East Lancashire News

Government inspectors who three years ago downgraded Blackburn with Darwen Council’s children’s services department to ‘requires improvement’ have restored it to a ‘good’ rating.

A 44-year-old man who groomed a schoolgirl on Snapchat before drugging and then engaging her in sexual activity has been jailed for 17 years. 

Nelson could potentially have new town centre murals, plaques, a history trail or even a statue highlighting its heritage and people, in small art or community projects linked to the £25million Nelson Town Deal.

Emergency accommodation for some of Blackburn with Darwen’s most vulnerable homeless people will be retained for next winter and town hall bosses will now look at a longer term provision.

Town hall officials are monitoring a plot of land in Darwen after fears were raised it is being developed for an unauthorised travellers’ camp.

Half of a Blackburn town centre car park is to be shut for the duration of the £9million renovation of King George’s Hall.

A man has been jailed for seven years for raping a woman in Darwen.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has been given another £2.786million of government Levelling Up grants.

Police are appealing for information after a man was stabbed in Accrington.

Work to prepare for the building of Blackburn’s scaled-back flagship multi-million pound skills and education campus including the diversion of a main sewer across the town centre site has been authorised.

Blackburn with Darwen’s Mayor Cllr Brian Taylor will hold a second charity quiz night on Thursday.

A sexual predator from Blackburn has been jailed after more than a decade of abuse.

Burnley’s James Anderson, England cricket’s record Test wicket taker, is to be given a knighthood for services to the sport.

A man has been found guilty of sexual offences against children in Rawtenstall.

Accrington and Rossendale College has been awarded a £1.5million grant to invest in upgrading its college buildings.

The £13million Covid-delayed second stage of a major Blackburn housing development is now back on the starting grid.

Five East Lancashire Household Waste Recycling Centres will this week be open as normal after closing over the weekend following unprecedented weekend demand during the recent good weather.

Blackburn’s outer circle bus route scrapped in 2016 will start to run again next month – with a new service to and from Ewood Park for midweek Rovers home games.

Darwen’s historic town hall is to close next month for several weeks for a £350,000 refurbishment.

Police in Burnley have charged a man with sexually assaulting two underage girls.

Illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes worth £25,000 have been seized in Burnley.

Police are investigating following the discovery of a large cannabis farm at a property on Burnley Road, Crawshawbooth.

A man has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a woman following a fatal collision in Nelson.

Rossendale’s Marl Pits Leisure Centre looks set for a £1.4million grant boost for new heating equipment and other measures to cut energy use, emissions and bills.

An East Lancashire football club needs a new land lease agreement to help it upgrade its ground in an era of change.

Work on repairing the roof of Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre and Theatre will start in June with a scheduled completion date of October.

Popular Accrington music festival OAK FEST will not return in 2025 due to discontinued funding, organisers announce.

Firefighters from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service are tackling a fire on the Shadsworth Industrial Estate, Sett End Road in Blackburn.

Senior councillors have called for the temporary closure of a major East Lancashire rubbish tip plagued by smells and flocks of gulls.

Officers and staff from Lancashire Police were joined by the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw, alongside contractors Willmott Dixon at the site of the new Pendle Police Station as it reaches a significant point of its build.

A man has been jailed for historic sexual offences against a ten-year-old-girl in Blackburn.

A plan to build a new waste transfer site in Bacup, which prompted hundreds of objections, has been cancelled.

The completion date for an £11million revamp of an East Lancashire heritage-listed Victorian market hall has slipped from the end of this month until late summer or even autumn this year.

Residents of an East Lancashire village are to get a new free to use cash machine.

A criminal gang who smuggled drugs and phones into prisons in Preston and Lancaster have been given lengthy jail sentences.

Four Lancashire branches of Santander bank are to close, it has been announced.

A new agreement between Burnley Borough Council and Cliviger Parish Council will make the playing field on Mount Lane available for community use.

Recently, the Mayor of Padiham, Cllr Mac Harrison, residents, councillors, partners and funders came together to celebrate the official opening of the Hive in Padiham.  

An East Lancashire teenager has been jailed after trying to escape from officers in Blackburn.

Former textile worker turned Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery’s oldest volunteer is set to spend his 90th birthday telling stories of the industry which made the town.

Police have charged five people following a spate of burglaries across East Lancashire.

A new planning application has been submitted detailing plans to transform Darwen Market Hall as part of the £100m Town Deal.

A burglar who targeted multiple homes in Preston City Centre has been jailed for more than six years.

