Archive

  • More will die before retiring

    IN days when heavy industry was the lot of the working class, the government, working on the truism that "hard work kills thousands", set the retirement age at 65. Thousands slogged on for the last few years and more died than lived to draw their pension

  • Make idlers work to pay our pensions

    RETIREMENT should be less to do with age and more about how a person feels. Some are still fit at 70 while others may be less so at 50. Also some jobs are harder than others. Many employers consider you too old at 50. If you are looking for a job and

  • BAE workers' pension row points to ballot on strike

    WORKERS at BAE Systems in Samlesbury are ready to go on strike over plans to cut their pension benefits. Staff threatened an unofficial walkout last week when bosses said discussions aimed at addressing the company's £2.8billion pensions blackhole had

  • Our love at first sight!

    WHO said romance was dead? Chorley airline pilot Fabrizio Poli proposed to wife Silvia just two weeks after they met. Three-and-a-half months later they were married. And the pair, who live in Burgh Wood Way with sons Benjamin, five, Elrond, two, and

  • Computer puts byte on runaways

    THE number of young runaways in Lancashire has been reduced by 20 per cent, thanks to a pioneering police project. And the computer system for tracing missing people is so successful it is being rolled out to other forces. It comes after almost four years

  • Drugs king ordered to give back £2.4m

    A DRUG dealing Mr Big has been ordered to hand over £2.4million of crime cash -- the largest amount ever confiscated from a criminal in Lancashire. And as Ayub Khansia, 47, was ordered to hand over the money, police revealed how addicts committed thousands

  • Lorenzo faces exit door

    LORENZO Amoruso could have played his last game for Blackburn Rovers after suffering a fresh injury blow which will keep him sidelined until the January transfer window. The injury-cursed Italian, who has not played a Premiership game for Rovers since

  • Handshake then punch

    A MAN who acted as a peacemaker in a melee outside a nightclub ended up in intensive care after he was attacked, a court heard. Burnley magistrates were told how Jonathan Lee Wilmore's victim Stephen Marsden was left critically ill after the assault on

  • Swoop on cannabis factory after tip-off

    A SUSPECTED drug factory in Burnley has been closed down after police swooped on a house and seized more than 50 plants. Officers carried out a raid in Moorland Road, Burnley Wood, yesterday morning, recovering 52 suspected cannabis plants from a bedroom

  • Patients consulted over hospital plans

    DOCTORS will meet patients to explain plans that could radically re-shape East Lancashire's hospital services, it has been revealed. Clinicians considering options that could see critical care beds concentrated at one of the area's hospital's will attend

  • Ex-Crown staff pension worry

    TRUSTEES who control the pension scheme for former Crown Wallcoverings workers have been urged to end the uncertainty over its future. Manufacturing union Amicus said workers who lost their jobs when the company closed its plants in Darwen and Morecambe

  • Boy's 'Hitler taunt' torturers are jailed

    THREE of a gang who tortured a terrified schoolboy in a horrific "happy slapping death game" are behind bars. The 15-year-old-victim was asked if he was a Jew, taunted about Hitler, threatened he would be hanged and cut open and was asked if he had any

  • A dad's warning

    A HEARTBROKEN father has told how he had warned his 12-year-old daughter not to climb trees before she fell to her death while birdwatching. Rachel Stewart, from Nelson, died after falling from a tree in fields behind Fisher-More High School in Colne.

  • Joe has no reason to feel Blue

    FORMER Stonyhurst College rugby captain Joe Ansbro won his first Cambridge 'Blue' and helped his side to a 31-16 victory over Oxford in the 124th Varsity Match at Twickenham. The 20-year-old centre was in impressive form throughout the match as Cambridge

  • Council depot raided

    A CEMENT mixer has been stolen from Hyndburn Council's Willows Lane depot. Thieves, who used a metal bar to force open a padlock, also stole a power washer, some fuel cans and an axe. The depot has been broken into several times in the last few months

  • French humour

    EAST Lancashire's very own 'Vicar of Dibley' is taking Christmas to the streets after gaining inspiration from the BBC TV show. Church-goers in Huncoat -- and fans of Dawn French's Vicar of Dibley -- have decided to emulate the programme by performing

  • Brothers face firearm charge

    Two teenage brothers have appeared before Blackburn magistrates charged with conspiracy to rob McDonalds Restaurant plc, burglary and a firearm offence. Adam Stuart Yates, 19, and Liam James Yates, 18, both of Ribchester Road, Wilpshire, were sent on

  • We hope Yule soon be home

    A MAN jailed for drug offences in Thailand could return to Lancashire by Christmas. And his family are hoping that he will be allowed home on some form of partial release scheme early next year. Christopher Egan endured a Thai prison nightmare after being

