Emily Parker

A Transport Focus survey found the North West tied with the Midlands and M25 regions for England’s lowest satisfaction with motorways and A roads. The M60 scored particularly poorly, with only 63% of users satisfied, largely because of congestion and journey times, while the M56 performed much better and ranked as England’s third-best motorway. Ongoing and planned works, including improvements at M60 Junction 18 expected to continue until 2030, may cause further disruption before delivering potential safety and travel-time benefits. Councillors and residents say chronic congestion around Junction 13 is harming quality of life and discouraging people from living in the area, while Salford City Council and National Highways say they are working with regional partners to develop a solution.

McDonald's is giving 20 engaged or newlywed couples the chance to win up to 150 personalised sauce pots and 150 portions of large fries for their wedding guests. The bespoke sauces can feature messages for the couples, and entrants must follow McDonald's UK on Instagram, like the promotional post and comment with their favourite dip while tagging their future spouse. Entries close at 5pm on August 12, with winners due to be selected within 24 hours.

Newly released Argentine police files include photographs, CCTV, witness statements and family testimony documenting Liam Payne's final hours before his October 2024 death at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. The files describe alleged drug use, damage to his room, encounters with two escorts and the arrival of friend Rogelio "Roger" Nores shortly before Payne fell from the balcony. A grainy image of Payne swinging from a pole at 3:21 a.m. has prompted investigators and sources to speculate that he may have been attempting to climb out rather than deliberately taking his own life. Nores was cleared of manslaughter and drug-supply allegations, while two alleged cocaine suppliers remain involved in plea negotiations.

Manchester’s 2026 Caribbean Carnival brought thousands of spectators to Whalley Range and Moss Side for a parade featuring 11 troupes, dancers, musicians, masquerade, soca, calypso and steelpan music. The event began with its largest-ever J’ouvert, involving 17 troupes, including one from France, and continued at Alexandra Park across the weekend. Julia Burke of Manchester Carnival Together CIC highlighted the carnival’s role in preserving Caribbean culture and bringing generations together, while noting the financial pressures facing major community events.

Rafiya Sherin initially attributed persistent dizziness, sickness and fatigue to food poisoning after becoming ill while travelling in Serbia and Egypt. Blood tests later revealed dangerously low blood levels and complete bone marrow failure, leading to an emergency transfusion and a diagnosis of severe aplastic anaemia. Now monitored frequently and dependent on regular transfusions, she is awaiting a stem cell transplant. Sherin is working with DKMS UK to encourage more people—especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds—to join the donor register, where low overall and minority representation reduces patients' chances of finding a match.

KFC has closed its Barlow Moor Road restaurant in Chorlton after 32 years, with staff relocated to nearby stores including the Sale branch. Burger King is expected to take over the premises and open its first Chorlton restaurant on August 7, offering 1,000 free burgers to early customers. The new site will initially operate from 10am to 9pm and then open daily from 8am to 11pm.

The Met Office has issued yellow thunderstorm warnings for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland on August 4, with further warnings for northern and eastern Scotland on August 5. Heavy showers and thunderstorms may disrupt transport and outdoor events. The warnings follow an unusually warm period, including a UK temperature of 33.5°C at Wisley and a record 20 days reaching at least 32°C in 2026. The UK Health Security Agency has issued heat-health alerts for several regions, while Greater Manchester and the wider North West may experience heavy rain without a formal thunderstorm warning.

Comedian Jimmy Cricket, whose real name was James Mulgrew, has died aged 80 after a short illness. He became prominent as a Bluecoat before appearing on the television series And There’s More and hosting the BBC Radio 2 program Jimmy’s Cricket Team. His family remembered him as a devoted husband, father and grandfather who continued joking with loved ones and NHS staff until the end. Fellow comedian Freddie 'Parrot Face' Davies paid tribute to Cricket’s gentle, traditional variety comedy and his ability to entertain audiences throughout his career.

