East Lancashire News

A gang of drug dealers have been jailed for nearly 90 years. 

A long-awaited new Aldi store in Accrington is back on the starting blocks after councillors sorted out a planning conditions blunder.

Nine groups of volunteers based in Lancashire have been honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

 A former support teacher from Burnley living with a brain tumour was told she had only six months to live – seven years ago.

Discover Blackburn has announced the launch of the Festival of the Moon this November, an exciting event series set to transform Blackburn town centre into a radiant celebration of art, light, and community.

A primary school headteacher has welcomed vital safety features that have been revitalised as part of a major resurfacing scheme on a busy road in Accrington.

A vandalised and vacant former health centre building has been earmarked for new flats and houses.

Blackburn with Darwen has been chosen to take part in a groundbreaking workplace heart health check programme.

Christmas is coming to town as Burnley prepares to light up the season with its most magical event of the year.

Further details have been announced for three spectacular events taking place in Great Harwood over the festive period, with one of the UK’s most popular Taylor Swift Tribute Acts set to perform.

Blackburn’s much-anticipated Christmas lights switch-on event is set to take place on Saturday, November 23.

Vital local bus services around the Accrington area have been revamped including new Saturday services set to be rolled out as part of a reorganisation of the routes.

Hyndburn Police, working together with Trading Standards seized a large quantity of illegal goods from an empty commercial property in Oswaldtwistle.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is set to spend £1.6million on taking full ownership of the Thwaites brewery site.

Nearly 900 homes are standing empty across Pendle, of which over 200 are in the Colne area, councillors are informed in a new report.

Three men have been arrested after fireworks were thrown at police officers.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information after a man suffered serious injuries during an assault in Accrington.

Proposals for a giant new windfarm on moorland above East Lancashire have been revealed.

An organisation aiming to strengthen community cohesion, tackle youth problems and boost people’s health with gym, cafe, games and meeting spaces is asking Pendle Council to help tackle a £100,000 shortfall for a new garden and youth centre in Nelson, citing rising costs.

Blackburn with Darwen Council Leader Phil Riley has written to Northern raising “significant” concerns regarding the frequent Sunday train cancellations at Blackburn train station.

More reports of noise, damage, anti-social behaviour, sex in public areas, drugs and drunkenness in Whalley have been raised at Ribble Valley Council.

Councillors are calling for an urgent safety review of the M65 through East Lancashire after a string of fatal crashes.

A family have paid an emotional tribute to a motorcyclist from East Lancashire who died following a collision at Burrow, near Kirkby Lonsdale.

A new programme of 124 live gigs to boost Blackburn’s nightlife will hit the town centre over the next six months.

A number of internationally renowned light sculptures descended on Accrington for a remarkable light event over the weekend, which was attended by 5,000 people.

Lancashire Police, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) are once again joining forces to tackle anti-social behaviour and promote safety ahead of this year’s Bonfire Night celebrations.

The rich history of a part of East Lancashire will go on display next month.

A man has been sentenced to seven years in jail after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a young girl over almost a decade.

A controversial proposal to partially fill in a moorland beauty spot for a fishing lake put on hold in October 2023 is back on the agenda.

Blackburn town centre will be hosting a series of Hallowe’en events on Saturday.

BLACKBURN with Darwen Council has no current plans to sell the site of the closed Daisyfield Pools complex when it is demolished, councillors have been told.

EMERGENCY accommodation for some of Blackburn with Darwen’s most vulnerable homeless people will be retained for another winter.

The Hyndburn Neighbourhood Policing Team, in collaboration with multiple partner agencies, carried out Operation Rally this week.

A driver who crashed a car into a police vehicle after travelling the wrong way on roundabout has been jailed. 

A man has been jailed for 40 months after we found a large amount of drugs and cash in an address in Burnley.

People travelling in and around Rawtenstall are being reminded to plan journeys and allow extra time ahead of roadworks starting this week.

Four members of a drugs gang who conspired to flood the streets of Accrington with heroin and crack cocaine they trafficked from Cheetham Hill have been jailed for just over a quarter of a century.

