RESIDENTS who protested against speed humps planned for their area are delighted the scheme has been scrapped. Nearly 400 people signed a petition against speed humps in Ainsworth Lane, Tonge Moor, which was handed to Bolton Council. The humps, which
A PENSIONER who was robbed in a cemetery as she laid a wreath at the grave of her husband has said she will not let the mugger ruin her life. The 71-year-old was sent sprawling in the grounds of St Peter's Church in Doffcocker before the thug snatched
WALKING through Victoria Square was like stepping back in time when a convoy of 1970s cars rolled into town. A 1971 police Range Rover, Rover P5B Coupe and Volkswagen campervan evoked an era where mustachioed drivers wore flares, metallic paint was still
BOLTON Arena tennis coach Jim Edgar is set to play a major part in shaping the sport in Britain. The 43-year-old will be at the forefront of the challenge to continually improve the standards of the country's coaches. Edgar, who has been a full-time
TWELVE young musicians from Bolton will be seeking Royal approval when they perform for the Duchess of Kent tomorrow. The Duchess, Katharine Kent, will help choose three of them to receive bursaries from her charity Future Talent, which could set them
TWO immigrant builders battered their boss to death with a mallet and a pan in a plot to rob him, a court heard. Father-of-three Pavaiz Iqbal was found slumped behind the front door of his home in Birkdale Gardens, Deane, in December 2006. A trial at
A FORMER Bolton schoolboy who is in charge of Britain's rail infrastructure has been knighted. Network Rail chairman Ian McAllister, aged 64, received his award in the New Year's Honours List for services to transport. Sir Ian was a pupil of Thornleigh
BOLTON South-east MP Dr Brian Iddon will hold an advice surgery for constituents next week. The surgery will take place at Bolton Town Hall from 4.30pm to 6pm on Friday January 18. Residents can raise any issues or problems with Dr Iddon. No appointment
UNION officials representing thousands of public sector workers in Bolton have reacted angrily to Government plans to tie their members to three-year pay deals. Pay for workers including council staff, police and nurses, has traditionally been negotiated
HALLE may be a name more connected with cultural evenings out than raging controversy, but a new book suggests that the Manchester conductor's career was not quite as smooth as he often claimed. Music historian and journalist Robert Beale says previous
A DEVASTATED father issued a heartfelt plea to young men to talk about their problems as he prepares for his son's funeral. David Lilley said he does not want any other family to go through the "living nightmare" he has endured since his 20-year-old
RESIDENTS will get the chance to have their say on plans to knock down their homes and rebuild them with eco-friendly houses. Union Road and Yates Street in Tonge Moor could be revamped as part of a £7.5 million plan put forward by councillors. The
Schools Soccer Sharples School are flying the flag for Bolton in the prestigious English Schools Under-12 Schools' Cup. The local youngsters have made it through to the fifth round of the National Inter Schools Knockout Trophy following a string
BOLTON RUFC were beaten 20-3 by Trafford at the weekend, meaning remain stay stuck in mid-table in North Lancashire Division One with 14 points.
Widnes West Bank 14 Bolton Mets 26 NW Counties Division Four BOLTON Mets kept their cool to complete the double this season over their Merseyside adversaries in a heated encounter. Bolton took advantage of poor Widnes discipline to kick a penalty
RAM raiders repeatedly drove into a cashpoint - but fled empty-handed after failing to break into the free-standing machine. Horrified housholders hid behind their curtains as four masked men targeted the machine outside the Esso petrol station in Bolton
A PENSIONER was given oxygen by firefighters after she dashed back in to her blazing home to rescue her pet budgie. An electrical fault on a tumble drier is thought to have sparked a fire at the 67-year-old woman's home in Thirlmere Drive, Little Hulton
SINCE August, 2006, travellers have only been able to take one item of hand luggage on to flights from UK airports. The restriction was imposed by the Government after police foiled a terrorist plot to blow up a transatlantic plane in mid-flight. Now
RETAILERS across the country endured a "worse than expected" Christmas period as figures today showed sales in December grew at their weakest rate for three years. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said like-for-like UK sales rose 0.3 per cent last
HOTELIERS and others in the hospitality sector are being warned that they will be targeted by Government inspectors in the coming year to ensure they are paying employees the minimum wage. Bolton based Bentleys Chartered Accountants issued the alert.
