Preston, Leyland & Chorley News

The County Council will withdraw from its role as the coordinating authority for refugee resettlement schemes across Lancashire.

Specialist CCTV cameras are to be installed at Lancashire County Council’s household waste recycling centres to ensure businesses are not also using the facilities to dump their rubbish.

Parents and carers can now apply online for children who are either starting primary school or moving to secondary school in September 2027.

Thousands more children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) could benefit from improved support closer to home if proposals to invest a further £23 million in specialist and inclusive education provision get the green light.

Community groups, organisations, businesses and local partners are being invited to share ideas for projects that could create a meaningful and lasting legacy for Preston Guild 2032.

Police are appealing for information and footage following a serious collision in Ribbleton.

The countdown is on for Encounter Festival, as the full programme is unveiled for a packed day of free outdoor performances, interactive installations, family activities and a spectacular Torchlight Procession in the centre of Preston.

Work is getting under way at Preston Town Hall to remove asbestos which has delayed repairs to toilet facilities in the building.

The majority of the site once occupied by the Odeon Cinema and Tokyo Jo’s nightclub in Preston could be turned into a permanent car park.

A joiner from Chorley who rummaged through a client’s underwear drawers has been sentenced.

The team at a Lancashire bakery are celebrating after five of their products were shortlisted in the Great British Food Awards on their first time entering.

Thousands of spectators lined the route as the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women's elite cycle race came to Lancashire.

Lancashire residents have been warned about a scam where fraudulent messages are sent about unpaid parking charges.

A programme of road closures will be in place when an elite women's cycling race visits Lancashire in a first for the county.

Emergency services have been called to a road crash in Buckshaw Village.

Crews have been called to a building fire in Preston.

Crews have tackled a fire at a house in Buckshaw Village.

A new initiative has been launched at Preston Market to help make sure that shoppers are buying genuine products and stamping out counterfeit sales.

Councillors have demanded more evidence to show that plans for dozens of new homes in a Chorley village will not increase the risk of flooding – before they decide whether to approve the development.

Converting most of Preston’s Miller Arcade into apartments is the “best opportunity” to guarantee the building’s future – and ensure it is fully used.

A major new public art initiative is transforming Preston's streetscape, with the first striking mural, Northern, unveiled at the former BHS site on Fishergate.

Community spirit shines as annual parade boosts local youth charity

Residents, businesses and anyone interested in making the switch to electric vehicles are invited to attend Electric Preston, a free electric vehicle showcase.

A Lancashire fire search dog who has helped rescue people around the world has retired after nine years of outstanding service.

Plans to convert the upper floors of Preston’s historic Miller Arcade into apartments are set to be given the green light by councillors later this week.

Dozens more roads have been added to the number that will be resurfaced by Lancashire County Council this year.

Almost two dozen new council homes in Leyland are now available for prospective tenants to apply to live in them.

A closure order has been issued for a shop in Chorley after they were caught selling illegal vapes.

Residents, landlords and community organisations are invited to have their say on proposals to introduce a Selective Licensing scheme across three Preston wards.

Lancashire NHS bosses are staying tight-lipped about the likelihood of Chorley and South Ribble Hospital’s A&E department reopening 24 hours a day – after the government revealed local leaders were considering “evidence” for the move. 

A family have paid an emotional tribute to a 'beautiful inside and out' mum following her death in Longridge.

Preston Bus says it does yet know whether it will take part in the £2 fare cap reintroduced by Andy Burnham.

Police say a body has been found in the search for a missing man from Bamber Bridge.

The Chorley Flower Show returns next weekend.

Thousands more children across Lancashire will be eligible for free school meals from September.

Police have charged a man with drugs and weapons offences following a series of warrants in Preston earlier this week.

The names of the four new councils that will cover Lancashire from 2028 have been approved by the government.

What starts as a round of golf will become a true test of endurance for three local lads, who are taking on one of the toughest challenges in the sport.

Planning approval has been secured for the £13.2 million Samlesbury Innovation Hub, giving Lancashire a new development opportunity to present to international investors and businesses at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow.

A Preston park has been left strewn with rubbish and building waste after travellers set up an unlawful encampment.