More flats are on the way for the stables of the former Thwaites Brewery in Blackburn town centre.

A planning application to upgrade Rawtenstall Market Hall has been approved by Rossendale councillors, linked to levelling-up funds.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man was seriously assaulted in Darwen.

THE final death knell on Blackburn’s Daisyfield Pools complex is due to be sounded by councillors on Thursday.

Accrington Stanley has lost its appeal over the refusal of backdated planning permission for its hospitality suite and supporters bar.

THE reconstruction of second floor and roof of an ‘eyesore’ Victorian cotton mill has been approved by councillors.

Police have charged two men following 12 burglaries across East Lancashire.

A man who posted a racist comment about a Premier League footballer online has been given a three-year football banning order.

A man who raped and indecently assaulted a teenage girl has been jailed for almost 10 years.

With the days getting shorter and the nights drawing in, Police across Pendle and the Ribble Valley are warning people to make their belongings as hard a target as possible for thieves to hit. 

THE former Pizza Hut restaurant in Blackburn town centre can now become a McDonald’s outlet.

A man has been jailed after a theft from a motor vehicle and numerous shoplifting offences in Accrington.

With the colder temperatures just around the corner, Blackburn with Darwen Council want to get you involved in naming their two brand new orange gritters.

St John Ambulance is set to return to Darwen after the charity’s base was bought by a generous donor and gifted to them to use for free.

A management company is stepping back from running a Rossendale market which is set for a multi-million pound upgrade.

A proposed new ten-year £20million regeneration fund for Nelson has been paused as part of a national review by the new Labour government, Pendle Council has announced.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a collision left one teenager dead and three others seriously hurt on the M65.

Plans to install speed cameras along two major roads with a history of safety concerns are set to move forward, thanks in part due to residents coming forward in Burnley.

Hyndburn Council has unveiled five new refuse collection vehicles to its fleet, all of which run on hydro treated vegetable oil.

A BOROUGH’S flagship leisure project is still on track despite the collapse of its lead construction company councillors have been assured.

Accrington is set to dazzle as the 'Enlighten' light festival illuminates the town centre this October.

Police have charged four men following a spate of burglaries and thefts across rural areas in East Lancashire.

A student who spent three weeks in a coma after contracting pneumonia and sepsis has been awarded financial support from a fund set up by a Burnley businessman more than 100 years ago.

With potholes being one of the most complained about things in Blackburn with Darwen, the council is launching a new campaign, and asking residents for their help.

A 1970s festival heads to Colne this weekend, here's all the details.

Foulridge Parish Council is to commemorate Gregg Stevenson on his Olympic achievement.

Ambitious plans have been passed for a Skills and Cyber Campus of national significance in Blackburn.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a serious road traffic collision in Blackburn last night.

A historic but deteriorating building in Nelson faces partial or full demolition under regeneration options intended to complement other town centre changes including Pendle Rise shopping centre’s demolition and redevelopment.

An east Lancashire takeaway has been fined more than £8,000 after being prosecuted for food allergen breaches.

A shoplifter has been jailed for numerous shoplifting offences in Blackburn.

A man has been jailed after numerous shoplifting offences in Blackburn. 

Burnley Council say funding between the council and the Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) will enhance safety and security in the community by employing wardens for the town centre.

A Rossendale swimming pool and leisure centre is set for £300,000 of energy efficiency upgrades, under proposals being discussed by borough councillors this week and set to go out for contract bids soon.

A man from East Lancashire has been jailed over his part in a Class A drug supply ring.

Burnley Council and the Environment Agency are delighted to announce that the government has committed to meeting the £19 million funding shortfall required to complete the vital flood defence scheme in Padiham.

Jail sentences of more than 20 years have been handed to a gang who supplied Class A drugs in East Lancashire and beyond.

A man has been jailed for life for murdering his housemate in Colne.

Renovation work on all three theatres in Colne’s newly formed Heritage Quarter is now complete.

A MOTHER of two battling a brain tumour is to get support from a team of legends from an East Lancashire football club.

Police are appealing for information after a man died in a collision on the M65.

