EDUCATION chiefs were today told to act to end the costly waste of schools with empty desks. New figures showed that Lancashire has 10,813 surplus primary school places (eight per cent of the total) and 8,277 surplus secondary school places (ten per cent
FIVE East Lancashire firms are to get the red carpet treatment at Buckingham Palace on Monday. The companies have been invited to London by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh for an evening reception to mark their success in the Queen's Awards for industry
A LORRY driver from Todmorden was airlifted to hospital after a dramatic five-hour rescue operation when his 38-ton vehicle was left dangling over a 100 feet drop in mid Wales. A crane was brought in to haul the Woolworths lorry free before firefighters
A SET of employment conditions for transsexuals is to be adopted by Lancashire County Council. The series of conditions for people who are planning sex changes will include rules on which toilets can be used, dealing with children and working in sensitive
YOUNG ice hockey starlet Danny Mackriel has provided ailing Lancashire Hawks with some much needed cheer. The former Telford ace, who joined Hawks just before Christmas, has been called up for the Great Britain under 18 squad for the European championships
BURNLEY'S pitch problems are set to be remedied this summer with the laying of a new playing surface at Turf Moor. The club has invited tenders for a replacement pitch and, if the price is right, the work will go ahead in the close season. The work would
POLICE chiefs in Lancashire are warning the public not to panic when changes in the way crime is recorded come into effect next year. The Home Office has called for extra offences to be added to the statistics to paint a clearer picture of crime patterns
PULSE - music and more, with Simon Donohue MOVER man Sam Hazeldine has revealed how his band's excellent new single is all about bunking off French lessons at school. The singer, who brings his crew of musicians to the Manchester Roadhouse on March 8,
FIRE ripped through the games room of a working men's club last night causing thousands of pounds damage. The blaze started in a waste bin at the Pioneer WMC in Tanpits Lane, Church, at around 6.30pm, before the club was due to open. "When we got there
ROY Hodgson accepts his players face a test of character as they try to put FA Cup disappointment behind them and claim a European spot. But the Blackburn Rovers boss handed the squad a vote of confidence today, as they went into the Premiership clash
THE blast of winter weather brought misery to travellers across Lancashire today. Motorists were hit by a sudden hailstorm which caused two accidents in Church Street, Blackburn, within minutes of each other. A Vauxhall Corsa hit railings after skidding
CHURCHGOERS have joined forces to campaign for a fairer deal for the Third World. Members of the Ribble Valley Christian Aid group launched a campaign wing at a get-together at St John's Church Hall, Hurst Green. They will challenge local supermarkets
THE World Cup already has a winner... and it's Blackburn! Home Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw was over the moon today as the world's media concluded its Ewood Park coverage of a high level conference on football hooliganism. Scores of photographers
THE Samaritans telephone help-line is making a plea for new volunteers to help it avoid a staffing crisis. The Blackburn branch, which takes around 20,000 calls a year, is running short of volunteers to man the phones. Annette Bateman, director of The
A RARE and remarkable record of East Lancashire's once mighty cotton industry is to go under the hammer for an estimated £150,000. The historic archive, which dates from 1815, features more than 100 leather-bound books of printed fabric swatches. Many
Blackburn's MARION LOFTHOUSE has been appointed the coach to the National Development Squad. ANDY NEILD met her to find out what the job entails MENTION netball in this part of the world and it's a fair bet the name Marion Lofthouse will be uttered in
BACUP Borough manager Brent Peters has ambitious plans for the club if his proposed takeover at West View comes off. Peters confirmed that a deal is almost finalised to give him control of the North West Counties Second Division Club. "We are well down
ROY Hodgson's name crops up increasingly in conversations around the country as a potential next England coach. Given his vast experience and the big impression he has made on the Premiership, it would be a surprise if the FA had not made a note in their
BOLTON will have one foot back in Division One if they slip up at Spurs tomorrow and no one is more aware of the importance of the relegation scrap than Gudni Bergsson. The 29-year-old Icelandic star returns to White Hart Lane as Wanderers skipper admitting
IT'S BEEN a case of doctor on call at Turf Moor this past week. Doctor Ian Maudsley was summoned from the Bob Lord Stand on Tuesday to treat injured Wrexham goalkeeper Mark Cartwright. Cartwright required a stitches to a gash above the knee and limped
