Manchester City Council has confirmed that the Mancunian Way will no longer be closed for its “annual maintenance” this weekend.
It was revealed earlier this week that the major road in and out of the city centre would be fully closed in both directions so that maintenance works could be carried out this Saturday and Sunday – a weekend full of events scheduled to take place.
This weekend alone, Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League clash at home at Old Trafford with a 5:30pm kick-off, boyband The Wanted will take to the stage at the AO Arena as part of their reunion tour, and the Manchester ‘Irish Parade’ will make its through Cheetham Hill to the city centre to mark St Patrick’s Day.
But now, the Council has announced that the road’s annual closure will be rescheduled to the weekend of Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March, from 5am on Saturday morning through to 7pm on Sunday evening.
The closure will allow essential work to take place to keep the bridge safe and will be in place from Chester Road roundabout through to Pin Mill Brow, the Council says.
A map showing the section of road due to be closed and the surrounding areas set to be affected / Credit: Google Maps (via TfGM)
The work will include safety inspections, road repairs, lighting inspections, street sweeping, drainage clearance, and general work to improve any defects, while the overall integrity of the structure will also be assessed.
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TfGM has already set out a number of transport alternatives for those travelling in and out of the city centre on the scheduled maintenance weekend, but has now also revealed that signed diversions will be in place for the duration of the closure.
However, TfGM says it’s still important to “plan ahead” and familiarise yourself with the recommended diversion routes before travelling.
Explaining the reasoning behind the decision to postpone the scheduled maintenance to the following weekend, Cllr Tracey Rawlins – Manchester City Council’s executive member for environment – said: “Apologies if the change in dates to close the Mancunian Way for its annual maintenance weekend has impacted anyone’s weekend plans.”
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The Mancunian Way will now be closed on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March / Credit: Pixabay
She continued: “Tens of thousands of cars use the bridge each day, so these works are vital to ensure the safety of the road – but we try to choose an appropriate weekend to undertake the maintenance work to limit congestion caused by the closure.
“The weekend coming was originally chosen as it presented the least amount of disruption on our roads, but it is right that we can be flexible to changing circumstances.
“Given the postponement of the Man City game against Brighton next weekend, it is sensible to reschedule our maintenance works to limit the impact on road users.”
You can find more information about the Mancunian Way closure next weekend here.
Derelict Manchester office block to become ‘vital’ accommodation for homeless families
Emily Sergeant
A derelict former office block in Manchester is set to become vital accommodation for homeless families in the region.
Manchester City Council has announced that, subject to planning approval, new temporary accommodation for dozens of homeless families will be created on the site of a derelict former office block in south Manchester, off Nell Lane in Chorlton.
The Council acquired the 1.1 acre site last month with the support of the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund.
The initiative – which is part of wider plans to boost the city’s stock of quality temporary accommodation – will see self-contained two-bedroom accommodation created for around 55 homeless families built where former NHS offices, Mauldeth House, currently stand.
Mauldeth House has been empty for several years now at this point, and had become somewhat of a ‘blight’ on the neighbourhood, attracting anti-social behaviour along the way and being targeted by squatters – but with the plans for the new accommodation, this could change for the better.
The site, and therefore the new accommodation, is said to be ‘ideally located’ for families, as it’s close to shops, schools, public transport, leisure facilities, and Chorlton Park.
The new accommodation will see families supported by a specialist team based on site to help them move on as quickly as possible into permanent settled tenancies, which is, of course, the long-term goal for many.
The Mauldeth House initiative is cited as being one example of the Council’s drive to increase its temporary accommodation stock across the city to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.
Other successful examples of this initiative include Mariana House in Whalley Range, and The Poplars in Rusholme.
It also comes after it was announced last month that homeless children in Greater Manchester, particularly those who are placed in temporary accommodation out of area for their school, will now get free bus travel to and from school.
“Mauldeth House is a great example of how we can put derelict properties to good use to benefit those experiencing homelessness, as well as making our neighbourhood look better,” explained Deputy Council Leader, Cllr Joanna Midgley.
“We are tackling homelessness on many fronts, the most important one being prevention, but we also need an increased supply of good quality temporary accommodation within the city so that if people do become homeless they are not uprooted from their social support networks.
“One of the ways we are doing this is through the innovative use of existing sites whether they are council owned or we are able to acquire them, as in the case of Mauldeth House.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Bolton woman who falsely accused 10 men of raping her has been jailed
Emily Sergeant
A woman from Bolton who falsely accused 10 different men of raping her over a six-year period has now been jailed.
Stacey Sharples, 31 from Farnworth in Bolton, pleaded guilty of 10 counts of perverting the course of justice in relation to reports against 10 separate men at Bolton Crown Court earlier last month (2 February 2026), before appearing in court again this week to be sentenced.
The investigation into Sharples was launched after the arrests and questioning of almost all these men, and following the pursuing of all relevant lines of enquiry, which consistently revealed evidence contrary to what had been disclosed by Sharples.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says investigations of this nature are ‘extremely rare’ and the decision to pursue Sharples as a suspect was ‘not one taken lightly’.
“However, it is our duty to act in the public interest and on the evidence and information we uncover and receive, which in this case demonstrated a continuous, wilful making of false allegations, knowing full well the consequences for each of the men involved,” GMP said in a statement following Sharples’ sentencing.
Of the allegations Sharples pleaded guilty to – of which were made over a six-year period between 2013 and 2019 – most of the men were arrested and spent time in custody, with some also undertaking intimate examinations, and almost all spending periods of time on police bail or released under investigation.
Statements from the men accused by Stacey Sharples / Credit: GMP
GMP says there’s ‘no doubt’ the reports and arrests have had an impact on these men, their sense of self and relationships, their wider networks, and how they move forward with their lives.
False accounts also undermine those who have genuinely experienced sexual violence.
Police say it also affects the confidence in the criminal justice system, and that the time spent investigating Sharples’ reports could have been put towards investigating ‘genuine reports of sexual offences’ instead.
Sharples has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison this week after pleading guilty to making false rape allegations.
Speaking following Sharples’ sentencing this week, Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, who investigated this case, said: “We took the allegations made by Stacey Sharples seriously, explored all lines of enquiry and swiftly made arrests or interviewed of all the men she accused.
“We gave her multiple opportunities to provide further explanation or information to us, after interviews with the men and subsequent evidence uncovered didn’t align with her first recollection, as we understand that trauma can impact how victims and survivors recount their experiences.
“Ultimately, as the evidence continued to demonstrate that the reports were untrue, coupled with the desire for justice from some of the men who had been falsely accused, it was right that we followed the evidence and pursued the individual who had actually committed a criminal offence.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th March 2022 
