A woodland area in Salford has been closed off after human remains were reportedly found right near Manchester United’s old training ground, The Cliff.
Discovered in the Kersal Wetlands, just yards away from Man United‘s former first team facility where club academy operations and some matches still take place, Greater Manchester Police and forensics officers are now investigating what are said to be human remains left wrapped in plastic.
According to The Telegraph, who first reported the story on Friday, 5 April, the evidence was found around 5:30pm on Thursday afternoon and a murder investigation is now underway after a pathologist confirmed the remains to be that of a human.
Although details are still scarce, having first been reported as an ‘unknown item’ by passers-by, it is now thought that they had been left in the area for anywhere between 24 to 36 hours.
#WATCH | We’re investigating the discovery of human remains found at Kersal Wetlands in #Salford yesterday.
Our priority is establishing who this person is & ensuring that we carry out a diligent and respectful investigation with this person and their family at the heart of it. pic.twitter.com/EZ7IMvoyzQ
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) April 5, 2024
Local police address the media after human remains are found near The Cliff Training Ground in Salford.
No clear identifying marks were found on the remains and specifics like gender, age and ethnicity of the person have not yet been revealed.
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A post-mortem is due to be carried out but as no full body has been discovered, authorities will likely be unable to determine a cause of death, however, the nature of what was found means “it would not be possible for the victim to have survived”.
For now, a large police cordon has been put in place around the predominantly wooded surround which covers around 32 hectares just north of Manchester city centre.
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Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes from GMP’s Serious Crime Division said in a statement that the area will remain sealed off to the public “for some time, whilst we work to unravel what exactly has happened here.”
The human remains are said to have been found just yards from The Cliff facility. (Credit: The Manc Group/Anthony Parkes via Geograph)
DS Hughes went on to add: “I want to assure the local community that although this is a disturbing and unsettling find, we have a large visible presence in the area to complete enquiries, provide reassurance and to listen to any concerns.
“I encourage anyone who may have relevant information to speak to these officers. The victim has not yet been identified, but we know that behind this discovery there will be a family who have lost a loved one, and we want to make sure they are supported as quickly as possible.
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“Anyone who thinks they may have witnessed something suspicious in the Kersal Dale area over the last few days could be key to unlocking what happened. I would ask that anyone who has any information that may be relevant to our enquiries, no matter how big or small, comes forward by calling 101 and quoting log number 2695 of 4 April 2024.”
As always, any details you may have and feel could be useful can also be passed on anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers online or by calling 0800 555 111.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/GMP/Anthony Parkes (via Geograph)
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Danny Jones -
5th April 2024 
