The Bury Times - Keeping you up-to-date with the latest news, sport and video reports

Stories for 6 January 1999

Accrington News

Race equality chief stays suspended

A RACIAL equality chief is to remain suspended from his post following an auditors' report.  more...

Blackburn Business

Companies of angels

FIRMS in East Lancashire are being invited to find out how a choir of angels can help their business grow.  more...

XTEND-ing a hand to the economy

A TRIPLE triumph is helping boost East Lancashire's economy, according to a training chief.  more...

Guide gets to grips with the net

TWO new free guides to help firms get to grips with the electronic revolution have been launched.  more...

Freight firm goes national

A LONG established freight firm has joined a national network.  more...

Sarah's directory a first for country

A NEW directory for the care and nursing home industry is to be produced in the Ribble Valley.  more...

Euro advice alert

FIRMS in East Lancashire are being warned to be on their guard against bogus advisers cashing in on the confusion over the euro.  more...

Schools battle it out

BUDDING entrepreneurs will be doing battle next week.  more...

Blackburn Leisure

FIVE YEARS AGO: Speed camera mishap

ONE of East Lancashire's first speed cameras was accidentally hit by a car and put out of action before it could even be switched on.  more...

TEN YEARS AGO: Second set of twins

A YOUNG mum faced double trouble after giving birth to her second set of twins.  more...

Events in East Lancashire tomorrow (Thursday, January 7th)

Cafe in the Crypt, Blackburn Cathedral, 12 noon to 2.30pm.  more...

Blackburn News

Philips' Simonstone plant up in flames

TWENTY fire crews were today battling to prevent toxic fumes spreading over Simonstone during a massive blaze.  more...

A ring of truth?

The views expressed by John Blunt are not necessarily those of this newspaper  more...

Scheme gives war memorial a smart new look

THE area around Gisburn war memorial has been smartened up by Ribble Valley Council.  more...

Noses still in the trough

THE NEW school term has begun with a staffing crisis as we are told that 10,000 empty teaching posts mean many children are being taught by temporary supply teachers or ones without proper training in the subjects they are teaching.  more...

A route to more single parents

THE idea, being considered by the government, of paying state benefits to grandparents who look after the children of their unwed teenage daughters is, surely, a mad way of trying to get these single mums out to work.  more...

Paradise for birds, a treat for strollers

Ron Freethy's Winter Walks - The Fylde Coast and Morecambe Bay  more...

Clean-up campaign brings birds back to our once-polluted waters

Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy  more...

Councillors should own up over old folk's home

IN reply to Councillor Sue Reid's comments (Letters, December 30), on the closure of two homes for the elderly, Shadsworth House and Laneside, Mill Hill, she talks about saving £648,000, but at a meeting in Shadsworth House councillors were asked if closure was to save money - to which the reply was 'No.'  more...

Still no justice over Lockerbie

IT is 10 years since the horror of Lockerbie and we are no nearer a trial of the two Libyan suspects. And that is what they are, suspects, according to a recent Dispatches report on Channel 4.  more...

No Christians at Christmas

ON Boxing Day, our central heating broke down and, despite ringing around, only British Gas was willing to come out. So full marks to them, but where is the Christian charity - at Christmas of all times. You would have thought the others would have made an effort, as my mother is 88 and vulnerable.  more...

Prime time for honours

I WAS surprised to read (LET, December 30) details of the 'Prime Minister's' honours list. I was under the impression that the honours list was the prerogative of the Queen.  more...

Selfish revellers should spare a thought for others

WITH reference to the celebrating of the arrival of the New Year, I must inform people that not everybody is awake at that time.  more...

Crib is a necessity

ONCE again, the crib which used to stand in front of Blackburn Town Hall each Christmas has been conspicuous by its absence.  more...

What have the police got to hide?

IS IT not disingenuous of Lancashire Police to hail their Christmas and New Year campaign against drink-driving as a huge success and yet fail to prove it with the full figures? All we are told is that of 960 breath tests following accidents, 31 were positive.  more...

It's the usual winter wail

HERE we go again - with the usual winter wail coming from County Hall over the Council Tax.  more...

Music sites with more Rubbish!

THE Internet has opened up a world of possibilities for bands hoping to hit the big time.  more...

The Twelfth Day of Christmas - still reason to celebrate

CHURCH ministers are urging people not to allow Twelfth Night to be forgotten as people wind down from Christmas and New Year festivities.  more...

Drink-drive shame of headmistress

THE head of a Blackburn primary school appeared to be incoherent when she was stopped because of her erratic driving on New Year's Eve, a court heard.  more...

Young drivers to be targeted in new road safety campaign

A NEW road safety initiative is being launched in East Lancashire after it was revealed that the area is among the worst in the country for road accident deaths.  more...

