Today marks 131 years since the world’s first practical electric tramway opened - in Blackpool.

The Lancashire resort lead the world in the innovative new method of transport when the first line opened on September 29, 1885.

The first part was a conduit line from Cocker Street to Dean Street on Blackpool Promenade.

It was one of the first practical electric tramways in the world, just six years after Werner von Siemens first demonstrated electric traction.

The inauguration was presided over by Holroyd Smith, the inventor of the system, and Alderman Harwood, the Mayor of Manchester.

Today the system is still going strong with a network of trams around the resort.

We’ve all been there. When a complete stranger calls you ‘love’ or ‘darling’, how do you react?

Are you insulted or are you immediately imbued with a sense of cosy warmth from the uninvited familiarity?

I ,for one, fall into the first camp.

When a man, or for that matter a woman, labels me ‘sweetie’, ‘doll’ or ‘ball-breaker’, a little part of me dies inside.

This is the same part of me that withers when I pass a building site full of cat-calling workmen while wearing a skirt.

Or the bit that cries when a reader rings up to speak to the editor, then assumes I am ‘his’ secretary.

But I am just as guilty as the next woman of accepting this.

When I’m called ‘chick’ or ‘babe’, I mentally roll my eyes then carry on with a wearied resignation.

When a ‘hormonal’ jibe is made, I fake laugh, when another woman is fat-shamed I fail to pass comment.

In other words I, as many woman, am part of perpetuating the inarguable condescension of everyday sexism.

I even have a sliding scale of insult.

If an adorable old man calls me ‘love’, I just smile and think it’s cute.

If a female colleague calls me ‘darling’, I internally plot her demise and smile.

To object after all would be dull, unattractive and to label myself a humourless-bore.

Surely?

And therein lies the problem.

Here in 2016, women still feel they must accept this to fit in.

Equality is still a long way off.

Of course, many would argue that a ‘pet’ name is simply a sign of affection.

And it can be, between partners, family and close friends or, erm, pets.

But at what point do we draw the line?

This week, research instigated by Kelloggs revealed a list of words that women would, in reality, like obliterated from the English language.

Number one was ‘bird’ – a word that not only indicates a certain frailty but is also inherently belittling, often used to link a woman to a man like an accessory, i.e ‘his bird’.

This was closely followed by ‘doll’, again a moniker that implies a shallow sort of object where appearance trumps usefulness.

Then number three, a particular bugbear of mine and often employed by the over-friendly stranger – ‘chick’.

One down from bird, it seems chicks are still safely in the nest and under control.

Right now you are probably judging me for pointing this out, but that sums it up.

I’m not a ‘ball-breaker’, just a strong woman, sweetie.

They have proved to be among the most controversial beach chalets in the country but Wyre Council says the 10 newest huts on Fleetwood seafront have turned out to be a hit.

The council says all of the chalets, built within the colonnade adjoining the Marine Hall and made from timber and glass, have now been leased out.

They were completed in May and cost £150,000 to build, with the money contentiously coming out of the remains of the £1.5m Five For Fleetwood scheme which was originally intended for other projects.

There have been angry claims that some of those projects, including the scheme which became the skate bowl, have not been fully completed and upset over their location.

But Wyre says the huts, leased on a six year basis with minimal tenders for an annual rent of £1,500, will raise vital revenue for Wyre and have proved a success. Coun Pete Murphy, Wyre’s economic development portfolio holder, said the chalets were fully leased. But Wyre Labour leader, Coun Ruth Duffy, said: “The bottom line is that only 10 families will benefit.”

“The money could should have been used on things like expanding the skate bowl and lowering the costs of the splash pad.”

The number of prosecutions for domestic violence in Lancashire dropped by almost a quarter in the first half of this year, compared to the same time last year.

Lancashire Constabulary recorded 332 fewer prosecutions for domestic violence between January and June this year, according to figures published under a Freedom of Information request.

Last year 1,365 people were charged with offences but this year it was 1,033.

