Ministers are being called upon to provide clarity on Bolton’s COVID rules after it emerged that local leaders and residents were unaware of restrictions on travel and gatherings.
Published government guidance urges people to avoid all but ‘essential’ travel in areas where the Indian variant is spreading fastest – including Bolton, Bedford, Blackburn and Darwen, Burnley, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow, and North Tyneside.
People in these COVID hotspots are also being told to work from home where possible and avoid indoor gatherings.
Yet public officials, leaders and residents seem to have been largely unaware of the guidance – which was quietly updated online as recently as May 21 without an official announcement.
There's changes to travel guidance in Bolton. Local health officials and politicians say they weren't consulted or informed. https://t.co/mXPNqmV7Tl
— BBC Radio Manchester (@BBCRadioManc) May 25, 2021
Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi confirmed to The Bolton News that she was “not told” about the new guidance and only found out on Monday (May 24) when the story broke in the MEN.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I have only just found out about this new guidance, and it just shows the incompetence of the Government in dealing with this,” The MP stated.
“If this guidance was so important, why did no one know about it?
ADVERTISEMENT
“I am very angry and upset on behalf of my constituents who may have booked to go away to see family, paid for rail tickets, made arrangements. Had they known about this guidance I am sure the majority would not have made plans. It leaves them in a very difficult situation because these new guidelines are advisory.”
A government spokesperson has since told the MEN: “We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling.”
Govt also pointing to PM words on May 14th: “those living in Bolton and other affected areas, there is now a greater risk from this new variant so I urge you to be extra cautious.”
Bolton is one of the worst-affected areas in the UK for COVID cases and continue to trend upwards.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the latest week May 14 – May 20, the region recorded 451 cases per 100,000 people. The average area in England had 12.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon also announced last week that Bolton, Blackburn and Bedford residents would be banned from entering the country from Monday 24 May due to high rates of infection.
She said the restrictions were “hopefully temporary”.
Featured image: Philip Platt / Geograph
Bolton
Ian Evatt responds to negative fan chants after Bolton’s 5-0 thrashing against Stockport County
Danny Jones
Bolton manager Ian Evatt has hit back at his own club’s fans after the Trotters who travelled to Edgeley Park to witness their hefty defeat against Stockport County sang multiple negative chants.
Evatt’s men were on the receiving of a 5-0 thrashing against the Hatters in the League One fixture on Saturday, conceding four goals in the second half and with three of those coming with just 15 minutes of each other.
Wanderers‘ results have been very up and down of late, with the Greater Manchester clash now leaving them sat in 10th with five losses to their name from 14 games.
However, Evatt was defiant in one post-match interview with BBC Sport in which he tried to keep things in perspective and questioned the behaviour of the away supporters who voiced their criticism both during and after the game.
🗣️ "Singing about the football that we play, we've had a lot of success over five years, so I find that a little bit strange"
As you can hear from this brief clip alone, the 42-year-old former player-turned-coach clearly believes that the fan reaction was misjudged and unfair given what he sees as some relative success since he arrived at the club back in 2020.
Self-deprecating choruses of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”, “we’re f***ing sh**’ and even “we should have gone Christmas shopping” rang out around the crowd according to those who attended the drubbing inside Stockport’s stadium – a club which in contrast has continued to build year on year.
Bolton were knocked out of the FA Cup first round in their previous match against Walsall and were even beaten by Aston Villa’s under-21s team in the group stages of the EFL Trophy – incidentally, the last piece of silverware they won in April last year and something Evatt is keen to remind them of.
Nevertheless, his response to the away support making their feelings known hasn’t gone down particularly well either, with plenty of the opinion that it is Evatt who is in need of a reality check and that there hasn’t been enough progress in the last couple of years.
Like countless other comments, online fan page ‘Everything Bolton Wanderers’ simply wrote “Papa John’s Trophy and now 10th in L1, isn’t success to me” and while players have come out to shoulder the responsibility, the pressure continues to mount.
Yes, the players didn’t perform at all well today, George. But we can see the tactics are totally screwing us. Fair play for doing this, but we all know about the elephant in the room….
We had a five year plan to be back in champ. We are not! We struggled through league 2 and have not set league one on fire. Last season and the one prior we cocked up playoffs in poor leagues. This year after spending a decent amount we look awful
Many have already made it clear that they now believe the Coventry-born coach should be sacked and that the project he began almost half a decade ago is now coming to an end.
Evatt has become an increasingly divisive figure around the club of late too – having most notably been charged with misconduct by the FA for a confrontation with a Shrewsbury player earlier this season – and it’s by no means the first time Bolton fans have aired their grievances via chants inside the ground.
There’s still a lot of football to be played yet but it seems he has some way to regain faith among much of the fan base. Find his full post-match interview HERE.
What do you think, Bolton fans – do you want to stick with him or is it time to go? You can watch the highlights for what proved to be a great day for County fans down below.
Police urgently appeal after three-car crash in Bolton leaves girl, 6, with ‘life threatening’ injuries
Emily Sergeant
An urgent appeal has been issued following a serious collision involving several vehicles in Bolton over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at 10:30pm this past Saturday night (9 November), officers were called to reports of a serious collision between three cars on the busy thoroughfare of Chorley Old Road in Bolton.
According to police, it’s believed that one of the cars involved in the incident was travelling in an easterly direction along Chorley Old Road, with the second car exiting Avenue Street onto Chorley Old Road.
The first car then crossed onto the opposing side of the carriageway, and proceeded to collide with the third car involved.
#APPEAL | Police appeal for information following a serious collision on Chorley Old Rd at 10:30pm last night.
Sadly, 3 people were taken to hospital for further treatment. The injuries of a six-year-old girl are believed to be life threatening.
Sadly, three people from the third car were taken to hospital for further treatment, GMP confirmed, and a six-year-old girl sustained injuries that, at this time, are believed to be “life threatening”.
Following the incident, police are now urgently appealing to the public.
The junction of Avenue Street onto Chorley Old Road, where the collision occurred / Credit: Google Maps
GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are in the process of following several lines of enquiry, but in the meantime are appealing for witnesses, and anyone who may have information regarding the incident, to come forward and assist.
“This includes anyone with relevant dashcam, CCTV, mobile, or doorbell footage from the area and captures any of the incident,” GMO said in its public appeal.
The Manc -
25th May 2021 
