mm


|m ls m .v


S T h u r s d a y , D e c e m b e r 5 Ih , 2 0 0 2 N o .j'6,^ 74 at U M j^ y ^ rn ^ * Endqf-an it* i f * • l T | | M i ri''v'! > -> (IS : l • - j v X 'W y t iA ' f . .1%, ■ n e w s a n d v ie w s f rom th e C e n t r e o f th e K in g d o m ■/. j - ' iX fW t i to r harn AT A GLANCE 'A 'c o u ^


There’ is an arrest following alter gations th a t 'a . Clitheroe man was the victim of car fraud.


I ' 1 * r$ *


; ■■■■■■ page 3 +


* m— m— — — page 3


An Army officer from Glitheroe is directing media operations as a Green Goddess rolls into


town. ~


found safely. ’


page 8


A police search for a Ribble Val­ ley man ended when he was


— mm— mmmm— — m— page 5


-Ribble Valley ten nis ace Elizabeth Thomas travels to La Manga and wins a top tourna­ ment.


■ w i p a g e 36


Excitement mounts as Clitheroe FC fight for a place in the FA Vase. §m^mm— m—mm— mmuRK— M page 36


A second man is arrested in connection with a drugs haul,


m— m— m ^—^m — page 18


FOGGITT’S WEEKEND , WEATHER: -


*c, " f ( { J1 \ f SUNRISE: 8-08


SUNSET:-3-51 p.m.;


LIGHTING UP TIME: 3-51 p.m.


CALLUS


• Mpwq* 01200422324


rltvwill be- dry.vand >. colder with showers. -


j . ‘ Advertising: , ' 01200422323 Classified: - 01282422331 Fax: - 01200 443467 •


Editorial e-mail:


. vivien.meath@ eastlancsnews.co.uk


iMKIOM . r.kFnA . kllCHFT^


D*J*P« The latest


kitchen appliances


in stock for Christmas mogimix


minDualit r r r r r r


U


K i t c h e n A id FOR THE WAY IT’S MADE


hairstyling iron with ceramic technology - ix t


ARRIVED <


JUST • .„ __;.sfbd.


haveitstraightVmakeit smooth’,.?; , give it curls, flip it,’ twirl it,'spiral it, condition it,'make it shinei’in a-flash; ‘ ,y


t '* ^ k a ? ! EURONIC


iW m i -


’u ’ 1 *-.£ iVafiftiKsiC1 ' i i 4 r i i a s c w * ' - - . r ' f ' ^ n t £ a Whailey


man ;had'threatened to-kill; his fomer partner, V ^ \ , ,;■


More time for reading


BOOKWORMS in Chatburn;-:): will benefit from an increase in,,.... opening hours in their village . library. ■


v Until now, the library has . .,


only been open on Wednesday . afternoons and evenings. From now on the library will open for borrowers on three days a week. It is part of a Lancashire .


County Council initiative to > meet Government standards. - The library will open on


Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. - and ort Wednesdays and Thurs­ days from 2 pm. to 7 p.m. On.... Wednesdays and Thursdays the branch will close from 5 p.m. to 5-30 p.m. The new librarian at Chat-


bum is Mrs Christine .Wood- worth, who has been a familiar face for 12 years in the children’s library at Clitheroe. In our picture children’s divi­ sional librarian Susan Martin


- reads a book to pupils of Chat- bum pre-school.


. (C031202/9)


Mystery still surrounds death of popular local man (32)


■ by John Turner


MORE th an a week after, a Clitheroe man was found dead in a river at Blackburn, police are still unsure whether his death was an


unfortunate accident - or murder. The body of Paul Parkinson (32) was spotted on’Wednesday’ a gm o on


' So far, exhaustive police inquiries, including an examination by a Home Office pathologist, have failed to provide the answer fo how the young plasterer came to be lying dead in the river.,.;, Injuries to his body, including to the


centre.


head and ribs, could have been caused by an assault, say police.


.. -That is why top experts from the


National Crime Facility at Bramshill have been asked for an expert interpreta­ tion of the injuries. The body was found at a point near


where people regularly climb a fence to use a short cut between King Street,


Blackburn, and George Street. Police have said that one theory is that


he may have fallen from the fence after an evening’s drinking in the pubs of Blackburn town centre and received the injuries in his fall.


■ An incident room has been set up under Det. Chief Supt Paul Buschini at Blackburn Police Station. ■ ■ ‘ On Tuesday night,; police mounted a .


workers on the site of e. new Lid , may have Sp4nt several hours until his supermarket near .Blackburn town .


bars where, it is believed) Mr Parkinson __4™


untimely, death. They were hoping to jog. the memories of anyone who might have


seen him the week before. • Mr Buschini said police were studying footage from a closed-circuit video sur­ veillance camera at Blackburn Railway Station which-pictures the plumber’s son. They believe the video reveals that Mr Parkinson may have missed the last train home at 9 p.m. He said: “We are still making inquiries


trying to find out the circumstances which led to him being in the river. His injuries were consistent with a fall or with an assault. We can’t rule anything out at the moment.”