Lancashire CPS, which makes the decision to charge people, said it could not comment as the figures, uncovered by an freedom of information request to police forces by solicitors Simpson Millar, were not its own.

Emma Pearmaine, director of family services and chairman of domestic violence charity, Corporate Alliance, said: “In some areas, the number of prosecutions has fallen by over a third from one year to the next. We urgently need to understand why this might be to make sure victims are not suffering in silence.

“Victims of domestic violence need to know that they can come forward and ask for help from either the police, their lawyer or other support agencies for help.

“For women aged 15-44, domestic violence is the single greatest cause of injury and illness and we need to make sure that the law is being applied so that they can live without fear and harassment.”

One Lancashire woman who was attacked by her partner said there needed to be provision in the courts for domestic violence victims. Her case did not make it to court as it took her several months to report the assault. She said: “The time limits are also a problem because it can take victims ages to have the courage to come forward.For the sake of your children, you try to fix it from the inside.”

A Lancashire Police spokesman said the force was committed to tackling and preventing domestic abuse and works with a number of agencies to detect it.

The public are being asked to back proposals to create new marine wildlife havens off the Fylde coast.

The Wildlife Trust has called on Government to improve protection for threatened marine species by increasing the number of Marine Conservation Zones around he UK.

A list of 48 sites around the UK has been put forward by the Trust including three off Lancashire which would help improve conditions in spawning grounds in the Wyre, Ribble and Lune estuaries.

The trust hopes that if all 48 zones it will complete a network of special places where habitats and wildlife can flourish to safeguard healthy and productive seas for the future.

The proposals would limit some trawler activity – a move which may not be popular with fishing industry bosses already concerned by the encroachment of wind farms on fishing grounds.

Dr Emily Baxter, senior marine conservation officer for the North West Wildlife Trusts says: “Mud habitats in the Irish Sea are home to diverse communities of marine life.

“You may think deep muddy plains would look like deserts but they have the potential to be as diverse as rainforests on land. These undersea landscapes have already been damaged, fish stocks have declined and species are at risk.

“Three deep water mud sites were put forward to Government in 2012, as recommended Marine Conservation Zones, but have not yet been designated. These sites are needed to complete the network of protected areas in the Irish Sea.”

The proposed zones are a food source for species as diverse as Manx shearwaters, guillemots, puffins, razorbills, and gannets are attracted by the fish.

Basking sharks, whales and dolphins also travel to this hotspot to feed. The deep muddy habitats are vital in helping to drive this system.

Last year a humpback whale was sighted in the Irish Sea, along with pods of more than 100 bottle-nose dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, basking sharks and leatherback turtles.

The Trust’s report has been published in advance of the Government’s plans to announce a third and final phase of Marine Conservation Zones – the Government plans to consult the public in 2017 and designate the chosen zones in 2018.

It says the 48 areas proposed by The Wildlife Trusts nationally will be the final gap-fillers in a ‘blue belt’ of marine protection,

Dr Baxter said: “We will be working hard to ensure the third and final phase of sites is ambitious enough to give our seas the protection they deserve.

For more information visit www.irishsea.org/muddyMCZfriends.

According to an online dictionary I consulted –purely for the purposes of this first paragraph – the word ‘glacial’ can be defined in three ways.

Firstly, ‘glacial’ can mean relating to or denoting the presence or agency of ice, especially in the form of glaciers; secondly, it can mean very cold, or icy; thirdly it can mean extremely slow (like the movement of a glacier).

All of these definitions can apply to Gillian Anderson and The Fall (BBC2, Thursdays, 9pm). Anderson, all silk blouses, cheekbones and blonde – almost white – hair, plays DCI Stella Gibson, whose ice maiden exterior hides secret passions and a penchant for casual sex with colleagues.

In the first series of this cool, sleek, police drama, Gibson had been called in to help the investigation into a serial killer laying waste to the brunette professional women of Belfast.

