FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 17 - 23 JUNE 1974
This week's many stories include the Langtree Street engineering firm that fired a metal bolt through a bedroom window, Sutton Harriers clubhouse is described as the last outpost to hell, Bonzo the Whiston puppy goes on the pill, concerns are raised over a stagnant brook off Berrys Lane and the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association decide to continue their legal battle against Daleholme Estates.
We begin on the 17th with another demonstration against Leathers Chemicals. The Monday morning demos in Lancots Lane in Sutton were becoming regular events. This week's protest attracted about fifty people who were told that nurses from St Helens Hospital would next week be joining them to picket the sulphuric acid factory.
On the 18th the Liverpool Daily Post described how Pilkingtons was setting up a new company called Teleglass at their Ravenhead factory in St Helens to manufacture and sell glass for black and white and colour televisions. The American glass group Owens-Illinois – which owned 50% of United Glass – was set to take a minority interest in the company. The £2.7m programme to upgrade the Ravenhead works was expected to be completed by December and a further investment of £4.5 million had also been authorised.
Also on the 18th the St Helens Newspaper published a lengthy critique of the shocking state of the HQ of Sutton Harriers athletics club in Marshalls Cross, writing: "Sutton Harriers' clubhouse must be seen to be believed. It's like a glimpse into the dark and distant past. The first thing that strikes you about it is how desolate the place looks – abandoned, neglected." One member of the club described their hut as "like the last outpost to hell".
The Newspaper also called the hut a "shambles of a shack", as they explained how the Harriers was one of the best known athletics clubs in Britain, particularly when it came to cross-country racing – but they never invited their racing friends back to Sutton because they were ashamed of their facilities. But the club that was currently marking its 75th anniversary now had a 5-year-plan to rebuild their HQ and they were busy fundraising, with appeals for donations having been sent out to local firms.
On the 19th what was billed as International Wrestling took place at the Fleece Hotel in St Helens with three male bouts, including one featuring a grappler calling himself Pedro the Gypsy. And a "special ladies contest" featured a bout between Hellcat Haggarty from Ireland and "Anglo Italian" wrestler Paula Valdez.
A meeting of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association was held in the Blackbrook Derby and Joan Club on the 19th to decide whether to continue their legal battle with Daleholme Estates. The dispute dated back two years when the residents were told to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems was detected.
Earlier this year it was announced that Daleholme who had built the estate had settled out of court and agreed to pay the 328 homeowners a total of £11,500 compensation. Each would receive an average of £35 (around £500 in today's money), which included an "inconvenience allowance" of £15.
But the building firm had now withdrawn their offer of a £15 allowance leading to accusations of them breaking their word and behaving unethically. The Association's Chairman, Les Webster, told the meeting: "Daleholme have admitted out of court and also in a newspaper that they are liable for flue alteration. Unless we get a cheque for £11,000, we won't settle out of court."
The Liverpool Daily Post on the 20th wrote: "Little seven month-old puppy Bonzo just didn't know what he was letting himself in for when he decided to gulp down 14 pills he found lying on a bedroom dressing table. For only hours later he was being rushed to the local vet – after his owner discovered the pup had swallowed her supply of birth pills! And last night, Bonzo was sick – literally – of the sight of pills of any description after the vet had forced him to be sick to bring them up. Otherwise, well … Bonzo wouldn't have been a “real” dog any more."
Bonzo's owner was Linda O’Connor of Pottery Close in Whiston who told the Daily Post: "We rushed him to the animal hospital at Cowley Hill Lane in St Helens and the vet told us that if we had left it any longer, Bonzo would have been “affected” by the pills. He would have lost his masculinity."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 21st and Gladys Philbin was amongst a number of residents of Langtree Street complaining about a troublesome engineering firm. Although Mrs Philbin had numerous issues with Williams Engineering – including the noise and black dust that she said the firm generated – an experience with a metal bolt had made her particularly concerned over her safety.
That was after a machine at the works had gone wrong and fired the bolt across the street over a 12-foot wall and straight through her bedroom window! The missile landed on her pillow but fortunately Mrs Philbin's head was not lying on it at the time!