East Lancashire football club has been banned from holding events with live or amplified music at its two function venues.

The multi-million pound renovation of East Lancashire’s premier entertainment venue has taken a major step forward.

Police are investigating following the discovery of a large cannabis farm at a property on Trafalgar Street, Burnley.

A man has been jailed for driving his van dangerously through East Lancashire.

A man has been jailed for 10 years for an assault which left his victim with a bleed on the brain.

A man has been given a three-year football banning order after entering the pitch during Burnley fixture with Middlesbrough in December.

The starting gun for the restoration of the west wing of an historic East Lancashire stately home is set to be fired.

An East Lancashire local authority is to spend £200,000 to persuade the almost one-fifth of its borough residents to give up smoking.

Lancashire highways bosses have revealed they plan to carry out 126 road resurfacing schemes over the next 12 months.

A man has been jailed for carrying out a knife-point robbery at a shop in Nelson. 

Six fraudsters have been jailed for a combined total of over 25 years for conning elderly victims out of over £1 million from a call centre in Blackburn.

The Conservative leader of Ribble Valley Council is to step down from the position after six years and hopes to take on a new role.

Two men have been charged, after police received reports of a number of burglaries and attempted burglaries in Blackburn.

Burnley Council will oppose any plans to merge the borough into a single East Lancashire all-purpose local authority including neighbouring Blackburn with Darwen.

A man has been jailed for engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour with a woman he was previously in a relationship with.

An elderly driver who killed his wife after carrying out an illegal U-turn on a busy A road has been sentenced.

Businesses and organisations across Burnley have voted in support of continuing the town’s Business Improvement District (BID) for another five-year term.

A Burnley man has been given a lengthy prison sentence for sexual offences against a vulnerable teenager.

Pendle Council-owned leisure centres look set for investment in the borough’s new budget, along with funds allocated to buy empty homes through compulsory purchase and get them back in use.

The 115-year-old Blackburn Empire Theatre can now create a new dance studio, reception office and entrance.

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

Police are appealing for information after a collision on the M65 left two people, including a child, injured.

NHS bosses have been urged to step up security at the controversially closed Accrington Victoria Hospital after it has been repeatedly targeted by vandals.

A Wellbeing Farm and wedding venue, where the star attraction is llamas in bow ties, had a visit from Rossendale & Darwen MP Andy McNae last week.

The developer behind a flagship multi-million pound Blackburn housing estate has scrapped plans to construct more four-bedroomed homes on it because it cannot sell the ones it has already built.

Lancashire’s influence in creating the long-distance Pennine Way footpath will be highlighted this spring when the route’s 60th anniversary is celebrated along with key individuals who championed its creation.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s annual finance council meeting will this evening be asked to raise the borough’s council tax by 4.99% from April 1.

A Pendle councillor has resigned after it was revealed he owed thousands of pounds in council tax and had missed meetings.

Illegal vapes and tobacco products with a value in the region of £5,000 have been seized from two Rossendale shops.

A counterfeiter who made almost £47,000 selling fake car and van service books online has been ordered to hand over his ill-gotten gains following action by Lancashire Trading Standards officers.

Queen Street Mill in Burnley has secured a sizeable slice of funding from Arts Council England to upgrade museums to protect their heritage and support the local economy.

Police are reminding the public that a police officer will never ask you to withdraw money to assist with a criminal investigation following three attempted courier frauds in East Lancashire this week.

A pioneering cricketer and a suffragette are among the ideas for people who might be highlighted in a new walking trail exploring Nelson’s history.

A prolific caller from Blackburn who repeatedly contacted Lancashire Police has been jailed.

Plans for a golf academy and 50 flats in Darwen have been ditched by senior councillors in favour of using the £2.5million of town deal cash earmarked for the projects on the regeneration of its market hall and civic quarter.

Trading Standards raided two premises in a joint operation with Blackburn and Darwen Police recently, in a bid to tackle the sale of any illicit vapes in the borough.

New diversion routes have been agreed and put in place in East Lancashire following the partial collapse of a road in Oswaldtwistle.

Travellers at an unauthorised encampment on grassland in Darwen have been given 11 months to clear the site unless their backdated planning application to develop it is passed.

The drive to make Blackburn with Darwen into a creative hub has been boosted by a £760,000 grant from the Arts Council England.

A man has died following a collision in Earby, Barnoldswick this week.

Residents of Burnley borough are set to see their council tax rise by two per cent next year – below the maximum three allowed by the government without a referendum.