• Mr Buschini said their inquiries dur­


ing last week had not made as much progress as they would have liked. Mr Parkinson, who lived at the family


home in Park Avenue, Clitheroe, was well known in the town. Son of Edward and Lesley Parkinson,


he was one of a family of three children, having two sisters, Samantha and Caro­ line.


School, Clitheroe, then went on to study atrRibblesdale High School. .- He was a well-respected self-employed-


' plasterer, who enjoyed walking his dog, Matty, and thoroughly enjoyed fishing,


a hobby he had only recently taken up. He also enjoyed being around his fam­


ily and baby-sitting for his two young nieces.


. “It is a devastating loss to the whole


family,” said his sister, Caroline. “He was popular in Clitheroe and had


many friends. He made everybody laugh with his mischievous sense of humour. He was a likeable lad, who will be sorely missed by everyone. He will always be remembered for his laugh, his smile and his personality,” she added.


A combination of circumstances led to Easter holiday tragedy of Andrew (eight)


A COMBINATION of tragic cir­ cumstances led to the death of eight-year-old Andrew Marsden in a gas explosion at his home which seriously injured his par­ ents and brother, a coroner has


ruled. It was possible that repaving work at


the Holden Street home of the Marsden family had indirectly led to disturbing a piece of corrosion on a gas pipe allow­ ing the gas to leak and new paving and concreting had formed a seal to divert the escaping gas through broken brick­ work into the house, said Mr Michael


When his wife tried to light one of the gas rings on the hob the flame went up about two feet and she turned it out. The same thing happened when he tried to light-the ring.: ... “Seconds later there was a wooshing


sound and I was knocked to the floor. I saw Andrew and Lynn run. out of the conservatory door. There were flames on Andrew’s back. I rolled him on the


' grass and took his shirt off and took my. own shirt off. I turned round and saw


. Steven in the conservatory. I went back in and pulled him out,” he said. After, jumping the fence to ask his neighbour to raise the-alarm* he


Singleton, Blackburn, Hyndburn and . returned and used cold water from a


Ribble Valley Coroner. Mr Singleton recorded a verdict of -


accidental death at the Clitheroe inquest on Monday after hearing evi­ dence from a succession of experts. They had been called in to investigate • after the Easter Monday, morning, explosion at the former council house which Mr. John Marsden and his wife; ; Lynn, had bought in January 2001.; ■ Mr Marsden, wearing a protective glove over his left hand, gave the coro­ ner a vivid description of the events of the fateful morning earlier this year - a morning which had begun happily with: their two sons, Steven (six) and Andrew.


- (eight) in.Andrew’s bedroom-watching television and eating Easter, e g g s . --


■' r. He said his wife loaded the washing machine and he went into the kitchen..


hose pipe on the backs and over the heads of his two sons “to cool them down”. He said his sister had visited the pre­


vious evening and complained of smelling gas. They put the smell.down to the “fish and methane-smell”'from


_________


Safety Executive Laboratory, told the hearing their investigation indicated . corrosion in part-of the siphon pot, a system installed in the 1950s when water had to be siphoned off the mois­ ture-retaining town gas. That part of the siphon did not have.-


the anti-corrosion protection which the surrounding pipework had, he said. ■ Mr! Geoffrey Eaton, of the Health


and 'Safety Laboratory at Buxton, said , the pipework at the property was basi­ cally sound, there was no leakage from the gas hob and the gas boiler, was


. unlikely to have been the source of the gas leak.


- - • The gas fire in the sitting room could ' also be ruled out as the cause. . . -»v.- • “The most likely source of the gas is


•: the corrosion hole in the siphon pot standpipe; There are a number of potential routes for the gas.to find its way into the house. There were gaps in brickwork in the utility room and there


an accumulation of moss whichhe had i were gaps in the service pipe under the removed from the roof of the utility -kitchensink,’’-hesaid.. room by using a pressure washer. Mr Alan^Harrison, .of the Health and ■, He told the coroner that after they Safety Executive, told the inquest there -of 31o/o_ There were signs of damage to


improvements which included work on • iron gais mams armss the rmintrv. b u t . the inhalation injury and to burns.. the driveway, replacing leylandii trees ' the ones in the Standen Road,area were with a fence and replacing, flags at the side of the kitchen and utility, room.- The latter work had includedL


moved into, the house he carried out--: was a programmeof replacement.of' ^ in across


country, ut steel pipes. concret-:


ing!around a.pipe which'had-been “standing proud”. ' Dr Steven Joel, of the Health and ~