"One day my front step was covered with tiny black pebbles that had been coming over the factory wall," she continued. "And a few days after the windows have been washed, they're just as black again." And her neighbour Annie Lealey said: "I pay the council £6 a week rent. It's a lot when you can get no pleasure out of your home. I have been told by my doctor that the environment I live in is bad for my health. It's no wonder with all that dust."
Ada Greenall was another unhappy resident, telling the Reporter: "Most of the road is sick to the teeth with the firm. We were rehoused from a slum area but this is many times worse." And Thomas Talbot said: "They start at eight in the morning and never let up until eight at night sometimes. This goes on seven days a week, Sundays included."
Now the angry householders planned to contact the Prime Minister Harold Wilson to ask for his help. Last November the residents had sent a petition containing over 50 names to St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs and given a copy to St Helens Council – but complained that they had heard nothing since. Mr Spriggs told the Reporter that he had passed the petition onto the council.
Norman Williams was the owner of the firm that shot blasted and steam cleaned vehicles and said: "We had the inspectors from the Health and Sanitary Department around about four weeks ago. They said that everything was in order. We try to work with them and keep the firm within the regulations. I realise the noise is loud, but the wall keeps most of it inside the yard. On Sunday we usually finish at midday and in the week rarely work past six-thirty."
The residents of Portland Way, off Berrys Lane, were also featured in the Reporter after signing a petition calling on St Helens Council to fill in a stagnant brook behind their homes. The neighbours were concerned that the brook posed a danger to their toddlers, who were able to get to the water by squeezing between the iron railings at its front. It was also claimed that rats had been seen coming from the brook and that it was often used as a dumping ground and smelt badly during the summer.
Elsie Mitchell had three children aged under five and told the paper: "I don't know how many times Stephen, two, has lost pairs of shoes in the brook – and the kids throw all their toys into it." Margaret Kay described how her 20-month-old-daughter, Karen, had been hurt after getting her foot trapped in twisted metal after scrambling through the railings to reach the brook.
And Mrs Rita Atherton, who had two young daughters, said: "They've both fallen in twice up to their waists in slime. "I live on the first floor of a flat near the brook, but none of the windows face it so I've got to keep going out to look for the girls, because they make a bee-line for the water."
It had been the annual Rainford Walking Day last weekend and the Reporter had a photo of the procession in which over 600 children had taken part on a sunlit day. Afterwards tea was consumed in the Parish Hall and then the kids entered the recreation ground for games and Silcocks fair.
The 22nd was the Campion School Sports and Gala Day on their Stafford Road playing fields. Admission was 10p for adults and 5p for children and pensioners. It was also the Rainhill Carnival and large crowds turned out to enjoy the sunshine and see the highly decorated floats.
Eleven-year-old Julie Byrne was crowned Rose Queen inside the Village Hall where hundreds of exhibits were on show to the public. The Reporter wrote: "The carnival spirit carried on into the late afternoon with a galaxy of sideshows and stalls. In the evening a disco and dance brought the day to a fine end."
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include claims of a military invasion of the St Helens Show, the eavesdropping of telephone calls at the Town Hall, fury in Farndon Avenue over road mess and an update on the much delayed Parr Baths.
We begin on the 17th with another demonstration against Leathers Chemicals. The Monday morning demos in Lancots Lane in Sutton were becoming regular events. This week's protest attracted about fifty people who were told that nurses from St Helens Hospital would next week be joining them to picket the sulphuric acid factory.
On the 18th the Liverpool Daily Post described how Pilkingtons was setting up a new company called Teleglass at their Ravenhead factory in St Helens to manufacture and sell glass for black and white and colour televisions. The American glass group Owens-Illinois – which owned 50% of United Glass – was set to take a minority interest in the company. The £2.7m programme to upgrade the Ravenhead works was expected to be completed by December and a further investment of £4.5 million had also been authorised.