The establishment of a new council for South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire has been welcomed by the leaders of the three existing authorities that will be merged to form it – although one of them would rather have seen parts of his district moved out of Lancashire altogether.

The creation of a new council for Preston, Lancaster and Ribble Valley has been welcomed by the leaders of the three existing authorities that will merge to form it.

The leader of Lancashire County Council says more time is needed to implement sweeping changes to local government – or else they will pose a risk to vulnerable residents.

Lancashire will be split up into four new council areas when the county’s 15 existing local authorities are abolished in less than two years’ time.

There is “evidence” to support consideration being given to reopening the accident and emergency department at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital 24 hours a day, the government has revealed.

A support worker from Leyland is taking on a huge challenge to swim from Dover to France.

New rules are to be introduced to crack down on the menacing use of e-scooters, powered bikes and pedal cycles in and around Chorley town centre.

Lancashire is gearing up for one of the most consequential weeks in its local government history as it awaits the outcome of an overhaul that will see the county’s 15 main councils abolished.

The government is being urged to make a regional outpost of one of its biggest departments the centrepiece of a long-planned transformation of Preston city centre.

The government has rejected criticism of its response to calls for support to secure the future of Preston’s Guild Hall.

Police are appealing for information and footage after two people died following a collision earlier today in Wrightington.

A wholesale review of Preston City Council’s waste collection service is under way in an attempt to rectify problems that emerged following a recent overhaul, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has learned.

The Reform UK group that runs Lancashire County Council says Nigel Farage has done “the right thing” by quitting as an MP to trigger a parliamentary by-election.

A long-awaited upgrade of one of the main routes linking South Ribble and Preston will not be scrapped to help pay for increased defence spending – but it will be another year yet before work on the scheme begins.

Lancashire Police joined with other agencies as part of a crackdown on organised immigration crime.

The bodies of two Preston men reported missing more than a week ago have been found in a crashed car.

There's just one year to go until the world's top cyclists race through Lancashire and our county is showcased to a global audience.

Lancashire Police are urging motorists not to drink or drug drive throughout the summer, warning offenders they will face the full force of the law if they do, like any other time of year.

A multi-agency action plan launched in December to tackle retail crime and anti-social behaviour in Preston City Centre is already delivering positive results, six months on.

A Preston retailer who sold a knife to a 15-year-old during test purchasing has been fined £10,000.

Controversial plans to build 350 homes on the former Camelot Theme Park site in Chorley have been given the go-ahead – 12 years after the first bid was made to redevelop the derelict site.

Some Preston households may see their bin collection day changed for a second time since the spring in order to resolve problems that have arisen following a major shake-up of the city’s waste service.

The multi-million pound improvement works planned for Friargate South, Cheapside/Market Place and Orchard Street in Preston are due to get underway next week.

A 33 year-old woman who died following a tragic incident at a level crossing in Lancashire has been named as her family pay tribute to their much loved daughter, sister, partner and devoted mum.

The cost of taking a taxi in South Ribble could be set to increase after drivers asked for permission to put up fares.

Funding has been obtained for a long-proposed leisure development that will see a water sports lake, dry ski slope and mountain bike track created on the banks of the River Ribble in Preston.

Preston City Council has moved a step closer to striking a deal that will see local authority-owned social housing return to the area after an absence of more than two decades.

An investigation has been launched after a train crashed into a car at a level crossing in Hoghton, killing the driver.

Plans to bring new homes to the former Woodlands site in Chorley have been given the green light.

A Central Lancashire MP says Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation has created a “huge opportunity” for the government to be more bold in dealing with the daily challenges faced by households across the country.

Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has called on Government to look again at the reclassification of Ketamine to a Class A drug.

We should continue to make the case for a new road bridge over the River Ribble near Preston, says the Ribble Valley MP.

The Chair of the Bar Council taught children how to disagree agreeably as she returned to her former primary school in Chorley.

More than a hundred cannabis plants have been seized and a man has been arrested after a cannabis farm was discovered in South Ribble.

Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards has issued an urgent food safety warning after a Preston restaurant and its director have been issued a £12,000 penalty for mis-selling dairy free burgers twice.

