A beautiful thatch-roofed pub has been devastated by a huge fire that torethrough it last week.
The Smoker pub in the village of Plumley is more than 400 years old and has been owned by Robinsons family brewers since 1949.
The fire broke out at around 5.30pm last Wednesday with the building quickly evacuated.
Nine fire crews attended the blaze, which burned well into the night.
The pub has now released a statement thanking all the messages of support it’s received as well as praising the efforts of fire crews, who ‘braved the flames to rescue our beloved cats’.
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No one was injured in the devastating fire at The Smoker pub, though the damage is ‘suspected to be severe’.
Soon the work will begin to restore The Smoker – one of the only thatched roof pubs in the Robinsons portfolio – to its former glory.
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William Robinson, managing director of Pubs at Robinsons commented: “I’d like to extend my thanks to the nine fire crews of Cheshire Fire and Rescue and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue services who both attended the fire and worked throughout the night to extinguish the flames.
“Alongside the fire crews, The Salvation Army were on site, playing an incredible role in looking after the welfare of the fire crews and others onsite.
“It will take quite some time to fully understand the level of damage that has been done, but we suspect it to be quite severe.”
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The Smoker pub shared on Facebook: “After the devastating events of Wednesday evening I would just like to say THANK YOU!!
“For the countless messages I have received asking after the welfare of myself and my family, for the support of Adam and Ashleigh we could not have got thru the nite without you, for Darren dropping everything to be there while all we could do was watch…
“But most of all to the firemen that braved the flames to rescue our beloved cats and bring them out safely….
Tameside ambulance worker jailed after trying to murder her boss in a ‘frenzied hammer attack’
Emily Sergeant
An ambulance worker has been jailed after attempting to murder her boss in an ‘unprovoked and frenzied hammer attack’.
After what had been described as a “prolonged row” over work shift patterns, Stacey Smith, from the Tameside area of Greater Manchester, turned up outside her boss’s house in Dukinfield at 5:30am on 11 November 2023 when she knew the victim would be getting ready to leave for work, and repeatedly hit the her boss over the head with a hammer causing serious head injuries and leaving her with a broken wrist in defence.
The 46-year-old screamed at the victim during the attack that she was going to kill her.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) called Smith’s attempted murder of her boss – whom she had worked with since 2017 – an “unprovoked and frenzied hammer attack filled with rage”.
A number of neighbours came out to help the victim following the attack, giving her first aid and ensuring that the hammer that Smith left behind was covered in a plastic bag ready to be forensically examined by Crime Scene Investigators.
Smith later sent text messages to a friend after the attack saying: “I’ve done it. I’ve smashed her head in. Oppsie xx!”.
While initially telling her friend that she would “go on the run” to Liverpool, Smith instead handed herself into Ashton Police Station, and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Following police interviews, Smith pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but denied attempting to kill her boss.
Following a hearing at Manchester Crown Court this week, Smith was charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and attempted murder, and sentenced to a total of 25 years – including 20 years in prison – as well as receiving a whole-life restraining order banning her from contacting the victim.
Detective Constable Stephen McNee, GMP’s Tameside Criminal Investigation Department, described this as “a particularly violent attack”.
Speaking after the sentencing this week, DC McNee said: “We are pleased with today’s result, which has seen a violent woman taken off the streets, and we hope that this goes some way to helping the victim to come to terms with what has happened to her and allows her to heal.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Greater Manchester to survive key public transport cut as government prepares to scrap bus fare cap
Danny Jones
As the Labour Party prepares to reveal its first budget in nearly a decade and a half, early reports are suggesting that the government is planning to scrap the £2 bus fare cap but, fortunately, the policy won’t affect Greater Manchester.
Set to be delivered on Wednesday, 30 October by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the national £2 cap on bus fares – which was only introduced back in January 2023 and continually extended ever since – has been a big money-saving measure for many commuters and those struggling in the cost of living crisis.