Also on the 18th the St Helens Newspaper published a lengthy critique of the shocking state of the HQ of Sutton Harriers athletics club in Marshalls Cross, writing: "Sutton Harriers' clubhouse must be seen to be believed. It's like a glimpse into the dark and distant past. The first thing that strikes you about it is how desolate the place looks – abandoned, neglected." One member of the club described their hut as "like the last outpost to hell".
The Newspaper also called the hut a "shambles of a shack", as they explained how the Harriers was one of the best known athletics clubs in Britain, particularly when it came to cross-country racing – but they never invited their racing friends back to Sutton because they were ashamed of their facilities. But the club that was currently marking its 75th anniversary now had a 5-year-plan to rebuild their HQ and they were busy fundraising, with appeals for donations having been sent out to local firms.
A meeting of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association was held in the Blackbrook Derby and Joan Club on the 19th to decide whether to continue their legal battle with Daleholme Estates. The dispute dated back two years when the residents were told to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems was detected.
Earlier this year it was announced that Daleholme who had built the estate had settled out of court and agreed to pay the 328 homeowners a total of £11,500 compensation. Each would receive an average of £35 (around £500 in today's money), which included an "inconvenience allowance" of £15.
But the building firm had now withdrawn their offer of a £15 allowance leading to accusations of them breaking their word and behaving unethically. The Association's Chairman, Les Webster, told the meeting: "Daleholme have admitted out of court and also in a newspaper that they are liable for flue alteration. Unless we get a cheque for £11,000, we won't settle out of court."
The Liverpool Daily Post on the 20th wrote: "Little seven month-old puppy Bonzo just didn't know what he was letting himself in for when he decided to gulp down 14 pills he found lying on a bedroom dressing table. For only hours later he was being rushed to the local vet – after his owner discovered the pup had swallowed her supply of birth pills! And last night, Bonzo was sick – literally – of the sight of pills of any description after the vet had forced him to be sick to bring them up. Otherwise, well … Bonzo wouldn't have been a “real” dog any more."
Bonzo's owner was Linda O’Connor of Pottery Close in Whiston who told the Daily Post: "We rushed him to the animal hospital at Cowley Hill Lane in St Helens and the vet told us that if we had left it any longer, Bonzo would have been “affected” by the pills. He would have lost his masculinity."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 21st and Gladys Philbin was amongst a number of residents of Langtree Street complaining about a troublesome engineering firm. Although Mrs Philbin had numerous issues with Williams Engineering – including the noise and black dust that she said the firm generated – an experience with a metal bolt had made her particularly concerned over her safety.
That was after a machine at the works had gone wrong and fired the bolt across the street over a 12-foot wall and straight through her bedroom window! The missile landed on her pillow but fortunately Mrs Philbin's head was not lying on it at the time!
"One day my front step was covered with tiny black pebbles that had been coming over the factory wall," she continued. "And a few days after the windows have been washed, they're just as black again." And her neighbour Annie Lealey said: "I pay the council £6 a week rent. It's a lot when you can get no pleasure out of your home. I have been told by my doctor that the environment I live in is bad for my health. It's no wonder with all that dust."
Ada Greenall was another unhappy resident, telling the Reporter: "Most of the road is sick to the teeth with the firm. We were rehoused from a slum area but this is many times worse." And Thomas Talbot said: "They start at eight in the morning and never let up until eight at night sometimes. This goes on seven days a week, Sundays included."
Now the angry householders planned to contact the Prime Minister Harold Wilson to ask for his help. Last November the residents had sent a petition containing over 50 names to St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs and given a copy to St Helens Council – but complained that they had heard nothing since. Mr Spriggs told the Reporter that he had passed the petition onto the council.
Norman Williams was the owner of the firm that shot blasted and steam cleaned vehicles and said: "We had the inspectors from the Health and Sanitary Department around about four weeks ago. They said that everything was in order. We try to work with them and keep the firm within the regulations. I realise the noise is loud, but the wall keeps most of it inside the yard. On Sunday we usually finish at midday and in the week rarely work past six-thirty."
