Local Knowledge National Coverage


Bia&'v


Residential;-1 JHdi£el


Clitheroe 01200 426919 Whalley 01254 823719


The Clitheroe


THURSDAY, MARCH 12th, 1998 No. 5,827


Price 45p vertiser an


GIRLS S T E A L g P E ™ ™ E„ r THE SHOW i R N A S I LANE (jtames enjoys turning hearts


Fly-on-tlierivall TV hit : GLANCE' AT A


Ribble Valley faces a 12% rise in coun­ cil tax.


— - page 6


There is a near-miss incident for the Rail Regulator as hooli­ gans throw bricks at a local train.


.■■■i—t - page 3


A respected figure in music and church circles dies.


■ page 13


A man is given six months in which to demolish a barn he is converting into a home.


page 13


A supermarket worker is off on a marathon charity trek for NSPCC.


the mam page 6


There is a big stage success for young thespians.


m page 6


The Ribble Valley hosts a county ball and raises £7,000


for charity. ■ page 13


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND WEATHER: Blustery showers and frost at night


CALLUS


NeVs: 01200 422324 A d v e r t is in g : .


01200 422323 Classified: 01282 422331


Fax: 01200 443467


E.mail: Editorial.eastlancs ncws@btintcrnet.com


Hair-raising attack on a cheeky columnist


CLITHEROE hairstylist Olga Smalley this week offered Daily Mail colum­ nist Lynda Lee-Potter a free cut and blow, in order to disprove the writer's accusation that Ribble Val­ ley ladies' hairstyles are old


hat.As the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times reported recently, the award-winning journalist sparked a furore by writing in her column that the Queen would feel at home in Clitheroe where, according to Mrs Lee- Potter, mature ladies "go to bed in hairnets" and wear "hair that never moves and looks like con­ crete for more than 50 years". Perhaps the fact that her


daughter lived in picturesque Downham until two years ago led Mrs Lee-Potter to feel quali­ fied to comment on hair couture


‘Half-hearted’ apology from Lee-Potter indignation which has arisen


-r-


in Clitheroe. But, taking the slight on her


from ladies of the Ribble Valley, who are continuing to tear their hair out over Mrs Lee-Potter's comments. One such lady, Miss Heloise


coiffuring-conscious clientele personally, Olga has challenged Lynda Lee-Potter to get to the real roots of the matter by allowing her to style her hair at her Clitheroe salon in Lower- gate. "With 30 years' styling experience behind me, I am sure I can sort Lynda Lee-Potter's hair out," said Olga. Mrs Lee-Potter has yet to


-1—


respond to the invitation, failing to quell the groundswell of


Lofthouse, of Clitheroe, wrote to the columnist to express her out­ rage at the offending article. In a letter of apology to Miss Loft­ house, Mrs Lee-Potter wrote: "I am sorry you were irritated by my recent remarks. It truly had­ n't been my intention to cause offence." It was a reply which failed to appease the enraged Miss Lofthouse. "The original article she wrote made me see red. It was patron­


After £50,000 gunpoint robbery comes plea from local traders


will keep the week­ end feeling cold and unsettled.


Villagers say save us from the gunmen


Ben Carlish reports______


ANGRY traders in Whalley have called for security provisions in the vil­ lage to be radically improved, following last week's dramatic armed raid on


Holden's Opticians.


NO EXPENSE HAS BEEN SPARED TO BRING YOU THE


BEST MONEY CAN BUY


Mr Fothergill’s Seeds


Sutton Seeds and Onion Sets Plant and Lawn Feeds Weedol/Pest Killers Composts


QUALCAST


£ 8 9 . 9 9 A wide range of C.K. and Spear and Jackson tools


1 including spades, forks,


| rakes, trowels, j secateurs, | shears and loppers P LU S


Watering cans, hosepipes, canes, plant pots, bird tables, nesting


boxes, propagators, Netlon garden mesh and hardwood trellis


B LA C K A N D D EC K ER S T R IM M E R S FROM £ 2 7 .9 9


'AWSON’S C7/ie d lo v e


56 KING STREET, CUTHEROE


(TELEPHONE: 01200 425151 OPEN SUNDAY 1Qam - 4pm


Path and Patio Cleaners


LAWNMOWERS FROM


/


demanding closed-circuit television cameras be installed and that Ribble Valley Borough Council planning officers relax restrictions on the fitting of steel shutters in the village. The calls have come after


