A public appeal for information has been issued after the attempted kidnapping of a female in Wigan last week.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Criminal Investigation Department are appealing for information and witnesses following the shocking incident, which occurred last Friday morning (9 January 2026) between 6:05am-6:20am.
The victim was walking along Central Park Way, in Wigan, when she was grabbed and threatened by a man who attempted to force her to come with him.
The victim managed to get free and to a place of safety, however the suspect fled the area.
The suspect is described by police as being a white male, approximately 6ft 1in tall, and was wearing grey joggers, black trainers, a yellow hi-vis vest, and a black beanie hat at the time of the incident.
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#APPEAL | Officers are appealing for information following a reported attempt kidnapping on Friday 9 January between 6:05-6:20am on Central Park Way, #Wigan.
The victim was grabbed and threatened and the suspect attempted to force her with him.
Officers are supporting the victim and investigating the incident, but at this time are now appealing to the public for information.
“Whilst we understand incidents of this nature are concerning, I want to reassure our communities that we take reports of this nature very seriously and the safety of the public is our top priority,” commented Detective Sergeant Andrew Partington, of GMP’s Wigan CID, as he appealed to the public.
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“Our officers are taking every measure and following multiple lines of enquiry to investigate the circumstances of this incident.
“We have extra patrols in place around the area and if you have any concerns, our officers are always more than happy to support.”
Can you help? Anyone with any information is urged to come forward.
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This includes anyone who may have CCTV / dashcam footage, witnessed the incident itself, or can help police identify the man involved, and you can contact GMP on 0161 856 7094, quoting log 472 of 09/01/26.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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Appeal launched to find the owner of live chickens found at Creamfields festival
Daisy Jackson
The hunt is on to find the owner of a pair of chickens who were discovered at Creamfields festival.
The two birds were spotted on the grounds of the huge electronic music festival by bewildered festival-goers.
The cockerel and hen were trapped in a hedge, after it appears they wandered onto the festival campsite before the security barriers were installed.
The birds then found themselves trapped inside as around 70,000 music fans poured into Cheshire for a line-up that included Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, and Tiësto.
The chickens have been safely rescued from the Creamfields festival site and are recovering at a wildlife centre, and now the RSPCA is on a mission to find their owner.
Festival-goers first called the RSPCA on Saturday 29 August to alert them to the cockerel and hen trapped inside the festival, one of whom assisted in the rescue mission.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper: “I was surprised that they were inside the festival site and I needed to get through the road blocks and security before reaching them on foot through muddy fields. I met the caller who helped me as they were just running up and down the hedge line where there was a wire fence blocking access.
Where the chickens were discovered at CreamfieldsThe RSPCA wants to track their owners down
“We managed to guide them out and I caught both of them with my rescue net which was a bit of a sight for the festival campers.
“I don’t think they were abandoned and they’re more likely to be stray because it’s farmland all around the festival site. They don’t have any health issues, apart from being quite underweight.
“With the fences going up a week before the festival starts they’d probably been unable to get out for some time and had been left foraging in the hedge. Someone mentioned that a third bird was also trapped, although we couldn’t find any others.
“I am really grateful to the festival-goer who found them and alerted us to their plight.”
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
Emily Sergeant -
13th January 2026 