The residents of Portland Way, off Berrys Lane, were also featured in the Reporter after signing a petition calling on St Helens Council to fill in a stagnant brook behind their homes. The neighbours were concerned that the brook posed a danger to their toddlers, who were able to get to the water by squeezing between the iron railings at its front. It was also claimed that rats had been seen coming from the brook and that it was often used as a dumping ground and smelt badly during the summer.
Elsie Mitchell had three children aged under five and told the paper: "I don't know how many times Stephen, two, has lost pairs of shoes in the brook – and the kids throw all their toys into it." Margaret Kay described how her 20-month-old-daughter, Karen, had been hurt after getting her foot trapped in twisted metal after scrambling through the railings to reach the brook.
And Mrs Rita Atherton, who had two young daughters, said: "They've both fallen in twice up to their waists in slime. "I live on the first floor of a flat near the brook, but none of the windows face it so I've got to keep going out to look for the girls, because they make a bee-line for the water."
It had been the annual Rainford Walking Day last weekend and the Reporter had a photo of the procession in which over 600 children had taken part on a sunlit day. Afterwards tea was consumed in the Parish Hall and then the kids entered the recreation ground for games and Silcocks fair.
The 22nd was the Campion School Sports and Gala Day on their Stafford Road playing fields. Admission was 10p for adults and 5p for children and pensioners. It was also the Rainhill Carnival and large crowds turned out to enjoy the sunshine and see the highly decorated floats.
Eleven-year-old Julie Byrne was crowned Rose Queen inside the Village Hall where hundreds of exhibits were on show to the public. The Reporter wrote: "The carnival spirit carried on into the late afternoon with a galaxy of sideshows and stalls. In the evening a disco and dance brought the day to a fine end."
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include claims of a military invasion of the St Helens Show, the eavesdropping of telephone calls at the Town Hall, fury in Farndon Avenue over road mess and an update on the much delayed Parr Baths.
This week's many stories include the Langtree Street engineering firm that fired a metal bolt through a bedroom window, Sutton Harriers clubhouse is described as the last outpost to hell, Bonzo the Whiston puppy goes on the pill, concerns are raised over a stagnant brook off Berrys Lane and the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association decide to continue their legal battle against Daleholme Estates.
We begin on the 17th with another demonstration against Leathers Chemicals. The Monday morning demos in Lancots Lane in Sutton were becoming regular events.
This week's protest attracted about fifty people who were told that nurses from St Helens Hospital would next week be joining them to picket the sulphuric acid factory.
On the 18th the Liverpool Daily Post described how Pilkingtons was setting up a new company called Teleglass at their Ravenhead factory in St Helens to manufacture and sell glass for black and white and colour televisions.
The American glass group Owens-Illinois – which owned 50% of United Glass – was set to take a minority interest in the company.
The £2.7m programme to upgrade the Ravenhead works was expected to be completed by December and a further investment of £4.5 million had also been authorised.
Also on the 18th the St Helens Newspaper published a lengthy critique of the shocking state of the HQ of Sutton Harriers athletics club in Marshalls Cross, writing:
"Sutton Harriers' clubhouse must be seen to be believed. It's like a glimpse into the dark and distant past. The first thing that strikes you about it is how desolate the place looks – abandoned, neglected."
One member of the club described their hut as "like the last outpost to hell".
The Newspaper also called the hut a "shambles of a shack", as they explained how the Harriers was one of the best known athletics clubs in Britain, particularly when it came to cross-country racing – but they never invited their racing friends back to Sutton because they were ashamed of their facilities.
But the club that was currently marking its 75th anniversary now had a 5-year-plan to rebuild their HQ and they were busy fundraising, with appeals for donations having been sent out to local firms.
On the 19th what was billed as International Wrestling took place at the Fleece Hotel in St Helens with three male bouts, including one featuring a grappler calling himself Pedro the Gypsy.
And a "special ladies contest" featured a bout between Hellcat Haggarty from Ireland and "Anglo Italian" wrestler Paula Valdez.
A meeting of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association was held in the Blackbrook Derby and Joan Club on the 19th to decide whether to continue their legal battle with Daleholme Estates.