More than 100 guests reportedly queued for over an hour at Tenerife’s Paradise Park Hotel before rushing to claim preferred sun loungers when a pool barrier opened. Holidaymaker Nick Hughes filmed the scramble and said the competitive behaviour contrasted with hotel signs prohibiting sunbed reservations. He suggested assigning loungers, introducing an app-based booking system or fairly allocating pool areas, while noting that the complex appeared to have enough loungers overall. Hughes and his family avoided the rush by having breakfast and using another pool.

Tesco has again been ranked the most expensive supermarket for a basket of eight everyday groceries, costing £13.50. Morrisons cut the price of its tea bags by about 5%, reducing its basket to £13.43 and making it the second most expensive retailer. Lidl remained cheapest at £13.11, followed by Aldi at £13.13, Asda at £13.32 and Sainsbury’s at £13.37. Asda’s basket rose slightly after a mince-price increase, while retailers questioned whether the comparison products were genuinely like-for-like and said their broader value was not reflected by the limited basket.

Sainsbury's has agreed to sell Argos to Swift Partners for at least £120 million, transferring 201 standalone shops, 450 collection points, 466 in-store outlets and around 1,400 employees. Argos will continue operating inside Sainsbury's supermarkets under a long-term arrangement, with Nectar remaining usable across both businesses and Sainsbury's continuing to sell Habitat products. Swift Partners executive chairman Richard Pennycook said the group may open new standalone stores and is considering reviving the Argos catalogue while strengthening the brand's digital capabilities and nationwide reach.

Brad Rogers, 54, from Minster in Kent, lost 15 stone after reaching 26st 7lb and struggling with mobility and playing football with his son. He joined the Man v Fat weight-loss programme in August 2024, combined weekly football with dietary changes, and later added gym workouts, walking, running and swimming. Rogers now weighs 11st 7lb, plays football three times a week and goes to the gym daily. He says cutting out regular takeaways, including spending around £8,000 a year at McDonald's, saved money and helped bring him closer to his son, whom he now coaches in football.

High Peak MP Jon Pearce is urging major UK retailers to suspend sales of disposable barbecues for the rest of the summer as wildfires continue to affect areas including Derbyshire, Greater Manchester and Suffolk. He is also calling for a nationwide ban on using disposable barbecues in public spaces, citing their role in preventable fires and the heightened risks created by hotter, drier conditions. Several retailers, including Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, had already stopped selling them, while Co-op, Morrisons, Tesco and Home Bargains agreed not to stock them in High Peak stores. Firefighters are still tackling the Dovestone Reservoir blaze, while other fires have caused major incidents and extensive environmental damage.

Aldi has updated its UK expansion plans to identify 160 “required locations” for potential new stores, up from 124 previously. Four locations are listed in Greater Manchester: Scholes and Golborne in Wigan, Cheadle, and Oldham Mumps. The update follows Aldi’s plan to open 40 UK supermarkets during 2026 and its wider goal of reaching 1,500 stores, with the retailer citing improved access to affordable groceries.

Greater Manchester's July 30, 2026 mayoral contest is the UK's first mayoral by-election and the country's largest by-election, with more than two million eligible voters. It was triggered after Andy Burnham became the Makerfield MP and was disqualified from serving as mayor because of the role's Police and Crime Commissioner functions. The election returns to supplementary voting, allowing voters to make first- and second-preference choices, and is the first Greater Manchester mayoral election since 2017 not to feature Burnham. Labour's Bev Craig is among seven candidates competing for control over regional priorities including transport, housing and policing.

Manchester Airport is expecting more than 5.7 million passengers during the summer holiday period, exceeding 120,000 daily passengers. Several easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair and Aer Lingus Regional flights were delayed by more than 30 minutes on July 27, while no cancellations were reported. Passengers were advised to follow hand-luggage security rules and allow extra time because Metrolink maintenance is disrupting tram services to and from the airport.

