An Ed Sheeran lookalike has told of how he had to be rescued by security after being mobbed by fans asking for selfies at one of the star’s recent Manchester gigs.
30-year-old Wes Byrne, from Shaw in Oldham, has already made a name for himself and grabbed headlines in the past for paying what is an uncanny resemblance to the chart-topping singer, and often gets mistaken from him that much that he picks up extra work as a lookalike on top of his full-time job as a council binman.
Wes said that his resemblance to Ed Sheeran means that “not a day goes by when I don’t get stopped or asked for a selfie” by fans.
He admitted that his girlfriend Leah “absolutely hates it”.
But the selfie requests seem to have been taken to a whole new level when Wes – who has previously met Sheeran – took his sister Sammy, 33, and her eight-year-old son AJ to one of the singer’s sold-out shows at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, and security at the venue had to step in to help.
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Security guards took action after Wes was feared to be creating a fire risk due to being mobbed by so many fans in the audience asking to take a picture with him, and moved him from his £82.50 seat, to a VIP zone where tickets sell for more than £1,000.
Ed Sheeran played four sold-out shows at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month / Credit: Zakary Walters (via Instagram – @teddysphotos)
“I got lots of looks when I first walked in, but it wasn’t until the first person asked for a selfie that the floodgates opened,” Wes told the Daily Mirror.
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“Nearly everyone knew I was a lookalike, although a few kids thought I was the real Ed.
“About 15 minutes before Ed came on stage, the queue for selfies with me was all the way down a line of steps and out an exit, so security told us to go with them to some executive seats [but] we weren’t complaining – it was a much better view.
“It was AJ’s first-ever music gig and he thought all the attention was hilarious.”
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Former Love Island star Callum Jones was one of the people to grab a selfie with Wes at the Manchester gig / Credit: Callum Jones (via Instagram)
Wes has used his resemblance to Ed to his advantage over the years, telling his story in the papers and appearing on ITV’s This Morning, and he even got to meet the famous singer himself back when he acted as a body double for a Heinz tomato ketchup advert back in 2019.
Although looks is apparently where Wes’s resemblance to Ed starts and ends though, as the while he may look like Sheeran, Wes doesn’t think he can compete when it comes to music, admitting that he’s “an awful singer”.
“I did try learning the guitar but I gave up because I was useless,” Wes added.
Featured Image – ITV
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Two North West cities named among the ‘noisiest’ in the UK – including Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new analysis has revealed a list of the noisiest cities in the UK, and two Greater Manchester locations are in the top five.
From blaring sirens and car horns, to house parties, barking dogs, and loud neighbours, escaping the noise of a city can feel almost impossible – even in your own home.
No matter whether you live in the hustle and bustle, or you’re out in the sleepier suburbs, noise can keep you up at night, disturb your peace, and lead to frustration. But just how loud are Greater Manchester’s cities compared to the rest of the UK? In a bid to get to the bottom of it, Alpine Hearing Protection has done some research to compile a top 10 list.
And both Salford and Manchester have found themselves not just within the top 10, but within the top five… and to make matters worse, Salford has actually claimed the number one spot.
The reason Salford has found itself at the top of the list, according to the research, is because it sits at the intersection of several major transport and urban hubs, with major motorways running through or around the city including the M60, M61, and M62.
Major rail routes also run through the city – including via Salford Crescent – which sees 16 million passengers every year, and also leads to Manchester Airport.
Top 10 noisiest cities in the UK
Salford
Portsmouth
Manchester
Southampton
London
Leeds
Stoke-on-Trent
Wakefield
Newcastle upon Tyne
Bradford
Parts of Salford are also very built-up, making pockets of the city noisy – especially in the concentrated centre where traffic, construction, nightlife and commercial activity get loud.
And of course, like any growing city, construction noises have been noted as ‘particularly bothersome’ for residents where major developments are springing up.
Manchester is third on the list of noisiest cities, due to many of the same reasons as Salford.
But the difference being that Mancunians are noted as one of the many reasons why the city is so loud – with residents making 5,301 noise complaints across Manchester between January 2024 and January 2025, and Hulme identified the loudest area with 304 complaints.
As well all know, Manchester is also home to many universities, which brings an active nightlife scene to the region, especially in the city centre, and in recent FOI data, it was revealed that the University of Manchester saw 2,049 noise complaints in the last five years.
Motorists warned of common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines
Emily Sergeant
With the temperatures drastically dropping now as we head into winter, motorists are being warned against a common driving habit.
On a wintry morning when the windscreens are frozen and your hands are equally as frozen too, it’s pretty common for drivers to start the engine, turn the heater right up, and remain stationary for several minutes to warm the car up before setting off on their journey… but did you know that doing this could see you, inadvertently, fall foul of the law?
That’s right – as ridiculous as it sounds, leaving your car engine running ‘unnecessarily’ while parked on a public road is illegal.
And to make matters worse, the rules on ‘engine idling’, as it’s known, apply regardless of whether the driver is using the heating, waiting for someone, or simply sitting in the vehicle.
Known as a stationary idling offence, Rule 123 of the Highway Code states that drivers must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while it is stationary on a public road, and according to the rule, a fixed penalty of up to £80 can be issued, right there and then.
Motorists are being warned of a common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines / Credit: PickPik | Wikimedia Commons
Fines will only be handed out if a motorist is stopped by a police officer who asks them to switch the engine off, and they fail to comply.
“However tempting it might be to sit in a vehicle with the engine running and the heater on to warm up, we strongly advice against it,” commented RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.
“As well as polluting the air and wasting fuel, drivers who leave their engines idling unnecessarily on a public road also risk an on-the-spot fine of £80. On cold mornings, the best approach is to clear any ice or snow properly and ensure windows are fully de-misted before setting off, then get on your way and let the car warm you up.”
There are some exceptions to the rule, however, as keeping the engine running is permitted in certain circumstances.
This includes when a vehicle is stationary because of traffic conditions, when the engine needs to run so a mechanical fault can be investigated, or if certain work is being carried out on the side of the road.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd June 2022 
