One of Manchester’s most popular green spaces was left strewn with litter after thousands descended to enjoy the sunshine.
As the region was blessed with uncharacteristic warm weather yesterday, with the sun shining and temperates reaching the high teens, people flocked to Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield to make the most of it.
Images of hoards of crowds gathered were seen posted to social media.
Although unconfirmed at this moment in time, police estimated that up to 3,000 people could have gathered there, as the mini heatwave saw crowds continue to grow throughout the day.
After images of both the scenes of the crowds gathering, and the subsequent litter found left behind, emerged this morning, local residents have taken to social media to express their opinions.
Opinions were voiced from a number of perspectives.
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While many pointed out that the gathering of socially-distanced groups is permitted now that up to six people from various households can meet outside, others were not suitably satisfied that necessary restrictions were being stuck to.
One local resident told the MEN that the mess left behind by the sun-seekers was “disgraceful”.
“The top of the hill is covered with litter and even though some people do try to throw their rubbish away, the bins are completely overflowing so they can’t.
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“I am really worried it is going to attract rats.
“I can’t even walk my dog when the weather is nice as there are so many people who are drunk and disorderly and it is frightening”.
Some locals took clean-up of the park into their own hands late last night, with one resident – who is part of the Green Paw Project – taking to the popular Chorlton group on Facebook this morning to share pictures of piles of bin bags and to show the nature of the rubbish left behind following a group litter pick.
Amongst the piles of litter were said to be beer bottles, canisters and disposable BBQs.
The resident said: “After a three hour mission until midnight, we managed clear up a big chunk of the Platt Fields Park mess.
Yesterday’s scenes followed similar events at the park earlier this month during St Patrick’s Day weekend, where Greater Manchester Police issued a warning over large gatherings after “hundreds” of people were pictured at the park in sunny weather.
They reportedly drank alcohol and socialised together.
This incident did however happen before lockdown restrictions were eased and when outdoor mixing was only permitted with your own household, or with one other person for the purposes of exercise.
At the time of the event, Greater Manchester Police said fines were still being handed out to those who break the rules.
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
The Manc -
31st March 2021 
