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Storm Francis is battering Manchester – but the worst could pass by mid-week

Storm Francis is sending high winds and heavy rain across Greater Manchester on Tuesday - with a Yellow Warning issued by the Met Office.

The Manc The Manc - 25th August 2020
Pikist

If you’re just walking into work after this morning’s commute, you’ll already be intimately familiar with Storm Francis – the latest storm to batter Britain and signal the end of summer.

If you haven’t left for the office yet, you might want to consider working from home.

It’s seriously grim out there. And it’s set to stay this way all day.

Storm Francis is sending high winds and heavy rain across Greater Manchester throughout Tuesday (25 August) – and now a Yellow Warning has been issued by the Met Office.

Cristi Goia / Unsplash

Making itself known on Monday evening, Storm Francis swept into the country with 70mph winds and torrential rain that has led to problems in the west.

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Wales has already been hit particularly hard by the nasty weather, with homes flooding in south Wales and firefighters sent in to rescue campers from fast flowing water in Carmarthenshire.

Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office Andy Page: “The UK is in for another unseasonably wet and windy spell with Storm Francis arriving on Tuesday.

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“There will be strong winds and heavy rain, especially in the west of the UK.”

An additional Met Office spokesman said: “Gusts are likely to reach 55-60 mph for quite a few places, with exposed coasts and hills seeing gusts of around 70 mph.

“Heavy rain during Tuesday and early Wednesday is expected to result in some flooding and disruption to travel.”

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 Bob Harvey / Geograph

Up here in Greater Manchester, strong winds and torrential rain are expected to persist throughout the day and evening, with the weather hopefully drying up around 7am tomorrow.

As things stand, Storm Francis is set to pass over the country completely by midday on Wednesday (26 August).

Travel disruptions are expected, and caution is urged when commuting by car as roads are likely to be hazardous.

Stay up-to-date with the latest weather changes in the north by using the Met Office website.

News

Major DJ forced to pull out of Parklife festival on doctor’s orders

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

A well-known techno and trance DJ will no longer be playing at Parklife this weekend, he’s announced, with just one day to go until his major set.

Anyone heading to Heaton Park over the weekend for Manchester-based festival, Parklife, may notice the lineup looks a little different after one distinctive DJ has pulled out due to doctor’s orders.

Marlon Hoffstadt, who also goes by the moniker ‘DJ Daddy Trance’, was expected to play out on the Matinée stage on Saturday 20 June from 6.30pm – 8pm.

The Germany-based act was taking to the decks right before Manchester’s own Morgan Seatree, who has become recognised for his material which is an ode to house music and is likely to be one of the busiest sets of the weekend.

Hoffstadt had two gigs this weekend; the first being Parklife in Manchester and the second Fête de la Musique in Paris, both of which he has since pulled out of in a newly-published social media announcement.

The Berlin-born music maker has reluctantly called off these upcoming appearances and justified his decision by saying: “As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first”.

To much dismay, Hoffstadt received doctor’s advice who deemed him ‘currently not fit to fly’ following surgery, urging him to rest and recover.

Marlon posted today: “I’m so sad to have to share this, but unfortunately I won’t be able to play Parklife in Manchester and Fête de la Musique in Paris this weekend.

“I recently had a surgery and, following my doctor’s advice, I’m currently not fit to fly and need rest and recover.

“I know many of you made plans and were looking forward to it, and I’m so sorry to let you down.

“As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first so I can get back to doing what I love as soon as possible.”

As much as the presence of this world-class performer will be missed, there’s still plenty of notable names set to make their mark on Parklife including Zara Larsson, Calvin Harris, Skepta and more.

The outdoor big music weekender has established itself as a rave haven with mainly dance artists and DJs making up its lineup through a variety of curated b2b sets and live performances.

If you’re after immersing yourself in some jungle music, Bradford-native Nia Archives will have you transfixed over at The Valley with her jungle-heavy tunes from 6.30pm – 7.30pm or there’s three more stages to take your pick from.

We’re sure that anyone eager to see the ‘Hands Up In The Sky’ producer live may be frustrated by this brand-new social media announcement however as Hoffstadt mentions it’s so he can “Get back to doing what I love as soon as possible”.

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Featured image: Press Shot (Supplied)

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‘This could be the turning point’ – Andy Burnham’s speech in full as he wins the Makerfield by-election

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Andy Burnham says Man United's Old Trafford plans could be biggest regeneration in the country

Andy Burnham has clinched the victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election.

After the polls closed at 10pm last night (18 June), victory for Burnham was officially declared at just gone 3am – with the Greater Manchester Mayor, now Labour MP, winning 24,927 votes (54.8% vote share) and a majority of 9,231.

Burnham’s victory is a sizeable majority over second place, Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon – who, despite claims he might be able to seize the constituency, won just 15,696 votes (34.5%).

This is, however, Reform’s second-highest ever vote share at a by-election, just over 4% less than 2025’s Runcorn and Helsby.

Restore Britain’s Rebecca Shepherd came third, with 3,111 votes (6.8%).

The turnout in Makerfield was 58.75%, which is higher than the turnout for the constituency at the General Election in 2024, and, even more surprisingly, the third-highest by-election turnout since World War II.

Andy Burnham’s victory speech in full

“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.

“From here on, I will give everything I have got to make it so. To ensure the name Makerfield is forever synonymous with bringing about the change this country needs, bringing back something we’ve lost – hope. Hope for the future.

“I am proud that this place has shone in the world’s spotlight for the last few weeks and the warmth, humour and hospitality of its people has been on show for all to see. It will never be a stepping stone to me, but instead will be my touchstone. A Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will make sure that the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness.

“I spoke in the campaign about the need to change politics. I promised to lead by example, from the front, as your Member of Parliament.

“I know people who traditionally vote for the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, and perhaps more recently for Reform UK, have given me their support in this election. I will always have respect to them for that. And out of respect for them, I will always take a place-first, rather than a party-first, approach and I will focus on problem-solving rather than point-scoring.

“And I will work hard after this by-election to heal the divisions of this campaign. And let it be really understood that I will be your MP, however you voted.

“When this borough went to the polls in May, it made a loud cry for change. In this campaign we have begun to answer that. But I do say to my own party – this is a final chance to change. This is what people said directly to me on the hundreds of doorsteps that I stood on. We must hear it, we must act upon it and we must get it right. There will be no second chance.

“But there is a chance now from this result tonight to build a new politics based on unity and hope.

“Turning away from the path that takes us to a divided, dark politics of the kind we see in the United States. We must now take this path and put this country back on the right path, and bring people back together and get things working properly again.

“It is with some sadness that this result brings an end to my wonderful nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester.

“This city region has given so much to me. And it is a wrench to leave the job I love. But I am not leaving the service of Greater Manchester. I’ve always been clear that it can’t achieve everything it should be and we can’t close the north-south divide, and we can’t make all the great English cities be what they should be without big change at the national level.

“I always knew one day I would seek to go back to Westminster to complete that unfinished business so that Makerfield and Greater Manchester, and the north of England, can fulfil their potential.

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“This result will bring about a country that works fairly for everywhere and for everybody.

“People here have voted for change. They have voted for more power for the North and everywhere forgotten by Westminster. They have voted for hope. Now, let’s give that back to them.”

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

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