East Lancashire News

Three Blackburn playgrounds are set for major upgrades after Blackburn with Darwen Council secured £270,000 from a government fund aimed at improving play facilities in some of England’s most deprived communities.

A man from Accrington has been sentenced after he engaged in sexual conversation online with a girl he believed was 13.   

The much-anticipated renovation of a major sports pitch in Accrington has been kicked into the long grass once again, it was revealed at a meeting of Hyndburn Council.

Burnley Council has scrapped plans to spend £436,000 building padel courts at Towneley Park, just six months after they were announced.

Blackpool Council says it is aware that a small number of beggars are taking an increasingly aggressive and intimidating approach – and is working with partners to tackle the issue.

A teenager from Haslingden has been sentenced after driving in excess of 150mph on the M65 earlier this year.

Burnley has been awarded £20 million through the Government’s Pride in Place programme to support investment in the town over the next decade – and the first funding awards have now been approved.

An Accrington man has been jailed for raping a young woman. 

Burnley Council still needs to find almost £1.7 million of savings over the next three years despite having already delivered £29.5 million of cuts and efficiencies since 2010, new financial planning documents reveal.

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply, after being caught with 1kg of cocaine in his car in Nelson.

An initiative to offer free bulky waste collections to Blackburn with Darwen’s 150,000 residents has become the ‘victim of its own success’, a council report has admitted.

A vehicle ‘chop shop’ and a significant quantity of parts have been found after a police discovery in Accrington.

A trader from Blackburn has been ordered to pay customers £43,700 in compensation after leaving customers across the North West 'significantly out of pocket' following unnecessary or poor-quality work.

The hunt is on for a new person to oversee the delivery of a huge £20m Government funding pot earmarked for Accrington over the next decade, following the resignation of the town’s neighbourhood board chair.

A man has been jailed for carrying out a robbery at a Blackburn bookies. 

A schools project that is set to improve the provision of places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has seen its costs almost double to £1.9m.

A family have paid a loving and emotional tribute to an ‘inseparable couple’ who were found deceased at a house in Hardman Street, Blackburn.

Blackburn with Darwen’s council leader has called for East Lancashire politicians to unite ahead of local government reorganisation, amid continuing tensions with Burnley over the creation of the new Pennine Lancashire authority.

Police have launched a murder investigation after two people were found dead inside a house in Blackburn.

One of East Lancashire’s most recognisable landmarks could be set for a major overhaul after Burnley Council submitted plans to improve access to the Singing Ringing Tree ahead of the borough’s Year of Culture celebrations in 2027.

One of the 'most prolific' fraudsters that Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards have brought to justice has been jailed for three years and nine months.

An investigation is underway after a man who was injured during an aggravated burglary died.

Hyndburn’s MP Sarah Smith has welcomed a move to upgrade parks across the borough, admitting that she was ‘shocked’ by the state some had been left in by 14 years of austerity.

Lancashire’s only Soapbox Challenge of 2026 is racing into Accrington on Saturday.

Illicit fireworks, prescription medication and tobacco have been seized in a joint crackdown with the police in Accrington town centre.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a pedestrian died following a road traffic collision with a car on Centenary Way in Burnley.

Thousands of spectators lined the route as the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women's elite cycle race came to Lancashire.

Lancashire residents have been warned about a scam where fraudulent messages are sent about unpaid parking charges.

A programme of road closures will be in place when an elite women's cycling race visits Lancashire in a first for the county.

A Blackburn Rovers fan's love of her favourite team helped her get through to the next round of the UK's most popular TV sewing show.

Firefighters freed a person from a vehicle following a road crash in Burnley.

Hyndburn Borough Council has approved plans to knock down a derelict historic hospital in Accrington, making way for a new health and care hub.

One of the UK’s most exciting indie-rock bands, The K’swill headline the grand reopening of Blackburn’s iconic King George’s Hall.

The revival of Blackburn’s town centre has taken a major step forward, with the selection of a constructor to deliver the £45 million first phase of the wider £250 million regeneration plan.

The huge housebuilding scheme Huncoat Garden Village is already six weeks behind schedule before a single brick has been laid, but council chiefs have said everything is going according to plan.

Volunteers who played a vital role in the success of the 2026 National Festival of Making have been honoured at a special celebration event at Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery.