PAVING stone maker Marshalls improved revenues seven per cent last year - despite a summer washout for its household division. The group benefited from continued strong demand in the public sector and commercial market as it achieved sales of £403 million
BOLTON-based creative design and marketing agency Portfolio has scooped the gold award at the 2007 Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) North-west Pride Awards for its "Carlisle is cleaner than ever" campaign. Portfolio, based at St George's
NEW car sales last year exceeded motor industry expectations by finishing 2.5 per cent up on the 2006 total. New registrations in 2007 reached 2,404,007, with diesel-powered vehicles taking a record 40.2 per cent share of the market, the Society of Motor
A PLANNED community radio station will learn its fate later this month. Bolton FM, based at Ashburner Street Market, has sent a bid to Ofcom for a full-time community radio licence. The group behind the project have been working on the bid for more
A BOLTON school is spearheading a new web-based learning programme. Bolton School Girls' Division in Chorley New Road has introduced Studywiz - a teaching aid on the internet. Andy Green-Howard, deputy head of Bolton School Girls' Division, said Studywiz
THE annual performance tables for secondary schools and sixth form colleges will be published on Thursday. The national tables, issued by the Government, compare the performance of schools and colleges in last year's GCSE, AS-level and A-level examinations
THE Government has pledged £3 million to stamp out what it terms the "scourge of bullying". The money, however, will not go towards helping teachers tackle the problem, but rather to training senior pupils, who are seen as the key to beating the bullies
ARTISTIC youngsters came under the spotlight at a special conference held at Rumworth School. The special school in Ladybridge hosted the conference to discuss ways of promoting the needs of artistic young people with learning disabilities. School pupils
NO doubt most employees would love an extra Bank Holiday - after all, whoever turned down a paid day off work? Equally, most employers would probably object to staff having another paid Bank Holiday in addition to the eight we already have. But our
THE message regarding the importance of recycling has now been absorbed by most people. We know that we should recycle paper, bottles and tins and which bags and bins we must put them in so that the collectors will take them. Recently, however, the
I WOULD like to say a sincere thank you to all the staff on D3 ward at Royal Bolton Hospital. The way they are treating my son Dennis who is very, very ill is marvellous. They arranged his wedding on New Year's Eve in a very short time and clubbed together
THE Labour council is to be congratulated on finally providing an excellent display of Christmas lights in Victoria Square, even though it has taken them over 20 years to do so. What a pity, however, that during that period they have allowed the town
First of all, in reply to Mr Johnson, "LEAs still have an important role to play" (January 2), the "crazy" voucher system is running successfully in Sweden and has seen standards rise where the experiment is tried. The Dutch seem to be following a similar
I HAVE recently found a rather strange clump of greyish translucent gelatinous globs at the side of my garden pond. The globs are too large to be frog spawn, although the consistency appears to be similar. I have searched on the internet and found a
Stuart Chapman and his colleagues at the anti-congestion charge campaign provide a superb illustration of the reason why referendums have no place in the British political system. "Road charge fight goes to town hall" (January 4). The reason why this
I quote an extract from a guide to law: "It is an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835 to drive a carriage of any description (which term includes a motor vehicle or pedal cycle) on any footway by the side of a public carriageway". (Extract
