Autumn is well and truly here… but unfortunately, it’s not quite the cold and crispy colourful autumn we were all hoping for.
The Met Office may have predicted last week that a “cold snap” is set to finally hit the UK this month after what had been a wash-out summer and unseasonably-warm last couple of weeks – but now, it seems they have changed their tune a little bit, as Storm Babet has officially been named, and she’s on her way this week.
Storm Babet is set to bring “impactful rain” and “heavy winds” across parts of the UK from Tuesday evening, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters say rain will begin to move into the west from this evening (17 October), with the “increasingly wet and windy weather” then spreading more widely across the UK on Wednesday and heavy downpours expected in most parts through the day.
#StormBabet has been named by @metoffice and is forecast to bring impactful heavy rain to the UK from Wednesday this week
Although northern England – including here in Greater Manchester – sounds like it’s in for a bit of a rough time, as is often the case, it’s up in Scotland where they’ll be getting the worst of it.
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As the rain then moves northwards from Wednesday onwards, the Met Office says it will stall across central and eastern parts of Scotland, and will then become “heavy and persistent” from Thursday through to Saturday.
A ‘Severe Weather Warning’ for rain has even been issued for this area, and up to 150-200 mm of rain could accumulate in some areas of higher ground.
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Further rain warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland and England, and there is also a Yellow warning for wind over the northern half of Scotland through Thursday and into Friday.
And as is often the case with storms, disruption to travel is expected throughout the week.
#StormBabet will bring heavy and disruptive rain from Wednesday onwards
It will be widely unsettled, but parts of eastern Scotland and Northern Ireland are particularly forecast to see significant amounts of rain
Speaking ahead of Storm Babet’s arrival, Steven Keates, who is the Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said warned Brits of the “impactful rain” that’s on its way this week.
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He continued: “Heavy and persistent rain will fall onto already saturated ground bringing a risk of flooding, so it’s important to stay up to date with warnings from your local flood warning agency as well as the local authorities.
“As well as heavy rain, Storm Babet will bring some very strong winds and large waves near some eastern coasts too, and gusts in excess of 60mph are possible in eastern and northern Scotland from Thursday.”
Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Featured Image – Pxhere
News
Stockport man jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting teenage girl
Emily Sergeant
A Stockport man has been sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from the library.
Paul Sharpe has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an eight-year minimum term in prison after being convicted of a number of offences when subjected a teenage girl to what police called a ‘terrifying ordeal’ that lasted several hours back in May 2026.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the victim had been studying at Sale Library before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm and contacting her parents at 6:10pm to let them know she was on her way.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said she was approximately five minutes away from home, but that her phone battery was about to die.
This was the last contact received from the victim that evening.
While walking along Bradgate Road in Altrincham, the victim noticed a grey Ford parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area.
As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
Concerned that their daughter had not returned home, the victim’s family contacted police at 9:22pm to report her missing, and officers immediately launched an investigation to locate her.
Over the next several hours, the victim was subjected to and placed in a number of terrifying situations.
Sharpe drove the victim to several locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, before police located and arrested him at around 3:40am on 19 May 2026.
Following his arrested, 56-year-old Sharpe was convicted of kidnap, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threats with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home,” explained Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.”
Emily Sergeant -
17th October 2023 
