John Scheerhout

Nathan Muir, a 32-year-old man wanted on recall to prison, mocked a Greater Manchester Police Facebook appeal by posting a shirtless selfie and saying officers could have used a better photograph. After further social-media attention, including AI-generated images, police arrested him at an address in Stockport following extensive enquiries and returned him to prison.

Passengers on a Ryanair flight from Barcelona to Manchester endured extreme heat while stuck on the tarmac for more than two hours, with some people fainting and children crying as temperatures reportedly exceeded 40C inside the aircraft. The delay was attributed to thunderstorms, and passengers were eventually forced to disembark before reboarding and departing just after midnight. Ryanair cited weather conditions and said passengers received notifications and refreshment vouchers, while travellers described the experience as distressing and poorly managed.

Police launched a murder investigation after a 75-year-old man was found dead in a house on Ormrod Street in Bolton. A 49-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody while detectives pursue multiple lines of inquiry. Greater Manchester Police notified the victim’s family and appealed for information, urging the public to provide any relevant CCTV or mobile footage to assist the investigation.

A child was seriously injured after falling inside the abandoned Saracens Head pub near Dunham Massey while reportedly filming an urban exploration video for social media. Greater Manchester Police warned that young people are increasingly entering unsafe, privately owned sites and urged parents to discuss the risks, including unstable floors, roofs and staircases, as well as the influence of online trends. Footage from inside the pub does not show the fall, and its connection to the incident remains unclear.

A bomb squad and emergency services attended Abram Close in Fallowfield, south Manchester, after police received reports of a suspicious item in a front garden shortly after 6pm. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel assessed the item while residents from around 20 nearby properties were evacuated. A cordon was later reduced, some roads reopened and residents were told they could return home.

A decorated canal boat owned by army veteran Dave Marshall was left grounded after the Rochdale Canal beside New Islington Marina in Manchester almost completely drained for the second time in six months. Boat owners fear the sudden loss of water could damage hulls or cause vessels to topple, while Marshall believes the latest incident resulted from a faulty repair at a nearby culvert. The Canal & River Trust previously attributed low water levels to unusually dry weather, but residents continue to raise concerns about safety and maintenance.

Greater Manchester Police responded on Easter Sunday to reports of a man carrying a firearm near the Beehive pub on Chorley Old Road in Bolton. A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm, which police later deemed non-viable; reports indicated it was a stick rather than a gun.

An inquest concluded that former boxing champion Ricky Hatton died from hanging, with injuries consistent with that cause and no evidence of suspicious circumstances or third-party involvement. Senior coroner Alison Mutch returned a narrative verdict because she could not establish that Hatton intended to take his own life; he had been drinking, had made future plans and left no note. Post-mortem analysis found alcohol intoxication, evidence of prior cocaine and cannabis use, and mild chronic traumatic encephalopathy associated with repeated boxing-related head injuries. His family described him as loving, future-focused and recently in better spirits, while also noting a decline in his short-term memory.

Clive Thompson, 56, is receiving end-of-life care at Blackrock Hospice in Dublin after aggressive lung cancer spread to his brain and bones. His family in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, is raising £6,000 for a specialist high-dependency ambulance and clinical team to transport him across the Irish Sea so he can spend his final days with loved ones and be buried alongside his parents and sister. A GoFundMe campaign led by his niece Cherelle has raised £3,321, but the family says donations have stalled and is appealing for a final push.

A seven-year-old boy died after being struck by a car on the A38 near Lichfield, Staffordshire, at around 5am on March 7, 2026. Emergency responders attended, but the child was pronounced dead at the scene. Staffordshire Police appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage, while the road was temporarily closed in both directions and the boy’s family was supported by specially trained officers.

Two cars were involved in a serious collision on Ladbrooke Road at the junction with Sycamore Crescent in Ashton-under-Lyne shortly before 6.30pm on January 25, 2026. One vehicle stopped near a roundabout, while the other broke through a hedge and came to rest in a garden. Police, firefighters and paramedics attended, the road was closed, and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters worked with police for about an hour as the scene was made safe. Greater Manchester Police is investigating the incident.

Residents of Summerseat near Bury, Greater Manchester, are demanding action after three vehicles crashed near or into the same home in 15 months. The latest crash, on January 14, 2026, left a garden wall demolished and the driver with minor injuries. Homeowners Ray and Debbie Groundland say repeated incidents have left them fearful, while villagers blame speeding motorists unfamiliar with the narrow single-track lane. Councillor John Southworth has called for residents to help identify solutions, potentially including speed bumps, better lighting and replacement 20mph signs. Greater Manchester Police said no serious injuries were reported and confirmed that an investigation is continuing.

Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein were convicted of preparing an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack targeting Manchester’s Jewish community, while Saadaoui’s brother Bilel was convicted of failing to disclose terrorist acts. The prosecution said the men arranged weapons, conducted reconnaissance of Jewish schools, synagogues and community sites, and considered targeting a pro-Israel march and an event featuring Rachel Riley. An undercover operative known as Farouk infiltrated the group, supplied deactivated weapons as part of a controlled operation and provided recorded evidence that helped police prevent the plot. Authorities said the planned attack could have been the deadliest in UK history, while the defendants’ denials and explanations were rejected by the jury.