A man has been charged after charity collection boxes were stolen in Rochdale. Anthony Holt, aged 38, of Falinge was charged on Monday with two counts of theft. He will appear at Rochdale Magistrates' Court on Friday, January 18. Police received
A FORMER old folk's home which closed following a report that criticised levels of cleanliness could be transformed into 12 apartments. Developers will this week learn whether their plans for Haulgh Cottage in Radcliffe Road, Bolton, will be granted
For a band with just one limited single release and a handful of UK shows under their belt, Alphabeat have got a lot of people talking. Ever since they made the move from Copenhagen to a shared house in East London, these six young Danes have been winning
A DRIVER caused chaos after attempting a U-turn on a motorway at rush hour after heading the wrong way up a slip road. His Range Rover smashed in to a Renault Scenic in the outside lane as he tried to correct his mistake close to junction 9 on the M60
LED Zeppelin may have sold out their huge arena tours in a matter of minutes, but fans will have the chance to see the next best thing - in Bury. Tribute act Whole Lotta Led will play The Met on Saturday, January 19. The band's shows include songs from
Members of staff join Jan Haworth and Lesley Bennison front left and right during 12 hour Aerobathon
Instructors Barry Cornwell and Lisa Latona show the Drums Alive routine for the Body Combat class
Jade Parkinson, centre, joins Jan Haworth and Lesley Bennison of Chemo Mums Charity in working our during the activity day
TWO residents' associations are divided over a decision to put speed humps on roads in Horwich. Bolton Council has proposed a £130,000 traffic-calming scheme for the accident-plagued areas around Claypool Road and New Chapel Lane. But while Claypool
Clockwise from left, Emma Parry, Debs Timmins, Sophie Borek and Tina Whiting in pink fancy dress
Who will miss vital Premiership action: ARSENAL Kolo Toure; Emmanuel Eboue (both Ivory Coast); Alex Song (Cameroon). ASTON VILLA None. BIRMINGHAM Richard Kingson (Ghana); Mehdi Nafti; Radhi Jaidi (both Tunisia). BLACKBURN Aaron Mokoena (South
Fitness instructor and organiser Lisa Latona, centre, is worked out by fellow 'combat' instructors. Clockwise from bottom left, Rob Bond, Caroline Pennington, Maria O'Dowd and Barry Cornwell.
EL-HADJI Diouf says he shoulders the expectations of 10 million people as he leaves the Reebok for the African Nations Cup. He leads Senegal into Africa's showpiece tournament, which kicks-off on January 20, knowing he could miss the next six weeks of
PREVIEW: Bolton U-18s v Port Vale U-18s - FA Youth Cup. Wanderers' youth team will be hoping to show the senior men how it's done when they welcome Port Vale to the Reebok tonight in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup. Peter Farrell's side will be
RELATIVES of an elderly man who died in hospital are being asked to come forward. Anthony Castle, aged 71, of Vernon Street, Bolton, died at the Royal Bolton Hospital on December 31. He had been in hospital for two months. Relatives are asked to contact
THE driver of a car involved in a fatal crash on a stretch of moorland road could face charges, say police. Officers are awaiting the results of accident reconstruction tests before a file is sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will decide if
A MOUND of tyres was set alight by arsonists. Crews were called to an allotment off Cemetery Road, Kearsley, at 8.30pm on Sunday. They managed to stop the fire spreading to a nearby pigeon coop.
An older, wiser Lewis Hamilton will start the new Formula One season with even greater desire to win motorsport's greatest prize. Watch our video interview HERE.
A QUIZ night is being held to raise money for the Blackrod Friends of Chernobyl's Children. It will take place at Hilltops Sports and Social Club, Hill Lane, Blackrod, on February 8. For tickets, which cost £5, call 01204 697763 or 657693.
A TAPESTRY group is planning an exhibition of work next month. The Blackrod Stitch and Knit group will be showing group and individual pieces at St Katharine's Church in Blackrod on Saturday, February 23.