Preston’s iconic telephone boxes are set for a new lease of life following the approval of planning and other associated consents to repurpose the structures to become an eye-catching digital art installation in the heart of Preston’s cultural Harris Quarter.

Four new ‘communication hubs’ are set to be rolled out in and around Preston city centre.

A new supported living scheme has opened in Preston, which will provide long-term affordable accommodation for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

A former village butcher has been jailed for indecently assaulting two girls more than 50 years ago.

A total of 210 taxis have been stopped and inspected as part of large-scale safety operations across Preston, Chorley and South Ribble, bringing together police and partners to protect the public.

A government planning inspector has been told that building 350 homes on the former Camelot Theme Park site in Chorley would bring “a great deal of public good with precious little harm”.

A man has today been found guilty of murdering and sexually abusing a baby boy he was in the process of adopting. 

Residents are being invited to have their say on plans to expand moving traffic enforcement at key locations across Lancashire.

“Janet Murgatroyd, my only child, was brutally murdered 30 years ago. The perpetrator is still at large; someone knows who this man is.''

Preston City Council has given an update on its current position on the future of the Guild Hall.

A number of local people from across Preston have been recognised in King Charles’ Birthday Honours List.

The first council house tenants in Preston for more than two decades could be moving into their new homes by the start of next year, the city’s leader has said.

A bid to build a 95-home estate in the Preston countryside, which had twice been rejected by councillors, has now also been thrown out by a government planning inspector.

A stark warning of the potential dangers of illegal squishy, sensory toys has been issued by  Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards after 200 toys were removed from sale in a fortnight.

A Leyland man has been ordered to pay compensation after pleading guilty to an animal cruelty offence that left a pet cat with serious injuries.

Twenty-two nuisance vehicles, including illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, have been seized in Preston as part of a day of action targeting anti-social behaviour.

Two men who carried out knife point raids at four shops in Preston and Chorley, have both been jailed for 11 years.

It is a name that has endured for almost two centuries – even when changed circumstances meant it no longer made much sense.

The football pitches on Preston’s Moor Park are getting an upgrade – thanks to silt removed from the lake on the site.

A man in his 60s has died following a collision between a bicycle and a car in Chorley.

Work to expand a primary school in suburban Preston has been completed – and the headteacher hopes the new facilities will “inspire” her pupils.

Lancashire residents will get the chance to be at the heart of the Tour de France when it races through the county next year.

The family of a teenager who died after getting into difficulty in the River Ribble have paid a heartbreaking tribute to him.

An £8.6m pot of grant funding has been secured from Homes England to facilitate major redevelopment of the former Park Hotel in Preston city centre.

A man has appeared in court following a rooftop standoff with police in Chorley over the Bank Holiday weekend.

A nationwide furniture retailer is set to open its first store in Preston, planning documents have revealed.

Teenage ‘test purchasers’ were able to buy knives from one in four shops during undercover operations across Lancashire.

A man has been jailed after losing control of his car and crashing through a central reservation during a high speed police chase in Preston.

Lancashire County Council has announced it will spend an extra £5m on road maintenance over the next 12 months.

Hundreds sought out the best viewpoint and lined the banks of Avenham Park to witness the reopening of Preston’s Tram Bridge as the Mayor of Preston cut the ribbon to reopen the much-loved landmark.

Chorley and South Ribble Police have teamed up with Lancashire Trading Standards and young volunteers to conduct an under-age sales operation as part of Operation Sceptre - a national, intensive week of action to tackle knife crime.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after four people – including two young children – were seriously injured in a collision in Gisburn.

Preston City Council will be run by a minority Labour administration after the authority’s leader was re-elected to his post.

A bus route that stopped operating in Preston seven years ago will be able to run again once a range of Traffic Regulation Orders are introduced.

The Labour leader of Preston City Council will be challenged for his job at a meeting on Thursday that will determine how the authority operates in the wake of this month’s local election results.

The problems that have beset bin collections in Preston in recent weeks are partly due to a delay in the delivery of the new vehicles needed to pick up food waste, the leader of the city council has said.

