Gold bars worth £750,000 found hidden in a lunch box during a search at Manchester Airport are set to be auctioned off.
The eight ingots were stopped whilst en route to Dubai in 2018 – with the passenger attempting to smuggle them to the United Arab Emirates inside a storage container.
HM Revenue and Customs has now confirmed the bars, which weighed about 16kg, will be auctioned off this week.
The passenger is not set to face criminal prosecution for his role in transporting 24-carat gold.
According to a HMRC spokesperson, investigators had used “new civil proceeds of crime powers for the first time to apply for forfeiture of the bars”.
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Manchester Airport / Wikimedia Commons
Under the 2017 Criminal Finance Act, precious metals such as seized gold can be subjected to forfeiture.
HMRC Fraud Investigation Service assistant director Gill Hilton said the case “should act as a deterrent to criminals looking to trade assets such as precious metals”.
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“If they are the proceeds of crime or intended for unlawful conduct, we now have the powers to take them from criminals.”
According to HMRC, the money raised from the auction, which will take place on Thursday, is set to go directly back into “vital services.”
This will include money towards hospitals, schools and other community support systems.
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Michael Streight, government sales coordinator at Wilsons Auctions said: “Wilsons Auctions is delighted to once again be realising a significant amount of 24ct gold bars on behalf of HMRC through its upcoming Online Luxury Assets Auction.
“Having successfully sold over £1m worth of gold for HMRC in a previous auction, we are proud to continue realising these luxury seized assets, with the money raised ultimately going back into the public purse.”
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Stop and search powers in place as police appeal following ‘life-threatening’ stabbing in Cheetham Hill
Emily Sergeant
A public appeal for information has been issued following a ‘life-threatening’ stabbing in Cheetham Hill yesterday afternoon.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called to reports of a stabbing on Woodlands Road, in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, at around 4:10pm yesterday afternoon (11 November), and emergency services rushed to the scene.
Once police arrived at the scene, they found a teenager with potentially life-threatening injuries, who was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment.
A police investigation is now underway, and the scene has been secured and cordoned off.
A Section 60 has been put in place until 10am this morning (12 November), which gives officers extra powers to ‘stop and search’ individuals in the area.
#APPEAL | Officers are appealing for information following a stabbing in #CheethamHill.
We were called to reports of a stabbing on Woodlands Road, Cheetham Hill, at around 4:10pm today (11/11/25). pic.twitter.com/fmDe9lOG1w
— Cheetham & Crumpsall Police (GMP) (@GMPCheetham) November 11, 2025
GMP has confirmed that extra officers will be in the area over the coming days to provide reassurance to the local communities.
With an investigation now in progress, police have issued an appeal to the public – with Sergeant Anthony Dickinson, from GMP’s North District, explaining: “A teenage boy has been stabbed in the leg and has been taken to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.
“You will notice an increase of officers in the area as they continue to conduct enquiries and offer community reassurance.
“If you have any information or concerns with anything, please do speak with an officer”.
Can you help? Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to contact police via 101 or the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 2313 of 11/11/25.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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The Mary Earps drama and why she’s catching flak – explained
Danny Jones
You might have noticed female footballer Mary Earps’ name in the headlines a lot lately – arguably more than any time since her heroics at Euro 2022 – but many of you might be wondering why exactly she is facing so much criticism at the moment.
It’s not too complicated or long of a story, but it isn’t an entirely straightforward one either.
Put simply, the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper and now former England number one has just released her own autobiography entitled All In, which certainly seems to stay true to its title, as the 32-year-old has laid bare quite a lot of behind-the-scenes information.
With that in mind, the majority of the drama has come from the England camps and her relationship not only with the national team but with women’s manager Sarina Wiegman and, most notably, the shotstopper who unseated her as first-choice between the sticks for the Lionesses: Hannah Hampton.
Dropping on 6 November, she prefaced the release on social by writing: “Every chapter comes from the same place I play from: heart first, full commitment, no half measures.
“For me, there’s never been a halfway. I’ve always been all in. This book is a reflection of that mindset: relentless, honest, unapologetically me.”
While it sounds like an interesting invitation to hear the keeper’s most candid comments on the surface, that’s also ended up being a big part of the problem, with some of her supposed honesty surrounding England and her shock retirement from international football being seen as airing ‘dirty laundry’.
At the very least, many within the sport have questioned whether the tell-all approach has crossed a line of sorts, with several high-profile professionals arguing that what goes on in the dressing room should very much stay in there.
One such individual is the now-retired England and Man City legend, Ellen White; the Lionesses’ leading all-time goalscorer suggested that Earps virtually broke an almost unspoken rule between players by making such public remarks.
One of the main threads running throughout this ongoing drama is the perceived ‘beef’ between Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton, with the latter having previously been dropped from the Lionesses squad over reported issues surrounding her “attitude.”
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old has returned to the lineup and helped Wiegman’s record-breaking side win a second consecutive European championship, but as you can see in excerpts below, Earps didn’t exactly agree with the decision and her own treatment as a result.
Her more senior Nottingham-born counterpart has slightly doubled back in terms of tone since the release of the book – well, rather clarified that she has maintained nothing but “respect” for both individuals throughout, regardless of their various differences.
The two shared the stage alongside head coach Sarina Weigman at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony as Hampton picked up the Yashin Trophy, with Earps passing her the award as she gave a powerful speech on behalf of women’s football in a moment in which she said it meant a lot to have her there.
Nevertheless, the undercurrent of rivalry still played as a backdrop and has now been largely overshadowed by what could have otherwise felt like a baton-passing moment.
— HamptonFC MBE 💙 #justicefornüsken (@hamptonfc24) October 31, 2025
It’s more than evident that not everyone has agreed with the tone or, at the very least, the timing around these apparent revelations.
Another retired England women’s legend, Eni Aluko, said exactly that in a recent interview with Sky Sports, though she did express hints of empathy for her situation and how the quotes have been taken, with Earps claiming that the so-called rift has been somewhat blown out of proportion/exaggerated.
On the other hand, not unlike the reaction to how she handled her United contract negotiations before ultimately leaving to join PSG, others have also criticised how she responded to competition for her starting spot from the head coach, especially as plenty would consider this part and parcel of the job.
Not all of her previous teammates have responded negatively, though; fellow Lionesses star and Man City defender Alex Greenwood has come to her defence, recognising the importance of her “massive personality”, which has done wonders for female goalkeeping and the game as a whole.
Applauding her willingness to challenge both things and people, even in difficult situations, Greenwood admitted that, besides the bond she developed with Earps as they came up through the youth ranks together, adding that she wouldn’t often “say what you’re thinking” even if others wouldn’t.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is a whiff of irony around her seemingly taking issue with a then-even younger Hampton being given a ‘second chance’ following behavioural issues, despite Earps herself being brought back into the fold in 2021, having not played since November 2019.
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Safe to say there are a fair few moving parts to this, but based on what we do know (there’s certainly more we don’t and probably never will), what do you make of the ongoing Mary Earps drama?
You can see her watershed interview with BBC Sport here.
The Manc -
2nd September 2020 