EDUCATION watchdogs say children at St Catherine's Catholic Primary in Lowton "thoroughly enjoy school". Inspectors from schools' standards organisation Ofsted visited the school in Cranham Avenue to look at all aspects of classroom life and learning
REFUSE collectors are being told not to collect large Christmas trees from Bolton homes unless they have been cut up. In previous years, householders just had to leave their trees next to recycling bins. This year, Bolton Council says any trees measuring
CHILDREN have been litter picking to improve the environment. Year Five pupils at Moorgate Primary School in Tonge Moor, Bolton, took part in the scheme funded by Bolton at Home. It aimed to raise awareness about the environment and understanding the
FOUR sheds were broken into in Westhoughton over the weekend. Police are warning residents to be on their guard after sheds in Beaumont Chase, Fellbridge Close, Lower Landedmans and Roscoe Court were targeted overnight on Saturday. Power tools and gardening
PEOPLE in Bolton are being asked to donate blood after the winter vomiting bug and two-week Christmas break resulted in a national shortage. The National Blood Service said it usually has enough blood to last a week, but its reserves are now down to
STRIKE action has been averted as Warburtons bakery staff accepted an improved pay offer. Up to 1,400 workers across the country, including 400 at two bakeries in Bolton, planned to walk out in a row over pay last month. But Warburtons put forward a
When you are driving, how many times does someone cut you up? Doesn't let you out of a side street onto a main road? Or if you do let someone out and they don't say thank you, how do you feel? In a bid to help reduce further the number of people being
An 86-year-old man was attacked on the doorstep of his hom by two thugs who stole his wallet. The two men forced their way into the reception area of Ian Fraser Court, a block of flats in Queensway, Rochdale, at about 9.45pm on Thursday. Once inside
A gang of five masked men threatened a couple with a firearm during an incident in Moss Side. The couple were at their flat on Claremont Road when they heard a loud bang coming from the communal area at about 5pm on Sunday. Fearing what was happening
Masked offenders held a weapon to a 10-year-old boy's throat during an armed robbery at a house in Gorton. Three men wearing black balaclavas entered a house on Hawthorn Street armed with sharp instruments at about 7pm on Saturday. The offenders
The man who died after he was stabbed in Withington has been formally identified. Christopher Lynch, aged 36 of St Brendan's Road North, was found at a house on St Brendan's Road North at about 9.30pm on Wednesday. He was taken to the Manchester
One week after the body of 37-year-old Jason Taylor was found at his home in Oldham, police are appealing for anyone who saw him in the days leading up to his death to contact them. Jason, who would have celebrated his 38th birthday yesterday was
HARRY Redknapp has put a block on Wanderers' bid to sign Matt Taylor. The Portsmouth midfielder was on the brink of joining in a £3million move on Friday, only for the deal to be hijacked at 11th hour by Premiership rivals Sunderland. Bolton boss Gary
A JURY has been sworn in for the trial of a Czech man accused of murdering Bolton builder Pavaiz Iqbal. Jiri Motl, aged 33, from Prague, denies murder and his trial is due to get under way at Manchester Crown Court this week. Father-of-two Mr Iqbal,
A TEENAGER has been remanded in custody by Bolton magistrates in connection with two armed robberies. John Hardy, aged 18, of Peel Park Crescent, Little Hulton, is accused of robbing Ladbrokes in Norris Street, Farnworth, and Alpine Extreme in Bolton
A man sent poisonous parcels to public figures as part of a terrorist plot to force the British Government out of Scotland, a court has heard. Wayne Cook also threatened to kill English people "with no hesitation or compunction" by poisoning the country's
NEWCASTLE manager Sam Allardyce is hoping to sign Kevin Nolan in a sensational swoop on his former club. The ex-Wanderers boss is rumoured to be on the verge of a move for the Bolton captain. Allardyce has already raided his old club for defender Abdoulaye
Heavy traffic is reported on the M60 anti-clockwise near the Trafford Centre this morning following a multi-vehicle crash. For Bolton Traffic News click HERE, for Bury HERE and Leigh HERE. Latest train and bus service updates, including live
