A £2000 cash reward is being offered for information relating to the attacks on Clonezone in the Gay Village, after the shop was attacked for the FIFTH time.
The local business has been the victim of targeted attacks several times this year, with its windows smashed and its security equipment damaged.
GMP have described the attacks as ‘very specific’, with offenders always arriving to the Gay Village business on bikes and attacking the same shop in the same way.
Crimestoppers is now offering a reward if anyone can provide information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved.
One arrest has already been made but the attacks on Clonezone have continued, with five in the last four months
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The latest occurred in broad daylight – at around 2pm on Sunday 10 September – and caused £3,500 worth of damage.
Two men approached the shop on Sackville Street on a bike and attempted to smash the windows, which are now protected by iron bars. They then threw an object at the doors and at the security equipment.
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CCTV has been released of the latest shocking vandalism as GMP appeals for the public’s help in locating the bike used.
The latest attack on Clonezone in Manchester’s Gay Village. Credit: GMP
Chief Inspector Steve Wiggins of GMP’s City Centre Neighbourhood Team, said: “So far, we have arrested a person but we know that there is someone out there who knows where this bike is and who it belongs to and we are urging them to reach out to us.
“We appreciate that the images in the CCTV image are not of the best quality, but we are releasing them in the hope that someone was able to witness this attack and can come forwards with information.
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“The attacks are very specific, with all five attacks showcasing the same style of offending to one specific shop, with offenders arriving on bikes and causing significant damage. We are keen to find out the motivations behind the attacks which will assist us with tracing those responsible and bringing them to justice.
“This is the fifth attack on this business in the last four months and this cannot continue. We are doing everything in our power to investigate the incidents whilst protecting the business.
“We have a dedicated specialist unit investigation in addition to patrols being conducted by neighbourhood officers, and we hope this goes someway to reassure the local community that we are committed to protecting the public.
“The neighbourhood officers who are out and about are approachable so please come and speak to us if you have any concerns or information that may help us.
“Community intelligence is crucial for us to focus these patrols in the right areas at the right times to catch individuals involved in crime so please report anything which appears suspicious and out of the ordinary to police.
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“Crimestoppers is offering a £2,000 reward for information given to them directly that that leads to the arrest and conviction of any involved. This information can be passed anonymously through the Crimestoppers independent charity on 0800 555 111.
“Information regarding the bike or if you can identify the men in the image information can also be passed by calling officers on 0161 856 3345 or via 101.”
Jimmy Bradbury, Reuben Haycocks, Aoife Anson O’Connell, and Paddy Murphy – better known together as Westside Cowboy – formed back in 2023 when they were students at the Royal Northern College of Music, so while they may not all be from Manchester, they definitely have the spirit of our city at the heart of everything they do.
After playing in different bands across the city throughout their student years, the four-piece joined forces to create Westside Cowboy – an indie rock collective credited with self-coining the genre of ‘Britainicana’.
Put simply, Britainicana is a cultural concept that mixes the hazy, mythic feel of American country and folk, with the sound of raw British punk, indie rock, and small-town life.
Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On / Credit: Clementine Schniedermann (Press Shots – Supplied)
If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you’ll be pleased to know that Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On, to the world today (21 August).
And the reception from critics, arguably, couldn’t be better.
Prior to the release of their debut album, the band had released two EPs, including So Much Country ‘Till We Get There in January earlier this year, and had started to make a name for themselves with their popular debut single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ in 2024.
They went onto make even further waves when they supported equally-rising American rock band Geese on their UK and Irish tour back in March – with many fans calling it one of the best support and main act combinations in some time.
Three singles from their debut album were shared with the world ahead of its release – ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ came first, followed by ‘Pin Up Boys’ and ‘Dobro’.
So, it’s fair to say the anticipation for album was high… and if the reviews are anything to go by (which we think they are), it looks like the band has very much delivered what they set out to achieve.
Westside Cowboy’s debut album It Goes On is now available to stream, or you can purchase a physical copy in a range of formats from their website here.
Take a listen👇
Featured Image – Press Shot (Supplied)
News
UK set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn
Emily Sergeant
The UK is being told to brace for a series of storms this autumn when the ‘unprecedented’ El Niño weather event arrives.
It’s already been a summer of extremes for the country, with multiple heatwaves over the past couple of months, but now it appears that autumn and winter are set to have some extremes of their own, as the Met Office is warning that this upcoming El Niño could be one of the most significant in recent memory.
El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average, which therefore impacts global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.
The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3°C in the coming months, according to the Met Office, making this year’s weather event have the potential to be ‘the largest since the 19th century’.
The UK is set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
El Niño will create a heightened risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa, and north eastern Australia, but over in north western Europe – including the UK – it means we are likely to experience wetter and stormier conditions.
The UK, and of course Greater Manchester, is absolutely no stranger to a storm around this time of year, but forecasters say this could be an entirely different beast.
“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” warned Professor Adam Scaife, who is the Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office.
“I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts.”
Professor Scaife concluded: “A typical El Nino leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between one to 2°C, with 2°C being a really big event. This implies that, if the forecast is accurate, and other forecast systems show similar extreme values, then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.’
Forecasters and officials, however, have warned that it could take months of sustained rainfall before rivers, reservoirs, and groundwaters are ‘completely replenished’ – which is when a drought can officially be declared as over.
It also warned drought conditions could persist into the new year as, despite El Niño, as current forecasts do not suggest this autumn will have the amount of rainfall needed to drive recovery.
Daisy Jackson -
12th September 2023 
