It was founded in1886 byThomas Purvis Ritzema as theNorthern Daily Telegraph. It changed its title in 1956 to theNorthern Evening Telegraph, then once more in 1963 to theLancashire Evening Telegraph. It adopted its present title in 2006 when it started to distribute copies in the morning.

It was a pioneer in Web-based publishing among British newspapers; in 1995 it became the first regional newspaper to publish daily news online.

It’s published byNewsquest (North West) from editorial offices inBlackburn. Until 2006 there were also offices in Burnley, Accrington and Darwen, but these were closed in that year as a cost-cutting measure.

There are two editions:

• Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
• Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale

Both are also available online as e-editions (including for Android and iOS devices) by paid subscription.

There’s also a companion weekly freesheet,The Citizen; and a monthly tabloid aimed at the Asian community in the North West,Asian Image, which was launched in February 2009.