By the second series, Gibson had established that the ‘Belfast Strangler’ was smoking hot grief counsellor and ice cold psycho Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan). That series closed with Spector lying mortally wounded in Gibson’s arms, and this first episode of the third series picked up things in the immediate aftermath.

The ‘action’, such as it was, mostly took place in a grey, dimly-lit, unfathomably empty hospital – apparently no one visits the A&E in Belfast, it must be really easy to get a GP appointment over there.

Doctors battled to save Spector’s life, there was gore galore in the operating theatre, and there were ruminations on the doctor’s obligation to treat all casualties the same.

Much of this was deadly dull, and seem to move at a snail’s pace, but the – virtually wordless – last five minutes, as Spector lay motionless in a hospital bed (Dornan probably glad of a good lie down after all his 50 Shades... bedroom gymnastics), and Gibson comforted a confused, dying old woman were hypnotic and full of foreboding, right down to the, literally, eye-opening twist.

It may have all the speed and warmth of a glacier, but The Fall also has the same relentless, chilling forward motion, which makes for some compelling drama.

Final preparations are underway for the third Blackpool Music Festival, which will be held at venues across the town on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 7, 8 and 9.

This year’s free family event will see artists performing at the Winter Gardens, The Waterloo, The Golden Eagle, HMV, and The Galleon Bar, and will support homeless resort charity Streetlife.

Creative director Stephen Pierre, who has taken over from original organiser Jon Bamborough this year, said: “Promoting live music events, festivals and culture are a great way to boost the town’s year round economy and to attract a wider range of visitor.

“When public arts funding is being cut, it’s a case of joined up thinking and pooling resources to make such events happen.”

Visit www.blackpoolmusicfestival.com for more.

The Government’s planned revaluation of business rates has been hailed as “good news” for Lancashire’s businesses.

Local Government Minister Marcus Jones has published a consultation on the revaluation of business rates which will ensure bills accurately reflect changes in the property market.

Business leaders have said for many years that the current business rates system is crippling them and stifling growth. An online petition set up by The Gazette’s parent company Johnston Press calling for an overhaul of the business rates system was signed by more than 5,000 people in 2014. Meanwhile, draft rateable values were being published by the Valuation Office Agency.

John Webber from commercial real estate company Colliers International said the revaluations will be “the largest changes to business rates in a generation”.

New figures published as part of the Government consultation show that the majority of businesses across the country will be unaffected or better off by the changes, with many looking forward to their bills falling.

The Government says that revaluation will reduce bills in the North West by 10 per cent before inflation and transitional relief.

Babs Murphy, chief executive of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce said: “It is good to see that the Government is looking at a wide-ranging fairer business rates system, as this unfair tax hammers businesses across the country, before they’ve even made single pound in profit. This announcement has to be good news for business”.

The deadline for the consultation is October 26. Details can be found at www.gov.uk.

The Monster Raving Loony Party is holding its annual political conference in Blackpool this weekend.

The Loony festivities began on Friday night at the Uncle Tom’s Cabin pub on Queen’s Promenade, and will continue until Sunday.

Saturday will see members of the party take to the streets of Blackpool in an open-top bus in a rally starting at Uncle Tom’s Cabin at noon.

The Monster Raving Loony Party, led by Alan “Howling Laud” Hope, proved a huge hit in the resort at its previous party conference last year.

Party policies include the legalisation of broccoli, jobseekers being made to stand two abreast in order to halve dole queues, a summer ice lolly allowance for elderly people – and free university tuition for all.

Important Monster Raving Loony Party cabinet roles include Shadow Minister for the Abolition of Gravity (Nick Delves), Shadow Minister for Non-Committed Manifesto Commitments (RU Seerius), and the Minister for Blatant Lies and Big Fibs (Knigel Knapp).

Firefighters tackled a blaze that had spread to the roof of a home in Thornton.

Crews were called to Weldburn Walk at about 10pm on Saturday, to an initial 999 call reporting that a shed attached to a house was on fire.