Archie McCaig says Manchester Airport charged him £25 after traffic delayed his departure from the Terminal 2 barrierless pick-up zone, despite his claim that he was parked for only four minutes. He is seeking a £20 refund and has threatened to escalate the matter to Andy Burnham's office. Manchester Airport says it is investigating, while defending its drop-off and pick-up fees as necessary to manage limited space and congestion. The airport says drivers can use a free facility at JetParks 1, served by shuttle buses.

A fight between Dougie Joyce and Simon “Slimey” McGinley disrupted Manchester’s Christmas Markets in Exchange Square on Sunday evening and was filmed by onlookers. Both men later posted videos claiming victory and accusing the other of initiating or losing the fight. Greater Manchester Police attended, but the incident had ended by their arrival; officers spoke to both men, neither disclosed details, and no complaints were made. Joyce was also noted for his previous association with former Prime Minister Liz Truss.

False social media rumours about a pupil allegedly carrying a knife at Saddleworth School near Oldham prompted some parents to tell their children to go home. Greater Manchester Police investigated and found no threat to the school or wider community, while headteacher Mike Anderson said the claims were unfounded and that the school had continued operating normally under standard safeguarding measures.

Several diners became unwell at a restaurant on Northenden Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, on 6 September 2025. Emergency services treated multiple people for minor reactions, while at least one diner was reportedly more seriously affected. Police temporarily closed the road, ruled out a gas leak and continued enquiries, with Trafford Council and the Health and Safety Executive also attending. The restaurant was not officially named by police, but reports linked the incident to Dosa Kingss, which announced a temporary closure without confirming whether it was connected.

Ancoats Urban Village GP Practice in Manchester experienced a two-day outage after a network fault beneath Piccadilly railway station disabled its phones and computers. Some patients, frustrated by difficulties securing appointments, verbally abused reception staff. The practice apologised for the disruption, said all patients who needed care were seen and end-of-life patients remained supported, and urged patients to treat staff with patience. Services have been restored through a temporary fix, while a permanent network refit is expected to take several weeks.

A 14-year-old boy died after reportedly being stabbed in New Moston, Manchester, on the evening of 8 June 2025. Witnesses said he ran to a nearby home severely injured and repeatedly said he did not want to die. Greater Manchester Police launched a murder investigation and arrested four people: two boys aged 14 and 16 on suspicion of murder, and a 37-year-old woman and a 14-year-old girl on suspicion of assisting an offender. Detectives are seeking witnesses and information about events near Nevin Road at around 5pm.

A rare 30-metre-high dust devil swept through Manchester city centre, halting traffic on Great Ancoats Street and enveloping a tree before dissipating within minutes. Eyewitnesses Adam Riding and Peter David McHugh described initially believing the phenomenon was a tornado or explosion. Met Office analysis determined it was a dust devil, formed when temperature differences across surfaces caused air to rotate and lift dust and debris. Unlike tornadoes, dust devils develop upward from the ground in sunny, mostly cloudless conditions and are typically short-lived.

Registered childminder Andrea Ward, 63, left three infants unattended at her Bury home on multiple occasions, including a crying baby strapped into a car seat for about 25 minutes while she took other children outside. She initially downplayed the first incident but later admitted the neglect after police intervention. Parents told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that their children had been traumatised and that Ward had betrayed their trust. Ward pleaded guilty to three charges of child neglect and received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months, along with 200 hours of unpaid work and an order to pay £150 in prosecution costs.

Ben Woods, a fit and healthy 21-year-old rugby player from Greater Manchester, drowned in 2022 in the pool of the King Evelthon Beach Hotel and Resort in Paphos, Cyprus. A UK inquest heard allegations that lifeguards were distracted by their phones, could not see the area where Woods was found and lacked confidence using a defibrillator. The hotel pool reportedly had no operating licence, and the family said there had been three deaths there in five years. The coroner recorded an accidental-death verdict, concluding that Woods died from complications caused by aspirating gastric contents and terminal cardio-respiratory failure, while ruling that his modest alcohol consumption was not a contributing factor.

Toby Ashley, now 21, admitted two offences of sexual activity with a child after police found a missing girl under the age of 13 hiding beneath a bed in a Rochdale flat. Prosecutors said DNA evidence linked Ashley to the girl and indicated planning, while the judge accepted that Ashley believed she was 15 and found no evidence of coercion, exploitation or pressure. The court heard Ashley was vulnerable, isolated and in local-authority care when the offences occurred, and that he had no previous convictions and showed genuine remorse. He received an 18-month community order, including 26 Building Choices sessions, 15 rehabilitation activity days, 160 hours of unpaid work and a £22 victim surcharge.

An inquest jury concluded that 22-month-old Hailey Thompson died from natural causes after sepsis and pneumonia caused by a Group A streptococcal infection. Hailey had been sent home from Wigan's Royal Albert Edward Infirmary after being diagnosed with a viral infection, less than 24 hours before she died. The jury identified missed opportunities for a primary-care review but found they did not contribute to her death. Her parents accepted the verdict while continuing to express concerns about the quality of care and whether their warnings were taken seriously. The coroner plans to write to the family's GP practice, and the hospital trust said it would learn from the case.