Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has slammed Avanti West Coast after they announced they would be running on a reduced timetable until further notice.
The train company has temporarily suspended ticket sales and slashed services in a move that will worst affect trains between London and Manchester.
Train frequencies between the capital and Manchester will be reduced to as few as one per hour, rather than the usual three, with Avanti West Coast saying it’s because of staff shortages caused by ‘unofficial strike action’.
Mr Burnham has said the move is ‘nothing short of a disgrace’.
Andy Burnham has slammed Avanti. Credit: Wikimedia CommonsAvanti West Coast trains will run on a reduced timetable. Credit: Avanti West Coast
He wrote today: “Zero consultation and a dissembling explanation.
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“Nothing short of a disgrace from @AvantiWestCoast.
“We will be writing to @grantshapps later today with a clear message: set them a deadline to fix the problems or strip the franchise.”
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A statement from Avanti yesterday said: “From 14 August until further notice, we will be introducing a reduced timetable on our services. This is due to the current industrial relations climate which has resulted in severe staff shortages in some grades through increased sickness levels, as well as unofficial strike action by ASLEF members.
Manchester Piccadilly. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“As a result of the above, including the majority of drivers declaring themselves unavailable for overtime, our customers have faced multiple short-notice cancellations on our network which has had a severe impact on their plans.”
Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said: “There is – and has been – no unofficial action on Avanti West Coast this week.
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“The truth is that the company does not employ enough drivers to deliver the services it has promised passengers it will run. In fact, the company itself has admitted that 400 trains a week are dependent on drivers working their rest days (that is, working overtime on their days off).
“Avanti was already running a truncated timetable. Now it has doubled down by cutting even more services. It would have no need to do this if it had enough drivers!
“The company should stop lying and start recruiting. Then it will be able to deliver the services it has promised passengers it will run. At the moment the company is lying to passengers, and lying to staff. It needs to do better.”
Featured image: Avanti West Coast
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AO Arena are hosting an ‘Evening 4’ Ricky Hatton in memory of the legendary Manchester boxer
Danny Jones
Manchester is set to host a night of remembrance and celebration in honour of the late, great, local boxer, Ricky Hatton.
Coming this summer, the AO Arena – where Hatton enjoyed so many of his iconic moments – will be holding the first-ever ‘Evening4Ricky’ later this year.
Held at the legendary sports and live entertainment venue just in time for summer, we still know very little about what the actual event will entail.
Sharing the news on social media, AO Arena said: “Join us for an unforgettable night of entertainment as Manchester comes together for Evening4Ricky.
“This will be a spectacular, unique celebration of the life, spirit and legacy of one of the city’s most beloved icons – Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton.”
With seats priced at £25, fans are being encouraged to join the early bird sign-up to secure access to discounted tickets.
They go on to add: “Hosted at the legendary AO Arena, home to so many of Ricky’s big fights, featuring a superstar cast of legends from the worlds of boxing, music, comedy and entertainment.”
So, we do at least know there’ll be some famous faces coming along to help make it a memorable Manc moment, just a few months on from the city and beyond uniting for his public funeral procession.
Ricky was beloved not only by the Greater Manchester community but was a popular figure and friend to many in the sporting and showbiz industries.
The homegrown ‘Pride of Hyde‘ tragically left us on 14 September 2025 at the age of just 46, but his passing has once again helped reassert the importance of having more conversations around wellbeing, suicide prevention, and most specifically, men’s mental health.
You can find more information and see how to grab tickets right HERE.
This isn’t the only charitable in memoriam event happening across the region in the coming weeks, either, as Mancs will be gathering to pay tribute to another fellow inspiring sportsman.
Man jailed for stalking, strangling, and raping woman in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A man has been jailed this week for several offences including rape, strangulation and stalking while living in Manchester.
Jack-Leland Webster – previously Jack Malone – of Cedar Road, Earl Shilton in Leicester, appeared at Manchester Crown Court and was sentenced yesterday (8 April 2026) after being found guilty of rape and strangulation, following pleaded guilty to stalking the victim at a previous hearing.
The incidents took place back in June2024, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained, when Webster had accused the victim of cheating with her ex-boyfriend.
The victim had been in communication with her ex after he had reached out to her to let her know he was ‘concerned’ after he found out that Webster had been impersonating him to message the victim and test her loyalty throughout their relationship.
As the victim attempted to exit the flat, Webster blocked the doorways to prevent her from leaving. He then proceeded to get on top of the victim and while he strangled her, said: “Don’t make me kill you. If you do, I’ll have to kill myself so we can be dead together,” before proceeding to sexually assault her.
While on bail, Webster purchased numerous fake social media accounts to follow and contact the victim, as well as her family and her friends, which was in breach of his no contact conditions. On one occasion, the victim was followed by over 100 accounts on a social media platform in a matter of seconds.
During police interviews, Webster denied all charges against him.
When an officer tried to arrange his second interview, Webster was described as being ‘obstructive’ and even told the officer to “pick me up from KFC” and “catch me if you can”.
“Webster showed no remorse throughout the investigation and treated it as a game,” GMP said following his sentencing.
As mentioned, Webster pleaded guilty to stalking before he went to trial, where a jury found him guilty of rape and strangulation. And then Wednesday 8 April 2026 at Manchester Crown Court, he was sentenced tonine years and five months in prison.
He has also been given an indefinite restraining order.
Daisy Jackson -
9th August 2022 