Extra fire engines were then called for, after firefighters arriving at the scene discovered the blaze had spread to the roof of the house.

There were four fire engines from Blackpool, Bispham and Fleetwood, as well as an aerial ladder platform.

Firefighters with breathing apparatus used two hosereel jets and a main jet to put out the blaze, using the aerial ladder platform to reach the roof and remove parts of it, so burning timber could be doused with water.

A statement from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said nobody was hurt, and said an investigation had begun into the cause of the fire.

Pleasure Beach bosses this week announced a new £16.25m rollercoaster would open in the amusement park in 2018.

Built by respected German outfit Mack Rides, Construction 2018, as it has been dubbed, will be the first UK ride to feature a double launch – two powerful thrusts of acceleration during the ride.

VIDEO: Take a virtual ride on Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s new £16.25m rollercoaster

Riders will experience the same levels of G-force felt by the driver of a Formula 1 car.

Pleasure Beach boss Amanda Thompson teased the announcement on twitter, sending coaster fans around the world into meltdown.

A video of a virtual ride on the new coaster has now reached almost one million people on the Gazette’s Facebook page.

Here’s what our readers had to say:

Looks fabulous. An ancient institution of the town reinvesting in it’s future.

MrPotatoHead

£79 for a single local’s season pass, great value that any locals with kids should take advantage of this Christmas. We go regularly and bar lunch money , it is a really fun and cheap day out. Plus you dodge the initial ticket queue with your pass!

FY8BigMouth

Innovate to accumulate. Great news. The pleasure Beach is an employment asset to the town and this news will assist in protecting all existing jobs and bring some new ones to the park. We have all knocked PB down the years but the cold hard truth is its success is key to the town’s fortunes. Wetherspoon must have had advance notice of this news with the £4m investment in the Velvet Coaster last year.

blackpooljourno

Another reason to visit blackpool

Mark Elsdon

If it’s by the Macks, it will be fantastic.

Simon Davies

It’s getting overhyped like a drama alert video

Joe Tregoiing

Eat your heart out Disneyland

Brian Newman

OK, mixed reviews I see so far. I think it is amazing and a step in the right direction for the park which is a huge investment.

OK, it’s not Helix or Bluefire-style layout and they could have added more inversions etc, but it’s a great layout for the first double launch Mack coaster for the UK market. Can’t wait to ride it in 2018!

Stu Gutteridge

It’s funny how all the people who understand anything about coasters are flipping out with excitement, everyone that doesn’t understand them says it needs more hoops and dips. This will flat out be the best coaster in the UK, and is the first time we’ve had a world class attraction since 1994. Thank you Pleasure Beach, for giving us this £16m gift.

Benjamin T Fry

Well if you can spend that on a rollercoaster how about doing something to sea front where all the shops have disappeared. A rollercoaster will not pull holiday makers in to come and stay. All that Blackpool has now is The Blackpool Tower, The Pleasure Beach and the best thing ever is the Blackpool Illuminations. Make Blackpool a place people want to holiday again. I do love Blackpool but more could be done to get people holidaying there again.

Yvonne Amanda Giles

People who are saying that the Big One is better clearly don’t know anything about coasters. You don’t hear anything about arrow dynamics... oh wait, they went into liquidation.

Lewis Bafc Vincent

Great, a new coaster. It does seem a little sedate. I just hope the height restrictions allow for it to be more of a family ride. It reminds me a little of 13 at Alton Towers. I really don’t foresee there being major traffic headaches with this on a virtually-deserted part of the Prom.

Alistair Waling

It just seems long, not particularly fast and no big dips or loops.

I’m quite disappointed. Something like the Rip it Rockit or the Hulk ride in Universal would have been much more exciting.

Nathan Fuller

Looks okay and I probably would have had a go on it, but sadly we don’t frequent BPB anymore due to the extortionate prices charged. Can’t just wander around the rides any more and just watch the youngsters, which is quite fun when you get to a certain age

Angela Beattie

I don’t go on coasters, but even I know there’s something wrong here: where’s the loop-de-loop? There’s a vertical climb, a corkscrew, some heavy banking- sure, but why no loop-de-loop?

