Rail commuters across Greater Manchester and the North West are being warned that the UK heatwave will most likely cause train delays.
Network Rail has issued a statement all those who travel by trail to only make journeys that are “absolutely necessary” during the potentially record-breaking hot temperatures that are forecast to hit large parts of the UK from Monday 18 July.
The warning comes after the Met Office has today issued a Red weather warning for extreme heat in the east of England, the Midlands and parts of the North West on Monday and Tuesday for the first time in UK history – with temperatures forecast to reach as high as 40°C in some areas.
An amber warning for heat is also in place across the rest of England, Wales, and some parts of southern Scotland.
The currently0forecasted temperatures will see the introduction of speed restrictions on railway lines across the country to ensure the safe running of trains, Network Rail has confirmed, and although the impact on train services will vary by region, journeys are expected to take “significantly longer”.
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⚠️ Only travel in England and Wales if absolutely necessary during the record-breaking temperatures from Monday.
The @metoffice has issued a red weather warning for extreme heat with temperatures set to reach as high as 40°C:
Network Rail says that passengers who choose to travel despite the warning are being advised to check the status of their journey before travelling, and should make sure that they are well-prepared for the extreme conditions.
The rail provider is advising that people wear cool clothes, take handheld fans, and ensure they have plenty of water to drink.
Vulnerable passengers and those with health conditions should avoid train travel.
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The Met Office has issued a Red warning for extreme heat for the first time ever in the UK on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July / Credit: Met Office
“There will be delays and cancellations to train services due to the unprecedented heat we’re expecting,” said Jake Kelly – Group Director at Network Rail’s System Operator.
“The wellbeing of our passengers is our first priority so we’re asking all passengers who decide to travel to take time to prepare before leaving the house.
“Journeys will take significantly longer and delays are likely as speed restrictions are introduced to keep passengers and railway staff safe, so make sure to allow considerably more time to complete your journey and be prepared for very hot conditions [but] we’re working closely to monitor forecasts and adapt our plans, and with our train operator colleagues to make sure we can get passengers who need to travel to their destinations safely.”
Passengers are advised to check before they travel next week at www.nationalrail.co.uk or with their direct train operators.
Featured Image – Network Rail
News
The 2026 BRIT Awards in Manchester – everything you need to know
Danny Jones
It’s nearly time: the 2026 BRIT Awards in Manchester are SO close, and we can barely contain our excitement, so much so that we’ve spent almost as much time trying to decide what we’re going to wear as we have figuring out what time we’re even setting off for Co-op Live.
Heading to the massive indoor arena and our region for the first time ever – this being the first of at least two years the awards will be spending up North – BRITs fever has well and truly gripped the city.
With murals, posters, DJ sets, live gigs and various other events popping up all over 0161, it almost feels like festival season has arrived early.
But with so much going on, it’s hard to keep track of everything, and we intend to soak up every single drop of this huge moment for us Mancs. So, from timings and travel to who’ll be performing throughout the night and more, here’s all the important details you need to know ahead of the 2026 BRIT Awards.
BRITs 2026 guide – all the key info
What time does the BRITs start at Co-op Live and on TV?
This year’s BRIT Awards will air on ITV1 and the ITVX streaming service at 8:15pm, and will also be free to watch online via their official YouTube channel for the first time ever.
It will also be the 13th year running that international viewers will be able to tune into the ceremony via the platform.
As for the pre-show festivities at Co-op Live, presenters Tyler West and Charley Marlowe will be hosting the BRITs 2026: ‘Live From The Red Carpet’ livestream, with the broadcast getting underway from 5:30pm onwards.
While an official arrival time for members of the public is yet to be fully confirmed by the venue, doors to the venue typically open at approximately 6:45pm, and as always, we would advise turning up with plenty of time to spare before the show gets going.
Who is performing at the BRITs this year?
Now, most of you already know that the likes of global pop phenomenon and Co-op Live investor himself, Harry Styles, is playing at this year’s BRITs – not to mention an extra special ‘intimate’ gig at the venue, too – as is fellow singer-songwriting superstar Olivia Dean.
That being said, they have continued to trickle out announcements of other acts joining the live music lineup for the 2026 BRITs, including names such as Wolf Alice, Mark Ronson and more.
For instance, they only just announced that popular London-born artist DJ AG will performing a special pop-up set outside Manchester Piccadilly train station on Friday, 27 February from 4-8pm; he’s also teased that some of the acts on the main bill could very well show their faces…
With all that in mind, in case one or two of them might have slipped by you, here is the full list of everyone confirmed to be performing on the night.
Who else is on the live music lineup in Manchester for BRITs Week ’26?
In case you’ve somehow missed the announcements, another big part of BRITs Week as a whole is the raft of very special intimate gigs happening not just here in Greater Manchester but across the country.
Besides the Foo Fighters announcing their own exclusive small-cap show at the O2 Ritz – with War Child UK also helping give away pairs of tickets – these nights are hosted to raise vital funds for the crucial charity that carries out work all over the world.
