A garden centre in Flixton has spoken out about an increased number of incidents involving members of the public being abusive towards staff members following new COVID safety measures.
Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton, in the Greater Manchester borough of Trafford, has taken to social media today to warn shoppers that it “will not accept is aggression in any form directed to staff” and asks that should any members of public have feedback to offer, they instead “have the courtesy to address this with us in a calm and respectable manner”.
The increasing number of incidents involving aggression is believed to be a result of the new health and safety measures the garden centre has put in place to meet government guidelines amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Via an extensive statement on Facebook this morning, Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton, said: “We are and always have been open to feedback from our customers.”
“What we will not accept is aggression in any form directed to our staff.”
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“In the past few weeks, we have had growing instances of individuals being abusive towards staff over the safety measures we have in place. We ask that if you have feedback for us, you have the courtesy to address this with us in a calm and respectable manner.
“Our emails and Facebook messages are open and we do want to hear from you.”
“Since reopening, we have already made changes to our policies in response to feedback, including changing the number of people allowed to shop per household to 2 instead of 1 and allowing parents with babies in prams to enter the shop.”
“Going forward, we will continue to review our policies and make changes when and where possible.”
“However, we will not rush to loosen our measures – we will only do this when we are comfortable and when it is safe. Of course, we would prefer to let all customers into the shop, as we rely on the business of families, groups and people of all ages.”
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“These are exceptional times and we remain in the midst of a pandemic.”
“Trafford and the North West are still hotspots for COVID-19, so we are taking the situation and the safety of staff and customers very seriously.”
There are a vast number of reasons that we are not taking the same approach as other garden centres and retailers. All businesses are well within their rights to take things slowly and have stringent measures in place at a time when lives are at risk.”
“We have put thought into every one of our measures and the intention behind all of them is safety.”
Flixton Garden Centre
The current list of policies in place at Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton are:
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“We encourage customers to shop alone where possible, but no more than 2 people per household may enter together.
No under 16s, other than babies in prams, carriers or slings.
The one-way system in the shop must be followed at all times to allow everyone to safely social distance.
Both customers and staff must not come within two metres of each other.
We have a limit on the number of people in the shop at once. The reason for the queuing system is so we can monitor how many customers we are letting in and out. This is also another reason for no under 16s and only two per household – the less people we let in per household, the faster the queue will move and the less time you will have to wait.
No cash payments. This measure is in place to avoid contact between you and our till operators. Gift cards only for the time being as we cannot accept paper vouchers or offer change from them.
A temporary ban on dogs. This is not due to a fear of dogs spreading the virus, but to avoid people being tempted to stroke and fuss the dogs and to create maximum space in the shop for social distancing.
We are operating reduced customer service, as our focus is on keeping the shop safe and maintaining social distancing, our staff cannot offer some of the services we had in the past. This includes following customers around the shop to direct you to specific products. There are members of staff available in the plant area who can advise you from a distance.
Some of our products are currently unavailable in the shop – this includes some furniture and fencing. We are unable to deliver these items or have had to temporarily remove them from the shop to create space for the one way system and social distancing.
Our coffee shop remains closed until further notice.”
The statement closed out by closed thanking “patient and loyal customers for continuing to support” the garden centre during this time.
Parker’s Garden Centre Flixton is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10am-4pm.
Visit the centre website here for more information.
News
Derelict Manchester office block to become ‘vital’ accommodation for homeless families
Emily Sergeant
A derelict former office block in Manchester is set to become vital accommodation for homeless families in the region.
Manchester City Council has announced that, subject to planning approval, new temporary accommodation for dozens of homeless families will be created on the site of a derelict former office block in south Manchester, off Nell Lane in Chorlton.
The Council acquired the 1.1 acre site last month with the support of the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund.
The initiative – which is part of wider plans to boost the city’s stock of quality temporary accommodation – will see self-contained two-bedroom accommodation created for around 55 homeless families built where former NHS offices, Mauldeth House, currently stand.