Police are investigating following the discovery of a cannabis grow in Burnley.

A man has been jailed after an investigation by our online child abuse investigation team.

FIVE bus services around the Accrington area will be saved and improved following a decision by Lancashire County Council to finance them.

AN East Lancashire town looks set to get a new Aldi supermarket on a gateway site to its historic centre.

NEW Pendle and Clitheroe MP Jonathan Hinder has used his maiden speech in Parliament to call for the restoration of the Colne to Skipton rail link.

PROPOSALS for a £10.1million Marks and Spencer food hall on the Issa brothers’ Frontier Park have hit a major High Court hitch.

An ambitious project to improve and transform an 87-acre plot of East Lancashire land into a place where people can enjoy nature and outdoor activities has been officially launched.

16 vehicles have been seized in Blackburn.

AN East Lancashire local authority has withdrawn its support for the current devolution proposal agreed by Lancashire’s other three upper-tier authorities.

Online applications for Lancashire school places are now live.

People will be able to benefit from more frequent bus services in Lancashire from now thanks to increased funding.

Lancashire Police, Burnley and Blackburn Rovers Football Clubs are urging supporters to enjoy the day without letting passions spill over.

Over 200 cannabis plants were found and seized in Burnley and Rossendale last week as part of an ongoing operation into targeting and dismantling cannabis farms. 

Accrington Stanley recently opened its doors for football fans to enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the club’s world class facilities.

A driver has been jailed for causing the death of a man in Blackburn.

Attracting thousands of spectators and participants, the streets of Accrington buzzed with excitement and creativity as the annual Soapbox Challenge returned over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Police are investigating after a man was killed by a dog in Accrington.

A man has been jailed for 15 years for stabbing a woman and man at a house in Burnley.

A man who subjected a woman to a rape and assault at a property in Blackburn has been jailed.

Eighteen residents in Darwen, Lancashire, scooped £30,000 each in Postcode Lottery’s weekly Street Prize. And some of the winners halted traffic as they celebrated in the road outside their homes.

A driver has been jailed for causing the death of a man in Accrington.

THE next four phases of a £9million scheme to protect an East Lancashire town from future flooding have been approved by councillors.

A thriving Blackburn bakery business’s move into a 171-year-old mill building to expand and create new jobs has been given the go-ahead.

100 objections from nearby residents but now a vacant former suburban pub is set to become a shop, barbers and flats.

AN East Lancashire village pub has kept its licence after a review sparked by the death of a teenager to whom it sold alcohol before he died in a quad bike accident.

Experience an historic ‘day of knights’ at Clitheroe Castle on 17 August at a free family friendly event from European martial arts group the Silver School of Arms.

Central Radio is proud to announce its donation of an exclusive advertising package as a raffle prize for the highly anticipated Galloways Charity Ball, set to take place on November 9, 2024.

Two recent prosecutions highlight Trading Standards' vital work to ensure that food premises focus on the importance of food allergies.

BLACKBURN family firm Graham and Brown has welcomed its fourth generation into the business as a 26-year-old International Business graduate takes over as Community and Social Manager.

The family of a man who died following a collision in Rawtenstall at the weekend have paid tribute to a ‘one of a kind’ man who will ‘never be forgotten’.

LONG-forgotten mosaics have been discovered underneath the floor coverings of Blackburn College’s 136-year-old Victoria Building.

A former Blackburn church could become a half-way house for children leaving local authority care.

THE demolition of a landmark Blackburn Victorian pub to make way for a carpark extension has moved a step closer.

HYNDBURN Council is to spend £766,531 on further boosting energy saving measures at its main fitness and recreation hub.

A man has been jailed after an attack on a pensioner in Blackburn.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man sadly died following a collision in Rawtenstall on Friday night.

The Fort Vale Colne Grand Prix celebrated its 20th anniversary in style this week as thousands lined the streets to check out the action.

A LARGE former nursery building in Blackburn has been earmarked for a new mosque and madrassah.

DEMOLITION of the Darwen Youth Centre will start in September as the borough council seeks to keep its transformation project within its £3.3million cost envelope.

