AN AMBULANCE crew called to help a man trapped in mud for 24 hours were stunned by his first question when they found him - 'How did Newcastle do in the Charity Shield?' John Howe, 61, fell down a bank and lay in a ditch through heavy rain but was more
ONLY top clubs Earby and Barnoldswick were able to complete their games as rain played havoc with the Vaux Ribblesdale League. Victory Park professional, James Peterson was in the runs again with 122 as his side piled the pressure on Cherry Tree who slipped
LANCASHIRE will mount their biggest ever security operation for tomorrow's NatWest semi-final showdown with Yorkshire. They have noted the crowd trouble during the Test Match at Headingley and will pull out all the stops to avoid a repeat at Old Trafford
BEING a prophet is not yet part of the job description of the Lowerhouse chairman. But it is a fact that yesterday, at about 3.15pm - when the afternoon was hot and humid - Ken Smalley predicted, "I have a strong hunch that the weather will win this one
IAM writing to thank readers for their support of the British Heart Foundation during the London Marathon. More than 1,100 runners from all over the country ran in our team, and helped us to raise more than £500,000 for research into heart disease, education
THE DISCLOSURE today that 17,000 families in Blackburn and Darwen are living in private homes that are unfit for human habitation is disturbing - but not a shock. For the statistics on bad housing, revealed once more in Blackburn Council's annual survey
WHAT a moral minefield - though some would describe it as a cesspit - is exposed by the case of the woman who is three months pregnant with eight babies and is, it seems, determined to make a mint of money from it. To begin with, there is the question
THE four-month grouse-shooting period was under way in Lancashire today with expectations it will turn out to be a 'glorious' event. The Glorious Twelfth - it starts on August 12 each year - sees shooters from all over the country head for the moors of
POLICE across the North West are hunting for an armed gang who tied up staff at a Nelson bingo hall and stole around £10,000. The masked raiders, who were armed with baseball bats and a handgun, struck at 10pm last night as the manager and three staff
TWO drought-hit areas are to get a new pipeline in a bid to secure supplies. More than £2 million is to be spent on the 6.5 kilometre line to keep water flowing to residents in Blackburn and Darwen. It is part of an overall £85 million programme of investment
ROBBIE Elliott looks set to turn down overtures from a host of top clubs to join Blackburn Rovers from Newcastle United. The 22-year-old Geordie has been chased by Arsenal, Rangers, Nottingham Forest and Aberdeen, with Liverpool also thought to be interested
THE North West is one of the country's top breeding grounds for fastest growing businesses, according to research published today. Research carried out by accountants Deloitte & Touche and Warwick University found that the region has the highest number
CHURCHGOERS in Blackburn are digging deeper in their pockets than ever before, according to a survey. The Church of England says those who attend church in the town have increased their covenant giving by 9.8 per cent compared to the national average
AS MARGARET in the TV soap Brookside, actress Nicola Stephenson seduced a priest and shocked the nation with a prime time lesbian affair. And with her latest role as a man-eating police suspect's daughter in the new series of Out of the Blue, Oldham-born
LARS Bohinen today lashed the weekend stories that he was on the verge of quitting Ewood Park in the wake of alleged rows with Blackburn Rovers boss Ray Harford and the £15 million sale of Alan Shearer. And the Norwegian star, still nursing a hamstring
BURNLEY have left the cage door open for rugby league's Keighley Cougars to ground-share with the Clarets at Turf Moor. The go-ahead Yorkshire club are aiming to fast-track their way into the lucrative Super League - and see a move to Turf Moor's all-seater
A MAJOR search was under way today after police following up a phone call went to a house and found four children asleep in bed and their mother missing. Police have expressed concern for the safety and well-being of single mum Jacqueline Slater, who
HOW good of nice Social Security Minister Peter Lilley (aren't his eyes thrillingly cold?) to lay on a snitch line for us (the good) to squeal on benefit cheats (the bad) among the great unwashed (the ugly). Of course, I don't mix with those sorts of
A SUSPECT bomb which threw a town centre into chaos turned out to be a bag containing bottles of vodka. A major security operation was launched when a security officer at Blackburn's shopping precinct said he was suspicious about a bag left in the ladies
CLITHEROE'S pre-season planning was dealt a double blow when they were beaten 5-0 by UniBond Division side Leigh RMI. Four friendlies in eight days seemed to take its toll, and forward Mark Hayes - who has just got back to peak fitness after missing most
THE Tories are rattled. The normally devious ways of divide and rule have been abandoned. An all-out attack on the nation's poor is under way. Sympathy and charity have been ditched. One-parent families and those on benefit are the enemy. Neighbour is
EMPTY council homes in Blackburn and Darwen are causing concern for Blackburn Council, but other aspects of the housing service have improved, housing chairman Coun Sue Reid says in her annual report to tenants. At the end of April, 3.6 per cent of the
DROUGHT-hit anglers in Accrington are in desperate need of a top-up. The water level of Haggs Reservoir has dropped to such an extent that fish stocks have reduced. Accrington and District Fishing Club say membership and day fishing is suffering. They
THE Government today announced the go-ahead for the £45 million road linking the M65 in East Lancashire with the M6. Transport Minister Mr David Mitchell made the long-awaited announcement at a breakfast-time press conference in Samlesbury. It was good
HUNT saboteurs took to the Lancashire moors today. Anti-shooting protesters targeted the Forest of Bowland fells in an attempt to silence the guns on their traditional start to the grouse season. A spokesman for the Hunt Saboteurs Organisation said: "
IAM in complete agreement with all you said about Alan Shearer in your Opinion column (LET, July 30), and I take note of the article (LET, August 5), stating that his salary at Newcastle is to be £2 million a year. I also notice that you did not use the
RETIRED farmer Jimmy Eccles made a long trip home to celebrate his 90th birthday. Jimmy was born and bred in Darwen but moved to Devon 34 years ago - but his heart stayed in East Lancashire and he wanted to celebrate his 90th in his home town. So he made
AMID all the discussion emphasising the differences between the management and the part-time temporary lecturers at Accrington and Rossendale College about conditions of employment, we thought that it was time to redress the balance and whole-heartedly
SHOOTING stars Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore will lead the Liverpool attack in tonight's prestige friendly against Burnley at Turf Moor. But while Reds' crowd-pullers Mark Wright and Neil Ruddock both face late fitness tests, England star Steve McManaman
RESERVOIRS in East Lancashire are still well below capacity almost a year after the hose pipe ban was imposed. North West Water have diverted household supplies from the Lake District in a bid to allow feeder reservoirs in the region to refill in time
