Central Radio News

A site next to Blackpool’s £34m new Holiday Inn and tram terminal is to be developed into a car park – but some say it could be put to better use as green space.

Blackpool’s Abingdon Street Market is set to host a special event on Sunday (July 28) showcasing creative talents from the town.

Youngsters are being offered the chance of taking part in free sports sessions at two Blackpool parks this summer.

A man described by the Judge as a "violent thug" has been jailed for 15 years and a half years.

The Lancaster Grand Prix featuring a food and drink market by Booths is set to return to Williamson Park this Sunday, July 28.

A 33-year-old man has died following a collision on the M6 between Lancaster and Preston this week.

Investigation underway into possible historic contamination at Thornton Cleveleys enterprise zone

Licensing talks are under-way regarding pubs, clubs, accusations of disorder and disturbances in a popular Ribble Valley village, councillors have been told.

Proposals to improve community facilities at a Blackpool housing estate have got the go ahead from town hall planners.

An action plan has been drawn up warning young people in Blackpool of the dangers of vaping after a study found nearly a third of young people questioned in the town owned up to using electronic cigarettes.

A £1.2m project targeting properties in Blackpool’s inner areas has found many tenants are living in accommodation which puts them at risk.

Mystery surrounds the identity of a food retailer that is eyeing up a vacant car showroom in Preston for a new outlet.

Dozens of road changes are being planned between South Ribble and Preston which highway bosses hope will encourage more people to cycle, walk and use public transport.

Controversial plans to build new football facilities on a Preston park have been kicked into touch by councillors as the city grapples with the rising costs of a raft of government-funded ‘levelling up’ schemes.

A HISTORIC town centre building once home to a flagship pub is to become nine flats for young professionals.

Two Preston villages are to get new sports grounds and a new community venue – replacing a facility that has been standing for more than 70 years.

Plans are under way to launch padel tennis – said to be one the world’s fastest-growing sports – in Thornton.

A chemicals factory is seeking a new warehouse as part of its plans to expand.

Three family hubs launched in Blackpool as part of a £2.8m investment in children’s futures celebrate their first anniversary this week.

A LOCAL authority Labour group leader has urged it bosses to spend part of its half-million pound underspend on its main town centre, street cleaning and improving its green spaces.

The Mayor of Pendle has apologised for breaching the borough’s code of conduct  in a mosque argument with a council licensing officer during Ramadan two years ago.

A community-run swimming pool in Rossendale which was threatened with closure last year is due to reopen to the public in August.

Councillors have approved a recommendation to sell land for a nominal fee of just £1 to pave the way for construction of a new magistrates court in Blackpool.

A public inquiry is to be held into proposals to demolish homes and businesses in the centre of Blackpool to make way for a new education campus.

Restoration work is underway to bring one of Blackpool’s most historic pubs back to life.

Blackpool is hoping to grab a share of a £250m funding pot aimed at boosting levels of exercise among people living in the most deprived communities.

A 1950s former council estate is to get 68 new homes as the latest stage of a £20million facelift.

EVERY secondary school in Blackburn with Darwen is set to be part of a pioneering technology education pilot project.

A man has admitted to murdering his housemate in Colne.

Police have issued an update after two people died in a house fire in Blackpool this week.

New rules banning motorhomes from overnight parking along St Annes promenade are set to come into force.

Plans to make major safety improvements at a zebra crossing near Cardinal Newman College in Preston have been approved, with work due to take place over the summer holidays.

Blackpool Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) has launched GO Blackpool, a ground breaking mobile app designed to enhance local business engagement and improve the visitor experience.

BURNLEY Council has prosecuted 34 people over fly-tipping and waste offences in four months with another 44 on their way to court.

BURNLEY Council is to press ahead with naming a street after cricketing legend James Anderson after his retirement from the the international game.

New MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood Lorraine Beavers has said her experience of Parliament has been both “awesome” and “overwhelming”.

Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool has been nominated for 12 awards in the Theme Park Awards UK, including Theme Park of The Year, Best Theme Park for Families, Best Seaside Park and Best Theme Park for Thrills.

