It’s by no means an exhaustive compilation but these are the stories which were read the most online and you read them here first. And if you didn’t catch them first time round, now’s the chance to find out the quirkiest and most unusual stories covered by our reporters, in what has been a packed 2022 for news.
7. Strange Things
People were bemused over lights flashing across the night sky - spotted as far away as Bolton. But they needen't have worried about an alien invasions they were part of a 'zombie apocalypse' breaking out at the former Camelot theme park in Charnock Richard. It was the opening weekend of Camelot Rises - the zombie infested horror drive-in experience where thrillseekers park up at the former theme park to watch scary films on the big screen whilst the undead prowl around its eerie grounds Photo: submit
8. Haunted places
The most haunted places in Lancaster and Morecambe were revealed. They included the Winter Gardens in Morecambe which is said to have a 'good side' of spirit activity and an 'evil side' and Smugglers Den in Morecambe. Built in 1640, unsurprisingly for one of the oldest pubs in the area, the pub has accumulated a few unwanted guests over the years. The marshes around Bolton-le-Sands are reputedly haunted by a bride named Matilda and Haggs Wood, Silverdale is home to a legendary flying serpent story Photo: submit
9. Driving test issues
Learner drivers were failing their tests without even turning the engine on. Several reports had been made that examiners at Blackpool Test Centre were refusing to get in cars, saying they were too dirty. Paul Turner's 17-year-old daughter was left distraught when her examiner failed her for having tiny pencil rubber filings on the carpet underneath the passenger seat. A spokesperson for DVSA said that guidance has been issued that cars used on driving tests must be cleaned before the test to lessen the chance of infection following Covid Photo: National World
10. Famous actor
Famous actor David ‘Dai’ Bradley, who played Billy Casper in the film Kes, made a guest appearance at Grant’s Bulldog Forge on Darlington Street East in Wigan. Kes is set in South Yorkshire in the sixties and follows the story of Billy, a 15-year-old boy who comes from a dysfunctional working-class family and is considered a hopeless case at school Photo: submit
11. All about the timing
There was a bizarre case when a Penwortham bar had different opening hours to drinking times. GinJarAle in Penwortham had applied to South Ribble Council for permission to extend its business hours to fall into line with its drinks licence. The application meant an extra half hour on all nights apart from Friday when opening hours will be extended by 90 minutes Photo: National World
12. Chorley Cake drama
A Chorley bus driver was not happy after learning Chorley Cakes were actually made in Burnley. “It’s wrong. So wrong,” declared Wayne Christie, who discovered his favourite brand of Chorley Cake is made in a giant factory 25 miles up the M65 in Burnley. A proud Chorley man, Wayne joked that he wanted to see the town’s famous fruit cake handed the same ‘protected status’ as other regional delicacies in Britain, including the Cornish pasty Photo: National World