Teaming up with the BRIT Awards back in 2016, the pair have been generating money for the cause for over a decade now, and the names playing these War Child gigs have only gotten bigger over time.
Arguably the biggest of them all, British pop icon Robbie Williams also joined the list of performers of War Child x DHL charity gigs late on after the initial announcement, to make the comprehensive lineup of BRIT Awards performers truly unbelievable.
Find out who else is on it and which ones are happening in Manchester HERE.
What other events are happening in the city for the BRIT Awards?
Now, besides the pop-up DJ AG set we’ve already mentioned, there are literally TONNES of other bits going on in and around central Manchester to toast their Co-op Live debut.
From the likes of the partnered BRITs ‘FRINGE LAB’ taking place over at New Century Hall – a one-day musicindustry event and live showcase featuring local names like Nxdia, Chloe Slater and more – there is also an entirely FREE music festival happening at the Printworks for the very first time.
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There’s also the dedicated art trail around the city, put together by Manc creatives like Stanley Chow, Kim Thompson and ‘Oskar with a K’, just to name a few.
Oh, AND you’ve got the official ‘A Microdot Design’ exhibit at Piccadilly by Brian Cannon (the man behind Oasis’ Definitely Maybe and countless other bands’ artwork) as well, which has been curated specifically for this year’s BRIT Awards.
Gosh, we really are being spoiled rotten, aren’t we?
Put simply, there’s quite a lot going on this week and even after the ceremony and afterparties have wrapped up in the early hours of Sunday morning. You can see a more extensive list right HERE.
For those of you heading to Co-op Live to watch the BRIT Awards shows in person, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s also worth noting that anyone with a valid BRITs ticket is granted FREE travel from all zones travelling to and from the venue.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
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Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Afterparties and ‘rumours’
Last but not least, we already know that at leastone of the official BRITs afterparties is happening at Soho House on behalf of Sony, but it’s likely that different labels, promoters, artists, and so on will be hosting others at different locations around Manchester city centre.
We do know from when Northern Quarter hosted the Chanel Métiers d’art fashion show that plenty of A-listers went out to various NQ bars and restaurants in and around the event, so we’d wager on a fair few more doing the same on event weekend – especially any famous Mancs.
Not to make you lose your minds too much, but we’ve also heard talk of some rumoured guests turning up for the ceremony itself, so who knows who you might spot walking around this weekend?
All we’ll say is that if you want to catch a glimpse of any of them, be polite and Swift about it…
1 week to go!
That’s right, move over London, it’s our turn💪
The @BRITs take place in Manchester, at the @thecooplive, next Saturday, the first time it’s moved out of London.
Police issue statement following ‘concerning’ incident at Manchester Central Mosque
Emily Sergeant
A police statement and update has been issued following an incident at Manchester Central Mosque earlier this week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that officers were called at around 8:40pm on Tuesday evening (24 February 2026) to reports of concern from security staff at the mosque about a white man in a high-vis jacket carrying ‘a bag with an axe inside’.
The man in question had reportedly claimed to be in the mosque to do work on the building, but staff had no knowledge of this, and so they acted on their suspicions and called police.
There was no suggestion that the man made any threats or confronted members of the congregation, according to GMP, however the force says it understands the alarm that this ‘suspicious and concerning’ behaviour caused for the public.
“We quickly responded to the scene where we searched the suspect, arrested him, and seized weapons – including an axe, a knife and class B drugs,” Assistant Chief Constable, John Webster, said in his statement.
The police have issued their latest statement following a ‘concerning’ incident at Manchester Central Mosque / Credit: GMP
Although at this point his identity remains unconfirmed, GMP has revealed that the suspect is a white man in his 50s, who has been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and class B drugs, and detectives are yet to decipher what the circumstances or intent, if any, are around this incident.
ACC Webster continued: “I know this uncertainty can cause concern, but it is key that we have the time to question the suspect and speak to as many witnesses as possible to understand the nature of this incident. To ensure we are appropriately exploring every line of enquiry, we are working with detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West, but it has not been declared a terrorist incident.
“We are taking this very seriously and have increased patrols around mosques at what we know is a really important time for Muslim communities as they come together during Ramadan.”
Officers say they are reviewing ‘all available CCTV and body-worn video footage’ / Credit: GMP
On top of this, police say they are also reviewing ‘all available CCTV and body-worn video footage’ in an attempt to identify a second man who was reported as acting suspiciously in the mosque at the same time as the suspect, and are calling on the Greater Manchester public for help.
The man is described as black, approximately in his late 40s, with an athletic build and short stubbled facial hair, and was wearing a grey hoody with the hood up, a navy blue jacket with that hood also up, blue tracksuit bottoms, and white trainers at the time.
Can you help identify this man? An image is expected to be released soon, but in the meantime, anyone with any information is urged to contact police, quoting incident 3279 of 24 February 2026, or you can also call 101 or use the LiveChat function on the GMP website.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
15th July 2022 