South Ribble Borough Council has a new leader after the man who led the district for the past five years became the area’s MP.

Fans of TV soap Coronation Street may soon be able to sink a pint at Blackpool’s own version of the fictional Rovers Return local after a town hall panel gave the go-ahead for its alcohol licence.

More than a hundred flats are set to spring up on the one-time site of a Preston mill which burned down in the 1960s.

People will enjoy more frequent and later bus services thanks to improvements taking effect from this week.

An increased budget for the St Annes Event Space project has been approved by councillors.

Preston City Council, in collaboration with the local charity Red Rose Recovery, has successfully supported over 160 people in Preston through the transformative 'Changing Futures' programme.

BLACKBURN with Darwen Borough Council has launched a WhatsApp channel to send residents news, updates, and information.

PLANS have been submitted for 149 new smaller and affordable homes as the latest phases of a multi-million pound housing development in Feniscowles, Blackburn.

WORK has started on a controversial new housing estate on the site of a former Darwen school.

Two people have died following a house fire in Blackpool.

Two parks in Blackpool are raising their prestigious Green Flag Award after achieving international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

More than 100,000 journeys a week are being made on Preston’s newest road, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can reveal.

In the last 12 months, more than 2,600 people have been arrested for drink or drug driving offences in Lancashire.

Police in Blackpool are appealing for information after a man was left with serious head injuries after an assault.

A bus stop is to be moved from outside a popular Penwortham takeaway, because it is so often blocked by vehicles whose owners have stopped off for something to eat.

Operators of a landfill site where vile odour emissions have been linked to health problems have been told they must continue to suspend new arrivals of waste until the stink problem is solved.

The cost of transporting pupils with special needs to school and providing financial support to the families of vulnerable children were amongst the biggest pressures on Lancashire County Council’s budget last year.

A BLACKBURN school complex which caters for children who struggle to thrive in mainstream education is set to get two new multi-use games areas.

Plans have been unveiled to overhaul a series of junctions on one of the busiest routes between South Ribble and Preston after a previous vision to create a new dual carriageway was abandoned.

A body has been found by Spanish police searching for missing Briton Jay Slater, it has been reported.

A woman has been given a 12-year sentence for committing three knifepoint robberies at shops in Nelson. 

Plans by Blackpool Football Club to build a new elite training ground look set to be approved by Blackpool Council – although the club’s owner has already indicated the scheme has been put on the backburner for now.

Latest stages of work in redeveloping Colne’s market hall have generally been welcomed by Pendle councillors – and a revived idea to potentially open a cinema there.

Blackpool has been awarded £2.3m to help get more of the town’s school leavers into jobs after a successful campaign to secure the funding.

Three Rossendale town and village areas could get £20million over ten years, if councillors approve a new town board including members who are not elected by the public, such as local business owners, which is required under rules drawn-up by the previous Conservative government.

A new five-storey hotel set to be built in Blackpool will bring a contemporary design to the resort inspired by its Art Deco heritage.

A Blackpool man has been jailed for life for the murder of his toddler son.

A half-million pound drive to upgrade traffic lights in an East Lancashire borough has been launched.

Pollution of Blackpool’s beaches could damage its tourism industry the town’s MP has warned after sharing figures which show 158 pollution alerts for Fylde coast beaches so far this year.

A bid to finalise controversial plans to build hundreds of new homes in Chorley has been delayed.

Blackpool’s free events programme continues to be essential to driving up visitor numbers, the latest tourism figures show.

Football fans can watch England take on Spain in the Euros final this Sunday at Blackpool’s £21m new Backlot cinema after the venue announced a special free screening for its members.

The operation of a recently pedestrianised route on the edge of Preston city centre has been rethought – over concerns that it could damage the very businesses it was designed to help support.

A Chorley GP whose patients launched a campaign to keep her as their doctor has been told by NHS bosses that she can remain at the helm of the surgery she has run for more than a decade.

A NEW play area has been officially opened in Clayton-Le-Moors.

Introducing car park charges in Pendle would ruin Colne town centre’s shopping scene which has been carefully nurtured through hard work, councillors have said.