Jake Kirk

This looks ace, can’t wait to have a go – well done Pleasure Beach it looks a great ride – and always good to get new things. Good luck with the install.

Jo Rodger

Biggest problem I think is the fact that you have to pay now to go in the Pleasure Beach even if you don’t want to go on a ride, Blackpool has gone downhill from what it used to be when I was really young.

Ben Sas

It’s about time there was a new major attraction. I remember going on the Big One way back in 1993 when it first opened.

Great for its time, but time for something new.... come on Blackpool, make the Pleasure Beach great again!

Keir Merrick Ferguson

Two adults and one child is £70. So £30 for an unlimited pass for an adult and a tenner for a child. Good value in my opinion to ride rollercoasters for the whole day.

Andy Moore

For a family park it may be nice to have a tamer coaster. One ALL the family can ride.

BPB has the right mix and balance of rides and that is what makes it so effective ! I went to Alton Towers on a school trip, TOTALLY disappointed. Very spread out and no balance of rides. It was either the high energy thrills rides or CBeebies land! So I’m not going to knock this till I try it out .

Gisela Szlatozlavek

Don’t knock it guys till you try it! I’ve been on some rides That looked awesome and was very disappointed!

Go BPB! Iam sure it will only be positive for jobs, tourism and become a money-maker for the place I have lived all my life!

JoJo Swift

Life-saving defibrillators are being hunted down across Lancashire as paramedic chiefs launch their second annual Shoctober.

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) is asking people to #FindTheDefib and tweet selfies in order to help find the estimated thousands of life-saving machines that have been bought with good intentions but aren’t registered with the NHS trust.

There has been an encouraging proliferation of defibs across the county in recent years, particularly at schools and sport venues, sometimes prompted by emergencies where casualties could have benefitted from one.

It is essential for ambulance services to be aware of the locations of all public defibrillators (AEDs) in their area in order for emergency medical dispatchers to direct 999 callers to them in the event of a nearby cardiac arrest.

An arrest occurs when person’s heart stops pumping blood around their body and to their brain. Without intervention, the patient will die within minutes.

AEDs can “shock” an arrested heart into restarting and if this is done in the first few minutes, patients have a 60 to 70 per cent chance of a full recovery.

Last year during Shoctober, NWAS received almost 6,000 tweets from across the region identifying the locations of 290 defibrillators hitherto unknown to it.

NWAS community engagement manager Andrew Redgrave said: “The use of public defibrillators can mean the difference between life and death for a patient in cardiac arrest. They allow everyday members of the public can become lifesavers by delivering the all-important shock before we’ve arrived. Even just two or three minutes earlier can make a huge difference.

“We know that many people raise funds in their local area to have these installed but what they often do is forget to tell us they’ve done so. This means that we could get a call for a suspected cardiac arrest where this vital piece of kit is available and we can’t tell the caller to go and get it.”

AEDs are easy to use, easy to carry and won’t deliver a shock unless required. No training is needed to use one. Their location is sometimes be marked with a sign showing a white heart on a green background, or they may just be mounted on a wall.

Anyone seeing one is asked to take a selfie with it and either tweet the photo via @NWambulance using the hashtag #findthedefib, giving as many details as possible regarding its location, send the photo via NWAS’s Facebook page or email nwasenquiries@nwas.nhs.uk.

Blackpool Airport is to be put back on the market in a shock move by owner Balfour Beatty.

A letter seen by the Gazette from Airport Manager Jay Gates has gone out to business partners to tell them that both the operating company Squires Gate Airport Operations Ltd and the airport estate itself will be offered for sale – and to reassure them that it will be business as usual in the meantime.

The move comes almost two years after Balfour Beatty announced the end of international holiday flights at Squires Gate and a temporary closure of the airport after an initial plan to put it up for sale came to nothing.