Phone hotline to 300,000 jobs

A NEW dial-a-job hotline which will give out of work people in East Lancashire access to 4,000 local jobs has been launched by the Employment Service.  more...

Missing girl in water for weeks

THE body of Lisa Jordan, pulled from Guide reservoir on Sunday, had been in the water for several weeks.  more...

Blackburn Sport

Marseille stall over move for Perez

MARSEILLE are playing for time before following up their initial interest in Blackburn Rovers' former French under-21 star Sebastien Perez.  more...

Little sets sights on first-team return

GLEN Little is poised to give the Clarets' campaign a timely shot in the arm by returning to front-line action.  more...

Blackburn slash FA Cup ticket prices

BLACKBURN Rovers have slashed admission charges for their FA Cup fourth round tie against Sunderland.  more...

Bolton Business

Backing for the euro

THE leading local business organisation is firmly in favour of the euro. Bolton and Bury Chamber believes that the long-term economic interests of local businesses will be best-served through membership of the EMU. Prime Minister Tony Blair has stressed the government's commitment to joining the Euro "in principle" and has called for a debate on UK membership.  more...

Search for top business woman

THE search is on for the coveted Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year for 1998 - nominations must be received by January 31.  more...

Lawmen in merger

TWO local law firms have announced a merger.  more...

Bolton Leisure

What's on in and around Bolton, Thursday, 7.1.99

THEATRE, MUSIC & DANCE THE Farnworth Aces Morris Dancers is holding a practice night for girls age 15 and upwards at the New Bury Community Centre, Buckley Lane, Farnworth at 6.30pm.  more...

Bolton News

No poop scoop

I am a dog owner, and I fully endorse the council's actions regarding dog owners who allow their dogs to foul the pavements and other public areas.  more...

Back call to tackle crime

IT is a report which we have long wanted, and it is as detailed and damning as we believed it would be. But the newly published Bolton Crime and Disorder Audit Report is designed to find new ways to cut the crime figures.  more...

From the BEN files

25 YEARS AGO  more...

Getting the hump!

SPEED humps installed just weeks ago as part of a £400,000 Westhoughton town centre improvement scheme will have to be dug up and repaired.  more...

Home of our own - at last

WESTHOUGHTON teenagers are starting the New Year with a place of their own after the town's first youth drop-in flung open its doors.  more...

Hunt for thug who crushed Darren's hand

A MAN'S 18th birthday celebrations in Bolton town centre ended in horror when a thug hurled a metal grid at his head.  more...

The way forward

IT was interesting to read in the BEN the different reaction of Terry Lewis MP and Ruth Kelly MP, to the Government White Paper on pensions etc.  more...

Munchkids are robbed!

YOUNGSTERS who munched their way through thousands of chocolate biscuits to buy a drum kit for their school have seen their musical ambitions crumble.  more...

Car crime in Bolton

MORE than FOUR in every 100 car drivers can expect to have their vehicle stolen or broken into in Bolton. That is how serious the problem has become. The total number of auto crime incidents recorded in Bolton from the beginning of April to the end of August last year was a staggering 3,933 - which works out at 4.5 per 100 vehicles.  more...

See you in court

IT is indeed a pity that the names of drink-drive offenders caught by a very effective Christmas crackdown cannot be revealed to the public at this time. The Data Protection Act means that the police are unable to provide the BEN with this "list of shame". Fortunately, we will be reporting their court cases in this newspaper in due course.  more...

Man shot in street

A MAN was blasted in the foot with a sawn-off shotgun after refusing to hand over cash to robbers in Farnworth last night. The gang went through the 21-year-old man's pockets as he screamed in agony on the ground and escaped with his wallet containing £150. The victim, who has not been identified, was left bleeding heavily on the pavement.  more...

Crackdown call on street trade pests

BOLTON councillors are calling for a crackdown on illegal street traders plaguing the town centre.  more...

20 homes a day are targeted by raiders in Bolton

UP to 20 homes a DAY were burgled in Bolton during a five month period this year.  more...

Police urge: 'Have your say'

BOLTON'S police chief today urged the public to get involved in the fight against crime.  more...

Quiz looks for clean winners on food hygiene

BACTERIA, germs and bleach are on the menu this month as Bolton's 16 health centres challenge people to test their wits on food hygiene.  more...

It's the yob element

AS a resident of Westhoughton, I feel compelled to voice concern over the disgraceful yob element that I and millions of other decent people have to put up with.  more...

Trapped by crime . . . but too scared to fight back

WORRIED residents and business people are living in a state of fear as they battle a rising tide of crime.  more...

