Lancashire nostalgia in 2001: Moor Lane flats demolished; Adelphi makeover; and tornado in Preston

Danger flats gone in seconds

The crumbling Moor Lane flats finally bit the dust - watched by thousands who turned out for the spectacular demolition.

Spectators from far and wide crowded the streets to see the demise of the crisis-hit high rises which were evacuated in March this year.

Police and council staff began working at 6.30am to set up an exclusion zone around the buildings and around 600 homes nearby were evacuated.

As 12 o’clock struck, the charges were fired and first Westmorland House, followed by Cumberland House and finally Northumberland House, plunged to earth all within 10 seconds of the first blast - a history floored.

Makeover for big yellow pub

One of Preston’s most popular pubs will lose its famous fluorescent front as part of a massive New Year make-over.

The bright yellow face of The Adelphi pub, on Fylde Road, is to turned into a more subtle shade as part of £200,000 refit.

The pub will close on New Year’s Day for around two weeks so it can be transformed into a new cafe-style bar.

The exterior of the pub will be painted in a paler yellow, while the interior walls will be a subtle white.

The layout of the bar will also be changed and all the wooden tables and chairs will be replaced by sofas, so drinkers can relax.

Landlord John Hunter said: “I think it is an example that people’s tastes are changing and becoming more sophisticated.

“Gone are the days of people wanting to spend their time in old-fashioned smoky pubs.

“We have decided that we have to give the customers what they want.”

Over the years, the Adelphi has become increasingly popular with students, who are drawn by the relaxed atmosphere and cheap drinks.

It will become one of the first It’s A Scream pubs in England to pilot the new style.

The national chain carried out a survey of drinkers and found that they wanted pubs to be more like chill-out bars and cafes.

Despite the changes, John says they will still cater for the same clientele.

He added: “We will still be the same pub except we are going to make it into a more relaxed, cafe-bar style atmosphere.

“We will still cater for anyone who wants to drink in a pub where there is no trouble and a relaxed atmosphere.”

The improvements at the pub mirror the changes across Preston town centre during the past few years.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week we took a look at the year 2000

Tornado twists through town

Families are sifting through the wreckage of their battered homes today after a tornado swept through the outskirts of Preston.

Thousands of pounds of damage was caused to houses, garages and gardens in Walton-le-Dale and Penwortham.

Bob Counsell, 73, returned to his Milton Close home in Walton-le-Dale to find his brick garage destroyed, with its roof in a nearby garden.

He said: “We found chaos. There was just rubble all over the street and the garage had been completely flattened.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes. It is incredible.”

His neighbour, John Brown, 53, a bus driver, was in bed sick when the tornado struck his home.

He said: “Something woke me - a sort of strange gushing noise. The next thing I knew I was on the floor.

“I looked out of the window and couldn’t believe what I saw. I didn’t know what had happened.” His wife Marion, 52, said: “I saw ridge tiles being lifted off a roof as if they were pieces of paper.”

Fire crews from Bamber Bridge and Penwortham were called to Milton Close and nearby Masefield Place where more than 20 homes were badly damaged.

In Penwortham, ridge tiles, slates and chimney pots were ripped off roofs in the Moss Acre Road and Hawkshead areas.

Ken Scott, duty forecaster at the Meteorological Office, said: “There was an active cold front across Lancashire and it is likely this was a mini tornado.”