Today Balfour confirmed the plans to sell up, saying it was part of its continuous review of its investments portfolio.

A spokesman said: “We have begun very early discussions with a number of organisations regarding the potential sale of Balfour Beatty’s 95 per cent share in Blackpool Airport.

“Blackpool Council are aware of these early discussions.”

The council owns the other five per cent share.

The news has been greeted with a cautious welcome by campaigners who would like to see holiday flights return, and by the MP in whose constituency it lies – Fylde’s Mark Menzies.

He said that whoever eventually takes over should look to maintain and develop the aviation business on the site and not merely view it as a building development opportunity

Mr Menzies said: “It has always been my view that Blackpool Airport is an integral piece of the Fylde coast’s transport infrastructure and I was extremely disappointed when commercial holiday operators ceased flying from the resort in 2014.

“While it is now operating again on a limited basis it may be that it is time for a new owner with a clear business plan which will make proper use of this valuable asset.

“However, let me be clear, the site should only be bought by someone planning to operate and hopefully reinvigorate the airport.

“Anyone who may be thinking this is an opportunity for development should think again as they would face opposition on an unprecedented scale from people across the Fylde coast.

“When the airport was being considered for Enterprise Zone status I made it clear that I would only support a plan which retained the runway with a view to making the overall site profitable and able to again sustain airport functions.

“Throughout this period my focus has only been on reopening the airport and I hope to see it operating as a successful entity again in the near future.”

Rob Blower from the Save the Blackpool Airport group said the news of the sale was a surprise.

He said: “It’s a nice surprise however. Whoever buys it needs to be someone with an aviation background and not just someone looking to exploit the land.

“The private and general aviation has kept the airport’s head above water and we would like to see that safeguarded.

“The airport is a lot more attractive to potential buyers now than it was two years ago with all the debt hanging over it.” He said the enterprise zone made it even more attractive to investors – but added the dream would be to bring back international flights.

He added: “The energy college is coming along well where the terminal used to be and they did promise to build another.

“There is plenty of room behind to build a terminal but they would be starting from scratch so it would need someone with a bit of vision.”

At the time of the closure on October 16, 2014, Balfour, which bought it in 2008, said the holiday flights were causing losses of £1.5m a year and debts had hit £34m .

The airport had been profitable and, in 2007, handled in excess of 500,000 passengers before the global recession hit hard and numbers fell to 223,372 passengers in 2014.

General aviation flights restarted within months of the closure and Citywing returned the following April with commercial flights.

This year the airport was made part of a new enterprise zone which launched in April with the aim of creating 3,000 jobs and work began on a new energy centre on the site of the former international terminal, which will be part of Blackpool and The Fylde College.

In the sale letter to the businesses which currently operate on the site, Balfour states that the airport is currently operating profitably.

It has small-scale general aviation, private executive jets, the helicopter operation to the Morecambe Bay gas rigs by Babcock Offshore and commercial flights from Citywing to the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

It also mentions the development opportunities presented by land at the site which is not required for aviation operations.

It states: “As you will be aware the airport is now within the new enterprise zone established to encourage and stimulate development and job creation including aeronautical related development.

“Balfour Beatty is seeking a new owner who can take advantage of the significant opportunities that now exist, deliver strategic growth and develop the airport further.”

It added that Jones Lang Lasalle had been appointed to market the airport and said the process was unlikely to be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2017.

“The sale process will have little effect on the day to day operations and business will continue as usual.”

The group behind a last ditch bid to save one of Wyre’s libraries has now been revealed.

The Thornton Cleveleys Gala Committee, backed by Coun Andrea Kay, has launched an unexpected move to take over the Four Lane Ends property.

Under the proposals the building would be used as a library and community hub.

And those behind the scheme are hopeful County Hall chiefs will accept their offer.

Emma Ellison, chairman of Thornton Cleveleys Gala Committee, said: “We have submitted an expression of interest to Lancashire County Council and now we will wait to hear from them – we expect it to be a lengthy process.

