Road closure following crash
A road was closed for just over an hour after two cars collided.
Police shut St George's Road in Deepdale, Preston, at around 1.42pm yesterday following the collision at the junction of Muncaster Road.
Traffic was diverted along Arkwright Road and Kent Street.

People trapped in burning home
A home was destroyed after a fire started in a ground floor bedroom.
Crews from Lancaster and Morecambe raced to Laburnum Grove in Lancaster after reports people were trapped in the blazing building shortly before 5.30am yesterday.
A fire service spokesman said firefighters in breathing apparatus were forced to tackle the blaze from outside the building due to the intensity of the fire.
He said: "All persons were accounted for by the time we arrived at the property."

Plaque commemorates competition victory
The town's European bloom award has been permanently marked.
A plaque close to Garstang's Discovery Centre commemorates the town's Entente Florale Europe competition victory in Split, Croatia, last summer, and was formally unveiled by town Mayor Coun Michael Halford and Garstang in Bloom leader Norah Hoyles.

Police to stamp out illegal parking
A call has been made for the police stamp out illegal parking outside an off-licence.
Coun Bill Shannon (pictured), wants action taken against drivers who park outside Bargain Booze in Tag Lane, Ingol.
He said: "Sooner or later there is going to be a bad accident . . . we will be asking the police to clamp down and start issuing fixed penalty notices or something before it is too late."

Falling numbers for malicious calls
The number of malicious calls to the county's fire service has fallen, the latest figures have revealed.
According to Government findings, 1,320 of the 11,556 calls received in 2003 were malicious, compared to 832 malicious calls in 2007 out of 10,254 calls.
However, 2007's figures are an increase on those in 2006 – when 680 malicious calls were recorded.
Lancashire has the highest number of hoax calls of any of the country's shire counties.

Preston goes all musical
The Guild Hall has two musical theatre attractions planned for November.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat returns to the Charter Theatre.
The show runs from November 10 to 15.
It's followed by Blood Brothers, voted the most popular British musical of all time, running from November 23 to 28.

Exhibition celebrates bypass anniversary
The 50th anniversary of a motorway exhibition to commemorate the M6 Preston Bypass opens at Lancaster City Museum tomorrow.
The exhibition is set to be held at the Market Square Museum until August 29 and opens from 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.


Men deny an attack claim
Three Preston men accused of assaulting a man have appeared at court.
Tahir Badat, 20, of Holmrook Road, Azeem Hussain, 30, of Raikes Road and Imtiaz Patel, 25, of Linnet Street, pleaded not guilty to assaulting Simon Burnside.
They were bailed to July 30 for trial by Blackpool magistrates.

Smart card scheme success
A successful smart card scheme designed to help those with disabilities in emergencies has been rolled out further.
The E-Card, developed by Lancashire Police, contains essential details for those who struggle to communicate with police officers and other emergency service workers.
Details on the credit card-sized document include the person's name, photograph, a contact number, medical information and emergency contact details. After a successful trial, a further 10,000 have been ordered.

A growing concern
Celebrate British Tomato Week by learning how to grow your own.
Staff at Wyevale Garden Centre, on Southport Road, Leyland, will be hosting a Tomato Growing Weekend, on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, with demonstrations to help get you started.

Have a heart and pick up a voucher
British Heart Foundation shops are looking for unwanted books, CDs and DVDs to help raise cash.
The charity is working with WHSmith on its Great Exchange promotion. For every donated book, DVD or CD, the donor get a £5 WHSmith voucher. To find your nearest BHF shop call 0844 412 5000 or visit bhf.org.uk/shops


Walk on the wildlife side
Peopple are being invited to take part in a dawn chorus walk.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust walk will go through Brockholes Nature Reserve, Bolton Wood, and down by the River Ribble at 5.30am.
A walk will be held on Saturday, May 9 and Friday, May 15. Meet at the reserve office car park at 5.30am.
Booking essential, call 01772 877140 for details.

Caught in the cross hairs
A hairdresser held a St George's Day event to raise money for charity.
Streakers, on Gregson Lane, Hoghton, offered people the chance to have a St George's Cross hairdo to celebrate the day.
Staff also held a raffle on Saturday, April 25 and around £165 was raised in aid of South Ribble mayor, Barrie Yates' charity fund.
Holly Farmer, who helped organise the event, said: "We did a charity fund-raising week last week and gave them 10% of the profits."
Coun Yates visited the salon to draw the raffle.

Sketches of Spain in county
Spanish sensations Jaleo Flamenco are bringing Andalusian song and dance to Lancashire.
The artists, from Seville, will be providing a mix of native dance dating back to the 19th century and expert guitar playing at the Morecambe Platform.
The events takes place on May 23. Box office: 01524 582803.

Meeting on bus station
A special presentation on the future of bus services in Preston is to be held next week.
The presentation, by Lancashire County Council's Chris Anslow, will discuss the new bus station planned as part of Preston's £700m Tithebarn scheme, and plans for bus services across the city and surrounding areas.
The meeting, which is open to the public, takes place in Cabinet Room D, County Hall, Preston, on Thursday at 7pm. For more information, call 01772 627510.

Paul is new council leader
A Lancashire council has a new Labour leader.
Coun Paul Cotterill got the nod ahead of Coun Terry Rice, who had been leader of West Lancashire Council for three years, at the group's annual meeting.
A third candidate for the post, Coun Geoff Roberts, withdrew before the vote began.

Debate on gas storage plan
A Council is to hold a special meeting to discuss its response to a controversial planning proposal.
Wyre Council will hold a special planning committee meeting over the Canatxx bid to store gas under the Lancashire countryside.
Members of the public are welcome to attend . The meeting takes place on Tuesday May 12 at 6pm at Marine Hall, Fleetwood.


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