Chorley Council has been successful in securing an additional £1 million of funding to ensure Brinscall Pool stays fit for the future, enabling work to take place to improve the efficiency of the 100-year-old building.

A former high school teacher from Chorley who took more than a million upskirt images of pupils using secret cameras hidden in pens.

Preston’s colourful calendar of community events will soon receive a further investment boost, as an uplift in funding has been confirmed.

Lancashire County Council is asking people to have their say on plans to create 220 extra SEND places in the county.

Works are now underway to deliver major improvements at two of Preston’s much‑loved parks, Moor Park and Waverley Park, following approval for multimillion‑pound investment last year.

Matthew Brown is set to remain the leader of Preston City Council after the Labour group on the authority backed him to stay in the post.

Preston’s new Tram Bridge will officially open to the public on Friday 22 May, with a grand opening ceremony and a week-long community programme to celebrate.

A controversial bid to build up to 1,300 homes on farmland in South Ribble has been kicked out by councillors – with one of them condemning the planned development as “an absolute crime”.

A rogue roofer who scammed an 82 year old Preston householder out of thousands of pounds has been given a five-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months.

A man has been charged with making a bomb threat and sending threatening communication in Preston.

Labour has lost its sole grip on power at Preston City Council after the authority slipped into no overall control following the local elections.

Reform UK has surged to become the official opposition on Chorley Council after winning half of the seats that were contested at the local elections.

The family of Philip Hayes, who died following a collision on Preston Road, Coppull, last week, have paid tribute to him.

A Preston student has won the prestigious Alice Guy Blaché Award as part of this year’s Film Buddy Festival.

Three men from Liverpool have been jailed for a series of cash machine thefts in areas including Fleetwood and Chorley, and stealing emergency cutting equipment used to save peoples’ lives.

A man from Chorley has been charged with making antisemitic comments aimed at the Jewish community.

Preston’s flagship cultural event, Encounter Festival, has been awarded £79,000 from Arts Council England marking a significant investment in the city’s creative future.

A leading member of Reform UK-led Lancashire County Council has announced his plans to withdraw the local authority from the government’s refugee resettlement scheme.

Lancashire Police has no immediate plans to introduce a new type of speed camera that can see into vehicles and capture other motoring offences, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can reveal.

A legendary Preston nightspot that reverberated to the music of the moment for more than half a century is to be turned into a storage facility.

A Preston resident has branded an overhaul of bin collection rounds in the city “chaotic” – after three of his pick-ups were missed in the space of a week.

A former butcher has been found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault around 50 years after he committed them.

A 30-storey building that will become the tallest tower block in Lancashire is set to spring up in Preston city centre after being given the go-ahead by councillors.

A seasonal bus service linking Chorley, Adlington and Rivington will return from Sunday 3 May, helping people travel to Rivington on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

A woman who launched a knife attack on a man outside a pub in Penwortham, has been given a sentence of more than 10 years.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man died following a collision in Coppull this morning.

Police have made two arrests after they attended a funeral directors in Preston earlier today.

Runners will take over the town centre for the return of the annual Chorley 10K and 2K Family Run over the weekend.

A family have paid tribute to an ‘outgoing woman who would do anything for anyone’ who died following a road traffic collision in Preston.

A burglar has been jailed for more than three years after carrying out two high-value break-ins in Poulton-le-Fylde and Preston. 

A man has been given a hospital order after stamping on and kicking a Preston dad to death last year.

Two men from Preston have been convicted – and one jailed for more than 20 years - following the collection of cocaine worth £26.5 million which was dropped off at sea off the Somerset coast.

Preston City Council has formally submitted expressions of interest to include two of the city’s most cherished traditions - Preston Guild and Preston Egg Rolling - within the UK’s UNESCO Living Heritage inventories.

More than £140,000 worth of illegal tobacco has been taken off the streets following a coordinated day of action involving police and partner agencies in Preston.

Teams from local businesses and charities across Preston will come together to compete in the annual Preston City Games.

The historic setting of Lancaster Castle will host a prestigious honours ceremony later this week, as local recipients are presented with the British Empire Medal.

