From our archives
1:21pm Friday 26th June 2009 in News
10 YEARS AGO
From the Evening News
June 28, 1999
THE Government has bowed to massive public and political pressure and been forced to look again at controversial plans for a huge opencast mining scheme on the Bolton boundary.
The Department for the Environment confirmed today that there will be a new public inquiry into the plan for opencast mining at Cutacre Tip between Over Hulton and Little Hulton.
Westhoughton Labour councillor Bernard Ramsden has welcomed the announcement, but Liberal Democrat David Wilkinson says he fears Secretary of State John Prescott may have “ulterior motives”.
When RJB Mining (UK) Ltd revealed its plan to extract nearly two million tonnes of coal from the Cutacre site, thousands of residents were mobilised into action.
A public inquiry was held last August, and while the inspector was making his decision, critics of the scheme clamoured for a new public inquiry.
They said that tough new guidelines against opencast mining announced by the government needed to be looked at in relation to the Cutacre application.
25 YEARS AGO
From the Evening News
June 27, 1984
A BOY, aged three, brought terror to a Bolton street after setting fire to his young mother’s council home while playing with matches.
For the youngster’s prank caused £10,000 of damage, left his mum homeless and landed two children in hospital.
The drama unfolded last night as fire tore through the home in Laycock Avenue, Tonge Moor, after Anthony Bate, aged three, had dropped a match on an armchair.
His mother, Christine, aged 22, was upstairs and smelled the smoke before getting Anthony and their four-months-old pup Prince out of the house.
But confused neighbours, who believed Anthony and his pet may still be trapped inside, tried in vain to battle their way back in as the house became engulfed with flames.
50 YEARS AGO
From the Evening News Bulletin
June 27, 1959
Starting at 8am on Monday and continuing for a period of three weeks, bus services which normally operate along Deansgate in a westerly direction towards Moor-Lane, will be diverted from the Deansgate, Oxford-st., Knowsley-st. junction because of road reconstruction.
On routes nos. 18, 19, 20, 32, 33, 34 and 35, buses will travel from Deansgate on outward journeys via Knowsley-st. and St. George’s-Rd. (near to Marsden-rd.).
On routes nos. 1, 2 and 3, buses for Church-rd., Barrow Bridge and Rushey Fold-Lane will proceed from Oxford-st. via Knowsley-st. and St. George’s-rd.
The temporary stops in Knowsley-st. and St. George’s-rd. will apply.
100 YEARS AGO
From the Evening News
June 27, 1909
An open-air meeting organised by the Walkden I.L.P. was held near the Stocks Hotel, Walkden, on Saturday evening, when Mr. Stephen Walsh, M.P. for the Ince division, was the principal speaker. He dealt at length with the work of the Labour party in Parliament, and said that they, like any other party, could only do effective work to the extent it received the confidence of the people.
