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Fully-booked Peak District restaurant left with empty tables by scam artist who tricked the system

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 15th February 2022

A beautiful restaurant with rooms in the Peak District has been left with empty tables – despite their reservations system showing they were fully booked.

Rafters at Riverside House Hotel in Bakewell said that one individual was able to reserve more than 100 covers in what appears to be a vindictive prank.

The restaurant, which also has a business in Sheffield, said it was having to amend its reservations policy in the wake of the incident, taking a £10 per person deposit moving forwards.

Taking to Twitter, Rafters’ owners said: “Following an investigation it turns out some delightful soul has been booking tables with incorrect details phone/email including the vast majority of next weekend.

The team at Rafters at Riverside House Hotel in the Peak District. Credit: Facebook, Rafters

“All of these bookings were made in a two hour window on 3/1/22… our reservation provider are now working on tracking the IP address of this person.

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“We need some support at this time of year this is enough to cripple us!! Luckily we caught it due to an incredible receptionist, but still suffered numerous no shows on Saturday!! Is this a common occurrence it’s the first time we have experienced it?”

Its owner Alistair Myers told the Manchester Evening News that the scam artist’s false reservations could have cost the business £4000 in lost revenue.

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He told the paper: “Had we not noticed, it would have been catastrophic for us.

“It’s an absolute nightmare. We turn people away on Sundays because we are full, and we have turned others away already for this weekend.

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“It’s quite malicious really. It’s either a prank, or someone being horrible to us.

“We’d have bought all the food in, and we serve quite expensive beef. It would have been a disaster.”

Featured image: Google Maps

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Plans submitted for new £250 million mixed residential neighbourhood in Stockport

Danny Jones Danny Jones New Stockport 8 neighbourhood planning permission

Plans have officially been submitted for a brand-new £250 million neighbourhood in the heart of Stockport town centre.

The new mixed residential mini-village simply dubbed, ‘Stockport 8’, has been put forward by the local LLP of the same name, set up as part of a partnership between Stockport Council and ECF (English Cities Fund – itself a joint venture between Homes England, Legal & General, and Muse).

Set to cost a quarter of a million, the proposed neighbourhood is just the latest step of the ever-growing Stockport Mayor Development Corporation (MDC) masterplan, a wider £500m scheme to transform the specific Stockport Town Centre West area into the most sustainable, liveable town centre in the UK.

With a planning application now submitted, we’ve also been given another look at what the new Stockport neighbourhood would look like if green-lit.

when is Stockport 8 due to be finished?

We first heard reports of the new Stockport 8 neighbourhood back in January after CGIs of what the developers envisioned were shared with the public, alongside how it fit into the West blueprints.

The overall goal of the development is to create a high-quality, green neighbourhood featuring a mix of housing tenures to suit existing and new homeowners and tenants.

Aiming to build a grand total of 1,300 high-quality, energy-efficient homes all told as part of a whipping £1bn investment in Stockport town centre, there will also be room for businesses and community spaces on the ground floor level to knit into the existing centre and its community.

There’s also an insistence from those behind the project to create different atmospheres, creating new environments for people to meet, socialise, relax and enjoy, such as residential courtyards and green roofs, as well as the usual modern amenities re: parking, vehicle charging, bike storage etc.

All told, the council and their development partners – which include chief designers, shedkm, and landscape architects, Planit – are hoping to contribute nearly a third of the homes in Stockport MDC masterplan, which is hoping to surpass 4,000 homes over a total of 130 acres.

stockport 8 neighbourhood
stockport town centre masterplan

As well as helping contribute to the busy and vital road network that is continuing to be redeveloped, the goal is to create a safe and sustainable travel environment too, with a pedestrian-only street running through the centre of the scheme.

With one big road (Cook Street) running throughout the neighbourhood, the new builds will also look to knit into Stockport’s existing structure, celebrating the area’s rich heritage and character by even reintroducing historic street patterns and street names.

If you’re interested in the skyline-changing new project, you can find out more HERE.

Planning permission applications in Manchester can sometimes take upwards of 13 weeks due to the various individual stages and processes, so we’re still a while of way from knowing if/when Stockport 8 will begin work but with a summer 2027 completion date, it could be a huge moment for the town.

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Featured Images — Supplied

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Hidden drug den full of cannabis plants worth £100k exposed by police in Bury

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Police in Bury have exposed a drug den worth an estimated £100,000 hidden behind closed doors during early morning warrants.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained, earlier this week (9 December), officers from the Radcliffe and Elton and Church Neighbourhood Teams were joined by Bury’s newest district commander, Chief Superintendent Kirsty Oliver, to conduct a warrant at an address on Mitchell Street.

The warrant was conducted by acting on intelligence that was gathered from members of the public within the community.

Officers the address, where they forced entry and discovered what has been described as a “sophisticated cannabis farm” within the property.

A hidden drug den full of cannabis plants worth £100k has been exposed by police in Bury / Credit: GMP

The set-up was spread across two floors, and according to police, resulted in around 300 plants being seized overall – with half of them being at the beginning of their growth-cycle, and 100 which had been harvested.

All the plants seized have a combined street value of an estimated £100,000, it is believed.

On top of this, a vehicle was also seized after officers found it suspiciously parked outside the premises, and following further inspection, it was discovered to be outstanding as stolen and had false registration plates.

No arrests have been made at this time.

Police believe that the warrant could be linked with West Balkan’s Organized Crime Groups, and are investigating additional lines of enquiry.

Chief Superintendent Kirsty Oliver, Bury’s new district commander, thanked the public for their help in yesterday’s warrant.

“We received information sent in by concerned members of the community who wanted to create a safer environment,” Chief Superintendent Oliver explained.

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“Communities are essential to preventing and solving crime, and I encourage you to continue to report any criminal acts or suspicious behaviour to us and let us know what is happening in your area.”

Featured Image – GMP

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