A number of restaurants, bars and coffee shops have said they will be closing their doors today and tomorrow as temperatures across the region soar above 30C.
Hatch street food traders Fuku and Cheeky Tikka Bites have shared news that they will close up shop today (18 July) and tomorrow – with the latter adding their team will be “enjoying some down time with some chilled drinks and ice creams” as they wait out the heatwave.
Northern Quarter coffee shop North Tea Power has also announced it will close today and tomorrow “due to the high temperature.”
Image: NTP
Elsewhere, Greater Manchester food halls Mackie Mayor and Altrincham Market have both said they will close tomorrow, Tuesday 19 July, amidst the ‘red warning’ heatwave.
Bosses at both the city centre and Trafford food halls said that they made the decision to close in order to protect both their staff and customers from extremely high temperatures, which the Met Office has already warned pose a ‘danger to life’.
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The decision to close affects over ten different traders at the food halls, including Tender Cow, Picoss, New Wave Ramen, Chilli B and Mummas Fried Chicken.
An additional food hall site the Picturedome in Macclesfield, Cheshire, will also remain shut until Wednesday, when ‘much more manageable temperature[s]’ are expected to return, whilst Stretford and Sale food halls remain open as usual.
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Image: Mackie Mayor
Sharing the news on social media, the Mackie Mayor team wrote: “STAY COOL.. Due to the mad temperatures predicted on Tuesday (19th) we’ve decided to close for the day. for the welfare of our staff and customers.
“Sorry for the inconvenience but don’t worry.. we’ll be back to normal on Wednesday with a much more manageable temperature.”
Altrincham’s outdoor market and New Market Square will remain open, with the indoor food and drinks are closed until Wednesday.
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Hatch will stay open, but several of its traders have decided to close up shop for a few days. / Image: Hatch
Last week, Britain’s first ever extreme ‘red’ heat warning was issued by the Met Office with advice for commuters to stay at home and avoid travelling unless deemed absolutely necessary.
The Red extreme heat national severe weather warning covers parts of central, northern, eastern, and southeastern England on Monday 18 July and Tuesday 19 July.
This elevated weather warning followed an Amber Extreme heat warning, which had previously been in place for much of England and Wales for Sunday.
Feature image – North Tea Power
News
‘Unsettled week’ of wind, rain, and snow could greet Mancs into the new year
Thomas Melia
A mix of weather conditions could be expected to hit the north across the new year weekend – including wind, rain, and snow.
As Greater Manchester prepares to enter 2025, it looks like we’ll be bringing our usual moody weather along with us too, as starting today and running right through until the end of this week, Mancs can expect some not-so-pleasant conditions to accompany this party season.
The Met Office has described this period as ‘an unsettled week’.
While forecasters are encouraging people to keep checking for further weather updates where possible, thankfully, this turbulent spell of weather is only predicted to stick around until Thursday (2 January) – with no warnings issued for this Friday (3 January) or the weekend so far.
As we move from 2024 to 2025 the week ahead will involve plenty of rain, wind and some snow
If you have any plans over the New Year/Hogmanay period then check out all the important weather details below ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/qllOnV0cDX
In a video shared to the Met Office’s X account, the visual shows that the most severe cases of wet and windy conditions look like on New Year’s Day itself (Wednesday 1 January), where there is even some snow forecasted for certain areas.
“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week,” warned Andy Page, who is the Chief Forecaster at the Met Office.
He continued: “With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”
Picturesque Greater Manchester railway granted £1.3m to restore historic viaduct
Emily Sergeant
One of Greater Manchester’s most picturesque railways has been given substantial funding to restore a historic viaduct along the line.
As part of the Government‘s wider Plan for Change, the Bury-based heritage railway, East Lancashire Railway (ELR), has been awarded more than £1.3 million in grants to carry out urgent repair work to the Higher Woodhill Viaduct – which is on the edge of Burrs Country Park, in the heart of the stunning Irwell Valley.
Repairs to the historic viaduct, which goes past the site of the former Higher Woodhill Mill, were last carried out all the way back in 1932.
But now, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has granted the funding for restoration through its ‘Community Ownership Fund’, alongside three local authorities from Bury, Rochdale, and the nearby Rossendale in Lancashire, all putting in a further £276,000 in match funding.
We’re supporting local treasures across the UK with vital funding
— Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov (@mhclg) December 23, 2024
Important supporters of the railway, such as members of the public and local businesses, have also added a few thousand pounds more to the project.
While inspections to the structure and safety of the viaduct are carried out on a regular basis, ELR assures, it was flagged earlier in 2024 that long-term repairs would be required to allow for the “continued level of use” of steam and heritage diesel trains along the line.
Speaking on the funding being granted, Mike Kelly, who is the Chairman of East Lancashire Railway, commented: “This is a major investment for the future and a massive vote of confidence for our dedicated volunteers and staff to help secure the railway’s infrastructure for years to come.
“Now with this fantastic news, we are able to continue running our award-winning events and services without disruption for future generations to enjoy, thanks to the generosity and support of the East Lancashire Railway Trust, our local community partners and supporters, as well as local and national politicians.”
Essential maintenance works are due to start next year in the spring.
Georgina Pellant -
18th July 2022 
