East Lancashire News

People in a Lancashire town have blasted changes to roads and car parking which they say are hitting businesses and residents, threatening jobs and creating hazards.

People living in Great Harwood have called on County Hall to put an end to a problem that is causing traffic delays and safety concerns for residents.

A mum from Blackburn’s efforts to support the families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been recognised with a national award.

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.

A man has been jailed for attempting to break into cars and steal from them following an investigation by officers of the Ribble Valley Neighbourhood Policing Team.

People from across the town of Colne have come together to create the largest ‘micro wood’ in the county.

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.

East Lancashire’s police licensing sergeant has pledged to crackdown on irresponsible nightclub operators after councillors revoked the certificate for a controversial Burnley venue for the second time.

Burnley looks set to submit a bid to become the first ever UK Town of Culture.

Improvements to Colne bus station will get underway next week, marking the first phase of a major scheme to upgrade facilities and improve access for passengers.

A father and son have appeared in the dock after admitting to illegally supplying ketamine in East Lancashire.

A man who filmed himself before and after committing burglaries in East Lancashire during which high value cars were stolen has been jailed.

Two more East Lancashire councils are to ask the government to scrap this year’s local elections.

A rogue roofer from East Lancashire who scammed older residents out of thousands of pounds has been jailed, following a Trading Standards probe.

A paedophile who sexually assaulted a teenage girl after giving her drugs in Rawtenstall, has been handed a lengthy jail sentence.

An East Lancashire local authority has started a new advice drive to help people cope with the rising cost of living.

A controversial plan to turn a historic Pendle village pub into a family home has been put on hold, after a community group made a new bid to reopen it.

Accrington looks set to get two new padel courts.

Children in an East Lancashire borough will soon be able to take advantage of a brand new £15 a month fitness offer.

Nelson-based Barnfield Construction Ltd is to be appointed as main contractor for the multi-million pound Darwen Market Hall and Civic Quarter development project.

Burnley Council is being asked to consider proposals for new 3G football pitches at Prairie Sports Village and Burnley High School.

A month-long campaign has been launched to help people in Lancashire be better prepared for freezing weather, flooding and power cuts.

People from Lancashire have been recognised in the King's New Year's Honours List for their work across the county.

A public survey has been launched to ask Lancashire residents for their views on the money they pay towards policing.

A man who drugged and raped his victim in an East Lancashire carpark has been given a 15-year jail sentence.

Blackburn with Darwen Council highways bosses are to look at improving safety on a main road in the borough following major housing developments in the area.

An East Lancashire county councillor has given up the Green Party whip because of ‘an investigation’.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has been given a grant of £2.2million to boost its services to help get addicts and alcoholics of drugs and booze.

A man has been jailed after stabbing his neighbour in the neck in Colne.

Police are appealing for information and footage after a pedestrian was left seriously injured following a road traffic collision in Nelson.

Emergency accommodation for some of Blackburn with Darwen’s most vulnerable homeless people will be retained for the coming two winters.

A man has been jailed for sexually abusing two boys in a caravan in East Lancashire.

The boss of a teaching union has told staff striking at a school in Rossendale over the use of a maths teacher based 300 miles away in Devon that they are defending one of the core principles of the profession – the relationship between teacher and pupil.

More than 1100 knives have been taken off the streets across Lancashire’s East Division as part of Sceptre, a national week-long initiative to tackle knife crime.

The cost of repairing and refurbishing Blackburn’s King George’s Hall has soared by 50 per cent from £9million to £13.5m.

A man has been convicted of attempting to kill a man in Blackburn earlier this year.

A man has been found guilty of killing Kirk Marsden in Blackburn.

A man who lured a child to a house in Blackburn before sexually assaulting her has been jailed.

A family have paid an emotional and loving tribute to a ‘truly special’ man who died following a collision on the M65 last week. 

A paedophile has been jailed after sexually assaulting young girls in Burnley.

Pendle Rise shopping centre in Nelson has closed its doors for the last time ahead of demolition, as part of the huge Nelson Town Deal regeneration scheme.

A £250,000 project to upgrade an East Lancashire town’s ‘green lung’ and protect it from motorbike riders is now moving on to its second stage aimed at making it more wildlife friendly.

Two men have been jailed after assaulting a man and stealing his bank cards and phone in Burnley.

Accrington Stanley supporters will have several opportunities to meet players from Accrington Stanley and Accrington Stanley Women as part of the Christmas Lights Switch On.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has been served with an ‘improvement notice’ by the Heath and Safety Executive over the death of a mother-of-two hit by a falling tree branch in one of its municipal parks in August.

A council boss has promised his authority is working to resolve its row with a football club over noise from its function suites as residents express concern over lack of action.

A Burnley man has been handed a lengthy jail term for raping a 15-year-old at an address in the town.

A man who stamped on an unconscious man in Blackburn has been sent to prison.

A man who broke into the bungalow of a bedbound man and carried out a sickening assault on him with weapons has been jailed.

Two brothers who carried out a string of house burglaries across Lancashire have been jailed. 

A man has been jailed after a cannabis farm was discovered in Accrington.

A man has been jailed for raping a woman he met on a night out in Darwen.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a motorcyclist suffered serious injuries in a collision in Great Harwood.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after another man was found with several injuries at a property in Church.

Three men have been sentenced for their part in the supply of drugs in Blackburn.

A song celebrating Darwen is now available to pre-order in advance of its release with hopes high it will feature on the streaming charts.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a pensioner died following a road traffic collision in Blackburn on Saturday.

A man has been jailed for committing a sex act in front of a child in a restaurant toilet in Rawtenstall.

The government could be asked to cancel some of the local elections scheduled to take place in Lancashire next year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.

Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was fatally injured in Bacup this morning.

Rossendale Police, alongside partner agencies, conducted another successful day of action to address concerns raised by residents in the local community.

A man from East Lancashire who encouraged a child to self-harm has been jailed.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is inviting public feedback on its draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy as it seeks to further cut the number of people living on its streets.

An East Lancashire shop has been ordered to close for three months after hoarding  illegal vapes and tobacco and selling a vape to a child.

People in Blackburn with Darwen can access free support across key public venues.

The completion of two key projects for the regeneration of Accrington town square has slipped back to July next year.

A child rapist from East Lancashire has been given a sentence totalling 16 years.

The repurposing of Great Harwood’s historic Mercer Hall has taken a major step forward towards its reopening schedule for December.

A Burnley man has been jailed in his absence for the attempted rape of an 11-year-old girl.

A new £2million home for children with complex mental health needs and challenging behaviour is to be developed by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

A host of outdoor pursuits including tomahawk axe-throwing, air rifle shooting and archery are planned at a forest school site in Rossendale.

Youth football teams in Pendle potentially face having to leave a college’s playing fields in Colne.

Illegal e-bikes, e-scooters and off-road bikes have been seized from the streets in Blackburn as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

The opening of a controversial and problem-plagued new East Lancashire sports and fitness centre will be celebrated with a weekend of free events and taster sessions later this month.

A night under the stars at the Wham Stadium will raise vital funds for local charities next month, as East Lancashire Hospice and Accrington Stanley Community Trust team up for the Stadium Sleep Out.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has received expert advice that there was nothing it could have done to prevent the tragic incident in which a mother of two was killed by a falling branch in one of its parks.

A man has been jailed after admitting multiple rape charges.

A family have paid tribute to a ‘clever, caring and compassionate’ teenager who died in a fatal collision near Blackburn earlier this week.