“For some time we have been looking for our own place and at our latest meeting we decided the library would be the best option.

“We have done our sums and we think it is a good plan.

“The idea would be for us to continue with some of the library services, such as book lending and some computer services, but instead of providing laptops people would be able to bring their own in and we could offer free WiFi.

“We would also hire space out to local community groups, including the craft and toddlers groups who have already been using the library.

“It wouldn’t be free to use but we would keep costs low so people could afford it – we think if each member of local groups paid just one pound, that would raise a decent amount of money but make it affordable.

“We’d also be holding fundraisers to bring money in.

“It’s a shame the library has closed but this would be one way of keeping some of the activities running.”

Coun Kay is hoping members of the Friends of Thornton and Cleveleys Libraries will get behind the proposals.

And she is working hard to put together another bid, alongside an established community interest company, for Cleveleys library.

Coun Kay said: “I can’t reveal too much at this stage but a lot of work has gone in and hopefully we will see something come from it.

“In Thornton I’d like to think we can start getting people behind the bid and show County Hall there is as much support as possible.”

Wyre residents are being urged to share their views on life in the borough and be in with a chance of winning a Kindle Fire.

Wyre Council wants to know what people think about everything from beaches, parks and playgrounds to dog fouling, rubbish and recycling, in its biennial survey Life In Wyre.

Feedback from residents will directly influence council services and inform the authority about what it’s doing well and areas for improvement.

A sample of 3,500 residents across Wyre have been sent a survey in the post and anyone can complete it online at wyre.gov.uk/lifeinwyre.

Responses must be received by November 13.

Everyone who completes the survey can enter a prize draw to win a Kindle Fire.

Police want to speak to this man after a report of indecent exposure at Blackpool North Train Station.

The incident took place on Saturday, September 17, around 7.20pm.

PC Melanie Reid, of British Transport Police, said: “A man, who was intending to travel to Carlisle, was asked to leave the 7.11pm Northern service from Blackpool North due to his behaviour.

“On leaving the service at Poulton station he exposed himself to passengers on the train, including young children, from the platform.”

Officers have managed to isolate a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to. PC Reid added: “I believe this man will have vital information.”

Call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 174 of 05/10/2016.

Ukip leadership favourite Steven Woolfe is in a “serious” condition in hospital after an altercation at a meeting of the party’s MEPs, Nigel Farage has said.

Ukip leadership favourite Steven Woolfe is in a “serious” condition in hospital after an altercation at a meeting of the party’s MEPs, Nigel Farage has said.

A statement from Ukip’s interim leader said: “I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of Ukip MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital. His condition is serious.”

A party spokesman said Mr Woolfe was “taken suddenly ill” in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg on Thursday morning.

The spokesman added: “He has been taken to hospital in the city and he is undergoing tests.”

A Blackpool police officer who ‘sexted’ fellow officers on duty, ignored emergency calls and was involved in the running of a business selling soiled underwear online has been dismissed for gross misconduct.

PC Julian Berry, a traffic officer based at Blackpool Police Station, was suspended from duty in June last year when the allegations first came to light.

A misconduct hearing, at Leyland Police Station, found that on 13 occasions between 2005 and 2015, PC Julian Berry breached Lancashire Police’s standards of professional behaviour.

The hearing heard how PC Berry had sent sexually explicit images to fellow officers while on duty and had made a number of unwanted sexual advances to women, both police staff and members of the public.

Representing Lancashire Police at the hearing Oliver Williamson said PC Berry had:

- Failed to acknowledge two emergency calls while on duty in Blackpool, remaining parked in his patrol car outside night clubs where he was seen speaking with women

- Send images of himself in his underwear and of his exposed privates to a special constable while on duty.

