The man pictured below is 22-year-old Joseph Turner and he is a paedophile On Tuesday (8th April 2025) he was found guilty of sexual offences against two girls and two boys which predominantly took place after he lured them to the woods in Rawtenstall The first victim was 14 and Turner was 20 when he groomed her into thinking they were in a relationship threatened her with knives and was verbally abusive towards her He would call her his wife and even got her a ring The second victim was 16 when Turner lured her to his flat in Rawtenstall before going on to rape her He also sexually assaulted her at a cemetery The two male victims were just nine years old when Turner took them to the woods before sexually assaulting them was arrested and later charged with a number of offences he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault on a child; two counts of sexual activity with a child; four counts of raping a female under the age of 16; one rape of a female over 16; two counts of intentional strangulation and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm He was remanded into custody to be sentenced at the same court on 6th June Copyright © Lancashire Constabulary 2025. 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Win HappyPremiumSearch Rayohits radiolancashirenewsTwo charged following shop thefts in RawtenstallA number of items have been taken from a Co-op store Two people have been charged following a string of shop thefts in Rawtenstall It relates to incidents at the Co-op Store on Bacup Road in the town in which a number of items were stolen A 38-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested on Sunday 27th April Rossendale has been charged with six counts of theft from a shop Rossendale has been charged with five counts of theft from a shop They will both appear Blackburn Magistrates Court on 19th May 2025 Operation Vulture is Lancashire Constabulary’s response to shoplifting across the county backed by Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw The operation sees dedicated officers undertaking hotspot patrolling increasing their visibility in targeted areas and creating strong partnerships with retailers across the county to better share intelligence get a deeper understanding of retail crime and identify more offenders First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app. Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited Company number: 1394141Registered office: Media House Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing Company number: LP003328; Registered office: The Lantern London NW1 2PL All registered in England and Wales VAT no 918 5617 01H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No: 845898) People travelling in and around Rawtenstall are being reminded to plan journeys and allow extra time ahead of roadworks starting this week Traffic management measures will be in place from October to April in three locations north of the gyratory The works have been planned to minimise disruption but are expected to cause some delays.  Upgrades to signal technology will relieve congestion and improve traffic flow in the town while improvements to crossings and footways will also make journeys safer for pedestrians and cyclists The project will enhance and improve key junctions reduce congestion and provide a better travel experience for residents The projects are part of Rawtenstall Masterplan a transformative programme aimed at enhancing the town centre and addressing long-standing traffic and infrastructure challenges The project is supported by a significant £17.9m funding boost from the former governments Levelling Up Fund alongside £1.5m from Lancashire County Council's LEGDIF fund and £1.8m contributed by Rossendale Borough Council.  Preparation work at the first site will begin 16 October with work due to begin in earnest 21 October The work is expected to last until December.  Phase 1: Wednesday 16 October to 20 December   · Improvements will be made to crossings and footways including the introduction of a new controlled crossing Works will also include full signal technology upgrades including links with adjacent signals to improve traffic flow and make journeys more efficient.   It is expected that there will be some lane closures with temporary management systems and temporary traffic lights will be in place works have been scheduled to avoid busy times and minimise disruption as much as possible.  Work will be staggered outside of peak times from 9.30am to 3.30pm · Subway decommission – filling in the subway and ramps including preparing the areas where the ramps were for planting.  Access will be maintained for all businesses although there may be some unavoidable disruption outside shops next to the subway LCC will be working to minimise disruption and start work earlier to reduce inconvenience to businesses and people in the area.  · Works at the Asda junction are planned for January and February and include full signal technology upgrades and crossing improvements.  · Improvements at the Bacup Road junction are planned from March next year including some temporary road closures.  commuters and businesses are advised to prepare for possible disruption and allow extra time when travelling in the area.  “It is inevitable that there will be some disruption while the work is carried out and I appreciate how frustrating that will be for commuters – but this is all part of a bigger plan aimed at tackling some long-standing issues in the borough including much-needed improvements to the traffic flow in Rawtenstall town centre a change I’m sure we can all agree is overdue "We’d ask residents and businesses to bear with us while the work is being carried out and to allow extra provision when planning their journeys.”  "We are pleased to be contributing £1.5m towards the cost of delivering the Rawtenstall Masterplan which will transform the town and benefit residents The new Gyratory System scheme is a key piece in this jigsaw and will greatly improve traffic flow by creating a more efficient and safer town centre for everyone.  "These are exciting times for Rawtenstall and we're working closely with Rossendale Borough Council to deliver these works on their behalf There will inevitably be some disruption as we make these improvements so we just ask everyone to bear with us and allow extra time when travelling in the area."  