Marks & Spencer wants to build a food store on the edge of Colne, saying it will boost the town and create 70 jobs.

Families across Hyndburn are invited to enjoy another summer of free outdoor fun as the popular Let's Move Hyndburn Parks Events return for a fifth consecutive year.

Burnley College is hoping to build on its success training the next generation of tradespeople, with a brand new workshop facility.

Four men from Blackburn have been jailed after a pursuit led to their drug enterprise being uncovered by police.

One of the top-rated GP surgeries in Burnley is set for a major overhaul that will effectively double it in size and allow it to see more patients, after receiving approval from the town’s planning committee.

A roofer who Padiham who misled, threatened, and took thousands of pounds from an elderly victim in Blackpool has been jailed.

A man who carried out an armed robbery at a bookmaker’s shop in Burnley has been jailed for eight years.

Families are invited to enjoy a day packed with free activities as National Play Day comes to Burnley next month.

EG on the Move is now all set to expand its presence in its hometown, with plans for a large new retail destination getting the sign off from Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Some of the biggest names in international blues are heading to Colne this August as the award-winning Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival celebrates its landmark 35th anniversary.

A pervert who sexually abused two young boys over more than 20 years has been jailed.

Lancashire will be split up into four new council areas when the county’s 15 existing local authorities are abolished in less than two years’ time.

An Accrington man has been jailed for controlling and coercive behaviour.  

A man who sexually assaulted a woman in Bacup has been jailed after he attempted to derail the investigation into his offending from inside prison. 

Students in Blackburn with Darwen have become the first in the country to complete a pioneering new digital and technology scholarship scheme.

Work is now under way on site at Haslingden Old Road, marking a major step forward in reopening the route following the major landslip that forced its closure.

An immersive art installation that allows visitors to walk through a psychedelic world of art and colour is coming to Accrington later this month.

The Victorian-era conservatory in Corporation Park that has been closed to the public for the past 10 years could finally be reopened, under one of three possible futures guises.

Two men have been jailed after a teenager was threatened with an imitation firearm and assaulted in Brierfield. 

Plans to close down a number of major roads near Burnley FC’s stadium on match days have been slammed by the town’s MP.

A man who killed a teenage girl while driving at more than 110mph on the M65 has been jailed.

A bike rider who was seriously injured after coming off his bike in Burnley has died.

The National Festival of Making is set to return to Blackburn next weekend with a blockbuster line-up – including a brand-new Film Festival.

A Blackburn man who videoed himself sexually assaulting a young girl and had hundreds of indecent images of other children on a laptop and phone, has been jailed for 14 years. 

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a cyclist suffered serious injuries in Burnley.

Lancashire firefighters will be at the heart of a new service to tackle wildfires across the whole of England.

A Nelson firm who sold a knife to a 16-year-old during a test purchasing sting has been ordered to pay more than £27,000.

East Lancashire MPs have responded to Andy Burnham’s by-election win in Makerfield.

A man has been jailed for raping a child and filming her whilst doing so.

A Lancashire council says it tried to persuade government officials not to put it into special measures after the authority rejected two major planning applications and had the decisions overturned on appeal.

Residents are being invited to have their say on plans to expand moving traffic enforcement at key locations across Lancashire.

A man has been charged after a teenage girl was stabbed in the neck in Brierfield.

A 70-year-old man from Accrington man has been given a life sentence for raping and sexually assaulting two vulnerable women. 

The Colne Gala returns next weekend.

Utility firms and contractors responsible for over-running, disruptive work on roads should be charged £2,500 a day using new powers, say Pendle councillors.

One of the largest parks in Lancashire has been given the green light for a major £250,000 facelift that will benefit the half a million people who visit it every year.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man was seriously injured in a collision near Colne over the weekend.

Plans are being drawn up to ensure blood tests continue to be processed for patients across East Lancashire after 20 days of strike action were announced at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals.

Colne is preparing to welcome an extraordinary line-up of world-class cycling talent this month as the Fort Vale Colne Grand Prix returns next week.

The 140-year-old building that used to house the White Bull Hotel in Blackburn town centre is set to become a development of 24 single-bed flats.

Months of delays and disruption for Blackburn motorists from a major road upgrade will start in just a few weeks’ time.

A man from Nelson has been jailed after drugs were found at his home during two raids by police. 

