5 of the biggest breaking stories from across Lancashire this week

Lancashire Post

️ The week's news round-up from across Lancashire.. including the death of a much-loved bar owner, live paedophile stings and the closure of a popular garden centre.

Transcript

00:00Hello, I'm digital reporter Matt with the Lancashire Post and Blackpool Gazette, and

00:05these are five of our biggest breaking news stories from this week. Tributes have been

00:09paid to Preston's Wine Down bar owner, James Douglas Lowe, who died in a horrible freak

00:14accident. James Lowe, 57, known as Doug or Dougie, of Wine Down in Lancaster Road was

00:22killed instantly after his car was struck by a falling tree on a journey back from the

00:26Edinburgh Fringe Festival on Tuesday, August 20th. He was sadly protected at the scene

00:31on the A683 at Lowe Haygarth near Sedburgh in Cumbria at around 6pm. His son, Will, was

00:38a passenger in the BMW but was uninjured. Paying tribute, Will said he and his father

00:43did everything together and were more best friends than father and son. He was a tremendously

00:48loving man, his son added. In Blackpool, a 51-year-old man was arrested

00:54after pedophile hunters staged a live sting near Herons Reach golf course. The man from

01:00the Mearside area of the resort was confronted by the vigilante group at Herons Reach near

01:05Stanley Park on Sunday afternoon. The sting was live streamed on Facebook at 4.30pm and

01:10has since been viewed more than 324,000 times. The 51-year-old was described as a prolific

01:17predator when he was interrogated on camera by the group's leaders and accused of speaking

01:21with 20-30 children online, some aged as young as 12.

01:26Lancashire Police were called to the scene and he was arrested on suspicion of engaging

01:30in sexual communication with a child. Lancashire Police said he was taken into custody and

01:34later bailed. The force said an investigation is ongoing.

01:40Lancashire Police were also called to reports of a sudden death in Blackpool on the Grange

01:44Park estate. Police ambulance crews were called to the scene at a new-build home in Sidford

01:50Court near Boundary Primary School at around 3pm. Lancashire Police described her death

01:57as sudden but not suspicious. She was aged in her 50s.

02:04Popular Garden Centre, Plantworld at Myersscoe College is to shut down this week after 30

02:10years. Plantworld Garden Centre, located at the college on St. Michael's Road in North

02:15Preston, has operated for more than 30 years but will close its doors for the last time

02:19this week, with the final day of trading on Saturday, August 31st. The reasons for

02:24the closure are related to running costs and how they are no longer sustainable to keep

02:29the centre open. The garden house tearooms will also close on the same day. As it is

02:34the centre's last week of trading, it says customers can enjoy discounts of up to 75%

02:40of all remaining plants and up to 50% of all garden accessories and sundries.

02:47People's Pleasure Beach has responded to concerns over corroded steelwork on one of

02:51its roller coasters. A visitor showed pictures of the eroded metalwork on the park's Revolution

02:57Ride and expressed concern for the ride's safety. Andrew writes he was queuing for the

03:01roller coaster when he snapped pictures of the rusty and broken steel on the ride's

03:06caged loading station. The Pleasure Beach Resort said it is aware of the corrosion but

03:10says the Revolution Roller Coaster is completely safe. In a statement to the Gazette, the park

03:16said the corrosion is due to the salty sea air. It says all steelwork on rides is regularly

03:21inspected, tested and maintained, and the corroded parts do not affect the safety or

03:26enjoyment of the roller coaster. A spokesperson for the Pleasure Beach said,

03:30non-structural steel corrosion is inevitable due to our coastal location and something

03:35we are all well equipped to deal with. Last winter we carried out extensive maintenance

03:39on the cage and replaced the majority of the latticework on the shore side of the ride.

03:45We will be replacing other areas this winter when the park is closed for the season.

03:49They are five of our biggest breaking stories from across Lancashire this week.

03:54Thank you and enjoy your weekend.

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