Central Radio News

Members of a Blackpool drug-supply gang have been given custodial sentences totalling more than 63 years.  

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.

A 50-year-old man had died after the e-bike he was riding collided with a parked car in Fleetwood.

Residents in an Over Wyre village are fighting against plans to build 79 new homes on a greenfield site.

The new owners of Guy’s Thatched Hamlet in Bilsborrow have been confirmed.

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.

The backlog in the assessment system for determining the support required by Lancashire children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is on course to be cleared in less than two months.

The landscape of Blackpool is continuing to change as a cordoned off area of Charles Street and Cookson Street is levelled off to make way for the town’s landmark £65 million Multiversity campus.

Parking restrictions are to be widened close to an expanding school in suburban Preston.

A call has been made for a Fylde coast park to be restored to the way it used to be, when it was a huge attraction for youngsters, families and visitors.

Urgent changes to make the notorious Norcross roundabout safer for drivers are finally under way.

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

Work to build a new community sports village in central Blackpool is expected to start later this year.

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

The Harris in Preston has announced that it has welcomed a new intern through the DFN Project SEARCH supported internship programme.

There are more than 1,000 empty properties in Preston that could be providing desperately needed accommodation for a range of residents.

The first major shake-up of bin collection rounds in Preston for more than a decade is set to take place next month.

A busy Blackpool counselling centre which was forced to shut last year after being wrecked by massive storm is set to reopen.

A Lancashire volunteer police officer who works as a long‑distance lorry driver in his day job has been commended for his exceptional bravery and quick thinking following a serious collision on the M6 near Staffordshire.

Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone is continuing to see significant progress, with major infrastructure projects nearing completion and further development underway to help businesses grow and create new jobs for the Fylde coast.

Wyre Council are marking Empty Homes Week by highlighting the progress being made to bring vacant properties back into use and help meet growing local housing demand.

Fixing road potholes must be a top priority for Lancashire authorities over the next 12 months using tax payers’ money, according to people in Clitheroe asked about council tax and spending.

Council tax payers in Wyre are being asked to pay a 2.99 percent increase in their bills as the council confirmed its budget.

A banqueting suite is set to open in a Preston neighbourhood after getting the go-ahead from city planning officials.

Blackpool Council has played down a clash with the resort’s MP Chris Webb – a fellow Labour politician – over a financial settlement from the Government and the new council tax bill.

The M6 northbound near Leyland reopened yesterday after a police investigation into a death on the motorway.

Police are warning people to take extra care with their bank cards following a number of thefts in Blackpool town centre.

The number of lifesaving interventions at railway stations across the North West has nearly doubled in the last four years – as passengers are being urged to start conversations with people who may be struggling.

Two men have been charged after police seized a large quantity of Class A drugs and cash during a warrant at a property in Blackpool.

A new scheme offering up to £100 per household to assist with the cost of food and fuel is available to pensioners who currently receive Council Tax Support but are not in receipt of Pension Credit.  

20 drivers were caught speeding in just half an hour during a police speed check in Fleetwood.

Thousands of Easter rail journeys will be disrupted by engineering work on the West Coast Main Line.

A shop in Nelson has been ordered to close for three months after repeatedly selling illegal tobacco.

The final line-up’s been announced for this summer’s Lytham Festival.

Plans have been revealed for a new headquarters for Star Academies in Blackburn town centre.

Police are appealing for help to identify two women after a series of thefts at a shop in Blackpool.

Chorley Council is to freeze its share of council tax bills in the year ahead – and has stressed that the move will not mean any cuts to services.

Preston City Council will decide within the next year whether it is “feasible” to build a replacement for the Guild Hall, it has been announced.

Angry residents in Blackpool’s Revoe area did not hold back last night after being given the chance to have their say about controversial plans to demolish homes.

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 planning application for a multi‑million‑pound sea defence project in Blackpool has been lodged – with a warning the town could lose its famous sand without urgent action.

An allotment site in Thornton-Cleveleys is to be closed temporarily as part of an ongoing investigation into historic contamination by a chemical used at a nearby facility.

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

A Preston sixth form college has been given the go-ahead for a major expansion in order to meet demand for places, amid protests from residents living nearby who say they cannot park close to their own homes.

A professional Fylde coast singer has organised a concert to help raise funds for those affected by the devastating Waterloo Road blaze in Blackpool last month.

Councillors at Blackpool approved a number of changes to the town’s ambitious Multiversity scheme which effectively saved £450k towards its cost.

Padel enthusiasts in Preston will have another place where they can play the sport after a new facility was given the green light in the city.

Blackpool Council is inviting residents, businesses and stakeholders to have their say on the future of central Blackpool.