The Utilita Energy Hub Blackburn has been formally recognised for its exceptional contribution to the local community, receiving a Certificate of Recognition as part of Volunteers’ Week 2026.

Three towering blocks of residential flats that have been a feature of Blackburn’s skyline for the past 60 years are in line for some major safety upgrades.

Major building works are finally underway to repair and restore the missing ‘heartbeat’ of Oswaldtwistle, three years after its primary cultural venue was forced to shut its doors.

Residents at risk of developing cavities and the other painful consequences of poor dental hygiene may receive ‘targeted’ support, after Blackburn with Darwen Council approved fresh funding for a successful service.

A firm that supplies building security services to Lancashire County Council claims the local authority is repeatedly late paying its bills – and that some invoices have been outstanding for more than two years.

A unique charity challenge that began as one woman’s personal mission to raise awareness of mental health is set to become one of Lancashire’s biggest collaborative fundraising events of the year.

Volunteers from across Blackburn with Darwen will be celebrated this week with a special event to recognise their contributions to our communities.

The family of a little girl who died after a collision between two cars in the Ribble Valley have paid a heartbreaking tribute to her.

The eleven award-winning green spaces across Hyndburn borough may soon reach a round dozen, following a major cash injection from the council.

The Clarets may have had a rough year in, and now out of, the Premier League, but relegation is not the only change coming for Burnley FC fans.

Eight stretches of road in Blackburn and Darwen are to be resurfaced over the next five weeks.

Much-loved author and poet Michael Rosen is set to headline Blackburn with Darwen’s Children’s and Young People’s Literature Festival in June.

Traders say they are relieved that controversial street works are complete and hope their high street can now ‘come back to life.’

Police are appealing for information and footage after a child was seriously injured in a collision in Bacup.

The Dude Perfect International Youth Cup is returning to Burnley Training Centre this weekend, with 20 teams from across the globe descending on Lancashire.

A five-year-old girl has died in hospital following a serious collision on the A59 at Gisburn last week.

Ten members of a drugs gang involved in the distribution and supply of cocaine in East Lancashire, have been given prison sentences totalling more than 52 years.

A man was left seriously injured following a road traffic collision in Darwen over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man died following a road traffic collision between a motorbike and car in Accrington.

A gang boss from Blackburn who named his drug line after his Staffordshire bull terrier ‘Pablo’ has been jailed.

Burnley has celebrated a proud new chapter in its civic history as the town formally marked its affiliation with HMS Active, the Royal Navy’s second Type 31 Inspiration Class frigate.

A business in Nelson has been charged with seven food hygiene offences and fined a total almost £20,000.

The parents of Luke Harden have today spoken of the heartbreak of losing their son as his murderer was jailed for life.

Darwen Live – the UK’s biggest free music festival – is just one week away, with a huge line-up spanning three stages and more than 20 venues across the town centre.

A man has been found guilty of murdering Luke Harden in the Stacksteads area of Rossendale.

Preparatory work got under way this week for a project to improve the area around Countess Street in Accrington.

Blackburn’s landmark Exchange building is preparing to unveil the completion of the £1.5million redevelopment of its iconic octagonal tower on the weekend of May 30 and 31.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s leader has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to resign after the Labour Party lost control of the authority in Thursday’s local elections.

A thug who attempted to kill a man and then boasted about it on voice notes to friends has today been jailed for 24 years.

The Blackburn Bus Company will replace Blackburn Private Hire as the primary operator for three local bus routes from May 18.

A new late night rail service is being introduced for this year’s Lytham Festival.

The landlord of an East Lancashire pub has been fined and had his personal licence revoked after serving alcohol to a teenager who later died in a crash.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man died and two people were seriously injured in a collision in Haslingden.

A man from Burnley has been jailed for sending sexual messages to someone he thought was a teenage girl.

An investigation is underway after a major fire at the Warburtons factory in Burnley.

Rossendale’s dry ski slope could be closed in a review of council-owned leisure centres.

Colne Market Hall has officially opened to the public, marking the completion of a £3.5 million regeneration project in the heart of the town centre.

Full details of a series of weekly overnight closures at Junction 5 of the M65, starting next month, have been revealed.

Colne Market Hall will reopen to the public later this week, marking the completion of a £3.5 million regeneration project in the heart of the town centre.

Burnley is preparing to turn up the volume once again as Burnley Live returns with four days of music and entertainment across the town.

Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was fatally struck by a car in Accrington.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage following a serious collision in Haslingden.

A new 91‑home housing estate near Whinney Hill Tip has been proposed.

Plans to develop Bacup Market have been approved by Rossendale Council, including a landmark wooden canopy and amphitheatre events space.

The occupants of a controversial unauthorised travellers’ camp near Whitehall Park in Darwen have been given another nine months to vacate the site despite losing a court case over their right to stay on the land which they own.

A family have paid tribute to a man who died in a collision in Blackburn earlier this month.

Darwen’s Library Theatre renovation has been given an almost £1million boost by the government.

Thirteen new East Lancashire free breakfast clubs are among 116 which have opened this week across the North-West as the government overhauls school dinners nationwide.

Urgent demands have been made for flooding to be tackled on the M65 in east Lancashire, ‘before any more loss of life or injuries’.

A predatory paedophile from East Lancashire who sexually abused two young girls has been jailed for 26 years.

Hyndburn MP Sarah Smith and the council’s Labour group have backed a union proposal for the staff of the East Lancashire BT offices scheduled for closure in the Blackburn telephone exchange.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man died in a collision in Blackburn.

Two people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the death of a man from Blackburn.

Five men who ran or assisted in running the ‘Max’ drug line, based in Bradford, bringing drugs across into East Lancashire, have been jailed.

A man has been disqualified from driving for a year and jailed for eight months for dangerous driving to avoid police.

A contractor has been appointed to deliver the next stage of the complex repair project on Haslingden Old Road.

A registered sex offender has been jailed for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Families across Hyndburn are being invited to enjoy a packed programme of Easter activities at Accrington Market

Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, and Pendle Councils have each been awarded a £270,000 grant to improve playgrounds.

Plans have been revealed to bring padel tennis, one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports, to Burnley’s flagship park.

Burnley has been awarded £20 million through the Government’s Pride in Place programme, with funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), supporting the next phase of regeneration in the town.

A drug dealer who sold heroin and crack cocaine in East Lancashire has been jailed for 10 years. 

Blackburn’s revamped Audley and Queen’s Park Children’s Centre is nearing completion after a major upgrade.

A man has been jailed after admitting the rape of a ten-year-old girl in Burnley.

The site of the former Accrington Victoria Hospital is to be regenerated with a new GP surgery, homes for frail or elderly residents, extra health services focused on older patients and those with long term conditions, a café and space for drop-in clinics.

Campaigners have won their battle for a new pedestrian crossing near St Francis CE Primary School in Cherry Tree Lane in Blackburn.

Two brothers have been jailed after a pedestrian was fatally struck by a car in Brierfield and attempts were later made to cover it up.

More than £270,000 is set to be awarded to support vital local projects in the first round of the Darwen Community Fund, with the successful applicants now being revealed.

A mother and her two children have been jailed after murdering a man in Blackburn.

Burnley MP Oliver Ryan has called on Lancashire County Council to consider a compensation scheme for businesses impacted by town centre ‘roadworks chaos’.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a motorcyclist died following a collision on the A59 at Horton.

A man from Accrington has been jailed for sexually assaulting a woman while she slept. 

An Accrington park is to see its sports pavilion brought back into use and a second artificial cricket wicket installed as part of a £100,000 upgrade.

The re-opening of Accrington’s historic Grade II heritage-listed Market Hall after an £11million refurbishment will coincide with the town’s Christmas lights switch-on in November, senior councillors have been told.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has been given more than £10million over three years to help hard up residents cope with the cost of living crisis.

Work is poised to start on Phase Three of the repurposing of Great Harwood’s historic Mercer Hall.

Senior councillors have approved the appointment of Star Academies to occupy the first building of Blackburn’s proposed £45million town centre Skills and Education Campus.

A mother and son from Darwen who plotted to smuggle 14 kilos of cocaine into the UK have been jailed, following a National Crime Agency investigation.

The new High Sheriff of Lancashire for 2026–2027 has been announced as David Collinge, a sixth-generation weaver from Burnley whose life and career have been shaped by Lancashire’s textile heritage.

A ban on barbeques, campfires, sky lanterns and fireworks across the moors in East Lancashire is up for review.

A Burnley man has been jailed for more than 15 years for sexually assaulting a young girl.

