The latest news headlines in Preston, Blackpool, Lancashire, Burnley and Wigan.
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00:00Hi, I'm digital reporter Amy Seddon and these are all the latest headlines from across the
00:15North West on Wednesday, October the 9th.
00:19A Preston pub which closed suddenly last year has now been put on the market. The White
00:24Bull Hotel in Preston Road, Alston, between Longbridge and Grimsor, is being offered for
00:29sale by agent Trevor Dawson for £5,075,000. The pub, which was known for its food, closed
00:36its doors in December 2023, with a note placed on its website reading,
00:41Closed until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and hope to welcome
00:45you all back soon.
00:47At the time, owners Freights was said to be reviewing steps and looking for a new tenant.
00:53But the welcome back never happened and now the pub is being offered in shell condition,
00:57ready for fit out.
01:00A boy has fallen more than six foot from a terrace at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. The
01:05youngster, who was visiting the world-famous ballroom and the home of the Live Streathly
01:08Come Dancing episode, was described by witnesses as falling from a balcony into a passageway.
01:14It is understood he was attending a private event at the ballroom when the accident happened
01:18on Sunday. The boy, thought to be around 11, was playing on the balcony of the terrace
01:23level at the back of the ballroom, out of sight of the dance floor, when he fell into
01:27the passageway below. An ambulance was called after the incident as people were evacuated.
01:33The boy was not seriously injured but he was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital via ambulance.
01:38Merlin, the operator of Blackpool Tower, has been approached for comment.
01:44Residents are being asked for their views on plans for a new neighbourhood in East Lancaster.
01:48Housebuilder Per Simon is asking residents and local stakeholders to share their thoughts
01:53on the emerging proposals.
01:55The site for the proposed new development, known as the East Lancaster Strategic Site
01:59in the Lancaster District Local Plan, sits to the north-east of the city between the
02:03M6 and Caton Road. Persons say their plans would provide approximately 1,000 new homes,
02:10including affordable housing, as well as extensive green space, community facilities and a new
02:15primary school. The development would also relocate Landsills Sports and Social Club
02:20and the golf course. Residents can find out more about the proposals and share their feedback
02:25on the public consultation website at east-lancaster.co.uk
02:33At least three planning applications have been submitted across Burnley and Pendle for
02:36controversial battery energy storage system sites so far this year. As revealed in the
02:42Burnley Express, separate applications have been submitted to create the sites at land
02:46off Baldaston Lane, Heesonford Industrial Estate, one on land to the north of Halifax
02:52Road and another in Greenhead Lane, Readley, which was refused by Pendle Borough Council.
02:57In all instances, residents living near to the proposed sites have reacted angrily amidst
03:02concerns over their safety. Many of the sites selected are on greenfield land or remote
03:07rural areas.
03:09The idea behind battery storage sites is that they would be used for energy storage to supplement
03:13the national grid. BESS sites, then, are a way to stock power energy from renewable sources
03:19and release it when needed. However, opposition to such schemes not only come from residents
03:24living nearby, but also fire services over their perceived risk of fires. In the Baldaston
03:29Lane application made by Sewer Engineering, opposition was expressed from Lancashire Fire
03:35and Rescue Service.
03:38Two parents have been hit in the pocket after failing to ensure their children regularly
03:41attended Wigan schools. The unrelated cases saw fines handed down to both Hayley Fillingham
03:47of Akakia Crescent, Beech Hill, and Ivan Barson of Platt Street, Lane. In Fillingham's case,
03:54she did not prevent her son's truancy from Beech Hill Prime School during this year's
03:57spring term and faces a bill of £483, comprising a fine, costs and a victim services surcharge.
04:06Barson's teenage child skipped too many classes at Astley St Mervis High School during
04:10the same term and his bill was the same as Fillingham. Both were prosecuted under the
04:16single justice procedure, which sees magistrates make a ruling without the defendants attending,
04:21unless the latter wants to challenge the charge. Wigan Today reported in August that there
04:26has been a big increase in truancy in Wigan since the pandemic.