Lancashire Police are urging residents and local businesses to remain vigilant following a spike in reports involving counterfeit currency being used across the county.

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

Fylde MP Andrew Snowden has raised fears that taxpayers could be forced to pick up the bill for Blackpool Council’s massive £500 million debt after local authorities merge.

Fed-up Blackpool residents say the town’s roads are the ‘number one’ issue they want to raise with the council, with a record number of complaints about potholes in the last three years.

Leisure operators are being invited to help bring one of the world’s fastest-growing sports to one of Fylde’s most loved destinations.

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.

Plans to invest £72 million in maintaining and improving Lancashire’s highways and transport infrastructure in 2026/27 are set to be approved by councillors.

Ongoing tests for potential chemical contamination in Thornton have now revealed the presence of cancer-linked chemical PFOA at some residential properties.

The chairman who will lead a £20m Government-backed community project for Grange Park and Layton has now been named.

A local authority is to scrap its final remaining air quality management area as levels of harmful emissions from car exhausts at a busy junction have fallen.

A man’s been charged after a disturbance at a jobs fair organised by Blackpool South MP Chris Webb.

A bus driver from Preston is celebrating 50 years with the same company.

Volunteers in Leyland have launched an eco-friendly refill shop and community laundry to support local families.

The community’s rallied round an animal charity in Huncoat facing possible kennel closures.

A zebra crossing on a busy Darwen town centre road has finally been repaired after more than a year out of action.

The Reform UK administration at Lancashire County Council has set its first budget – promising what it described as a “tsunami of better services” for residents.

Proposals to transform a former charity shop in the centre of Blackpool into a new café have been approved by planners.

The Big PNE Sleep Out will return to Deepdale on Friday 27th March 2026, as Preston North End Community and Education Trust (PNECET), Foxton, Blog Preston and Veolia join forces to tackle homelessness in Preston.

Lancashire’s independent Beat-Herder Festival will celebrate its 21st year in 2026 with four days of music in the Ribble Valley.

The biggest ever Blackpool Jobs Fair ever saw thousands of people of all ages connect with prospective employers for up to 2,000 paid positions across the Fylde coast.

Comedian, writer and actor Dave Spikey has donated an entire night’s pay to a charity based at Royal Preston Hospital.

Hyndburn Council has confirmed it will freeze its portion of the council tax for the year from April 1 after its ruling Labour group voted down a Conservative proposal to cut it by 2.99 per cent instead.

Lea Harrison has been appointed as the new managing director of Blackpool Transport Services.

Lancashire Constabulary says they’ve dismantled a large cannabis grow in Accrington.

A man has been given a 20-year sentence after assaulting his partner so seriously she has been left paralysed.

A group of men who ran a ‘warehouse’ to deal their drugs around Blackpool and the Fylde coast have been jailed.

Police are investigating after a large cannabis grow was discovered in Blackpool.

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

A “technical issue” means Lancashire County Council is currently unable to say whether it is hitting its own pothole repair targets.

Houses in parts of Fleetwood and Thornton Cleveleys will no longer be able to be converted into HMOs without planning permission, Wyre Council has said.

Preston City Council has signed a contract to upgrade the rooftop solar panel array at Preston Town Hall.

Furious campaigners are demanding the closure of a stinking landfill site in Fleetwood after an inquiry revealed as many as 70 permit breaches at the site in less than two years.

Cash seized from criminals is being spent on helping young people in Blackpool.

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.

Police Licensing officers, working alongside Lancashire County Council Trading Standards, have carried out a recent test purchasing operation targeting underage alcohol and vape sales.

Plans to make Cleveleys town centre a more appealing place to shop will see more than a dozen on-street parking spaces removed – so that pavements can be widened.

The operators of a popular Chorley park have appealed for consideration from dog owners after waste bags were left piled up around overflowing bins.

Officers from Fleetwood Police successfully secured a closure order for a problem address in the area.

Dozens of apartments could be created within Preston’s Miller Arcade as part of a major redevelopment of the historic city shopping precinct.

A couple who run a community café in Blackpool’s South Shore have been left devastated after the huge Waterloo Road blaze forced it to close for months ahead.

Blackpool Council has hit back at claims it is considering selling off assets such as famous landmarks to pay off debts.

Lives are being endangered by potholes on a Lancashire motorway, a senior councillor has claimed.

A paranoid schizophrenic who stamped on and kicked a Preston dad to death has admitted killing him.

Residents who live close to a stinking landfill site in Fleetwood are being given a chance to describe how the issue has impacted on their health in a new survey.