The Lancashire Economic Growth & Development Investment Fund (LEGDIF) is a strategic initiative led by Lancashire County Council aimed at fostering economic growth and development within Lancashire By merging the remaining funds from the Lancashire Economic Recovery & Growth Fund (LERG) and the Lancashire Levelling Up Investment Fund (LLUIF) LEGDIF builds on this success and seeks to support key sectors including emerging opportunities like cybersecurity the fund aims to allocate remaining resources effectively and continue to drive economic growth and regeneration Cookie Settings Powered by Onclusive PR Manager™ Sign our campaign for a grant funding review DAY Architectural led on the design of the revamped Rawtenstall Market Part of the borough’s successful £17m Levelling Up Fund bid the proposals will see the market get new entrances and a multi-purpose space for hosting events and pop-ups Rossendale Council voted to approve the Rawtenstall Market changes at its development control meeting last week Rawtenstall Market sits off Newchurch Road although a past fire means that the oldest existing building is from 1923 Footfall in the past years has declined from 1,500 to 800 visitors combined with its dated frontage and lack of greenery has prompted the council to refurbish the space the new version of Rawtenstall Market will boast solar panels a refurbished roof with improved insulation and double-glazed roof lights Parts of its façade will be demolished to enable the reconfigured entrances – including one that will open up directly onto Bank Street The market has been designed to be opened five days a week There would be regular events to help drive people to the space as well as new stalls and an outdoor seating area with the proposed version set to have 25 car parking spaces five will be equipped for EV charging and four will be reserved for those who are disabled There will also be a designated motorcycle space and a cycle store said she was “delighted” to get planning permission “This is a key part of our masterplan for the town centre adding value to ongoing improvements in the town centre,” she said “We are confident that these changes will make the market a more vibrant and fit-for-purpose destination for traders and shoppers alike for the long term.” Barnes also paid tribute to the project’s architect: DAY Architectural “We would also like to thank the design team at DAY Architectural for their professional input and contributions to the project designs to date which have played a key role in progressing our plans efficiently and effectively,” Barnes said “This project demonstrates our ongoing commitment to breathing new life into our town centres and markets across the borough ensuring they continue to serve as valuable hubs for our communities.” the project team includes planner Roman Summer heritage consultant Paul Butler Associates You can see the approved plans by searching application reference number 2024/0274 on Rossendale Council’s planning portal Read our comments policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The housebuilder has secured approval for a 50-home sustainable scheme in Edenfield after the eight-acre plot was acquired from Peel Land A long-held ambition to relocate Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s headquarters from Fulwood is part of plans to overhaul the leadership and development centre at Euxton Register for free North West property intelligence Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Join more than 13,000 property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and 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Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" Rawtenstall is one of several North West towns to benefit from long-term govt funding Rossendale Council has signed off a masterplan for the town and accepted £20m of government funding to shape its long-term future and half a dozen development sites all form part of the masterplan which was drawn up by Planit and consulted on earlier this year Some of this work will be funded by government cash; earlier this year Rawtenstall was announced as one of the places that would benefit under the £1.1bn Long-Term Plan for Towns initiative towns will get £20m over a 10-year period to make improvements the Long Term Plan for Towns funding will support projects in Rawtenstall,Crawshawbooth said: “The aim is to regenerate towns over the next decade making them places where people and businesses want to invest creating new jobs and breathing new life into our high streets and town centres “It is envisaged that some of the Long Term Plan for Towns funding could support some of the projects identified in the masterplan which have been developed following lots of meaningful discussions with the local community.” When are you going to stop talking about what you are going to do and actually start doing it 🤔 Waterfoot never gets anything done to it all way bacup & rawtenstall& hassy I grew up in Bacup in the 50 s and 60 s my father was the local GP covering most of Bacup Rawtenstall,,Waterfoot and surrounding areas Uncovering the cobbles that were covered in tarmac about 20 years ago after being uncovered about 10 years before that Does that mean we will get an improved train station we’ve heard all this for a while now… a couple of things from me – “regeneration” of the market more takeaways selling overpriced trendy cuisine… obviously what we need traffic… already at crisis levels-and set to get much worse as housing developers flood the east lancs moors with “modern” housing how about some investment in that direction in an attempt to alleviate the daily gridlock that is Rawtenstall don’t get me started on the rest of the Valley infrastructure… too many cooks spoil the broth allegedly… long-standing traders that have been responsible for the renaissance (it’s already happened) of the market and banning them from selling alcohol so that the new proposals can create a monopoly for the new owner to have the benefit of all the profits The public and the existing traders don’t want this at all Have they learnt nothing from the stalled Haslingden Market proposals The latest walk report from Rossendale Ramblers By InYourArea Community · 14 February 2025 We have been lucky on our walks this week in that the weather has stayed dry 18 ramblers ventured out on a 10 mile walk from Rawtenstall that showed off the lovely and often challenging countryside in the area The group visited the Halo above Haslingden one of four panopticon sculptures in Lancashire that serve as symbols of renaissance of the area It was day time so it was not glowing blue The walk also included parts of the Rossendale Way and Cribden Hill with its spectacular panorama on such a clear day our rearranged New Year walk and meal took place on Sunday with 20 walkers starting from Pleasington and enjoying the local scenery to include Witton Park Billinge Hill and the Wainwright topography to mark the spot where Alfred Wainwright first saw the Cumbrian Fells This was followed by 17 enjoying a very sociable meal in a local pub February 15 we have a two hour pub walk from Holcombe Brook that will take us through Redisher Woods and along the edge of the MoD firing range before returning to the pub for an optional lunch and are the best way to find out what we are like On the following day we are near Accrington for a six mile walk that will take us along part of the Huncoat Trail a scenic walk that celebrates the local area February 19 we offer what promises to be a delightful 10 mile walk that will include parts of the Burnley Our walks are free, but after three walks with us we ask you to join The Ramblers, at a cost of only £3.58 per month. Further information about Rossendale Ramblers can be found on our website at www.rossendale-ramblers.co.uk, or you can contact us via secretary Bernie on 07752 570304, or at inforosram@gmail.com See more from Rossendale, Lancashire's dedicated InYourArea feed LoadingDaily Email Updates {{contentTitle}}