Matt Jackson

An 18-year-old apprentice, Chloe Bidwell, was fatally crushed by unsecured wooden boards while working alone at a Bangor property, leading to a £50,000 fine for Varcity Living Limited and a suspended prison sentence for director David Horrocks. An HSE investigation found major safety failings, including lack of supervision, inadequate training, no lone-working policy and unsafe material storage. Bidwell’s family condemned the employer’s negligence and urged stronger responsibility from businesses toward worker safety. Authorities described the death as entirely avoidable and emphasized the need for safe practices to prevent similar incidents.

Police arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of murdering a woman in her 60s at a home on Ivylea Road in Burnage, south Manchester. Emergency services found the victim dead at the scene after reports of an assault. A murder inquiry is underway, and the suspect, believed to be related to the victim, remains in custody for questioning.