Police have arrested a man following the discovery of a large cannabis farm in Chorley.

Preston is to get its second set of courts on which residents can play the increasingly popular sport of padel.

Town hall chiefs are to sell a key site in Blackpool for a nominal fee of just £1 in order to kickstart a major regeneration project.

It is hoped work will start this autumn to build a new block of sheltered housing in Blackpool after figures showed hundreds of people on waiting lists for that type of accommodation.

WORK has started on a major 205 home development close to the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

A LOCAL authority is to buy seven more empty homes in its borough.

A man has been found guilty of rape in Burnley.

Book lovers in Burnley could enjoy a new library service in a Victorian building which holds the world's last surviving 19th Century steam powered mill.

A consultation is being held for people to have their say on a proposed pump track for Marsden Park in Nelson.

A long-awaited new service station in the suburbs of Preston is fully operational after Greggs became the last of the site’s outlets to begin trading.

A prestigious fund set up more than a century ago to support the arts and education in Burnley is set to benefit a range of East Lancs community groups. 

Hopes about including a new cinema in Colne’s redeveloped market hall are being looked at by staff working on the project, Pendle councillors are being told.

An executive housing estate could be built on land that was originally intended to form part of a new park in suburban Preston.

The family of a man who died in a collision in Colne last week have paid tribute to a ‘very loving’ grandad and great grandad. 

A Bispham man sentenced to 20 years for sexual offences against two victims who were both under the age of ten.

A family has paid an emotional tribute to a man from Padiham who died following an industrial accident in Burnley earlier this week.

A sexual predator has been given a 30-year sentence for a catalogue of offending against five children and two women. 

A man who raped and sexually abused a young girl has been jailed for 20 years.

The conversion of a former hotel in Blackpool’s holiday heartland into single-use holiday accommodation has been approved – with strict conditions to control potential noise nuisance.

A zebra crossing in Preston is to be redesigned and relocated – a year after a young schoolboy was launched into the air while cycling over it.

Proposals to upgrade a historic town centre building have had to be pared back after developers found more damage than expected.

Developers have lost their battle to install a 20-metre-high 5G phone mast on a site close to a popular Blackpool destination.

Labour’s Chris Webb thanked voters for “putting their faith in me again” as he retained his seat in Blackpool South – repeating his victory at the recent by-election in the constituency.

Labour’s Andy MacNae, a former councillor, has been elected as MP for Rossendale and Darwen in the general election, beating Conservative Jake Berry, who had won the previous four elections.

THREE proposals to turn family houses into small children’s care homes will be debated by councillors next week.

BLACKBURN provided the shock of the general election as Labour lost the once safe seat by just 132 votes as the rest of East Lancashire and the UK turned red.

The newly-elected MP for South Ribble says he never aspired to end up in Parliament when he first entered the political fray as a borough councillor 17 years ago.

LABOUR ousted health minister Andrew Stephenson in the sprawling new Pendle and Clitheroe constituency.

LABOUR regained Burnley as its candidate Oliver Ryan ousted the first Tory MP for the town in more than 100 years.

Labour’s Lorraine Beavers spoke of her pride at being the first MP to come from Fleetwood after winning the Blackpool North and Fleetwood seat with a majority of 4,647 votes.

A VACANT former pub and conference centre last used as a business hub is set for a new life as a banqueting hall.

Artists from across the country are set to converge in Blackpool this weekend to test their outdoor painting skills.

Blackpool’s Stanley Park has long been considered one of the jewels in the town’s crown – but a concerned resident fears it could be in decline unless something is done.

Police are appealing for help after a collision in Fleetwood left a pedestrian with a hip injury.

Elmer’s Big Parade Blackpool came to an epic conclusion at Blackpool Tower, as the large sculptures and some surprise lots raised £143,550 for Brian House Children’s Hospice.

Police are asking for your help after a burglary in Blackpool.

A plan for changes and creation of new flats above a Rossendale tapas restaurant has been approved by councillors.

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of drugs offences following a proactive vehicle stop on the M6 near Chorley.