What began as an April Fool’s prank has turned into a highly anticipated real-life event.

Licensing talks are under-way regarding pubs, clubs, accusations of disorder and disturbances in a popular Ribble Valley village, councillors have been told.

A HISTORIC town centre building once home to a flagship pub is to become nine flats for young professionals.

A chemicals factory is seeking a new warehouse as part of its plans to expand.

A LOCAL authority Labour group leader has urged it bosses to spend part of its half-million pound underspend on its main town centre, street cleaning and improving its green spaces.

The Mayor of Pendle has apologised for breaching the borough’s code of conduct  in a mosque argument with a council licensing officer during Ramadan two years ago.

A community-run swimming pool in Rossendale which was threatened with closure last year is due to reopen to the public in August.

A 1950s former council estate is to get 68 new homes as the latest stage of a £20million facelift.

EVERY secondary school in Blackburn with Darwen is set to be part of a pioneering technology education pilot project.

A man has admitted to murdering his housemate in Colne.

BURNLEY Council has prosecuted 34 people over fly-tipping and waste offences in four months with another 44 on their way to court.

BURNLEY Council is to press ahead with naming a street after cricketing legend James Anderson after his retirement from the the international game.

People will enjoy more frequent and later bus services thanks to improvements taking effect from this week.

BLACKBURN with Darwen Borough Council has launched a WhatsApp channel to send residents news, updates, and information.

PLANS have been submitted for 149 new smaller and affordable homes as the latest phases of a multi-million pound housing development in Feniscowles, Blackburn.

WORK has started on a controversial new housing estate on the site of a former Darwen school.

In the last 12 months, more than 2,600 people have been arrested for drink or drug driving offences in Lancashire.

A BLACKBURN school complex which caters for children who struggle to thrive in mainstream education is set to get two new multi-use games areas.

A body has been found by Spanish police searching for missing Briton Jay Slater, it has been reported.

Three Rossendale town and village areas could get £20million over ten years, if councillors approve a new town board including members who are not elected by the public, such as local business owners, which is required under rules drawn-up by the previous Conservative government.

A half-million pound drive to upgrade traffic lights in an East Lancashire borough has been launched.

Introducing car park charges in Pendle would ruin Colne town centre’s shopping scene which has been carefully nurtured through hard work, councillors have said.

WORK has started on a major 205 home development close to the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

A LOCAL authority is to buy seven more empty homes in its borough.

A man has been found guilty of rape in Burnley.

Book lovers in Burnley could enjoy a new library service in a Victorian building which holds the world's last surviving 19th Century steam powered mill.

A consultation is being held for people to have their say on a proposed pump track for Marsden Park in Nelson.

A prestigious fund set up more than a century ago to support the arts and education in Burnley is set to benefit a range of East Lancs community groups. 

The family of a man who died in a collision in Colne last week have paid tribute to a ‘very loving’ grandad and great grandad. 

A family has paid an emotional tribute to a man from Padiham who died following an industrial accident in Burnley earlier this week.

A sexual predator has been given a 30-year sentence for a catalogue of offending against five children and two women. 

Labour’s Andy MacNae, a former councillor, has been elected as MP for Rossendale and Darwen in the general election, beating Conservative Jake Berry, who had won the previous four elections.

BLACKBURN provided the shock of the general election as Labour lost the once safe seat by just 132 votes as the rest of East Lancashire and the UK turned red.

LABOUR ousted health minister Andrew Stephenson in the sprawling new Pendle and Clitheroe constituency.

LABOUR regained Burnley as its candidate Oliver Ryan ousted the first Tory MP for the town in more than 100 years.

THREE proposals to turn family houses into small children’s care homes will be debated by councillors next week.

A VACANT former pub and conference centre last used as a business hub is set for a new life as a banqueting hall.

A plan for changes and creation of new flats above a Rossendale tapas restaurant has been approved by councillors.

Pendle taxi arrangements are being reviewed including whether drivers should be strictly prevented from re-applying for a licence within  a 12-month period, if their application is refused or their licence revoked.

