A BARNOLDSWICK woman has appealed for a driver to come forward after she suffered a broken toe.

Joan Thompson was walking across Church Street on the morning of February 4th when the back of her foot was clipped by a parking car.

Mrs Thompson said: “I was almost across the road. There was a driver reversing into a space and the back end of his car just caught the back of my foot. I stumbled forward and must have banged the front of my foot on the kerb. The driver got out and asked if I was all right but I was in shock and didn’t want to make a fuss so I said I was fine and he left.

“He said he had been keeping an eye on an elderly man who was crossing the road, and hadn’t seen me. By the time I got home and took my boot off, I couldn’t move my foot at all and felt sick. I had to go straight to A&E where they said the big toe bone is basically smashed. I’m going to be off my feet for at least six weeks.

“It was just one of those split second things but I would like the driver to make himself known to the police.”

A spokesman for Pendle police said the incident had been logged, but because the driver had stopped and checked Mrs Thompson was all right after the accident, they were not looking for him. The driver can make himself known to the Road Policing Team by calling 472542 and quoting the incident number LC-20120204 0685.

POLICE are advising members of the Asian community in Brierfield to be vigilant following a spate of jewellery burglaries.

Properties in Halifax Road, Edge End Avenue, Kings Causeway, Higher Reedley Road and Walverden Road have been broken into in recent days, with hundreds of pounds worth of Asian heritage jewellery stolen.

Insp. Carole Langhorn, from Burnley police, said: “We believe thieves have deliberately targeted this area, with the intention of stealing Asian heritage jewellery.

“We are carrying out a number of lines of inquiry, but I appeal to anyone with any information to help identify the offenders, to tell us.

“I urge all residents, particularly those in Asian communities, to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.

“I also advise residents to make sure they lock their doors and windows and to make sure that any valuable property is not left on display.

“Burglary remains low in Lancashire and residents should be reassured we are doing everything we can to reduce it even further.”

Police patrols have been stepped up in the area and leaflets have been handed out to residents to raise awareness of the incidents.

Anyone with information about any of the burglaries can contact the police on 101, or through Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A MAN has been convicted of murder and jailed for life for what a judge described as a savage attack on a 47-year-old man after a heavy drinking session.

Wayne Mackie will serve a minimum term of 15 years for the killing of Steven Sheppard in the living room of an address on Portland Street, Colne.

The victim was said to have been kicked, stamped upon and beaten with a brass candlestick at the home where Mackie was then living with his girlfriend last October.

However, the jury at the Preston Crown Court trial cleared Donna Harrison (35) who was alleged to have encouraged Mackie in his violence by claiming Mr Sheppard was a paedophile.

The woman, of Beech Street, Padiham was found not guilty or murder and an alternative of manslaughter.

CHARITY collectors have been banned from Burnley town centre five days a week after complaints from visitors and traders.

Collectors, dubbed “chuggers” or “charity muggers” because of their aggressive tactics, have been limited to operating in town on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Burnley Council has taken the step because shoppers were being put off from visiting the town centre but some have called for a complete ban.

Coun. Charlie Briggs, leader of Burnley Council, said: “Our first concern has been for shoppers and others using the town centre. We know a number of shoppers had started to avoid parts of St James’ Street, having been repeatedly approached by charity collectors operating in the area in the past.

“The council has proactively tackled this issue and come to this new agreement which will go a long way to deal with those issues.

“We’ve tried to find a balance between allowing charities to raise cash for worthy causes while at the same time preventing collectors being seen as a nuisance.”

The agreement means there will be a maximum of two collectors operating in any one area and they will be required to wear formal ID badges and follow a code of conduct.

But Peter Quinn, the chairman of Burnley-based volunteer group Charity Aid, called for a total ban.

He said: “It is dishonest and parasitic. They work for a profit-making company not directly for the charity. They are not telling you that they keep the first £112 from everything they collect. Why don’t they tell people this? Because no-one would give money via a chugger if they knew the truth.”

Dr Toby Ganley, head of policy at the Public Fund Raising Association, said: “This agreement with Burnley balances the duty of charities, on behalf of their beneficiaries, to ask people for their support, with the rights of the public not to be put under undue pressure to give.”