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

A councillor has warned of “absolute chaos” on the roads if plans to build 350 houses on the site of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park in Chorley are given the go-ahead.  

Lancashire Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man suffered serious injuries in a collision near Longridge.

A highly controversial near-600 home housing estate in Blackburn is to get a new pond as part of a drainage and layout reorganisation.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is spending £1.2million on buying 16 vehicles as part of its fleet replacement programme for 2025/26.

The owners of Blackpool’s iconic Central Pier say ongoing repairs are under control after a visitor raised concerns over a snapped rusty crossbeam.

Thousands of Blackpool schoolchildren are set to benefit from improved school meals after local chefs completed a new training programme.

A new multi-million pound data centre to be sited on the edge of Blackpool is set to bring a major jobs boost to the Fylde coast.

Residents in an area of Burnley have seen an eight-fold increase in the length of some journeys after a bridge was closed for repairs, it has been claimed.

Blackburn Household Waste Recycling Centre now has an added reuse shop, where residents can donate or buy preloved items.

Residents who live close to a stinking landfill site in Fleetwood are being given a chance to describe how the issue has impacted on their health in a new survey.

Preston City Council will introduce weekly food waste collections across the city from April 2026.

The former boss of a restaurant in Poulton-le-Fylde who set fire to it in a revenge attack against its new owners has been jailed.

Aspiring entrepreneurs in Wyre are being given the opportunity to develop real-world business skills through a unique training programme at Fleetwood Market.

Lancashire will get almost £29m more in transport funding from the government in two years’ time than it does today.

A road campaigner has slammed Government-owned National Highways as a disgrace for its work on the ‘botched’ A585 bypass at Windy Harbour and ‘dangerous’ Norcross Roundabout.

Preston is poised to get its first council houses in more than 20 years – with new-build properties in the north of the city being eyed up for purchase.

Families across Fylde can dust off their vintage finest and prepare to step back in time as the much-loved Lytham 1940s Weekend returns this summer.

A former school caretaker who targeted children online and committed a string of sexual offences has been jailed for 12 years.

Blackpool Transport is set to freeze the price of its most popular tram and bus tickets as part of a wider review of its fare structure.

Proposals to transform part of Blackpool’s former Abingdon Street Post Office into a hotel are still being considered.

Dozens of new homes are to be built in a Chorley village amid concern over the lack of services for the people who will eventually move into them.

New operators are being sought to take over the lease of Thornton Little Theatre as owners Wyre Council look to begin a fresh chapter.

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

A car travelling north on the M6, near Garstang, was searched by officers who discovered 25kg of cocaine with a street value of approximately £2.5 million.

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.

Chorley Council has given the green light to a £4m refurbishment of one of the borough’s leisure centres.

Parents across Lancashire are being reminded to ensure that their children’s measles vaccinations are up-to-date after an outbreak of the potentially fatal disease in London.

As one of Blackpool’s seafront attractions is set to disappear, another is lined up to replace it, if plans get the go ahead.

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.

Hundreds of families created unforgettable memories in Lytham as the town centre transformed into a sparkling winter wonderland for the fourth annual Fylde Ice Festival.

VisitBlackpool’s Visitor Information Centre has a new home inside the world-famous Blackpool Tower.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a woman in her 70s was left with life threatening injuries following a road traffic collision in Preston.

A teenager driver and his passenger suffered serious injuries following a collision involving two cars and a lorry on the M6 last night.

A teenager has been left with serious injuries after a collision in Blackpool.

Disabled people across Lancashire are being encouraged to think about taking up curling after a wheelchair club in the county was given a cash boost to help it fund the cost of training sessions.

Blackpool’s multi-million pound Multiversity project will go back before the council’s planning committee this month as councillors consider various proposed changes.

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.  

Two men from Fleetwood have been jailed for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

A man has been jailed after admitting to killing his baby son in Fulwood.

Lancashire County Council has appointed a professional design team to work in partnership with the authority to deliver the £13.2m Innovation Hub at the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone.

The Trust which runs Blackpool Victoria Hospital has apologised to patients after it was highlighted that it was performing worse than any other in the country for 12 hour waits in hospital.

The demolition of a historic Preston city centre pub will definitely go ahead after a senior councillor said he could not “justify” the cost that would be involved in keeping it standing.

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

More than 30 Fylde residents have moved into work thanks to a successful partnership which has helped create training and apprenticeship opportunities.

Chorley is getting ready to turn the page on an exciting new chapter as What’s Your Story, Chorley returns bigger than ever this March.

Pride in Place cash will be spent on repairs to allow the reopening of Blackpool’s Tramtown museum.