A large quantity of illicit tobacco products has been seized during an operation carried out by the Rossendale Neighbourhood Policing Team and Trading Standards.

Police are appealing for information after a collision in Colne left a teenager with serious injuries.

Work on the creation of a new £100,000 pump track in a town in a rural East Lancashire borough is set to start this week.

The access to a historic nature reserve in Accrington has been upgraded.

The enchanting WinterBloom Light Festival is back for 2025 after Colne BID successfully won their Arts Council bid for another year.

A local transport operator in East Lancashire has stepped forward to save a vital hospital shuttle bus from closure following huge public reaction and protests to save the service for local people.

National Highways is to conduct a safety review of the M65 from Cuerden to Burnley this year including whether lighting is needed.

An investigation is underway after the death of a man in Colne.

A man has been given a three-year football banning order after racially abusing a Blackburn Rovers player during the East Lancashire Derby in August.

A storeroom at a thriving Blackburn performance venue has been earmarked as a new dance studio and rehearsal room.

A man has been jailed for five and a half years for attacking a woman with a metal bar in Blackburn.

Lancashire County Council has finalised an agreement to continue using Altham’s Hill Tip until March 31 next year – giving four councils in the east of the county 12 months extra breathing space to sort out the disposal of their waste to landfill.

Work on a flagship housing estate in Blackburn is scheduled to resume after two years.

New figures about disturbances and crime around Whalley’s night-time bar and club scene show the need for a special licensing system to be extended for another three years, Ribble Valley councillors are being advised.

A 300-year-old East Lancashire building turned community centre is celebrating the opening of a £127,000 new extension.

A man who groomed a 13-year-old girl before going onto sexually assault and rape her has been jailed.

A Blackburn man has been handed a lengthy jail sentence after violently attacking a man with a hammer.

A rogue roofer who scammed a couple out of £1,300 for 'make believe' roof repairs has been jailed for three years and three months following action by Trading Standards officers.

Accrington’s King George V Playing Fields will be back in use by September next year.

Police have arrested four people as enquiries continue after a missing man from Darwen was found dead.

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

Rawtenstall is undergoing some major changes including phased town centre roadworks aiming to improve traffic flow.

Police have charged a woman with murder after a body was sadly found inside a flat in Church.

Police have launched a murder investigation after a woman’s body was found inside a property in Church.

Plans are set to be discussed to transform how the council approaches gully cleaning with the aim to ensure that all of the council's 294,000 road gullies are visited on a regular schedule.

Slice away the January blues with this nostalgic deal

A council is to be asked to officially join the campaign to save the free hospital shuttle bus service in East Lancashire.

A former employee from Nelson has been sentenced after she logged into a firm's computer system and deleted business-critical data.

Plans that could transform Blackburn’s already super successful Making Rooms into the leading makerspace in the whole of the UK have been revealed.

A man has been jailed for trying to steal from two people in Accrington in the space of a few minutes.

Parents who have yet to apply for a primary school place starting this September in Lancashire are being reminded that the deadline for applications falls on Wednesday 15 January.

Lancashire’s elected Police and Crime Commissioner has commented on traffic patrols, road safety and action against danger-drivers following recent incidents and debates about the M65, where a number of fatal incidents have happened.

Plans to move Rawtenstall Market traders to a temporary town centre site while the indoor market hall and surrounds are redeveloped have been approved by Rossendale Council’s cabinet.

Work on the construction of the controversial Wilson Sports Village in Clayton-Le-Moors will start again later this month.

Lancashire Police arrested 331 people for drink or drug driving related offences in December 2024, 24% more than last year.

A backdated planning application has been submitted for a controversial ‘unlawful’ travellers’ encampment currently occupying grassland near the Darwen’s Whitehall Park.

A £30million drive to tackle congestion at one of the key gateway junctions into Blackburn and Darwen will start in July.

iMEP have announced that the 2025 iMEP Music Festival will take place over two days at Accrington Cricket Club’s iMEP Arena on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th September.

Lancashire County Council's gritting crews are preparing to put some brand-new snow-clearing kit to the test as they get ready to tackle the severe weather predicted for this weekend.

A ban on drinking, using drugs, urinating and defecating in public and begging is being brought in for Darwen town centre.

It’s the East Lancashire football derby this weekend, and Lancashire Police, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley Football Clubs are urging supporters to enjoy the day without letting passions spill over.

A Rossendale off-licence shop has had its premises licence revoked after selling alcohol to youngsters under 18, which was linked to town centre trouble including planned fights and anti-social behaviour at a Rawtenstall Market ‘Foodie Fridays’ event.