Business owners are


ing security measures. She said: "The whole sit­


last Thursday evening's raid, in which over £50,000 of specialist designer glass­ es were stolen from the King Street opticians by masked gunmen. One man was threatened with a shot­ gun before the gang sped off in a stolen black Ford Fiesta, mounting the pave­ ment and narrowly missing a group of shocked onlook­ ers. The car, stolen from a driveway in Cheshire, was later discovered abandoned in Mitton. Police believe the gang to


uation is becoming very worrying. Criminals seem to think we are very naive here. We need to make sure we are one step ahead of them.We must also impress upon the police the need to maintain their presence in


the village.". Traders in the village


centre also want restric­ tions on the fitting of steel shutters to be lifted. At the • moment, because Whalley is a conservation area, steel shutters have to meet with strict planning regulations. "We are sympathetic to


traders' needs and the increasing strictures put on


be from the Liverpool area and are liaising with Merseyside CID officers. They plan to reconstruct the event for Granada News's "Crime File" feature in a bid to encourage wit­ nesses to come forward with further leads. The raid on the opticians


traders by insurance com­ panies, but a balance with maintaining the visual images of the area must be made," a Planning Depart­ ment spokesman said. Meanwhile, Ultraframe


is one in a string of several similar robberies which have taken place in Whal­ ley in the last few years, and now proprietors fear the village is in danger of becoming a soft target for crime. "There have been far too


many break-ins in Whal­ ley: it's high time we had a closed-circuit television system in the village," said Captain Harry Barlow, landlord of the Swan at Whalley Hotel. Whalley Chamber of


technical salesman Mr Dominic Chapman was reflecting on his encounter with a member of the gang. Having just returned from a football game, he ran out of the hairdresser's under­ neath his flat in his shorts to confront the burglars, not realising they were armed. "One of them told me to 'get lost' while point­ ing something long at me. I thought it was a screwdriv­ er; it was only after that I realised it was a gun," said Mr Chapman. "I felt ashamed I couldn't stop them. Robin is a good friend and, in those situa­ tions, something else takes over your brain,” he added. Mr Robin Standen,


Trade chairman Coun. Joyce Holgate vowed to call a meeting of the traders to discuss improv-


OUR pictures show (above) optician Mr Robin Standen and the Cartier display cabinet armed raiders smashed (060398/1/0)... and (right) Ultraframe technical salesman Mr Dominic Chap­ man, who confront­ ed the burglars (070398/19/23a).


lot, lot worse. Relatively speaking, it's no big deal. In a way, I am glad the raiders 'kept their bottle', otherwise someone could have been seriously hurt,"


whose premises were left showered in glass after the raid, said he was just thankful no one had been hurL-'Tt could have been a


he said. Detective Inspector


Terry Richardson, who is leading the investigation, appealed for anyone who saw anything on the


MP joins in the leylandii campaign


r k -'•Wf ;• a


THE campaign against monster hedges which cause misery to neigh­ bours has gained another supporter. Ribble Valley MP Nigel


night of, or prior to, the incident to contact Blackburn police on


01254 51212. "It is highly likely these


criminals will have been in the area before they committed the crime. I would ask anyone who saw anything remotely suspicious to get in touch with us," he said.


Evans has thrown his weight behind the Com­ mons campaign to support people whose neighbours have grown monster hedges. The group aims to make it an offence to allow a hedge to grow to mon­ strous heights with the main purpose of inflicting misery on neighbours. Said Mr Evans: "This


, # j §® W'-rfjru


ising and offensive to OAPs in the Ribble Valley, who wear some very fashionable styles. I certainly don't go round with my hair in a net," said Miss Lofthouse (pictured). "I feel her letter was only a


half-hearted attempt at an apol­ ogy. I suggest she comes to the Ribble Valley and meets the Clitheroe ladies she is criticis­


ing," she added. Backing Miss Lofthouse’s sen­


timents, the Clitheroe Advertis­ er and Times throws down the gauntlet to Mrs Lee-Potter. We say: "Come to Clitheroe and visit our salons, where we will not be prepared to split hairs!"