Mauldeth House has been empty for several years now at this point, and had become somewhat of a ‘blight’ on the neighbourhood, attracting anti-social behaviour along the way and being targeted by squatters – but with the plans for the new accommodation, this could change for the better.
The site, and therefore the new accommodation, is said to be ‘ideally located’ for families, as it’s close to shops, schools, public transport, leisure facilities, and Chorlton Park.
The new accommodation will see families supported by a specialist team based on site to help them move on as quickly as possible into permanent settled tenancies, which is, of course, the long-term goal for many.
The Mauldeth House initiative is cited as being one example of the Council’s drive to increase its temporary accommodation stock across the city to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.
Other successful examples of this initiative include Mariana House in Whalley Range, and The Poplars in Rusholme.
It also comes after it was announced last month that homeless children in Greater Manchester, particularly those who are placed in temporary accommodation out of area for their school, will now get free bus travel to and from school.
“Mauldeth House is a great example of how we can put derelict properties to good use to benefit those experiencing homelessness, as well as making our neighbourhood look better,” explained Deputy Council Leader, Cllr Joanna Midgley.
“We are tackling homelessness on many fronts, the most important one being prevention, but we also need an increased supply of good quality temporary accommodation within the city so that if people do become homeless they are not uprooted from their social support networks.
“One of the ways we are doing this is through the innovative use of existing sites whether they are council owned or we are able to acquire them, as in the case of Mauldeth House.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
News
Bolton woman who falsely accused 10 men of raping her has been jailed
Emily Sergeant
A woman from Bolton who falsely accused 10 different men of raping her over a six-year period has now been jailed.
Stacey Sharples, 31 from Farnworth in Bolton, pleaded guilty of 10 counts of perverting the course of justice in relation to reports against 10 separate men at Bolton Crown Court earlier last month (2 February 2026), before appearing in court again this week to be sentenced.
The investigation into Sharples was launched after the arrests and questioning of almost all these men, and following the pursuing of all relevant lines of enquiry, which consistently revealed evidence contrary to what had been disclosed by Sharples.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says investigations of this nature are ‘extremely rare’ and the decision to pursue Sharples as a suspect was ‘not one taken lightly’.
“However, it is our duty to act in the public interest and on the evidence and information we uncover and receive, which in this case demonstrated a continuous, wilful making of false allegations, knowing full well the consequences for each of the men involved,” GMP said in a statement following Sharples’ sentencing.
Of the allegations Sharples pleaded guilty to – of which were made over a six-year period between 2013 and 2019 – most of the men were arrested and spent time in custody, with some also undertaking intimate examinations, and almost all spending periods of time on police bail or released under investigation.
Statements from the men accused by Stacey Sharples / Credit: GMP
GMP says there’s ‘no doubt’ the reports and arrests have had an impact on these men, their sense of self and relationships, their wider networks, and how they move forward with their lives.
False accounts also undermine those who have genuinely experienced sexual violence.
Police say it also affects the confidence in the criminal justice system, and that the time spent investigating Sharples’ reports could have been put towards investigating ‘genuine reports of sexual offences’ instead.
Sharples has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison this week after pleading guilty to making false rape allegations.
Speaking following Sharples’ sentencing this week, Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, who investigated this case, said: “We took the allegations made by Stacey Sharples seriously, explored all lines of enquiry and swiftly made arrests or interviewed of all the men she accused.
“We gave her multiple opportunities to provide further explanation or information to us, after interviews with the men and subsequent evidence uncovered didn’t align with her first recollection, as we understand that trauma can impact how victims and survivors recount their experiences.
“Ultimately, as the evidence continued to demonstrate that the reports were untrue, coupled with the desire for justice from some of the men who had been falsely accused, it was right that we followed the evidence and pursued the individual who had actually committed a criminal offence.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th June 2020 
