Police are appealing for information following an attempted murder in Ardwick that happened just before Christmas.
The “brazen attack” took place in broad daylight on Stockport Road, in the Manchester residential areal of Ardwick, at approximately 3pm on Thursday 21 December, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and since then a specialist team of detectives have been working tirelessly to understand the full circumstances.
A firearm was discharged during the distressing incident, and a member of the public had their vehicle hit by the offenders too, police have confirmed.
But thankfully, no injuries have been reported.
In a bid to understand what happened in the events leading up to this incident, a police investigation has subsequently been launched, and investigating officers are now appealing to the Greater Manchester public for any information or footage, and are urging any potential witnesses to come forward.
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Police are appealing for information following an attempted murder in Ardwick just before Christmas / Credit: GMP
Police are particularly keen to hear from anyone who has information about a car that was used during the attack.
An image of the vehicle in question has now been released.
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According to police, the car was a blue Mercedes 4×4-style vehicle, which did not have a registration plate on the front, and was eventually found abandoned on Clee Avenue in Longsight at a later date.
GMP has also confirmed that three people have already been arrested in connection with the incident so far, and one has been charged.
#APPEAL | Police appeal for information following an attempted murder on Stockport Rd on 21/12/23.
Do you have information about a car that was used? Pictured below.
Detective Superintendent Dave Meeney, who is from GMP City of Manchester district, said the team’s investigation is “moving at pace”.
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He continued: “We’re appealing to the public who may have seen this vehicle, or the occupants, on the day of the attempted murder at around 3pm. After the incident took place on Stockport Road in Ardwick, we believe that the suspects drove to Longsight, before abandoning the vehicle on Clee Avenue.
“As is often the case, the answer to establishing the true chain of events that led to this incident and locating those responsible could lie in the community, so I ask that anyone who may have seen something suspicious in the area, or saw this vehicle, come forward and know that any information will be treated with the strictest confidence.”
Police would like to hear from anyone who was CCTV, doorbell, or dashcam footage from the Ardwick and Longsight areas, during 2:30pm to 3:30pm on Thursday 21 December.
Footage can be submitted via the dedicated Major Incident Public Portal here.
Aside from that, any details should be passed on by calling police on 0161 856 4305, or by using the LiveChat function on the GMP website, or alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport
Emily Sergeant
A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.
Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.
At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.
Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.
He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.
#JAILED | A man who deliberately drove into a police officer in Stockport has been jailed.
Harvey Bell (12/08/2005) has been sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute and was disqualified from driving for two years.
— Stockport Police (GMP) (@GMPStockport) June 4, 2025
Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.
The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.
“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.
“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”
She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.
“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site
Emily Sergeant
It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.
The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.
The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.
IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.
IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.
Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.
IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.
Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.
The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.
“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”
Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester.
Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.
Emily Sergeant -
29th December 2023 
