Lancashire United (Blazefield) garage at Clitheroe – 31 May 2001 (467-25)

Thursday 31 May 2001 (approx. 0800)

Ribble Motor Services expanded into Clitheroe in September 1926 when it acquired the business of Pendle Motor Services. A quite substantial garage property was then established to house the vehicles serving this part of East Lancashire. In addition to the garage building (right) the site also included a small office/admin unit and a workshop.

The site was behind terraced houses lining Pimlico Road accessed by a street between numbers 17 and 19 Pimlico Road opposite the Waggon & Horses public house. The buildings were subsequently demolished and the site is now occupied by houses of Spring Meadow.

Ribble was acquired by Stagecoach Holdings in May 1989 and the infamous Stagecoach stripes livery replaced what had gone before. In April 2001 Stagecoach sold the former Ribble garages at Clitheroe, Blackburn and Bolton to the Blazefield group which named their new operation Lancashire United (this had no connection with the large bus company that had once served South Lancashire). At the same time the Ribble garage at Burnley was acquired by Blazefield becoming part of Burnley & Pendle.

Less than a couple of months after the Blazefield acquisition I visited Clitheroe and photographed the property and, of course, the buses. About 25 buses were allocated to Clitheroe garage and, since it may have been half term week at local schools, there were quite a few buses to be seen – 12 or so.
One of the buses was 701 (W701 BFV), a Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart new in March 2000, which was receiving attention from the mechanic. An unidentified double decker is parked alongside.