, After. the explosion; , highly sensitive;


equipment; located a number of very small leaks in the area, but no major, leaks.


i ;; The inquest was'told -that Andrew, Don’t miss Whalley’s big night but - see pages 22 and 23


'pictured above, died in the Manchester : 1 Children’s Hospital on April 5th.. ^Pathologist Melanie Newbold said


he had “fairly,extensive” burns.to his face, trunk and limbs, covering an area -


jmjgs/Qe^h.'she said,was,due to Mr Singleton;'recording his verdict,^,!


"said: “It is quite clear to me ,the source of the gas which entered the property


, was from the corroded standpipe placed, •very close to the utility room:',


H O I . ’ I . D S W O K T I I S soucrroKS


•Rroporty, V/illi Probalo. •' l n h ^ r i t a r i <*■ T a x P l a n n i n g . F a m i l y .


C o m m e r c i a l i / l a E r n p l o y m o n * .


A c c i c e n K , F a r m i n g . S a l a i i a n r i . P u r c h a s i n g


Of-nct-s /’ •no '


Pullman Houss. 2 - 4-Duck Street. Clitheroe . Telephone-: 01200 122132


The Coaeh House, 2 Accrinrjton Road. V/halley Teleohone: 0123-1 025737


Moments of relaxation always last tenter In the ultimate comfort of a Stresstess* rediner. Only our chairs offer the unique Ptas" system that automatically adfusts for perfect -


’ support In any position you desire, with the choice of three . sizes for that special tailor made heUng. .


.,


ran unrWalled chrice of coteuts, leather and wood finishes. . ’ But remember; once you relax in the ultimate redinet you’ll • . be so comfortable you’ll always be templed to stay that Bttleblt tenter.


:. ...... ■. .


-.. ■ —a : m Jepsons o/ Blackburn


; QUALITY FURNISHERS: EstabluhedlnlB70'.-:: „- ■,


Nora Scotia Mils, MatfieldSL, . t


. '. ; (off Bolton Ri), < -, Blackburn 18.01254 59123 '


-'


' Stressless* redlneis also perfectly lit your indhidual style,-v with a wide rante of redlners, chairs and sofas available In


theridnaUrecfiMf I P


. He was a-pupil of St James’-CE Still value for money! THE .price of your news and bargain-packed


, ‘ .'Clitheroe Advertiser and Times goes up 2p


today. This is the first price rise for two years. With lots of news for everyone, local what’s


on listings, Readersplus and special offers, make sure you order your Advertiser andTimes


every Thursday. You cannot afford to miss it!


, '1 ' ' ' - !_ ' ’ , .»!


sun a t 90!


’. i r 't$ * ’f{ wwiv.f:lillienn!lO(l:iy r.o.iil< P r ic e 5 2 p


t o s s aye 5


Thieves steal more diesel in second raid


A SECOND spate of major thefts of diesel fuel within two years appears to have begun


in the Ribble Valley. In the latest,raid, the thieves cut open the


gates of Tarmac’s Bankfield Quarry depot in Pimlico Link Road, Clitheroe, sometime on Sunday night, uncoupled pipes on the diesel tank and stole more than 3,000 gallons of fuel worth close to £10,000. . Two. weeks before, audacious raiders set up a


plank from a fence to the top of a diesel tank and siphoned off from a vent pipe nearly 62,000 litres of diesel fuel valued at £45,000 from the premises of A. J. A. Smith Transport Ltd., in, SalthiU Road, Clitheroe.


• - Insp. Bob Ford said police were urging


hauliers, filling station proprietors and coach companies to be on special alert. “We think these people are doing their home­


work during daylight and returning to commit the crimes at night. We would like to hear from anyone who sees anything suspicious.” Police believe a heavy goods vehicle, like a


small tanker or even a curtain-sided truck with a tank inside it may be used in the operations. “It is an awful lot of diesel which would mean a major .operation trying to store it and.sell it


on,” said Insp. Ford. The focus of the latest outbreaks is not


thought to be just transport yards. . Investigations are going on into an attempt


to interfere with a petrol pump on a petrol fill­ ing forecourt at Langho in recent days. In the outbreak last year thieves removed


large quantities of fuel from filling stations by bringing in their own generator to pump out


fuel. Last year’s spate of fuel thefts was ended


after a successful police operation when police pounced and caught thieves redhanded at Barnes and Tipping’s yard at Whailey. Afterwards, members of a group of travellers


from Morecambe were jailed for their part in the thefts.


;■


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  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36