Mum's instincts helped save son from killer bug

A BOLTON teenager came within "five minutes" of death when he was struck down by the killer strain of meningitis on the last day of his family holiday in Tenerife.  more...

Crime in Bolton

A MAJOR new survey has mapped out Bolton's crime blackspots more starkly than ever before. A detailed investigation into the scale of law breaking and the misery it brings to residents across the borough has identified the best and worst places to live in Bolton. In the most comprehensive study of crime in Bolton ever published, police have identified three key crime problems plaguing Bolton's streets - violent crime, especially domestic violence, burglary and problems with youths.  more...

Minister mum blasted for school time trip slip-up

FORMER Bolton MP Ann Taylor has become the third Cabinet Minister to come under fire for failing to get her child back in school for the start of term.  more...

Term time holiday blast at the busy Blairs

PRIME Minister Tony Blair has been accused of undermining a crackdown - being launched today - on Bolton parents who book term time holidays.  more...

Survey built up picture of people's feelings about crime

BURGLARY comes top of the public's fears about crime in Bolton's first ever formal survey.  more...

Former NHS worker died in hospital 35 miles from home

A BOLTON woman who dedicated her life to the NHS died in a hospital 35 miles away because there was no bed nearer home.  more...

22 years old - at a woof estimate

SHE may not be as sprightly as she used to be but she has an excuse - for Tina the mongrel is probably Bolton's oldest dog!  more...

Teachers to be told when they can force the issue with pupils

TEACHERS in Bolton schools will soon be issued with a set of rules on how and when to physically restrain violent and disruptive pupils.  more...

Cruel thieves ride off with Christmas gifts

YOUNGSTERS have been left in tears after thieves snatched their prized mountain bike Christmas presents.  more...

Holly's home

MAY I say a big thank you to you for printing the story of Holly, the German Shepherd bitch, who disappeared recently.  more...

Fluoride reply

I REPLY to your question: What do you think of fluoride?  more...

Daily poem

Come off it Modern life has dealt a blow,  more...

No-one to pay

I WAS amazed to read the recent article in your paper, where North Western Trains accused people of fare evasion on the Bolton to Manchester line, and their need to have staffed barriers at stations to stop this.  more...

Bolton Sport

Todd raps PFA penalty points plan

COLIN Todd has slammed Gordon Taylor's call for ill-disciplined clubs to be docked league points as "ludicrous" and "unnecessary". The Wanderers boss says clubs, managers and players should be left to keep their own houses in order under the current disciplinary system without the threat of revolutionary sanctions.  more...

RUGBY LEAGUE: Millward targets second Aussie

IAN Millward is looking to fan power to help him bring a second top Aussie forward to Hilton Park. The Leigh Centurions coach yesterday wrapped up a one-year deal for highly-rated back rower Heath Cruickshank - and then quickly turned his attention to another target from down under.  more...

DARTS: Paul aiming for a revenge attack

BOLTON darts ace Paul Williams faces his next test tonight in his bid to land the Embassy World Darts Championship. Williams, the 34 years old engineer from Smithills, faces Londoner Andy Fordham in a second round clash at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green.  more...

SNOOKER: Knowles fights for tour place

TONY Knowles is pulling out all the stops to keep his place on the main snooker tour. The 43-year-old Bolton professional, who won two ranking events during the early 1980s, rolled back the years to storm into the third qualifying round of the Regal Scottish Open in Blackpool. He beat Australian Johl Younger 5-2 and today meets Alfie Burden.  more...

Burnley News

Philips' Simonstone plant up in flames

TWENTY fire crews were today battling to prevent toxic fumes spreading over Simonstone during a massive blaze.  more...

Clitheroe News

Chairman saves last picture show

ONE of East Lancashire's last remaining independent cinemas, threatened with closure, has been saved by a chairman's casting vote.  more...

Organ restoration nears completion

RESTORATION work on a church organ described as the "Rolls Royce of instruments" is nearing completion but parishioners still have to find £10,000 to pay for the work.  more...

Nelson News

Small town security cameras ahead of neighbours

THE first anti-crime security cameras in Pendle will keep watch on Brierfield, one of the borough's smaller townships.  more...

Sunday burials but at a cost

PENDLE is to become one of the few areas in the North West to offer families the chance to bury their loved ones on a Sunday.  more...

`Bite' put on sandwich bar

THE 'bite' has been put on the owner of an unauthorised sandwich bar in Nelson to either put in a planning application or face action by Pendle Council.  more...

Rawtenstall News

Council catalogue of errors - claim

A FAMILY of five today vowed never to return home after a fire at their council house.  more...

Popular cricketer dies suddenly at 54

ONE of the most popular cricketers of his day in the Lancashire League has died suddenly at the age of 54.  more...

  
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