A “hidden gem” village in Wigan has just been named one of the poshest in Britain, according to The Telegraph.
Posh may not be a word associated with Wigan all too often, but in this case, a little village within the borough has found itself featuring as Greater Manchester‘s only representative on a round-up list of Britain’s poshest that’s recently been compiled by The Telegraph.
Fresh off-the-back of 2024’s edition of the annual Sunday Times ranking of the UK’s best places to live being released last month, where two Greater Manchester towns made the coveted cut, now another national publication has decided to shine a spotlight on one of our region’s highly-regarded neighbourhoods.
And yes, whether you can believe it or not, The Telegraph thinks Wigan is, indeed, ‘posh’, as it’s named Haigh as one of the 48 ‘poshest’ villages in Britain.
Home to Haigh Woodland Park and the country mansion Haigh Hall, and an average house price of £283,414, the village of Haigh – which is just a few miles from Wigan town centre – has been singled-out by The Telegraph as one of several in the North West, and the only one within our region, for its “posh appeal”.
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The Telegraph has used exclusive research provided by leading real estate company, Savills, to reveal the “most desirable villages” the country has to offer.
The list is based on the combination of highest house prices, best lifestyle amenities, connectivity, and aesthetic appeal.
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Describing the Wigan village and what makes it so ‘posh’, The Telegraph wrote: “Shrouded by trees, Haigh is a hidden gem just a few miles from the busy Wigan town centre. There’s an imposing country mansion, Haigh Hall, built between 1827 and 1840, and the restored Haigh Windmill, originally used to pump water to Haigh Brewery. It is also home to Haigh Woodland Park, with miles of winding trails through woodland and manicured gardens.”
A ‘hidden gem’ village in Wigan has been named one of the poshest in Britain / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Frances McDonald, who is the Director of Research at Savills, explained that the COVID pandemic made city dwellers “flock to the countryside” in search of green open spaces to “make lockdowns more tolerable” – but she says the search criteria has “shifted” within the past 18 months, as workers have returned to the office.
“Our latest research indicates that proximity to a train station, place of work, and family has become much more important for those searching for a new home,” Frances commented, “particularly as individuals are more likely to be commuting to the office multiple times a week.
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“While still important to some now, pandemic buyer wishlists favoured proximity to parks, shops, and local pubs, and restaurants.
“Exactly what village characteristics are classed as essential will vary from buyer to buyer, but we know that access to education, attractive surroundings and connectivity is a decent definition of a ‘have it all’ village.”
Featured Image – Wigan Council
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Police seize convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A convoy of supercars has been seized by police following reports of dangerous driving on the M66 and M62 near Rochdale.
On Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were made aware that a group of individuals driving high-powered vehicles – such as Lamborghinis and Mercedes G-Wagons – were ‘driving dangerously’ at speed, weaving across lanes, wheel spinning, and slowing down to speeds of around 17mph on the motorway.
After finding the convoy of vehicles on the M62, police were able to stop two of Lamborghinis as they were coming off the motorway.
Officers then used specialist tactics to bring the remaining vehicles to a stop in Rochdale.
As a result of police intervention, GMP was able to seize five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, and on top of this, the drivers of the offending vehicles were prosecuted for a number of driving offences.
Police have seized a convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on the M62 near Rochdale / Credit: GMP | Wikimedia Commons
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command, said the force takes road safety ‘very seriously’.
“We will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads,” he began.
“Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
“People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted, and where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.”
Featured Image – GMP
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New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Emily Sergeant -
2nd April 2024 