Reeves and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have already warned that Labour’s first budget since 2010 will feature a series of spending cuts and tax rises as they look to stabilise Britain’s economy but for millions across the country, this will come as a frustrating update.
According to The Mirror, this could see the worst affected places see fares jump up as much as £10, meaning affordable buses will no longer be a viable travel option. Luckily for us here in Greater Manchester, it has been confirmed the impending changes won’t apply here.
I can confirm that we plan to stick with a £2 cap on single bus fares for the whole of 2025.
Confirming the news on Tuesday, 29 October, Mayor Andy Burnham detailed that the £2 bus fare cap will remain across all 10 boroughs as part of the ever-growing Bee Network and Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM) wider plans moving forward.
Speaking in an official statement shared on the local Combined Authority website, Burnham said: “Our policy aim throughout has been to create a low-fare, high-patronage system similar to the one that has brought higher growth and productivity to London. This will remain the mission of the Bee Network…
“Because of the decisions we have taken, and the progress we have made, GM is in a different position to other areas across England when it comes to bus funding and bus fares. We are beginning to benefit from similar financial advantages as those long enjoyed by London.”
Meanwhile, the bulk of the country is set to face a number of financial changes when the MP for Leeds West and Pudsey announces the first Labour budget in 14 years in full this week, with the bus fare cap now reportedly set to be increased to at least £3, along with changes to pension tax, the winter fuel allowance and more expected.
In Parliament this week, Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsey Hoyle called out Lewisham-born Reeves for the level of media attention her upcoming budget has received of late:
Fair play to Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle who gave a bollocking to Rachel Reeves for strutting around the world announcing her plan to change the government's fiscal rules before debating it in parliament. pic.twitter.com/IVpC382gx3
As for Burnham, he went on to detail that, “Firstly, the per-kilometre cost of our new contracts are on average one-third cheaper than tenders in the old deregulated system. Secondly, by taking control of the farebox, any profits from rising patronage can be kept and recycled for the benefit of GM residents rather than retained by private operators.
“Thirdly, control of the system allows us to take further steps to help our residents. For instance, by making annual Bee Bus Passes available through our 14 credit unions via weekly payments, residents can cut the cost of weekly bus travel by around £5.”
Greater Manchester was the first area in the UK to propose the bus fare cap to begin with and set an important precedent for other counties to push for the national policy.
The 54-year-old is also set for an “emergency meeting” with the Rail North Committee on the same day that the government’s budget will be revealed after slamming the “embarrassing” state of the current regional network.
People looking to use the train service this past Sunday, 27 October were advised not to travel in now-deleted social media posts after yet more warnings regarding the possibility of last-minute cancellations.
We have called an emergency Rail North Committee for Wednesday to require a plan to bring an immediate end to this.👇🏻
“Do Not Travel” notices between UK cities are embarrassing.
Transport is critical to growth and right now Northern is damaging local economies across the North. https://t.co/QO8iYOLNkX
Back to the buses, Burnham went on to add: “We hope that the measures we are taking will continue the increase in patronage we have seen since the introduction of the original £2 cap in September 2022 and the launch of the Bee Network in September 2023.
“The more people use the system, the easier it will be for us to sustain the low-fare structure. This said, it is only by mid-2025 when we have completed Phase 1 of the Bee Network, and we know the level of funding we have, that we’ll be in a position to judge the financial outlook for the new system.”
While they have promised that the £2 cap bus fare will remain for the whole of 2025, the figure will be subject to a mid-year review that could potentially see the decision to up the price in the future.
Put simply, he signed off by assuring that the local authorities remain defiant on the issue and “will keep [the bus fare] as long we can.”
In the grander scheme of things, Greater Manchester is edging ever closer towards an Oyster card-esque set-up as mentioned above, with the first of the key steps in this process set to be rolled out in January next year. Find out more below.
Daisy Jackson -
28th October 2024 