- Driven away from his allocated area while on duty to visit a PC with whom he was having a sexual relationship

- Sent messages in which he admitted being asleep on the M55

- Made repeated unwanted advances to a Blackpool taxi firm employee

- Made sexual advances to a Blackpool police communications worker

- Made unwanted advances by email to a married police communications worker

- Made sexually explicit remarks to a coffee shop worker

- Gave a lift home in a marked police car to a woman he had contacted through a website

- Sent messages to his wife discussing details of a business in which worn underwear was sold online

Lancashire Constabulary’s Head of Professional Standards, Det Supt Sam Mackenzie, said: “The hearing has found that PC Berry’s behaviour while on duty and while he should have been serving the public of Lancashire was wholly unacceptable.

“Conduct of this type not only undermines the trust and confidence of the communities of Lancashire in our officers and staff, but the police service as a whole.

“I am very sorry for any harm that this conduct has caused and I apologise to those people on behalf of the Constabulary.

“The vast majority of our officers and staff take pride in working for the police service and do a fantastic job every day serving our communities, some of whom are extremely vulnerable when we come into contact with them. Behaviour such as that shown by PC Berry does not only let the public down but undermines all those committed officers and staff trying to serve the public to the best of their ability.

“I would also like to express my sincere thanks to those people who have come forward and reported these matters, it can take courage to come forward and report issues such as these, but I hope the public can see that when they do we will not shy away from dealing with them.

“The public quite rightly expect us to maintain the highest standards of professional behaviour and we are committed to ensuring this.

“Conduct such as that of PC Berry is hugely disappointing and we will continue to take action whenever the behaviour of our staff falls below those high standards.”

PC Berry, who did not attend, when requested, interviews with professional standards officers, did not attend the hearing and made no attempt to deny the allegations made has 10 working days to appeal the decision.

His wife was cautioned, under the postal services act, in December last year

Gas exploration company Cuadrilla said it welcomed the decision to grant planning consent for its applications to drill, hydraulically fracture and test the flow of gas from up to four exploration wells at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire.

It added: “Regarding a similar application for a proposed site at Roseacre Wood, where the Secretary of State is minded to grant following further consultation on highways conditions, Cuadrilla looks forward to demonstrating that it will meet these requirements.

Francis Egan, chief executive officer of Cuadrilla said immediately after the announcement: “We are very pleased that we can now move ahead with our shale gas exploration plans which will start to create new economic growth opportunities and jobs for people in Lancashire and the UK.

“As a Lancashire business we are proud that the county will play such a vital role in securing vitally needed home sourced energy.

“We are confident that our operations will be safe and responsible and the comprehensive site monitoring programme planned by regulators and independent academics will in due course conclusively demonstrate this. We hope this will reassure the minority of people whom remain sceptical about shale gas exploration. This news has given Lancashire a big vote of confidence in its economic and energy future.”

The decision has received a warm welcome from industry which believes a home grown onshore gas sector will provide energy, raw materials and jobs.

Babs Murphy, chief executive of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Developing a viable shale industry in Lancashire will have positive economic implications for the region in terms of investment, jobs and supply chain engagement and has the potential to provide security of energy supply to manufacturers.

“Today’s announcement means that local businesses will be in pole position for future shale gas supply chain opportunities.”

Ken Cronin, chief executive of onshore gas industry body UKOOG said: “The approval of the application at Preston New Road is an important step forward towards determining what gas resources we have under our feet. We need the gas to heat our homes, produce electricity, supply our industries and to reduce our dependency on imports.

“The onshore oil and gas industry is committed to producing this gas in the safest and most environmentally sensitive way possible and to creating jobs and opportunities in the supply chain.

Lee Petts, Chairman of the Institute of Directors in Lancashire said: “We know from research conducted independently earlier this year by ComRes that half (53 per cent) of Lancashire business decision makers believe that the development of a shale gas industry in Lancashire would have a positive impact on the local economy.

“What we need to see now is this small amount of exploratory drilling and fracking being conducted safely and as quickly as possible so that the results can be analysed and a better understanding gained of the commercial potential of this natural resource.”