Manhunt underway as teenage girl sexually assaulted in alleyway
Salford's Chief Inspector said, 'We are committed to keeping people safe in our communities across Salford, and I can reassure the public that we are doing everything we can to reinforce this.'
Greater Manchester Police are on the hunt for a man who sexually assaulted a teenage girl in Salford and are appealing for anyone who might have information to come forward.
Police were called to the Broughton area of Salford around 8:30pm on Sunday, 3 December following reports that a teenage girl had been the victim of sexual assault believed to have taken place in an alleyway between Howe and Back Howe Street.
The young female is said to have been approached by a man, described as a white male dressed in all black with a black face covering, who followed her down the alleyway and caught up with her, threatening and assaulting her before he is thought to have fled the scene.
The attacker is believed to run towards Great Clowes Street following the incident and the local authorities are still trying to trace him, with any and all information into the inquiry from members of the public welcome.
Chief Inspector Lucy Smallwood, of GMP’s Salford district, said: “We do not underestimate the considerable concern this will cause for the community and I want to stress that this incident is being treated with the utmost seriousness and sensitivity.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We are leaving no stone unturned in trying to establish the full circumstances around what happened and have a full team of detectives within our Crime Investigation Department making enquiries over the coming days.”
Urging “anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area around 8.20pm on Sunday 3 December to come forward”, she assured that any details passed on “will be treated with the strictest confidence.”
ADVERTISEMENT
She also went on to “thank the victim for her bravery and co-operation so far, and remind people that the best support they can provide at this time is to share with us any information that could be relevant to our investigation.
“We are committed to keeping people safe in our communities across Salford, and I can reassure the public that we are doing everything we can to reinforce this.
Anyone who thinks they might have information that could help, no matter how small it may be, should contact the police on 0161 856 5187, quoting incident 2920 of 3/12/2023.
ADVERTISEMENT
Alternatively, details can also be passed on completely anonymously to the UK’s independent crime prevention charity, Crimestoppers, either online or on 0800 555 111.
Met Office gives verdict on how Storm Boelo aftermath will affect Greater Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Storm Boelo is finally on his way out, and now the Met Office has given its verdict on what we can expect from the rest of the week.
In the aftermath of two successive storms, Storm Austen followed by Storm Boelo – the latter of which affected Greater Manchester – the UK is now able to begin recovering from the effects of the adverse weather.
But the Met Office has warned that, although there is no named storm, strong winds and heavy rain will continue to affect parts of the UK early this week, before high pressure brings calmer conditions.
Yellow national severe weather warnings are in place for parts of Scotland and western areas of the UK today (Tuesday 27 October), including areas of the North West, as gales and spells of rain bring the potential for ongoing disruption around the region, particularly on exposed coasts and higher ground.
“The continued winds could hamper recovery efforts in some places,” forecasters also unfortunately confirmed.
⚠️ Strong winds and heavy rain continue across parts of the UK early this week with a yellow weather warning in place, before high pressure brings calmer conditions for many from Wednesday ⛅
Read our news release to find out more 👇
https://t.co/EQU4vvaA3B https://t.co/hpvTd8v7EZ
As rest of the week pans out though, conditions will begin to settle down and showers are expected to become ‘less frequent’, while winds also ease for most, although gales could continue for a time in the far north.
Thursday is expected be ‘largely dry’ with lighter winds and variable cloud, with a touch of mist and fog likely across parts of England and Wales during the morning.
From Friday and into the weekend, light rain will team up to potentially affect northwestern areas of England, but for the most part, temperatures are expected to remain close to, or slightly above, average for the time of year.
“From Wednesday, high pressure will start to build which will ease the winds and bring a quieter and largely drier end to the week for many, although some rain is still possible in the North and West,” explained Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Steven Keates.
“However, with wind warnings in place, those in warnings areas, particularly in northern Scotland and western high ground, continue to be exposed to strong winds and heavy rain before the more settled weather arrives.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
News
Popular pumpkin patch attraction describes ‘catastrophic’ impact of Storm Boelo
Daisy Jackson
Bates Farm, one of the most popular pumpkin patch attractions in the North West, has shared its heartbreak after Storm Boelo forced its closure on the busiest day of the season.
The Warrington-based family farm said the financial impact has been ‘honestly catastrophic’, after they had to cancel all tickets for Sunday.
Sisters Ali and Fiona Wilshaw, who run the farm, said it was simply not safe to allow members of the public onto the farm in the storm, with ‘crazy’ gusts of wind.
They later shared a video that showed their marquee was badly damaged and many footpaths turned to deep mud.
The sisters said they were ‘heartbroken’ to have to close at such a busy time, but stressed to followers that ‘your safety and our integrity will always come first’.
On Saturday, as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo chased each other across the UK, several people shared videos of themselves getting battered by the weather at Bates Farm.
And it’s pretty clear from that why Ali and Fi decided to cancel all tickets and close for the day on Sunday.
They wrote: “We have put in so much love, energy and investment putting on this event at this scale. The cost to cancel and refund everyone today on our busiest day of the season is honestly catastrophic, but business aside, your safety and our integrity will always come first.
“To think last night we were running round Tesco trying to stock up on milk and now we are in the depths of recovering the site to go again tomorrow. All emails and enquiries are being responded to as quickly as possible and we are doing our best to open up more available slots next week.
“We are being tested like never before, but pulling together in true force. Huge shout out to the whole team and Farmer Fi the absolute queen in any crisis.
“Thank you all for your patience and especially thank you to those who have sent such kind words and support, we are so grateful to have customers like you.
“We will be back tomorrow to enjoy the remaining of this tough season, we are putting in so many provisions with wood chip paths, undercover seating and an indoor barn to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Ali & Fi.”
Anyone who had tickets to visit Bates Farm on Sunday will be refunded, and can book in for another date.
Bates Farm has safely reopened its autumnal experience and pumpkin patch today.
Danny Jones -
5th December 2023 