Sixteen residential roads in Blackpool are set to get resurfaced over the next eight weeks, as Blackpool Council starts a huge investment in additional road maintenance.

A paedophile who a targeted teenage girl at a house in Leyland has been given a lengthy jail term.

A man has been charged with the murder of Preston student Carla Georgescu.

Blackpool’s Brian House Children’s Hospice has announced the cancellation of this year’s Bubble Rush event.

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.

A popular Italian restaurant in Preston wants to create a dedicated parking area for one of their regular customers – who usually drops in by helicopter.

Building work has officially finished on a new ground for Lancashire County Cricket Club, which has been created at the heart of the county.

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

A man has today admitted to killing his baby son in Fulwood.

Preston’s Animate leisure complex is celebrating its first birthday this February half term with a full day of free family fun.

An investigation into the death of a student in Preston is continuing.

King Charles visits Lancashire today.

Wyre Council is preparing to launch a new weekly food waste collection service for all households from the middle of April.

A pervert who sexually abused two young girls has been jailed for almost 20 years.

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

A Poulton-le-Fylde man has been handed a five year prison sentence for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

This summer's walkabout theatre show in Williamson Park in Lancaster has been exclusively announced on Central Radio.

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.

One of Blackpool’s most iconic venues is set for an exciting new chapter after plans were agreed to transfer its operation to Blackpool Council’s wholly owned tourism company.

Residents worried over plans to demolish homes in Blackpool’s Revoe area as part of a controversial regeneration plan have been offered help by a national community union group.

Preston Bus has defended a recent rise in its fares, claiming that it has been left more than £100,000 a year out of pocket by central and local government funding for two price-reduction schemes for passengers.

New padel courts have been proposed for Blackpool Sports Centre.

Lancashire Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after the rider of an e-bike suffered serious injuries in a collision in Fleetwood.

For 100 years, Stanley Park has played a central role in Blackpool, providing residents and visitors with a landmark green space that combines heritage, recreation and natural beauty. 

Blackpool’s £350m Talbot Gateway has taken another step towards full occupancy, with 300 workers relocating to the heart of the town centre.

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

Eight people have been charged as part of an investigation into the illegal supply of cocaine and ketamine in Blackpool.

Visitor attraction Blackpool Tramtown has been forced to close until further notice due to an issue with an electric cable.

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.

Plans to demolish the houses on Henry Street as part of a major sports-themed regeneration project in Blackpool have taken another step forward, after a three year delay.

Blackpool Council needs to find £16m in savings during the next year as it prepares for the imminent budget for 2026/27.

Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has pledged that his 5.4 % increase in the council tax charge he levies on households will be used to boost neighbourhood patrols, digital and financial investigations, roads policing and modern IT systems.

The operators of Guy’s Thatched Hamlet have announced they have ceased trading after 46 years.

People are advised to avoid eating domestically produced eggs or egg-laying poultry from within 1km of an industrial site in Thornton.

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

A temporary school planned for the outskirts of Preston might never be constructed.

A teenage boy suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by a vehicle during a car meet in Preston over the weekend.

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

Officers from Preston’s Neighbourhood Policing and Prosper Partnership Team have carried out another ‘Skip the Whip’ - a multi-agency operation to tackle illegal and abandoned vehicles.

A piano and theatre teacher from Poulton-le-Fylde who engaged in sexual communication with a 14-year-old girl has been jailed.

Volunteers from across Lancashire will gather on St Annes beach next month to plant thousands of donated Christmas trees as part of vital work to protect coastal communities from flooding.

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.

Fleetwood Neighbourhood Policing Team have secured a closure order for an address in the town.

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb says he has secured a meeting with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss long-term investment and regeneration in South Shore – one of the most deprived areas in the country.

A potentially life-saving stroke treatment will be available around the clock in Lancashire for the first time from next week.

A facelift planned for Preston station has been given the green light – in spite of concerns that one aspect of the revamp might affect the “appreciation” of the Grade II-listed building.

Blackpool is exploring the possibility of bidding for the UK City of Culture 2029 and UK Town of Culture 2028.

A burglar was traced after leaving blood at the scene of a break-in.

The countdown is on for the return of the Fylde Ice Festival to Lytham.

A new non-profit company has been set up with the aims of developing the former Fleetwood Pier site into a vibrant attraction and reviving the town itself.

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.

The University of Lancashire’s School of Veterinary Medicine has been given the royal seal of approval by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

The Leader of Blackpool Council said people who took part in an anti-immigration march at the weekend were not reflective of the many people who live, work and visit the town.

Plans to increase school capacity across Preston have been approved by councillors.

A family festival is being staged in Bispham aimed at bringing members of the community together.