News
Police make urgent appeal to find Wigan man who went missing over a week ago
Officers are "concerned for the welfare" of Jonathan Ainscow.
Police in Wigan have made an urgent public appeal to help find a man who went missing over a week ago and hasn’t been seen since.
Officers are now said to be “concerned for the welfare” of Jonathan Ainscow.
The 46-year-old from the Standish area of Wigan, who is described as living an “isolated lifestyle”, was last seen by his family on Friday 31 March 2023, and investigating officers believe he may be riding his mountain bike.
As well as living an “isolated lifestyle”, Jonathan’s family say he is known to enjoy to cycling for large distances and wild camping.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has been “actively trying to locate” Jonathan since he was reported missing by his family, but as there having been so sightings since, officers say they now need to appeal to the public for help.
Jonathan is not believed to not be in possession of a mobile phone or any means of obtaining money, according to GMP.
He is a white man of slim build, with short shaved hair with facial hair, and GMP says he was last seen wearing a black jacket, black combat pants, black bobble hat, and is believed to be in possession of a black ‘Specialised’ mountain bike.
“We have been actively trying to locate Jonathan since he was reported missing, but now need to appeal to the public,” explained Detective Inspector Chris Broad, of GMP’s Wigan district.
“Jonathan has no identifiable links to specific people or places other than he likes to frequent areas in Lancashire, including the Ribble Valley, Trough of Bowland and Pendle Hill, and Pembrokeshire.
“We are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen Jonathan or had contact from him, both in Greater Manchester and further afield.”
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Anyone with any information on Jonathan’s whereabouts should contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 7032 quoting log 3069-01/04/2023, or report it online or by using the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk.
You can also call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
News
TfGM apologises after two weeks of major tram disruption across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Trams have finally resumed running in Greater Manchester following two weeks of major disruption across the Metrolink network.
Tram services have resumed across the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this morning (Monday 2 November) following the completion of major track replacement work between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield, while maintenance and renewal work also took place on the Eccles line and in the city centre during the planned closure.
Engineers replaced around 4km of track on what is said to be one of the ‘busiest and most complex’ sections of the Metrolink network.
The new track will allow further speed restrictions to be lifted, as according to TfGM, around 100,000 journeys are already benefiting from journey time improvements delivered through previous phases of work every day.
It all forms part of the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network in a bid to make it ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
With services now back up and running, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued a statement apologising for disruption.
Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, commented: “This was an essential piece of engineering work on one of the busiest parts of our tram network and will help keep services safe, reliable and fit for the future.
“We’re sorry for the disruption and I’d like to thank passengers, residents, and businesses for their patience while we got on with the job.
“The upgrades mean customers will benefit from smoother journeys and allow us to lift further speed restrictions on this section of the network. It will help speed up our journeys and improve reliability for everyone who uses our network.
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“Completing work of this scale on time is a significant achievement and I’d like to thank everyone involved for getting it done safely and efficiently.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Only two arrested after day of ‘peaceful’ protests in Manchester city centre over the weekend
Emily Sergeant
Only two arrests were made following a day of far-right protests and counter demonstrations in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the day passed ‘peacefully’, with smaller numbers of people arriving than expected.
‘Significant’ police resources were in place throughout the day (Saturday 31 October) in order to safely facilitate the demonstrations – which saw an estimated 400 protestors and counter protestors gather around the Albert Square area of the city centre.
The police say they ‘attempted’ to work closely with organisers to ensure people could protest safely, all while wider disruption was kept to a minimum.
Increased ‘stop and search’ powers under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 were put in place in the city centre to help keep the public safe, but the vast majority of people both sides caused no issues for officers.
Only two people were arrested, but they were later released without charge.
One man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, and one male counter-protester was arrested on suspicion of robbery following an incident unrelated to the events.
“Our policing operation was designed to balance the right to peaceful protest with the need to keep the city centre safe and moving for everyone else,” commented Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Dexter.
“We also have had to ensure our plans were flexible and resilient so that any ‘flash protests’ in other areas of the city could be dealt with quickly, to minimise disruption and risks to safety in our communities. This plan continues into the remainder of the evening.
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“As a result of extensive preparation and the work of officers and partner agencies throughout the day, both groups of demonstrators were able to exercise their rights safely, and we saw no significant disorder.”
Featured Image – GMP
Emily Sergeant -
10th April 2023 