DON’T miss your weekend Express for a real trip down Memory Lane with our great feature on the town’s hottest nightspots - The Cat’s Whiskers and Angels - and their regulars!

Just the mention of the names of these two clubs will bring memories flooding back. They were well-known landmarks in town and across the North, drawing clubbers from far and wide along with the diehard regulars.

The disco era was at its height in the 70s and 80s and the “Cat’s”, as it was known, and the “Angels” rode high. In its heyday in 1977 the “Cat’s”, which began life as the Mecca dance hall, hosted an evening with radio’s top DJs of the time, Noel Edmonds, Tony Blackburn and Dave Lee Travis.

And one of biggest names associated with the “Angels” is internationally renowned “retro” DJ Paul Taylor.

Both clubs have their place in Burnley’s rich and varied history and in this special feature to mark the 125th anniversary of the Burnley Express you can see why.

A CHRISTMAS phone stalker who terrorised a woman he had never met with silent calls and sexual threats is behind bars for a total of nine months.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the victim, who lived alone, had earlier got the wrong number and rung Neil Wood by mistake. He heard a female voice and once he had her number, he bombarded her with calls, mostly saying nothing, but on one occasion telling her he wanted sex with her and laughing. She was left frightened and scared of men she didn’t know.

Wood, who was on a suspended jail term for arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, struck 25 times between last December 7th and 29th. When the victim tried to find out who was at the end of the line, she had to go to her service provider. Police then traced the callls and the defendant was arrested, questioned and owned up. He claimed he did not get a “kick” out of what he had been doing.

Wood (40), of Southfield Street, Nelson, had admitted harassment in breach of the suspended term and had been committed for sentence by magistrates. He was also given a two-year restraining order, banning him from contacting the victim.

Mrs Silvia Dacre (prosecuting) said when the defendant was questioned, he told police he had been silly and accepted the victim would have been upset.

The defendant had a previous conviction for harassing his estranged wife by phone and text. In March last year, he had received a suspended prison sentence after twice putting a football shirt on door handles in a block of flats he lived in and setting them on fire. He also had a record for burglaries and threats to damage and to harm a witness.

Mr Richard Taylor, for Wood, said he presented of something of an enigma. He had gone through a very acrimonious divorce and by last year, he had been drinking far too much and was depressed. He had done well in complying with probation and had given up drinking immediately after the arson.

The solicitor continued: “He can’t give any explanation for why he got involved in this offence and the best I think I can put it is that the devil makes work for idle hands.” Mr Taylor said Wood had deleted the woman’s number by the time he was arrested. He added: “The defendant recognises it was most distressing.”

Sentencing, Recorder David Williams said the victim must have been very upset at the thought of going home, the phone ringing in the night and then having silence or a sexual threat when she answered it.

He told the defendant: “The court has got to mark it’s total disapproval of offences of this nature and protect women from the likes of you.”

POLICE covering Pendle have arrested 43 people and visited hundreds of suspected criminals as part of a county-wide crackdown on burglaries.

Officers in the Lancashire Constabulary’s Pennine Division - which covers Pendle, Burnley and Rossendale - carried out the activity as part of Operation Julius II – a force-wide initiative aimed at preventing and detecting burglary.

The operation, which will run until the end of March, was launched last month following a small rise in the number of burglaries reported to police.

During the first month of the crackdown, officers in the division have executed warrants at 15 addresses in Barrowford, Nelson, Colne, Burnley and Padiham and seized over £7,000 of suspected stolen property - including a plasma TV, a laptop and 50 Xbox games.

Officers have stopped and searched 358 people and 13 vehicles have been seized.

A further 443 people who have a known offending history have been visited and warned their behaviour is being monitored. Patrols have been increased in hotspot areas and visits are being made to 31 second hand shops where burglars may try to sell on stolen goods.

Leaflets have been delivered to people’s homes which have been found insecure and officers have been speaking to residents to remind them to lock their doors and windows.

SmartWater – a unique liquid that allows goods to be traced – has been applied to property at a number of homes and residents have been spoken to about the importance of keeping their homes secure.

Over 120 drivers have been stopped and given advice on car security and a number of tamper proof number plate screws have been fitted to people’s cars in a bid to drive down thefts.

