Greater Manchester Police have issued a plea for people to drive safely after six people died on local roads in one weekend.
Chief Superintedent Mark Dexter said that it had been a ‘terrible’ weekend and urged people to think carefully before getting behind the wheel this Christmas.
There were six fatal collisions in the region between Friday and early Monday morning, one of which led to the death of a 10-year-old child.
A man in his 20s has been arrested in a separate incident where a woman, believed to be in her 60s, was killed in a collision in Rochdale.
The man presented himself at a police station in Bury and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
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There was a further fatality on Monday morning involving a cyclist on Centenary Way.
Officers from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are investigating the incidents.
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Dexter, of the Specialist Operations Unit that oversees road policing, said: “This weekend has been a terrible one for so many people after a number of serious incidents on our roads in the week before Christmas.
“Between Friday and the early hours of Monday, our officers responded to six fatalities across Greater Manchester – including 10 year old child. Our thoughts are clearly with the families and friends of those that have died this weekend
“That’s six families that our officers had to give this most traumatic news to, and seven families who will be lost without a loved one just days before Christmas – a time of year that should be full of joy.
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“All of these incidents remain subject to ongoing investigations, and we have a specialist officers dedicated to supporting the families of all those that tragically lost their lives this weekend.
“One fatality on the roads of Greater Manchester is one too many, and I urge people getting behind the wheel this week to think about each of those six families and how your actions could result in another family having to suffer.
“If you have any information about any of the incidents over the weekend, then please call our Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741. Thank you.”
Each of the six families who have received the traumatic news are being supported by specially-trained officers.
Featured image: Unsplash
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Police seize convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A convoy of supercars has been seized by police following reports of dangerous driving on the M66 and M62 near Rochdale.
On Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were made aware that a group of individuals driving high-powered vehicles – such as Lamborghinis and Mercedes G-Wagons – were ‘driving dangerously’ at speed, weaving across lanes, wheel spinning, and slowing down to speeds of around 17mph on the motorway.
After finding the convoy of vehicles on the M62, police were able to stop two of Lamborghinis as they were coming off the motorway.
Officers then used specialist tactics to bring the remaining vehicles to a stop in Rochdale.
As a result of police intervention, GMP was able to seize five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, and on top of this, the drivers of the offending vehicles were prosecuted for a number of driving offences.
Police have seized a convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on the M62 near Rochdale / Credit: GMP | Wikimedia Commons
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command, said the force takes road safety ‘very seriously’.
“We will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads,” he began.
“Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
“People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted, and where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.”
Featured Image – GMP
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New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Daisy Jackson -
20th December 2021 
