Controversial plans 'vital for whole country'
Controversial plans to store a million tons of gas under the Lancashire countryside are "vital for the whole country", the scheme's proposers have said.
American firm Canatxx is going to resubmit plans after the original proposal was thrown out by the Government last year after a lengthy public inquiry.

Police appeal for witnesses
Police are appealing for witnesses after a biker suffered serious injuries in a crash on Morecambe Road on Monday evening.
The 53-year-old, from Morecambe, was riding a Yamaha Virago which was involved in a collision with a Ford Focus at about 4.50pm. He suffered serious head injuries and is being treated at the Royal Preston Hospital. Contact PC Rob Bain on 01524 63333.

House shut down
A house has been shut down after it was allegedly used for drug dealing.
Police served a closure notice upon Nicola Cole, 34, of Sephton Street, on Monday.
At Leyland Magistrates Court today officers were applying to have the property shut down for a maximum of three months.

MP hits out at cheap ale
Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans has criticised a supermarket for selling beer cheaper than water.
Mr Evans has tabled a motion in the House of Commons slamming Asda for selling Skol lager at 90p for four cans – just 51p a litre. A pack of four Evian waters cost £2.91 – or 97p a litre – at the store.
Mr Evans, who also hit out at Tesco for selling Carlsberg at £5 for 18 bottles said: "These are lunatic prices and are creating a high street booze war.
"We need to act now before the situation gets any worse."

Library open for the day
Longton Library holds an open day on October 31, 10am to 4pm.
Activities on the day will include visits from police, fire officers and park rangers, card making, clog dancing and family history. Admission is free.

Kids can go in a dungeon
Dare you take your little spooks on a Halloween Children's Tour of Lancaster Castle?
Tours will be on October 31 and last about an hour. They leave half-hourly from 5pm to 7pm, and cost £6 for adults and £5 for children.
Places are limited, booking is essential. Call 01524 64998 for more details.

Which craft?
Little witches and wizards can practise their craft at Ingol Library on October 29. A spooky Halloween craft workshop will take place between 2pm and 3pm.

Ice way to get on telly
The people of Lancashire are being urged to get their skates on to impress judges on ITV1's Dancing On Ice.
The hit programme will be holding its northern auditions at Blackburn Ice Arena to find brand new talent and original acts that dazzle on the ice.
Applications for auditions were previously closed but due to unexpected demand the Dancing On Ice team is re-opening the competition.
Auditions take place on November 4 and 5
For more information,
e-mail icetalent@itv.com by October 24.

Charity offers snip for cats
A Preston animal charity is offering free cat neutering for owners in Ribbleton and Preston city centre who are on a low income.
Jeanette Greaves, from Preston Cats Protection, said: "Neutering offers many solid benefits to cats and owners alike.
"A neutered cat is less likely to spray, stray or fight."
The offer runs until October 31.
For more details, call 01772 748 788.

Dance to help air ambulance
A charity evening will take place at a Lancashire school to raise money for the North West Air Ambulance. There will be a band, singing, a raffle, tombola and stalls at Carr Hill High School, Royal Avenue, Kirkham, tomorrow at 7.30pm.

Improvements on the agenda
Improvements to Bannister Brook will be discussed when Leyland's East Area Committee meets on Monday.
The meeting, at the Lancashire FA headquarters in Thurston Road from 7.15pm, will also include an update from local police officers.

Increase in green grant bids
Energy conscious Lancastrians are bidding for green grants. South Ribble Council has seen a 300% increase in applications for energy saving schemes this year.
More than 400 people have been in touch to find out if they are eligible to receive grants towards installing energy efficient boilers, solar panels, loft insulation or cavity wall insulation – four times the number of inquiries last year.

Women gain confidence
Women can support each other and gain confidence in an eight-week course at Chorley and South Ribble CVS.
Working with others in a similar position, women will carry out a number of tasks and exercises.
The first session will be on Thursday October 23 from 6.30pm until 8.30pm at 78 Towngate, Leyland, and there is a suggested donation of £1 per session.
To book a place e-mail womensupportingwomen@tiscali.co.uk or leave a message on an answerphone or text 07847 385 691.

Music to help fight stigma
A night of live jazz and pop music has been organised to help raise money for a mental health initiative.
A campaign called Music and the Mind, aimed at helping fight stigma and discrimination in mental health, is being launched with a concert on Friday November 7.
The event, at Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Club, on Lightfoot Lane, Fulwood, will start at 7pm and tickets are £6, with concessions available for mental health service users.
Tickets are available on the door.

Health help for residents
A health and wellbeing weekend is to take place at a Preston community centre this Saturday and Sunday.
Intag, in Whitby Avenue, Ingol, will host the weekend of activities.
Members of the community will be able to take part in activities and get expert advice.
From 11am to 3pm, activities will include yoga classes and breathing and relaxation skills.
There will also be a packed itinerary of activities on Sunday from 11am to 3pm. For more information call 01772 760760

No toast for waste of time
A burnt piece of toast led to a visit from the fire brigade to a Preston house.
One crew from the city's station were called to Chester Road in Ribbleton at 7.45am yesterday.
A fire service spokesman said: "We will always send one crew to investigate that there is not anything else alight, but in this case we just ventilated the smoke and made sure everything was safe."

Youths set fire to rubbish
Firefighters were called to waste land off a Preston street after youths set fire to a pile of rubbish.
Crews from the city's station were called to Holme Slack Lane, Deepdale, shortly after 8pm on Monday.

Faulty alarm at university
A university building had to be evacuated after a faulty fire alarm went off.
The alarm sounded in the University of Central Lancashire's Maudland building, at Maudland Bank, Preston at 9.30am on Monday.

Neighbours warn man of chimney fire
A chimney at a house near Lancaster caught fire.
The incident happened at 4pm yesterday in Clougha Road, Halton.
Firefighters from Morecambe said the homeowner had lit a fire but was only alerted to the problem after worried neighbours called to tell him smoke was pouring from his chimney.

Autumn on the hoof
Enjoy the rich colours of autumn and improve your fitness on a free guided walk.
A Walkin' Wyre health walk will take place today, from 1.30pm at Garstang Discovery Centre. For more details call 01253 86310.

Councillors meet voters
North Lancashire councillors will spend six hours answering queries from residents.
County Couns Susie Charles, Janice Hanson, Anthony Jones, Niki Penney, Albert Thornton and Jean Yates will face the public at Morecambe's Festival Market on Sunday, from 10am to 4pm.
Call Joan on 01772 535435 for more details.

Online Hall
Key County Hall meetings can be seen online.
Web users can access live footage via the council's Democratic Information System. Visit http://www3.lancashire.gov.uk/council/meetings/webcast.asp for details.

Duck rescuers raise cash to help the homeless
Swimmers and paddlers took to the water to raise money for homeless people.
Around 100 people "rescued" 120 rubber ducks to collect cash for the Lancaster and District YMCA's homeless prevention work.
The ducks, released into Lake Windermere, represented the estimated number of young people dealing with homelessness in the Lancaster area.
The event is due to be repeated next year.

>> Vote in our latest web poll