Pendle taxi arrangements are being reviewed including whether drivers should be strictly prevented from re-applying for a licence within  a 12-month period, if their application is refused or their licence revoked.

Artist impressions show a proposed new events space, street upgrades and a sculpture. along with a new platform for a landmark lamp in a Rossendale town.

As thousands of people were enjoying their night out across Preston City Centre this weekend, officers from Preston Task Force were carrying out a plain-clothed operation in the pubs and clubs.

PLANS to rebuild a vape factory gutted by fire have been approved.

Lancashire Police are appealing for witnesses and information following the death of a 57-year-old man in Chorley.

Travel on the Fylde coast has been transformed with the opening the new M55 to Heyhouses link road.

A family have paid an emotional tribute to a man who died following a road traffic collision in Bispham. 

A man from East Lancashire has been charged with a string of sexual offences.

An extensive renovation project at Astley Hall, Chorley, has scooped a prestigious Heritage award.

A council-owned former pitch and putt amenity on Fleetwood seafront looks set to be revived.

Regeneration chiefs have bought another building in readiness for the development of a new town centre car park.

The trust that runs the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals has brought in what it describes as “specialist support” in order to achieve a £58m savings target.

BLACKBURN’S renovated Blakey Moor Terrace building is looking ‘magnificent’ and ready for prospective operators to view its flagship restaurant.

A plan to change the use of a family house in Bacup into a children’s care home has been refused after objections including overcrowding and ‘cramped conditons’, a lack of staff car parking and rubbish being burnt outside during refurbishment.

THE full details of Blackburn’s proposed £60million Cyber Skills and Education Campus have been revealed along with images of two of the new buildings at its heart.

A Darwen councillor has appealed to residents of the town for help in catching the fly-tipper who has been systematically dumping rubbish in a back alley.

A new leisure attraction could be coming to Blackpool Promenade as the council has advertised for operators to take over a prime site.

A council says it has received 750 complaints about a nuisance odour reportedly making some people ill – but campaigners say the figure is much higher.

Legal agreements have been signed off as part of housing developments which are seeing hundreds of new homes being built in Blackpool.

A road leading off Blackpool Promenade looks set to be made one-way as part of proposals to create a new £442,000 parking scheme.

The first phase of a £10million Blackburn commercial estate on near the M65 has been completed.

A new community centre could open in Blackpool if plans to convert church buildings get the go-ahead.

There are calls for safety works at a ‘high risk’ East Lancashire reservoir to combat the impact of climate change.

AN East Lancashire social housing association has been given a government ‘green’ grant to improve the energy performance of dozens of its properties and cut householders’ bills.

Highways bosses are considering the creation of another new bus lane in Preston – a move that would bring the total number of bus-only zones in the city to 10.

Preston City Council has given the green light for the refurbishment of the nine iconic red phone boxes on Market Street.

Four drug dealers who conspired to flood the streets of East Lancashire with cocaine from their bases in Blackburn have been jailed.

Blackpool’s Armed Forces Week is back with a programme of events and entertainment to honour the nation’s military personnel of the past, present and future.

Hospitals in Lancashire are preparing for more industrial action with junior doctors set to strike this week for the first time since February.

A closure order has been secured by police for a property in Burnley.

Lancashire County Council and other local authorities across Lancashire will raise a special Armed Forces Day flag on Monday 24 June.

A paedophile who sexually assaulted four teenage girls has been jailed for 14 and a half years.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident where two grenade-type devices were found in Fulwood, and are appealing for help in the enquiries.

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

With a jammed packed schedule, Windrush 76 promises to be bigger and better than ever, when it returns this weekend.

Lancashire fire service latest anti drink-driving message parody’s the latest series of Netflix hit, Bridgerton.

Two controlled explosions have been carried out after bomb disposal experts were called out to a street in Fulwood.

Police are appealing for witnesses, CCTV and dashcam footage following an assault in Preston yesterday.

A paedophile has been jailed for trying to rape a 14-year-old girl in Brierfield.

Police have charged a man with manslaughter following the death of Matthew Guthrie in Lytham last year.