Insp. Carole Langhorne said: “Burglary and car crimes remain low and we are determined to keep it that way. This operation allows us to targeting criminals who pose us the greatest threat around car crime and burglaries, while highlighting to residents the things that they can do to avoid becoming a victim.”

Anyone with information or concerns about burglary in their community can contact the police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

A PADIHAM woman accused of the murder of a 47-year-old man allegedly confessed the crime to a police officer, a court heard.

Donna Harrison (35) allegedly told the police constable that she had “murdered” Steven Sheppard and claimed he was associated with a paedophile ring of men that had drugged, kidnapped and abused her.

Preston Crown Court heard how Harrison, of Beech Street, was alleged to have admitted the killing to two other people.

But defence solicitors cast doubt on Harrison’s words and said the chronic alcoholic was still extremely drunk at the time after a three day booze binge.

Wayne Mackie (40) also stands accused of killing Mr Sheppard who was said to have been kicked, stamped upon and struck to the head with a brass candlestick in the living room of a house on Portland Street, Colne last October.

Both defendants deny murder.

The jury are expected to be sent out tomorrow to consider their verdict in the trial.

ROLLS-ROYCE has announced profits in excess of £1 billion for the first time. The firm has detailed its record order book and record underlying revenue and profit in its full year report. In its Civil Aerospace division, Rolls reported an order book of nearly £52 billion, 7% up on 2010.

The figures were released just as the firm announced it had secured a $210 million order with Fiji’s national airline Air Pacific for Trent 700 engines to power three Airbus A330 aircraft. This is the first time Air Pacific has selected Rolls-Royce engines.

Chief Executive John Rishton said: “Our order book gives us good visibility of future revenues and demonstrates the confidence our customers have in us.

“We see opportunities for profitable growth across our portfolio. For 2012 we expect good growth in both underlying revenue and underlying profit with cash flow around break-even as we continue to invest in future growth.”

During 2011, Rolls-Royce opened a new facility in Singapore, where wide-chord fan blades will be manufactured and Trent engines tested, for the first time outside the UK. A highlight for the firm was the first commercial flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is powered by Trent 1000 engines, and is more fuel efficient than other civil aerospace models.

IT’S all part of my morning routine.

Let the dog out, scare away the heron and then put the kettle on. But while Monty and our resident heron never disappoint, the all important first-brew-of-the-day has been much less easy to rely on, as recently tea bags have been conspicuous by their absence.

As previously related, Wifey has pressed hard in recent years for us to redecorate the house and, after only 22 years, I finally caved in. New curtains and carpets were booked and we agreed to get someone in to help with the decorating and fettle those little jobs around the house that accumulate as the years pass by.

In fairness, things have gone very well but I should have been just that bit suspicious of what I presumed was our decorator’s beer belly. Now in the illustrious circles I socialise in such a physical attribute is considered something of a badge of honour. Unfortunately, I am no Sherlock Holmes, and I failed to question the evidence clearly available to me, and so my diagnosis was wrong.

Everyday the job progressed well. Our decorator arrived on time and, without delay, launched himself into the travails of the day. Barely stopping to take the odd break, he applied himself to his tasks with commitment diligence and professionalism. We were impressed.

But then I noticed something. The kettle never seemed to cool. We seemed to get through gallons of milk and, most significantly, the tea bags seemed to evaporate. Such energetic application to his work had to be fuelled by a constant supply of tea and custard creams. At one point the power had to be turned off, and you could see the naked fear in his eyes that brews might not be forthcoming. I had to counsel him with the reassurance we could always boil a kettle on the stove and his panic subsided. The work continued apace.

It was at that point I realised he was a disappointment. I could not fault his professionalism or his commitment to the task in hand. Indeed it was not unpleasant having him around, but there was a deep character flaw that dismayed me. This was not a man to invite on our cycle tours. That was no beer belly. It was tea bloat.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for me, and so the diet continues. After an impressive start losing a stone, I have been unable to shed any more weight. I need to get back out on my bike but the frozen ground twice thwarted my plans. The freeze, and the fact I no longer bounce like I once did, meant that cycling on the canal bank was just too hazardous. Instead Wifey and I pulled on our boots to go walking instead. Even this was not easy. Rain had fallen on frozen ground leaving everything covered in what climbers sometimes call ‘verglas’, a thin coating of ice (as on rock). We plodded along for a few miles but packed it in as we realised we had taken in no views whatsoever, so careful were we to avoid a fall onto that iron-hard surface.