Alex Cheshire-Round, 29, discovered a hard area in her breast at 24 weeks of pregnancy and initially believed it was an early sign of milk production. After her husband urged her to seek medical advice, scans and a biopsy revealed stage-three breast cancer. She underwent surgery at Coventry hospital to remove a 5cm lump and lymph nodes, but her baby became distressed shortly afterward, leading to an emergency Caesarean delivery at 33 weeks. Alex is awaiting further treatment, which is likely to include chemotherapy, and has spoken about fears regarding her fertility, appearance, ability to bond with her children and future health. She urges pregnant women to have unusual physical changes checked rather than assuming they are pregnancy-related.

The Met Office forecasts that temperatures will rise across the UK during the week, reaching a peak of about 33°C in southern and eastern England, particularly around Cambridgeshire, on Wednesday, July 29. Temperatures are expected to reach around 29°C in southern England on Tuesday before easing to approximately 27°C on Thursday and 24°C on Friday, with cooler and wetter conditions in northern areas.

David Forbes was shot in the legs by Daniel Lawless while walking to buy fish and chips in Croxteth, Liverpool, in February 2025. Forbes required extensive surgery, spent weeks in hospital and continues to suffer mobility problems and PTSD, with further treatment planned. Lawless admitted wounding with intent and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 18 and a half years in prison, plus four years on licence. The shooting was found not to have been a targeted attack, but it has left Forbes and his family fearful and affected his employment.

Vanessa Thornton-Yates travelled from Cheshire to Istanbul for cosmetic dental treatment after finding UK treatment more expensive and involving a longer wait. She believed she was receiving 24 individual zirconia crowns, but later learned from her UK dentist that 16 teeth had been permanently joined into bridges. She has experienced persistent pain, bleeding gums, gum recession and difficulty eating, with the bridges allegedly making proper cleaning impossible and contributing to gum disease. Removing and replacing the work could cost between £8,000 and £15,000. Thornton-Yates, who does not name the clinic, is sharing her experience to warn others about the long-term risks of irreversible cosmetic dentistry abroad.

Residents reported finding at least six dead geese, three ducks and a magpie in and around the pond at Clowes Park in Broughton, Salford. Witnesses also described several living geese as lethargic. Salford Council said it was investigating the incident and its possible cause.

Five Metropolitan Police officers were injured when a Marine Policing Unit boat carrying armed officers struck Westminster Bridge in London at about 3:40 p.m. on July 24. Several officers entered the River Thames and were rescued before receiving paramedic treatment. The bridge was closed while emergency services responded, and police said no members of the public were believed to have been injured. The circumstances of the crash will be reviewed.

A Transport Focus survey ranks the M60 as England's third-worst motorway, with only 63% satisfaction, particularly low in journey times. Work has begun on a major upgrade to the Simister Island junction, expected to run until 2030 and cost up to £296m. National Highways and Department for Transport officials say the improvements aim to enhance safety and reduce congestion. National satisfaction levels rose slightly to 71%, with improved perceptions of journey times, surfaces and roadwork management despite continued concerns about disruption.

Andy Burnham, newly appointed UK prime minister, has reportedly invited US president Donald Trump to Manchester as part of plans to host the 2027 G20 summit, marking a significant shift of major political events away from London. The move reflects his pledge to decentralise power and elevate Manchester’s global status. Trump is said to have accepted the invitation despite previously criticising Burnham. After meeting the King, Burnham delivered his first Downing Street address, promising to restore stability and give the public more control over essential aspects of life.

PepsiCo has recalled 140g and 180g packs of Doritos Chilli Heatwave crisps after some were found to contain undeclared milk, posing a risk to people with milk allergies. The Food Standards Agency advised customers not to eat the affected products and to return them for a full refund. Some packs were reportedly filled with a different flavour containing milk despite incorrect labelling.

Andy Burnham will deliver his first speech as UK prime minister shortly after arriving at Downing Street around 12:40pm, following Keir Starmer’s final address and formal resignation to King Charles III. Burnham became Labour leader after securing widespread MP endorsements and plans to focus on devolving power, establishing a northern decision-making hub, expanding council house building, and reforming education. Starmer has pledged full private support for his successor.