The dispute dated back two years when the residents were told to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems was detected.
Earlier this year it was announced that Daleholme who had built the estate had settled out of court and agreed to pay the 328 homeowners a total of £11,500 compensation.
Each would receive an average of £35 (around £500 in today's money), which included an "inconvenience allowance" of £15.
But the building firm had now withdrawn their offer of a £15 allowance leading to accusations of them breaking their word and behaving unethically.
The Association's Chairman, Les Webster, told the meeting: "Daleholme have admitted out of court and also in a newspaper that they are liable for flue alteration. Unless we get a cheque for £11,000, we won't settle out of court."
The Liverpool Daily Post on the 20th wrote:
"Little seven month-old puppy Bonzo just didn't know what he was letting himself in for when he decided to gulp down 14 pills he found lying on a bedroom dressing table.
"For only hours later he was being rushed to the local vet – after his owner discovered the pup had swallowed her supply of birth pills!
"And last night, Bonzo was sick – literally – of the sight of pills of any description after the vet had forced him to be sick to bring them up. Otherwise, well … Bonzo wouldn't have been a “real” dog any more."
Bonzo's owner was Linda O’Connor of Pottery Close in Whiston who told the Daily Post:
"We rushed him to the animal hospital at Cowley Hill Lane in St Helens and the vet told us that if we had left it any longer, Bonzo would have been “affected” by the pills. He would have lost his masculinity."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 21st and Gladys Philbin was amongst a number of residents of Langtree Street complaining about a troublesome engineering firm.
Although Mrs Philbin had numerous issues with Williams Engineering – including the noise and black dust that she said the firm generated – an experience with a metal bolt had made her particularly concerned over her safety.
That was after a machine at the works had gone wrong and fired the bolt across the street over a 12-foot wall and straight through her bedroom window!
The missile landed on her pillow but fortunately Mrs Philbin's head was not lying on it at the time!
"One day my front step was covered with tiny black pebbles that had been coming over the factory wall," she continued. "And a few days after the windows have been washed, they're just as black again."
And her neighbour Annie Lealey said: "I pay the council £6 a week rent. It's a lot when you can get no pleasure out of your home. I have been told by my doctor that the environment I live in is bad for my health. It's no wonder with all that dust."
Ada Greenall was another unhappy resident, telling the Reporter:
"Most of the road is sick to the teeth with the firm. We were rehoused from a slum area but this is many times worse."
And Thomas Talbot said: "They start at eight in the morning and never let up until eight at night sometimes. This goes on seven days a week, Sundays included."
Now the angry householders planned to contact the Prime Minister Harold Wilson to ask for his help.
Last November the residents had sent a petition containing over 50 names to St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs and given a copy to St Helens Council – but complained that they had heard nothing since.
Mr Spriggs told the Reporter that he had passed the petition onto the council.
Norman Williams was the owner of the firm that shot blasted and steam cleaned vehicles and said:
"We had the inspectors from the Health and Sanitary Department around about four weeks ago. They said that everything was in order. We try to work with them and keep the firm within the regulations.
"I realise the noise is loud, but the wall keeps most of it inside the yard. On Sunday we usually finish at midday and in the week rarely work past six-thirty."
The residents of Portland Way, off Berrys Lane, were also featured in the Reporter after signing a petition calling on St Helens Council to fill in a stagnant brook behind their homes.
The neighbours were concerned that the brook posed a danger to their toddlers, who were able to get to the water by squeezing between the iron railings at its front.
It was also claimed that rats had been seen coming from the brook and that it was often used as a dumping ground and smelt badly during the summer.
Elsie Mitchell had three children aged under five and told the paper: "I don't know how many times Stephen, two, has lost pairs of shoes in the brook – and the kids throw all their toys into it."
Margaret Kay described how her 20-month-old-daughter, Karen, had been hurt after getting her foot trapped in twisted metal after scrambling through the railings to reach the brook.
And Mrs Rita Atherton, who had two young daughters, said: "They've both fallen in twice up to their waists in slime.