Plans to build what would become Lancashire’s tallest skyscraper in the heart of Preston are set to be given the go-ahead by councillors.

There are not yet any confirmed tenants for a major industrial, retail and leisure development planned for South Ribble – almost two-and-a-half years after it was given the green light.

The new incarnation of Preston’s Old Tram Bridge will open on 22nd May, the city council has announced.

Preston Bus passengers will no longer be able to enjoy £1 travel on more than half a dozen of the firm’s services after it announced it was withdrawing from a scheme that capped fares for some off-peak journeys.

More than 98% of Lancashire children starting primary school in September have been offered a place at one of their three preferred primary schools.

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

Preston City Council’s series of new waste and recycling initiatives begin next week

The family of a man who died in a collision in Rivington have paid a heartfelt tribute to him.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a man in his 30s died following a single vehicle road traffic collision in Rivington.

The hunt will begin within months for the person who will spearhead preparations for the next Preston Guild – even though the event itself is another six years away.

Vandals have left drivers at risk of inadvertently breaching the rules at a controversial bus-only zone in Preston – by turning around a key warning sign.

Preston Caribbean Carnival has been awarded a significant grant from Arts Council England to support the delivery of its 2026 programme.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a motorcyclist was left with life-changing injuries following a collision in Euxton.

Police are appealing for witnesses and footage after a pedestrian died following a serious collision in Chorley.

Plans for a major expansion of Preston grassroots music venue The Ferret have been given the go-ahead.

A motorbike-riding councillor from Chorley has warned that the number of potholes on Lancashire’s roads is putting the lives of two-wheeled travellers like him at risk.

When it comes to building a 125-metre bridge across a fast-flowing river, some elements of the task are bound to prove tougher than others.

The purchase of the final part of the preferred site for a new Royal Preston Hospital was made possible after the government released funding that had first been committed when the facility was set to be built far sooner, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage following a serious collision on the M6 on Good Friday evening.

A man has been jailed for 12 years for raping and sexually assaulting a child and sexually assaulting another child.

Two new bronze sculptures depicting influential figures from Preston's history will be officially presented to The Harris this month.

A rogue landscaper and roofer who scammed four householders in Chorley and Manchester out of thousands of pounds has been given a suspended 22-month jail sentence.

Patients in Lancashire are being warned that resident doctors are set to strike just after the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Chorley’s Neighbourhood Policing Team have secured a closure order at a problem address.

The NHS has purchased the final plot of land needed to build a new Royal Preston Hospital – even though construction work is not due to begin for more than a decade.

A teenager who was the victim of a sexual assault was praised by a judge during the sentencing of the man who attacked her.

The Chorley Flower Show returns to Astley Park this summer.

Preston residents can now check how – and whether – their bin collection days will change as part of the biggest shake-up of the city’s waste service in almost 15 years.

Lancashire residents who rely on heating oil will be able to access support to help with rising bills as a result of the conflict in Iran.

A man has been charged with murder after a prisoner was found deceased at HMP Garth.

Preston City Council has awarded £200,000 to community groups across the city.

A raft of bestselling and award-winning thriller writers has been secured for the inaugural Preston Crime Fiction Festival.

More than 2,000 people have signed a new petition urging government intervention to support Preston in achieving its goal of having a major venue.

Preston City Council has announced a major £5 million investment to upgrade and expand Preston Cemetery and Crematorium.

Police have charged a teenager after a 15-year-old boy suffered stab injuries in Preston.

Preston’s beloved Easter tradition is back this Easter Monday as Avenham Park transforms into a lively festival of fun, creativity, and entertainment for all ages.

Preston’s green spaces gearing up for major investment in the coming months and years.

A former police officer from Preston has been jailed after admitting to perverting the course of justice.

Nearly 200 taxis were stopped and inspected during a large-scale multi-agency operation across Preston, Chorley and South Ribble, as police and council teams joined forces to keep the public safe.

A total of 31 people have been arrested and significant quantities of cash, weapons and drugs have been seized across South Lancashire as part of a major national operation targeting County Lines criminality.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Organisers have launched a crowdfunder to help secure the future of the 2026 event in Preston’s Miller Park.

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

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