Autumn is well and truly here… but unfortunately, it’s not quite the cold and crispy colourful autumn we were all hoping for.
The Met Office may have predicted last week that a “cold snap” is set to finally hit the UK this month after what had been a wash-out summer and unseasonably-warm last couple of weeks – but now, it seems they have changed their tune a little bit, as Storm Babet has officially been named, and she’s on her way this week.
Storm Babet is set to bring “impactful rain” and “heavy winds” across parts of the UK from Tuesday evening, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters say rain will begin to move into the west from this evening (17 October), with the “increasingly wet and windy weather” then spreading more widely across the UK on Wednesday and heavy downpours expected in most parts through the day.
#StormBabet has been named by @metoffice and is forecast to bring impactful heavy rain to the UK from Wednesday this week
Although northern England – including here in Greater Manchester – sounds like it’s in for a bit of a rough time, as is often the case, it’s up in Scotland where they’ll be getting the worst of it.
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As the rain then moves northwards from Wednesday onwards, the Met Office says it will stall across central and eastern parts of Scotland, and will then become “heavy and persistent” from Thursday through to Saturday.
A ‘Severe Weather Warning’ for rain has even been issued for this area, and up to 150-200 mm of rain could accumulate in some areas of higher ground.
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Further rain warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland and England, and there is also a Yellow warning for wind over the northern half of Scotland through Thursday and into Friday.
And as is often the case with storms, disruption to travel is expected throughout the week.
#StormBabet will bring heavy and disruptive rain from Wednesday onwards
It will be widely unsettled, but parts of eastern Scotland and Northern Ireland are particularly forecast to see significant amounts of rain
Speaking ahead of Storm Babet’s arrival, Steven Keates, who is the Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said warned Brits of the “impactful rain” that’s on its way this week.
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He continued: “Heavy and persistent rain will fall onto already saturated ground bringing a risk of flooding, so it’s important to stay up to date with warnings from your local flood warning agency as well as the local authorities.
“As well as heavy rain, Storm Babet will bring some very strong winds and large waves near some eastern coasts too, and gusts in excess of 60mph are possible in eastern and northern Scotland from Thursday.”
Government to begin giving millions of UK workers ‘significant’ pay rises from this week
Emily Sergeant
The Government is to begin giving more than three million workers across the UK a ‘significant pay boost’ from this week.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to ‘put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year’, the Government confirmed back at the beginning of February that a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour would take effect from April onwards.
Ministers said the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which is now worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a ‘significant step’ towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a ‘genuine’ living wage.
Today, millions of working people will get a pay rise as the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase.
New rates:
🔹 from £11.44 to £12.21 if you’re 21 and over 🔹 from £8.60 to £10.00 if you’re 18-20 🔹 from £6.40 to £7.55 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 1, 2025
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
The minimum wage pay boot has also been called the first step towards removing the ‘unfair’ age-bands that see a 21-year-old getting paid more than a 20-year-old for doing the same job.
According to the Government, this is also the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise from this week / Credit: Pexels
“In the last Parliament, living standards were the worst on record and sky-high inflation was crushing working people’s finances,” commented Chancellor Rachel Reeves, explaining why the pay boosts are being introduced.
“Making work pay is good for workers, will strengthen businesses’ workforces, and will grow our economy for years to come.
“It’s a key milestone on my number one mission to get more money in people’s pockets as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
Not only that, but the minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted later this year too, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of these particular changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
17th October 2023 