"I live on the first floor of a flat near the brook, but none of the windows face it so I've got to keep going out to look for the girls, because they make a bee-line for the water."
It had been the annual Rainford Walking Day last weekend and the Reporter had a photo of the procession in which over 600 children had taken part on a sunlit day.
Afterwards tea was consumed in the Parish Hall and then the kids entered the recreation ground for games and Silcocks fair.
The 22nd was the Campion School Sports and Gala Day on their Stafford Road playing fields. Admission was 10p for adults and 5p for children and pensioners.
It was also the Rainhill Carnival and large crowds turned out to enjoy the sunshine and see the highly decorated floats.
Eleven-year-old Julie Byrne was crowned Rose Queen inside the Village Hall where hundreds of exhibits were on show to the public. The Reporter wrote:
"The carnival spirit carried on into the late afternoon with a galaxy of sideshows and stalls. In the evening a disco and dance brought the day to a fine end."
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include claims of a military invasion of the St Helens Show, the eavesdropping of telephone calls at the Town Hall, fury in Farndon Avenue over road mess and an update on the much delayed Parr Baths.
We begin on the 17th with another demonstration against Leathers Chemicals. The Monday morning demos in Lancots Lane in Sutton were becoming regular events.
This week's protest attracted about fifty people who were told that nurses from St Helens Hospital would next week be joining them to picket the sulphuric acid factory.
On the 18th the Liverpool Daily Post described how Pilkingtons was setting up a new company called Teleglass at their Ravenhead factory in St Helens to manufacture and sell glass for black and white and colour televisions.
The American glass group Owens-Illinois – which owned 50% of United Glass – was set to take a minority interest in the company.
The £2.7m programme to upgrade the Ravenhead works was expected to be completed by December and a further investment of £4.5 million had also been authorised.
Also on the 18th the St Helens Newspaper published a lengthy critique of the shocking state of the HQ of Sutton Harriers athletics club in Marshalls Cross, writing:
"Sutton Harriers' clubhouse must be seen to be believed. It's like a glimpse into the dark and distant past. The first thing that strikes you about it is how desolate the place looks – abandoned, neglected."
One member of the club described their hut as "like the last outpost to hell".
The Newspaper also called the hut a "shambles of a shack", as they explained how the Harriers was one of the best known athletics clubs in Britain, particularly when it came to cross-country racing – but they never invited their racing friends back to Sutton because they were ashamed of their facilities.
But the club that was currently marking its 75th anniversary now had a 5-year-plan to rebuild their HQ and they were busy fundraising, with appeals for donations having been sent out to local firms.
And a "special ladies contest" featured a bout between Hellcat Haggarty from Ireland and "Anglo Italian" wrestler Paula Valdez.
A meeting of the Chain Lane Ratepayers Association was held in the Blackbrook Derby and Joan Club on the 19th to decide whether to continue their legal battle with Daleholme Estates.
The dispute dated back two years when the residents were told to switch off their gas boilers after a potential killer in their central heating systems was detected.
Earlier this year it was announced that Daleholme who had built the estate had settled out of court and agreed to pay the 328 homeowners a total of £11,500 compensation.
Each would receive an average of £35 (around £500 in today's money), which included an "inconvenience allowance" of £15.
But the building firm had now withdrawn their offer of a £15 allowance leading to accusations of them breaking their word and behaving unethically.
The Association's Chairman, Les Webster, told the meeting: "Daleholme have admitted out of court and also in a newspaper that they are liable for flue alteration. Unless we get a cheque for £11,000, we won't settle out of court."
The Liverpool Daily Post on the 20th wrote:
"Little seven month-old puppy Bonzo just didn't know what he was letting himself in for when he decided to gulp down 14 pills he found lying on a bedroom dressing table.
"For only hours later he was being rushed to the local vet – after his owner discovered the pup had swallowed her supply of birth pills!
"And last night, Bonzo was sick – literally – of the sight of pills of any description after the vet had forced him to be sick to bring them up. Otherwise, well … Bonzo wouldn't have been a “real” dog any more."
