A man has been arrested after being spotted ‘driving erratically’ in a bin lorry in Greater Manchester.
The driver was wearing a Halloween mask while behind the wheel.
He later failed tests for both drugs and alcohol.
A member of the public first reported the driver to police after noticing them driving erratically.
Officers then found the bin waggon in Walkden and arrested the man.
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Thanks to a concerned member of the public who saw the vehicle being driven erratically whilst the driver wore a Halloween mask, the bin waggon was located in Walkden + the driver detained. He would provide a positive breath sample of 91!! Also failed drugs test #arrested#fatal4pic.twitter.com/jezhy9EYHi
When he was tested for alcohol, he provided a positive breath sample of 91 – almost three times the legal limit.
A statement from GMP said: “Thanks to a concerned member of the public who saw the vehicle being driven erratically whilst the driver wore a Halloween mask, the bin waggon was located in Walkden + the driver detained.
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“He would provide a positive breath sample of 91!! Also failed drugs test #arrested #fatal4.”
The unusual incident has attracted a lot of attention since GMP shared the update on Twitter.
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One person said: “I can’t believe this isn’t satire!”
Another commented: “Drunk & drug driving. A bin wagon. In a Halloween mask. I can’t even.”
Featured image: GMP
Salford
Sounds From The Other City releases 2026 lineup with 100+ acts playing on 17 stages across Salford
Emily Sergeant
More than 100 exciting artists are set to perform on 17 stages dotted across Salford this spring.
In case you hadn’t heard, 2026 is the year Salford is celebrating 100 years since it was first declared its own city, and to celebrate such a monumental occasion, the popular Sounds From The Other City (SFTOC) festival has now released its full lineup ahead of its return on the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Salford’s long-running independent festival of new music is known for its genre-spanning showcase of new artists from across the UK and beyond.
This year’s festival is curated by some of the most exciting promoters, record labels, radio stations, magazines, and tastemakers in the North.
Music lovers will get the chance to see artists in a wide range of independent venues and unconventional spaces across the city – with 17 stages around Chapel Street and The Crescent, from pubs and churches, to concert halls and galleries.
Artists announced today include the uncategorisable masked provocateur Lynks, South African ‘future ghetto funk’ trailblazer Moonchild Sanelly, Manchester-based artist jasmine.4.t, who has recently been named BBC 6 Music Artist of the Year 2025.
Other artists to look out for include Grey Lantern, FaT OuT, ambient pop artist Pollyfromthedirt, genre-straddling South London six-piece, Blue Bendy, South London trio ashnymph, and Manchester quartet Pyncher.
The Sounds From The Other City festival has released its 2026 lineup / Credit: Breige Cobane (Supplied)
One of the undeniable highlights of the lineup is that the spiritual home of the festival, Islington Mill, will be programmed day and night by the legendary Band on the Wall, multi-award-winning Reform Radio, Manchester’s infamous queer day-rave BENT, and the LGBTQ+ POC collective Swagga, with performances from Sorvina, Renee Stormz, and Chimpo.
“This year, we’re shining a spotlight on Salford’s independent venues and the selectors in the North who shape our programme,” commented Emma Thompson, Co-Director of From The Other, as the lineup was announced this week.
“Giving these organisations the space to showcase the artists they champion is vital, not just for discovering emerging talent, but to recognise how important these spaces are for our scene.”
Sounds From The Other City 2026 takes place on Sunday 3 May, and tickets go on sale this week – with Early Bird ticket access available to mailing list subscribers from tomorrow (Thursday 29 January) and the remaining tickets going on general sale from Friday 30 January.
Prices remain unchanged from 2025 with tiers at £30/35/40/45, and you can get tickets when they go live here.
Featured Image – Breige Cobane (Supplied)
Salford
Quiet Corners: Cult and Coffee – the barbershop bar doing butties, beats and bags more
Danny Jones
Every now and again, we stumble upon one of those places that just gives you a great vibe from the moment you step in the door, and Cult & Coffee is one of those places.
Truth be told, we had been in here two or three times before: a couple of times before heading to Old Trafford, when it was packed with both home and away fans, and on a third occasion in the hopes they’d let a young nephew use the loo. They did, by the way (thank you again, guys x).
On all of these visits, we got a good feeling about it – especially from the staff – and in every single instance we said to ourselves, “we really need to go back there soon.”
Well, we finally did just that, and this time it wasn’t just a fleeting visit; we made sure to properly introduce ourselves and see just how much different stuff they had going on.
Partners Jordan and Harriette James are the husband and wife couple behind this jack-of-all-trades treasure trove that deserves a lot more hype than the largely local and cult following they have most weeks. See what we did there?…
In all seriousness, multi-purpose gaff like this can often feel like a bit of a discordant mix of things cobbled together and concepts shoehorned in on a whim – but not this place.
Somehow, it only takes a few minutes to get used to the open-plan space that rolls from casual cafe and remote workspace to barbers, listening bar, and a handy spot to grab a quick bite to eat.
Maybe it’s something about the largely open-plan nature of the hallway-centric room that simply has to flow from one portion into another, or the fact that there’s just an effortlessly laid-back and cool vibe to the entire venue.
Located over in Clippers Quay on the edge of Salford Quays, with their shopfront tucked just behind some residential railing and quite literally on a stairway leading down to the towpath next to the River Irwell, it simultaneously feels like a tad too hidden and yet also like, dare we say it?… A ‘hidden gem’.
That’s certainly the case when you look at their recently expanded menu, which has since gone from predominantly revolving around brews, bakes and the bar offerings, to a fuller spread than ever, including colourful macro-friendly health bowls and delicious, freshly-prepared focaccia sandwiches.
For those who fancy grabbing a coffee whilst getting a haircut, there was already plenty of reason to pop in here, but what Jordan, Harriette and their team have managed to do is turn it into somewhere you can spend the better portion of a day just sat, well, chilling.
In fact, on follow-up visits, we fully intend to order a cuppa and a butty to go, walk down the steps leading down from the door towards the public canalside benches, while we enjoy our dinner (lunch) whilst looking over the water. Preferably on a sunny day, please.
Even if it is a grim day, you already have a slick soundtrack sorted, thanks to their dedicated ‘Cult Sounds’ page, which is even accompanied by regular livestreams.
Barbering, butties, beats and a bar suddenly doesn’t seem so random, does it? Honestly, try Cult & Coffee over in Ordsall for yourselves sometime soon, and you’ll see what we mean.
As for other quiet corners across Greater Manchester that are still criminally unsung, you recommend trying the award-winning Oldham pub that might just be one of the cosiest spots in the whole region.
Daisy Jackson -
26th October 2022 
