which will contribute vital funds to support the services we provide for local
IN his letter of January 2, Mr Crompton asked if someone from the council can explain why southbound traffic through Darwen town centre is not allowed to turn into Railway Road. No one from the council will be able to explain this for the simple reason
I SEE that we are on a very tight schedule for the local councils to submit their views on the possible way forward for local government in this area. I do hope that Burnley and Pendle Councils are both bold enough to seize the chance to go for unitary
I FOUND Mr Culbert's defence of Margo Grimshaw's views concerning the role of faith schools (LT December 20) and their effect upon wider society to be nothing more than a continuation of the same flawed and superficial assessment of the issue. I find
I FOUND Mr Culbert's defence of Margo Grimshaw's views concerning the role of faith schools (LT December 20) and their effect upon wider society to be nothing more than a continuation of the same flawed and superficial assessment of the issue. I find
A STORE'S security guard was attacked by two men after he asked them to leave because they were causing a disturbance. One of the men took the guard by the neck while the other punched him and the attack only stopped when another officer dragged one
RAMSBOTTOM United are set to begin life without promising striker Ryan Moore as they travel to Trafford in North West Counties Division One. Moore, who recently blasted a hat-trick in Rams' 9-1 demolition of Atherton LR, is on the brink of a move to
A FOOTBALL-MAD teenager was buried as dozens of his friends and family wore Blackburn Rovers shirts bearing his name in a touching tribute. And mourners at the funeral of Christopher Smith, 16, heard tales of the youngster's main loves - football, girls
WHEN Rory Prendergast left Accrington Stanley for Blackpool, few expected to see the wily winger's like again. In emphatic fashion, Gary Roberts proved them wrong, and in doing so earned himself a dream Championship ticket and a three-and-a-half-year
GLEN Little expects Reading to face a rough ride from Clarets new-boy Ade Akinbiyi in tomorrow's FA Cup clash. Striker Akinbiyi is poised to go straight into Burnley's attack as they make a third round trip to the Madejski Stadium. He arrived back at
A WAR veteran who "rescued" his wife from a care home has ended his battle for her to be allowed to live with him permanently. But Dennis Cramp, 80, will be allowed to have his 88-year-old wife Maria home for private visits after an agreement was reached
A WOMAN'S body was found in a car in an isolated lane last night prompting police to close off a road during rush hour. The dead woman was found on the back seat of a people carrier on a track off Burnley Road, Altham. She is believed to be in her late
Peter Hunt, director of the environment department at Blackburn with Darwen Council, shaved off his beard for the first time in 36 years to raise money for charity. He collected £400 for the East Lancashire Hospice, £265 for breast cancer care, and
AND they're off - the annual "please make me more famous" competition between wannabes and has-beens (also known as Celebrity Big Brother) has begun. The runners and riders have only been in the house one night and already ridiculous "rock God" Donny
ONE of the best loved bands of the '80s, China Crisis, will return for a rare and intimate tour to celebrate 25 years since their first single, African and White, hit the airwaves. Formed in Liverpool in 1979, duo Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon rose to
THIS is like a gourmet version of Aladdin's cave. It's as if you are stepping on to another shore, as your eyes feast on array of continental delicacies and your nose takes in the aroma of foreign lands. My colleague Caroline and I decided to try
AMERICAN band Gringo Star, from Atlanta, Georgia, will be playing venues in Burnley, Accrington, and Bacup as part of a UK tour. The band, who play big beat/southern rock, haven't yet been signed to a label but have a decent following in their home
If Elvis was alive he'd be celebrating his 72nd birthday on January 8. Since he's not, die-hard fans will have to do with the next best thing - world-class Elvis tribute act Steve Preston, performing in Blackburn. LET'S get one thing straight - Steve
A GROUP of fundraisers have handed over a cheque for more than £6,000 to a cancer hospital. The Christie Grafters, who are based in Rishton, have now collected £50,000 for the Christie Hospital, Manchester, over the last year. The cash has been
BOSSES of a town centre store are hoping to sink burglars who keep raiding their premises - with water. As part of a £10,000 security upgrade at Rawtenstall's Woolworths on Bank Street, the store has been fitted with Smartwater, a liquid that stays on
A BURNLEY man has been appointed to the board of a communications firm. Andrew Henderson, 28, of Fairways Drive, has been promoted to commercial director for Lanway, an IT and telecoms firm based in the Network 65 industrial estate, Burnley. Mr Henderson