  • Blades beware, warns Branch

    SHEFFIELD United beware! That's the warning from Burnley utility man Graham Branch, who believes the Clarets head to Bramall Lane this weekend brimming with confidence. Despite being unbeaten at home and losing just one of their last 10 matches, the Blades

  • Glenn Keeley column: We haven't moved on since the Seventies

    CRACKERS! No, I'm not making a list of things I need to get in for Christmas - I'm describing the sending off of Andy Todd at Ewood on Saturday. I know people will say Mark Halsey was applying the letter of the law but that's, frankly, nonsense. Excuse

  • Lorenzo faces exit door

    LORENZO Amoruso could have played his last game for Blackburn Rovers after suffering a fresh injury blow which will keep him sidelined until the January transfer window. The injury-cursed Italian, who has not played a Premiership game for Rovers since

  • Ambulance's wrong turn costs £2.8million

    A COMPUTER system which navigates ambulances has been improved after technology struggled to find a patient who won £2.8million compensation over her treatment. A new satellite navigation system is now in operation at Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS

  • Selling point

    The Lancashire Evening Telegraph is now available at a new Blackburn town centre location. Marks and Spencer have taken delivery of an LET stand, from which shoppers can pick up the latest news and local information. The new location was launched by Abigail

  • Bowled over by new complex

    BLACKBURN'S new multi screen cinema and bowling complex is fantastic. It is just what Blackburn wanted for years because Preston and Bolton are 10 years ahead of Blackburn in terms of retail, leisure and hotels developments. All these years I have said

  • Scare tactics foster peace

    A SCHOOL which called in police after 'racial fighting' has recruited a tattoo-covered motivational speaker to remind children to be nice to each other. Blakewater College, Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, was the scene of what police described as a brawl

  • Drugs king ordered to give back £2.4m

    A DRUG dealing Mr Big has been ordered to hand over £2.4million of crime cash -- the largest amount ever confiscated from a criminal in Lancashire. And as Ayub Khansia, 47, was ordered to hand over the money, police revealed how addicts committed thousands

  • Cash seizure brings hope

    POLICE yesterday confiscated more than £2.4million from a drug dealing Mr Big -- the largest amount of crime cash ever seized in Lancashire. A judge told Ayub Khansia to pay back the profits he made from crime -- or face more years in jail on top of the

  • Clancy on the Mend

    NETMINDER Dave Clancy was rushed to hospital after a freak accident prior to Blackburn Hawks' English Cup game with Billingham Bombers. Clancy, who was hit in the eye with the puck during the warm-up, needed five stitches after the puck had passed through

  • Andy Payton column: Keep it ticking over

    WITH every week that goes by, the confidence in this Burnley team seems to grow. There was a time not too long ago when, if the Clarets fell behind, you feared the worst. Saturday's point at Southampton is more evidence that times they are changing. Now

  • Andy Payton column: I'm not surprised by Gazza demise

    DON'T say I didn't warn you. Just over a month ago in this very column I said I would be very surprised if Paul Gascoigne lasted the season in charge of Kettering. So the latest sorry chapter in Gazza's life doesn't surprise me one little bit. I take

  • Ambulance's wrong turn costs £2.8million

    A COMPUTER system which navigates ambulances has been improved after technology struggled to find a patient who won £2.8million compensation over her treatment. A new satellite navigation system is now in operation at Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS

  • McEveley's hope

    Blackburn Rovers defender Jay McEveley is hoping to be back in action before the end of the season. It was initially feared the England Under 21 international might be sidelined for the rest of the campaign after he tore his medial knee ligament whilst

  • SatNav warning

    Motorists have been warned not to leave expensive satellite navigation systems on display in their cars following a spate of thefts. The latest thefts of two devices stolen from cars in Burnley have prompted police to advice owners to take precautions

  • Body find in search for gran

    POLICE searching for a missing Burnley grandmother have discovered a body, officers said today. Officers from the British Transport Police found the body while searching land close to Brougham Street yesterday as part of a search for Susan Gray, 55. It

  • 'Lazy' mother claimed £16k benefits

    MUM claimed almost £16,000 in benefits as a lone parent -- even though her boyfriend had moved in. Lorraine Pounder, 46, of Travis Street, Burnley, had thought it might be wrong she was getting the cash, but was too lazy to do anything about, Burnley

  • Agent cleared over proxy vote-rigging

    A BURNLEY election agent has seen accusations that he committed election fraud thrown out of court by a judge - but two councillors will still face trial. Talib Hussain, 52, of Colne Road, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the returning officer of

  • Anne's swipe at Burnley

    CONTROVERSIAL quiz show host Anne Robinson poked fun at Burnley when a Padiham sales manager took part in The Weakest Link. The acid-tongued star, who sparked a police investigation when she described the Welsh as "irritating and annoying", had a go at

  • Armed with help

    A BURNLEY soldier is helping to rebuild one of the world's poorest countries following a devastating civil war. Colour Sergeant Damian Close is deployed for one year in Sierra Leone, where a multi-national effort is under way to improve the nation's armed