r r jjhe paper.that champions the Rlbble Valley cause tasty


PRIMULA DIP OFFER


I r imes *»


AViRMNERTFORffi iBHOOl COMPANY


"\Youny Enterprise is flourishing


Charity shop thief who was searching


for new look A WOMAN who pre­ tended to try on clothes in a Clitheroe charity shop stole them after replacing them with inferior


items.. The incident happened


at the Shelter shop, in Moor Lane, on Friday morning. The woman went into the changing room to try on a pair of green and cream striped Next shorts, priced at £3.75, and a long floral sarong skirt priced at £4. She allegedly took the price tags off the items and replaced them with inferior quality items of her own before leaving the shop. The woman was


Win mum a gourmet meal


A GOURMET meal fo r tw o aw a i t s a lucky Ribble Valley


mother. Mother's Day is just


around the corner


and, to celebrate, the proprietor of the Auc­ tioneer Restaurant, Mr Henk ; ■ Van Heumen, ; and his wife, Frances, have /offered a special treat


for a special lady. All you have to. do


iVse'«<^hoftSffrpRh of your: mother in a million fo th e Clith­ eroe Advertiser and Times office, 3 King Street, Clitheroe, BB7. 2EW.-Write your,


mother's name on the baek o f the photo- graph and attach to ft the reason why she deserves a Mother's Day, to remember, in not more than 100 words.'The closing d ate is, Tuesday, at noon."'.'"- -


will be announced in the ClitHeroe Adver­ tiser and Times next week.


: The winner's name ‘


19” SONY HONE CINEMA (wtth damaged cabinet)


ONLY £ 4 9 9 RRP£899


Astra House, Chatburn Rd, Cutheroe S ales Hotune (01200) 442616


described as being 5ft. 2in., aged between 33 and 35, with long blonde hair tied in a pony tail and had a for­ eign accent. She was wear­ ing a three-quarter-length black coat, brown leggings and was carrying a large Gladstone bag. Anyone who may have


seen a woman fitting this description is urged to con­ tact Clitheroe Police on


01200 443344.


Police appeal - for toothpaste


A POLICE appeal of an unusual kind is being


made - for soap, tooth­ paste, toothbrushes and .


shampoo. The area's school and


youth liaison officer, PC Gail Whiteoak, is going to Romania in May with a county police team. It will visit various insti­


tutions, where toiletries are scarce and expensive. The police hope to take large quantities. "We are seeking support


from schools, youth groups, firms, and any other organ­ isations," says PC Whiteoak, "but we need to collect the items in the next few weeks, as packing them


all up will take some time." Anyone willing to donate


towards the appeal can contact PC Whiteoak on


01254 353779.


GET.OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND


V i r"'" ,: INTO THE W K . f


on the road


- • Drfrtra *1*3*3 " -*,510X0 rad ta Jc a a c t tc ,


* /Antf-lhcft tmPM rter. * Tinted V|t4« - f.-,


W


with-one years free insurance' : makeseveryothercar look duliand....


dated in compa/isdn*,.” WHAT CAR? OCT97


group is about more than just giant leylandii trees. People are using giant hedges as a new form of urban warfare against their neighbours."


RUFUS CARR LTD


BAWDLANDS GARAGE, CLITHEROE


TELEPHONE: 01200


422173


15% D IS CO U N T - C A R II Offer applies to Ribble Valley residents


We can provide you with a competitive insurance quotation for your car insurance, including


FREE breakdown cover, FREE legal expenses FREE Courtesy Car (during accident repairs) So call us now onTel: 427272


18 Well Terrace. Clitheroe. Tel: 01200 427272. Your LOCAL Registered Insurance Broker also at/ Thomas A . ;.W'- ; • V * *


A Whole netv way to get tbe best out of your carpets


CESCORTarpet Care System


Makes carpet cleaning childs play. Available for hire from


Harrisons W & E Supplies j Kendal Street, Clltfreroe„ Tpl; 424360 l


r-v*


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28