A drug dealer who was twice found in possession of heroin and crack cocaine in Burnley, has been jailed. 

A man been jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of killing Kirk Marsden in Blackburn.

A water leak which added a further delay to behind-schedule streetworks in a Rossendale town has been repaired, authorities say.

A bid is being prepared for Accrington to be crowned as the UK’s new ‘Town of Culture’ in 2028.

Stars including Tez Ilyas and Wayne Hemingway MBE are heading to Accrington Stanley’s Wham Stadium next month for a special event celebrating Hyndburn’s thriving creative community.

A sex offender who tried to abuse children online jailed for seven and a half years.

Blackburn with Darwen residents will see their council tax for borough services rise by the maximum 4.99 per cent permitted without a referendum from April 1.

Work is set to begin in March on street improvements in Pendle as part of a £55 million programme of investment across East Lancashire.

Prison sentences of almost 80 years have been handed to an OCG who supplied drugs in East Lancashire.

Plans for a creative business hub in the former St John’s Church in Blackburn took a major step forward this week, as councillors agreed to appoint Barnfield Construction as contractor for the £8.5million redevelopment.

Political leaders across Lancashire are readying their troops to fight local elections that it appeared were never going to happen, after the government staged a dramatic U-turn over a previous decision to scrap electoral contests.

A man has been jailed for an assault committed outside the Vue Cinema in Blackburn.

Three men have been jailed for their part in a fight in a Blackburn car park.  

Almost 400 new school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are set to be created in Lancashire.

A long-delayed £8.85million project to rebuild a historic Blackburn town centre church destroyed by fire in 2019 will start this summer with the aim of completion in 2028.

The heritage-listed Towneley Hall Craft Museum is to get a makeover.

King Charles visited Lancashire today, stopping at Clitheroe, Samlesbury and Inglewhite.

A man who attacked and raped a woman in Burnley has been given a sentence totalling 23 years.

A former police officer has been jailed after admitting coercive and controlling behaviour towards a woman.

Residents, businesses and visitors travelling through Burnley are being advised of upcoming changes to Manchester Road as part of a major public realm and transport improvement scheme.

An investigation is underway after a woman found injured at a house in Blackburn died.

Steel mesh ‘lids’ on two docks at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court to stop defendants escaping and potentially attacking guards or officials have been given the go ahead.

Valérien Ismaël has today left his position as Blackburn Rovers’ Head Coach.

A mother and her two adult children have been found guilty of murdering a man in Blackburn last June.

A Blackburn drug dealer has been jailed – as police issue a fresh appeal to trace two other men wanted as part of the same investigation.

Three Lancashire councils have been granted significantly more time to start dedicated household food waste collections – while two others have been unable to confirm whether they will meet the deadline for doing so.

A facility in Burnley is set to accept waste from across East Lancashire when the county council's contract for the use of the Whinney Hill landfill site comes to an end in April.

Hyndburn Leisure is inviting contractors to tender for phase two of the redevelopment of Great Harwood’s historic Mercer Hall.

A man has been jailed after burgling a vets practice in Colne.

Police have launched an investigation after a man in his 80s from Nelson was conned out of £10,000 by a group falsely claiming to be police officers and bank staff.

The husband of the mother of two who was killed by a falling tree branch in Blackburn’s Witton Park in August has set up a foundation in her memory.

Blackburn with Darwen Council will next week be urged to support tougher rules for the use of social media by under-16s.

A pensioner has died following a collision in Brierfield in December.

Two men have pleaded guilty to their roles in an incident where a man was stabbed after leaving a Mosque in Accrington shortly after leaving Friday Prayers.

Six of the seven local elections due to take place in Lancashire in May have been called off by the government.

A controversial East Lancashire nightclub will now remain closed permanently after its owners lost their appeal over the revocation of its premises licence.

A man who sexually assaulted two young girls in East Lancashire has been given a 20-year sentence. 

Great Harwood’s historic Mercer Hall in Great Harwood has officially reopened following the completion of a major £500,000 plus upgrade.

A second East Lancashire MP has called on Transdev to think again about local bus fare rises and ticketing changes which came into effect this week.

Hyndburn Council will soon be seeking new market traders and food and drink operators to take space at Accrington’s historic Market Hall when it reopens in November.

Work on an eight-month project to build a new four-arm roundabout on a busy road to serve major Blackburn housing developments will start in May.