In truth the cold snap had been a blessing. Everything has been held back by the cold temperatures allowing us to concentrate on the house before the beginning of the garden season. Mind you, the thaw this week has been rapid and after just a few days of more moderate weather the odd crocus has joined the snowdrops in flower. The daffs once more will start to grow at speed and life will soon return to the countryside and our gardens, and with it I will start to be busy at work.

We re-open at Reedley on March 1st and I can see March being a busy month for us. I’m quite excited about it really. I tend to get all fired up and often skip meals relying instead on that mark of the true professional, a constant supply of brews to keep me going as we set things out. My only concern? After all this decorating, will there be any teabags left?

POLICE are appealing for information after a 30-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in Burnley on Saturday night.

The offence took place around 7-30 p.m.. The victim left an address in Wilton Street and was walking towards Salus Street when she was approached by a man who appeared to have been watching her.

The man stepped out of a back yard and grabbed the victim’s arm before pushing her against the wall of the alleyway and sexually assaulting her.

The victim managed to call police at which point the offender ran off towards Briercliffe Road.

The offender is described as an Asian man, aged between 30 and 40 and between 5ft 11in. and 6ft tall. He is of large build with a very flat nose and spoke with a local accent.

A few hours later, around 1 a.m. another woman reported being approached by a man in nearby Hillingden Road, Burnley, and police are investigating the possibility the two incidents could be linked.

The woman says she was followed by an Asian man who asked her where she lived. She told him she was ringing the police at which point he walked off.

This man is described as around 5ft 7in. tall, of medium build and aged in his early 30s. He had short dark hair with a parting to the side, slightly slipped back and raised at the front. He was clean shaven and spoke with a local accent. He was wearing bright baggy trousers and a tunic which came to his knees. He also was wearing a black jacket.

DC Neil Scholes from Pennine CID said: “I would like to reassure people that incidents of this nature are rare and a full investigation is underway with uniformed officers in the area offering reassurance.

“I would appeal to anybody in the Wilton Street or Salus Street area of Burnley around 7-30 p.m. on Saturday that saw a man acting suspiciously, or believes they may have witnessed the incident itself, to come forward.”

Anyone with information about either incident should call Lancashire Police on 101.

People with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

A MAN accused of murdering another male after they got together drinking has admitted having a fight, but insists he can’t remember much else.

Wayne Mackie accepted he “probably” caused Steven Sheppard’s injuries in the living room of a house in Portland Street, Colne.

When asked at Preston Crown Court if he had stamped upon, kicked or hit 47-year-old Mr Sheppard with a candlestick, he insisted he couldn’t remember.

The 40-year-old man, of Basil Street, Colne, gave evidence on Monday in his trial where he and Donna Harrison (35), of Beech Street, Padiham, deny murdering him last October.

Mackie, who was living at the address with his partner Andrea at the time, claimed Mr Sheppard had given him the evil eye when he and Donna Harrison kissed.

He described the kiss as “just one of them things” that happen when drunk. He went on to claim Mr Sheppard had gone at him.

He said: “I remember him coming at me. He took a swing at me. I don’t really remember much else. I probably jumped up.”

The defendant told the court he had been trying to remember what happened for the past four to five months.

He added: “We had just had a little set to. I was going to leave it at that. He had the candlestick and attacked me again. It just kicked off again.

“I just remember him going for this candlestick and that was it. I accept we had a fight. I don’t remember what actually took place”.

Mackie insisted Donna Harrison had not encouraged what took place and neither had she said he deserved it because he was a paedophile. He told the court that, while he was later in shock at what had taken place, she had said he had something to do with a “paedo ring”.

When asked in particular if he had stamped on the man’s face, Mackie replied: “I haven’t got a clue”.

Mr Sheppard, from Winewall, died from head and chest injuries.

The trial continues.