Bonzo's owner was Linda O’Connor of Pottery Close in Whiston who told the Daily Post:
"We rushed him to the animal hospital at Cowley Hill Lane in St Helens and the vet told us that if we had left it any longer, Bonzo would have been “affected” by the pills. He would have lost his masculinity."
The St Helens Reporter was published on the 21st and Gladys Philbin was amongst a number of residents of Langtree Street complaining about a troublesome engineering firm.
Although Mrs Philbin had numerous issues with Williams Engineering – including the noise and black dust that she said the firm generated – an experience with a metal bolt had made her particularly concerned over her safety.
That was after a machine at the works had gone wrong and fired the bolt across the street over a 12-foot wall and straight through her bedroom window!
The missile landed on her pillow but fortunately Mrs Philbin's head was not lying on it at the time!
"One day my front step was covered with tiny black pebbles that had been coming over the factory wall," she continued. "And a few days after the windows have been washed, they're just as black again."
And her neighbour Annie Lealey said: "I pay the council £6 a week rent. It's a lot when you can get no pleasure out of your home. I have been told by my doctor that the environment I live in is bad for my health. It's no wonder with all that dust."
Ada Greenall was another unhappy resident, telling the Reporter:
"Most of the road is sick to the teeth with the firm. We were rehoused from a slum area but this is many times worse."
And Thomas Talbot said: "They start at eight in the morning and never let up until eight at night sometimes. This goes on seven days a week, Sundays included."
Now the angry householders planned to contact the Prime Minister Harold Wilson to ask for his help.
Last November the residents had sent a petition containing over 50 names to St Helens MP Leslie Spriggs and given a copy to St Helens Council – but complained that they had heard nothing since.
Mr Spriggs told the Reporter that he had passed the petition onto the council.
Norman Williams was the owner of the firm that shot blasted and steam cleaned vehicles and said:
"We had the inspectors from the Health and Sanitary Department around about four weeks ago. They said that everything was in order. We try to work with them and keep the firm within the regulations.
"I realise the noise is loud, but the wall keeps most of it inside the yard. On Sunday we usually finish at midday and in the week rarely work past six-thirty."
The residents of Portland Way, off Berrys Lane, were also featured in the Reporter after signing a petition calling on St Helens Council to fill in a stagnant brook behind their homes.
The neighbours were concerned that the brook posed a danger to their toddlers, who were able to get to the water by squeezing between the iron railings at its front.
It was also claimed that rats had been seen coming from the brook and that it was often used as a dumping ground and smelt badly during the summer.
Elsie Mitchell had three children aged under five and told the paper: "I don't know how many times Stephen, two, has lost pairs of shoes in the brook – and the kids throw all their toys into it."
Margaret Kay described how her 20-month-old-daughter, Karen, had been hurt after getting her foot trapped in twisted metal after scrambling through the railings to reach the brook.
And Mrs Rita Atherton, who had two young daughters, said: "They've both fallen in twice up to their waists in slime.
"I live on the first floor of a flat near the brook, but none of the windows face it so I've got to keep going out to look for the girls, because they make a bee-line for the water."
It had been the annual Rainford Walking Day last weekend and the Reporter had a photo of the procession in which over 600 children had taken part on a sunlit day.
Afterwards tea was consumed in the Parish Hall and then the kids entered the recreation ground for games and Silcocks fair.
The 22nd was the Campion School Sports and Gala Day on their Stafford Road playing fields. Admission was 10p for adults and 5p for children and pensioners.
It was also the Rainhill Carnival and large crowds turned out to enjoy the sunshine and see the highly decorated floats.
Eleven-year-old Julie Byrne was crowned Rose Queen inside the Village Hall where hundreds of exhibits were on show to the public. The Reporter wrote:
"The carnival spirit carried on into the late afternoon with a galaxy of sideshows and stalls. In the evening a disco and dance brought the day to a fine end."
St Helens Reporter and Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include claims of a military invasion of the St Helens Show, the eavesdropping of telephone calls at the Town Hall, fury in Farndon Avenue over road mess and an update on the much delayed Parr Baths.