25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, July 7, 1976

FOUR men who stole £2,400 from a petrol filling station buried the money under floorboards of a new house being prepared for the petrol station's owner.

But after discovering that their victim, the owner of Bolton Road Service Station at Atherton, was not insured for the cash loss, the men, two of whom had official access to the station, gave £1,500 of the stolen money back in remorse. The four men also went voluntarily to the police - but were still sent to prison.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, July 7, 1951

MOST women are cheerfully recovering from the brief vogue of short-cut hair and growing their hair long once more. Going are the petal cuts and boyish crops borrowed from the 'twenties, giving way to longer styles, ranging from the poet's bob to some practical arrangement at shoulder length. The newer styles will prove an intelligent compromise between something softer and more feminine and something easily manageable. And while the hair is growing there is sure to be a better appreciation of the chignon, ringed "doughnut" or bun.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, July 7, 1876

LAST week, at Southport, a rough-looking fellow, who said his name was Christopher Alpin, and that he came from Garston, near Liverpool, and who was supposed to be a lunatic, was brought up under the following circumstances: On Tuesday week, he went opposite the front window of 38, Promenade, and a lady in the parlour, thinking that he wanted something to eat, gave him a cake. However, as soon as the man received it he threw it through the window, which made the lady rush into the sitting room. The fellow endeavoured to follow her, and kicked in two of the panels of the front door. He afterwards effected an entrance and smashed one of the panels of the sitting room door, and entered the room. The lady, whose name is Mrs Ann Tomlinson, seized the fellow and held him until the police arrived. He was very rough, and she told him she would give him anything he required, but he only tried to throw her down, shouting all the while "I'll smash; I'll smash". He was taken to the police station, and pronounced to be insane. He, however, was sentenced to fourteen days' hard labour.