A number of figures across Lancashire have been recognised in the 2025 King’s New Year Honours List.

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

Plans to use cameras to catch drivers making illegal manoeuvres on Lancashire’s roads have yet to be implemented – almost two years since they were given the green light.    

A man has been charged after a woman died following a collision in Nelson.

Burnley is celebrating a remarkable year of growth and development as a host of new businesses have chosen to open their doors in the town centre, marking a significant step forward in the vision to make Burnley a destination of choice for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.

The first stage of vital works that aim to relieve congestion and improve traffic flow in Rawtenstall have been completed ahead of the Christmas holidays.

An East Lancashire businesswoman whose sandwich bar was ‘boosted’ by winning a Gold award in scheme promoting healthier eating choices for food outlet customers has urged others to sign up.

A family have paid an emotional and loving tribute to a man who was ‘loved and liked by everybody’. 

Voluntary, community and faith groups in an East Lancashire borough can now apply for small grants projects to tackle hate crime and divisive and extremist ideologies.

The daughters of the woman who sadly died following a collision in Nelson have paid a heartbreaking tribute to ‘the most awesomest mum’.

A woman has died after a collision in Nelson over the weekend.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has received the £1.6 million government grant needed to pay for hundreds of new electric vehicle charge points.

Blackburn’s King George’s Hall has been hailed as the best entertainment venue in Lancashire outside Blackpool.

An investigation has been launched after a man died following a road traffic collision in Burnley.

A drink driver has been jailed for more than two years after causing a collision which resulted in a motorcyclist losing his leg.

A rogue builder and roofer from Burnley has been jailed for 11 months after ripping off a string of victims.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a pedestrian very sadly died following a collision in Darwen.

A man has been jailed after raping a teenager in Burnley.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is to earmark £1.6million to pay for 825 electric vehicle charge points by 2030.

An extra £1million is to be pumped into the multi-million pound renovation of Blackburn’s King George’s Hall.

Burnley Council has called for a feasibility study into bringing back lighting to the whole of the M65 as part of safety review into East Lancashire’s main motorway.

Five Hyndburn organisations have been given grants from the council’s Cabinet Action Fund.

The UK’s leading women’s fashion retailer, Bonmarché, is set to open a brand-new store in The Mall, Blackburn, on Tuesday, 12th December.

Hyndburn residents have been asked for their views on the council’s ambitious proposals to redevelop Accrington town centre.

The Darwen town centre office of former Conservative MP Sir Jake Berry is to become a taxi booking hub.

A Blackburn man who took videos and boasted about driving dangerously has been jailed for 12 years.

Lancashire Police has launched its seasonal drug and drink driving crackdown.

Fire bosses say 'You could be putting your life at risk' if you run your dryer whilst you sleep

We've got a full list of Christmas events and activities in Lancashire

Martin Kemp wowed the crowds of Accrington as over 12,000 people turned out to watch his fantastic ‘Back to the Eighties Show’ at the #AmazingAccrington Christmas Light Switch On.

Thousands of pounds worth of illicit tobacco products have been seized from two shops in Rossendale.

The number of councillors and the political map in another East Lancashire borough is to be reviewed.

Christmas is coming to Hyndburn, and light switch-on events are happening across the Borough.

Earlier this month, officers from East Lancashire were out conducting an underage sales operation as part of Operation Sceptre, a national week of action to tackle knife crime.

626 knives have been recovered throughout East Lancashire as part of Operation Sceptre, a national week-long initiative to tackle knife crime.

Police have arrested five men and two women as part of an investigation into theft of prescription drugs from pharmacies in East Lancashire.

Hyndburn Council and Morgan Sindall Construction welcomed County Councillors Aidy Riggott and Carole Haythornthwaite for a site visit to see how the exciting scheme is shaping up.

Police have charged a teenager following disorder in Bacup town centre.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of illegal money lending following an operation in the Blackburn area.

Police want to speak to a number of people after a man was seriously assaulted in Darwen.

Burnley’s annual Christmas Lights Switch-On ‘Burnley Believes ‘proved to be a dazzling success at the weekend, attracting thousands of visitors to the town centre for a day of festive magic.

Lancaster on Ice is set to return to the picturesque Dalton Square in Lancaster, bringing festive cheer to the city.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s ruling executive board has rubber stamped spending £1.6million on taking full ownership of the Thwaites brewery site.

A new multi-million pound estate of 152 social homes for affordable rent is set to move a step closer this week.

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.