From the Evening News, August 16, 1904: A LAMPLIGHTER passing along Derby Street in the early hours of this morning made a fortunate discovery of an outbreak of fire in the kitchen of a provision shop, 97 Derby Street.

He at once roused the inmates and information was despatched by means of the Derby Street alarm to the Fire Station, the Brigade turning up shortly after half past three in charge of Deputy Supt Jones with the tender and fire escape. It appears that a quantity of clothes had been left hanging on a string across the mantelpiece and it is surmised that a spark set fire to this. The flames were quickly extinguished, the damage being slight.

From the Evening News, August 16, 1954: MR Philip Bell MP told the Evening News today that he considers the greatest threat to the Lancashire cotton industry to come not from Japan, but from India. He was one of a group of Lancashire Conservative MPs who recently met Mr Peter Thorneycroft, President of the Board of Trade, who is due to undertake a fact-finding tour of the textile industry in Lancashire later this week. Mr Bell points out that there are enormous tariffs against exports from this country to India, whilst tariff rates on Indian goods entering this country have not been increased.

Mr Jim Halliday, the Kearsley weightlifter who won a gold medal at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, arrived home to find his house and those of neighbours decorated with bunting provided by Kearsley Council. Yesterday Halliday received a civic visit from the chairman of the council, Cllr R. Crowther, who extended the congratulations of the district and spoke of the township's pride in his achievements.

From the Evening News, August 16, 1979: BOLTON police have launched a massive campaign to protect the elderly from doorstep crooks. Nearly 40,000 pensioners living in Bolton, Farnworth, Kearsley, Westhoughton, Horwich and Little Lever will be receiving warning leaflets telling them how to deal with callers.

A DEMONSTRATION by members of Bolton Trades Council is to be mounted outside Farnworth Town Hall next Monday when a National Front meeting is held. But Mrs Prentice Howarth of the dyers' and bleachers' union, who said she was opposed to the National Front, pointed out that under the law it did have a right to hold its pre-election meeting for NF candidate John Hamilton. She suggested that instead of demonstrating at the meeting, the trades council should lobby MPs for a change in the law which allows NF meetings to be held in public buildings.

From the Evening News, August 16, 1994: DISAFFECTED Horwich residents have formed an independent group to put the town first, fight for democracy and combat "political correctness". Horwich Independents say they want to promote the best interests of Horwich "free from political dogma and ideology". The group has been formed by former Liberal Democrat Ivan Cooper, who left the party after he became disillusioned with its policies.

TWO of the nastiest men on TV turned into a couple of charmers as they wowed huge crowds at Adlington Carnival at the weekend. Coronation Street's Des Barnes and EastEnders' Grant Mitchell were both a big hit at the event, especially with the women.