Artist impressions show a proposed new events space, street upgrades and a sculpture. along with a new platform for a landmark lamp in a Rossendale town.

PLANS to rebuild a vape factory gutted by fire have been approved.

A man from East Lancashire has been charged with a string of sexual offences.

BLACKBURN’S renovated Blakey Moor Terrace building is looking ‘magnificent’ and ready for prospective operators to view its flagship restaurant.

A plan to change the use of a family house in Bacup into a children’s care home has been refused after objections including overcrowding and ‘cramped conditons’, a lack of staff car parking and rubbish being burnt outside during refurbishment.

THE full details of Blackburn’s proposed £60million Cyber Skills and Education Campus have been revealed along with images of two of the new buildings at its heart.

A Darwen councillor has appealed to residents of the town for help in catching the fly-tipper who has been systematically dumping rubbish in a back alley.

The first phase of a £10million Blackburn commercial estate on near the M65 has been completed.

There are calls for safety works at a ‘high risk’ East Lancashire reservoir to combat the impact of climate change.

AN East Lancashire social housing association has been given a government ‘green’ grant to improve the energy performance of dozens of its properties and cut householders’ bills.

Four drug dealers who conspired to flood the streets of East Lancashire with cocaine from their bases in Blackburn have been jailed.

A closure order has been secured by police for a property in Burnley.

A paedophile who sexually assaulted four teenage girls has been jailed for 14 and a half years.

A paedophile has been jailed for trying to rape a 14-year-old girl in Brierfield.

A man from Burnley seen with a knife has been charged after found him hiding in a stream following a chase.

Work to carry out further improvements at Stoops & Hargher Clough Park in Burnley is expected to begin this week.

Police are appealing for information and footage following a fatal collision in Pendleton.

A number of local people from East Lancashire have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

A childminder has been jailed for killing a baby under her care in Hapton. 

Work is due to start later this month on improvements to playing fields in Burnley.

Investigations continue after a bus was set on fire at Burnley bus station.

Blackburn Museum has used its 150th anniversary to honour one of its volunteers.

Police are appealing for information and witnesses after a serious assault in Rawtenstall.

A childminder has admitted to killing a baby under her care in Hapton.

Two new Special Educational Needs (SEN) units will be created in East Lancashire after the county council’s cabinet approved the plans.

Artwork from Towneley Hall in Burnley has pride of place alongside work by famous artists such as Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and Piet Mondrian as part of a prestigious exhibition in London organised by international auction house Sotheby's.

A Nelson man has been jailed for causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed drug limit.

A Blackburn man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young woman.

People are being asked to plan their journeys around overnight road closures in the centre of Burnley due to begin next week.

A former police officer has been jailed following an investigation into his misconduct.

A woman has died following a collision in a supermarket carpark in Blackburn.

New public recreational facilities have been officially opened in Burnley.

Lancashire Trading Standards have been busy undertaking test purchases for knives across the county last week as part of Operation Sceptre.

Residents are being reminded to dispose of their batteries in the correct manner after a fire broke out in a recycling vehicle due to a suspected ruptured lithium battery.

A paedophile who sexually assaulted three young boys in East Lancashire has been given a sentence totalling 17 years.

Pendle Borough Council took action against 156 offenders, issuing 116 Fixed Penalty Notices and 40 cautions in a recent 12 month period.

Police are appealing for information after a large-scale fight left a man unconscious.

Darwen Live is back this Bank Holiday weekend and organisers are bringing the party as it celebrates 25 years.

A man has been jailed for the rape of a woman at a flat in Blackburn.

A family has paid a heartfelt tribute to a ‘kind and caring’ man who died in a road traffic collision in Rossendale. 

An Accrington man who installed a secret camera so he could film girls for his sexual gratification has been jailed for more than six years.

Accrington will come alive with the sound of music for this year's OAK FEST with pop sensation Kate Nash taking to the stage.

A private landlord who let three of his properties fall into dangerous disrepair has been ordered to pay almost £14,000 after a court case brought by Burnley Council.

Nelson is one of 75 towns awarded additional funding worth £20m over the next 10 years to drive ambitious regeneration plans in the town.