A man from Burnley seen with a knife has been charged after found him hiding in a stream following a chase.

Police are appealing for witnesses, CCTV or dashcam footage following an aggravated burglary in Leyland.

A brand new offer to help children and young people in Fleetwood thrive into the future has been officially unveiled within a transformed former hospital building.

A new campaign has been launched to recruit adopters willing to give brothers and sisters a loving home and keep them together.

Work to carry out further improvements at Stoops & Hargher Clough Park in Burnley is expected to begin this week.

Police are appealing for information and footage following a fatal collision in Pendleton.

Police are appealing for information after a lollipop man was assaulted by youths riding antisocially on e-bikes in Fulwood.

A number of local people from East Lancashire have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

A number of local people have been awarded the MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

The leader of Blackpool Council has been recognised with the MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours.

Book lovers in Chorley are being notified that one of their local libraries is temporarily closed for essential repair works.

A man from Longton who terrorised his neighbours while dressed in Spiderman mask over a number of years has been jailed.

A man from Blackpool has been jailed for multiple domestic abuse offences committed in Cumbria.

A childminder has been jailed for killing a baby under her care in Hapton. 

Police are appealing for witnesses and information after a man suffered a stab wound in Blackpool.

Work is due to start later this month on improvements to playing fields in Burnley.

Passenger trams have connected up with Blackpool’s main train station for the first time in over 60 years.

A critically endangered orangutan at Blackpool Zoo has become a mother for the first time.

Investigations continue after a bus was set on fire at Burnley bus station.

Blackburn Museum has used its 150th anniversary to honour one of its volunteers.

Police have arrested a man following a theft from a shop in Preston City Centre.

Vital late night bus services linking Preston, Brookfield and Red Scar have been saved following a decision by Lancashire County Council to fund them.

Investigations continue after more than 50 firefighters tackled a huge blaze at a former government building near Blackpool over the weekend.

Police are appealing for information and witnesses after a serious assault in Rawtenstall.

Police are appealing for information, witnesses and footage after a man was left in a critical condition in hospital, following an assault in Blackpool.

A childminder has admitted to killing a baby under her care in Hapton.

Lancashire Police are appealing for witnesses and footage following a serious collision in Longton.

Earlier this week, Fleetwood’s Neighbourhood Policing Team were joined by HMRC, Immigration, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, and Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority for an exploitation operation.

Two boys have been arrested in connection with a fire at a car showroom in Thornton Cleveleys.

Three people have been arrested after a high-value theft in Cleveleys.

Two new Special Educational Needs (SEN) units will be created in East Lancashire after the county council’s cabinet approved the plans.

Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy as part of enquiries into damage caused to the Cube bar in Poulton-le-Fylde.

Blackpool's promenade will be closed for a time this weekend for this year's Pride celebrations.

Artwork from Towneley Hall in Burnley has pride of place alongside work by famous artists such as Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and Piet Mondrian as part of a prestigious exhibition in London organised by international auction house Sotheby's.

A Nelson man has been jailed for causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed drug limit.

Police have charged a man following a spate of burglaries and attempted burglaries across Leyland.

Preston’s Neighbourhood Policing team and Lancashire County Council Trading Standards have recently conducted a test purchasing operation. 

A Blackburn man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young woman.

A man has been charged in relation to the death of Kiena Dawes from Fleetwood.

Police are appealing for information after a collision in Blackpool left a motorbike rider with serious injuries.

People are being asked to plan their journeys around overnight road closures in the centre of Burnley due to begin next week.

Traffic marshalls have been deployed to Corporation Street in Preston to help drivers familiarise themselves with the changes to the road network following the introduction of a new bus gate.

A former police officer has been jailed following an investigation into his misconduct.

A former surgeon has been charged as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual assault at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Fylde Council has approved a capital grant of £250,000 to the Lowther Pavilion Trust for the internal refit of the newly constructed education centre and studio theatre annex.

Two men have been jailed following a burglary in Preston in which cash and electrical items were stolen.

Plans have been submitted for a new £45m office development in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway.

Plans have been announced to make Blackpool the  ‘UK Capital of Dance’