  • Handshake then punch

    A MAN who acted as a peacemaker in a melee outside a nightclub ended up in intensive care after he was attacked, a court heard. Burnley magistrates were told how Jonathan Lee Wilmore's victim Stephen Marsden was left critically ill after the assault on

  • You can't play around here

    Council chiefs have threatened to block a new £200,000 children's adventure centre in Nelson. Barrowford couple Mark and Nicola Nuttall, of Park Street, have spent 15 months searching the area for premises suitable for an indoor children's play centre

  • A dad's warning

    A HEARTBROKEN father has told how he had warned his 12-year-old daughter not to climb trees before she fell to her death while birdwatching. Rachel Stewart, from Nelson, died after falling from a tree in fields behind Fisher-More High School in Colne.

  • 'Clitheroe is where I belong'

    BOB Wilkinson has played at rugby clubs up and down the country but as far as he is concerned, Clitheroe is home from home. The Wigan-born forward has played for his home town team, Durham and Ashby - but the little club at Littlemoor is the pick of the

  • Lease paves way for play area revamp

    A REVAMP of a Rishton play area will become a step nearer when Hyndburn Council signs a new lease. In March this year a lease giving the council control of Holt Street recreation ground lapsed. The council tried but failed to contact landowners the Dunk-enhalgh

  • Davis: There must be a place for Gazza

    PAUL Gascoigne needs to fight his inner demons before returning to football, according to former Burnley captain Steve Davis. Gascoigne now finds himself back on the soccer scrapheap following his sacking as Kettering manager after just 39 days, amid

  • Mixed day for Foggy riders

    FPR's second day of testing alongside other factory World Superbike teams at the desert circuit in Doha, Qatar, saw its riders Steve Martin and Craig Jones have a day of mixed fortunes. Jones was unable to ride for the first half of the day due to illness

  • Blades beware, warns Branch

    SHEFFIELD United beware! That's the warning from Burnley utility man Graham Branch, who believes the Clarets head to Bramall Lane this weekend brimming with confidence. Despite being unbeaten at home and losing just one of their last 10 matches, the Blades

  • Lancashire gig guide

    Your diary of the big gigs coming to Lancashire soon, including the likes of G4, Doves, Shakin' Stevens, The Strokes, Saw Doctors, The Coral, Australian Pink Floyd, The Magic Numbers, The Levellers and Fun Lovin' Criminals. DECEMBER 8 Half Man Half Biscuit

  • Ex-Crown staff pension worry

    TRUSTEES who control the pension scheme for former Crown Wallcoverings workers have been urged to end the uncertainty over its future. Manufacturing union Amicus said workers who lost their jobs when the company closed its plant at Belgrave Mills, Darwen

  • Forgery sentence 'too lenient' blast

    A FORMER councillor who admitted forging signatures on a nomination paper has been handed 60 hours community service as punishment. Robin Evans, 41, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to two counts of forging signatures on a nomination paper for the

  • Firm in £12m deal for sites

    A HIGH-FLYING Rossendale property development company has completed a £12million deal to buy nine industrial and commercial sites across the North West. The family-run Hurstwood Group's deal with national developers Ashtenne Industrial Fund North West

  • Brothers face firearm charge

    Two teenage brothers have appeared before Blackburn magistrates charged with conspiracy to rob McDonalds Restaurant plc, burglary and a firearm offence. Adam Stuart Yates, 19, and Liam James Yates, 18, both of Ribchester Road, Wilpshire, were sent on

  • Patients consulted over hospital plans

    DOCTORS will meet patients to explain plans that could radically re-shape East Lancashire's hospital services, it has been revealed. Clinicians considering options that could see critical care beds concentrated at one of the area's hospital's will attend

  • Pregnant teenager loses bid for cut in jail term

    A TEENAGE girl who stabbed a rival has failed to win a reduction in her prison sentence -- despite judges hearing she is pregnant with twins. Suzanne Wilson, of Wellington Street St Johns, Blackburn, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court in July this

  • Cathedral's verger to go

    WHEN things weren't going to plan at Blackburn Cathedral a simple click of the fingers was enough to restore order. For the last eight-and-a-half years Howard Waddell has been head verger at the Cathedral. And as the 50-year-old packed his bags today

  • Driver told: Turn yourself in

    A MUM today appealed for the driver who knocked her teenage daughter down on a zebra crossing to turn themselves in. Ann Parkinson said 14-year-old Amber, who was left with a broken ankle, could have died after being hit by the car in Hollin Bridge Street

  • We hope Yule soon be home

    A MAN jailed for drug offences in Thailand could return to Lancashire by Christmas. And his family are hoping that he will be allowed home on some form of partial release scheme early next year. Christopher Egan endured a Thai prison nightmare after being