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Manchester Police responded to 54 COVID breaches Sunday – including a wedding

Three fixed penalty notices were distributed to people in the area - including the organiser of a wedding and a landlord who rented out his property for the use of a party.

The Manc The Manc - 17th August 2020
Wikimedia Commons

Greater Manchester Police were forced to deploy units to 54 separate COVID breach incidents on Sunday (16 August) – shutting down house parties, indoor gatherings and even an illegal wedding.

Three fixed penalty notices were distributed to people in the area – including a landlord who rented out his property for the use of a party.

Police also confirmed that they had to halt a marriage ceremony in Whalley Range – which had more than 50 guests in attendance celebrating in a marquee.

Ingy The Wingy / Flickr

As well as yesterday’s breaches, big gatherings also took place on Friday and Saturday in Manchester.

Police were called to break up crowds on Wilmslow Road in Rusholme on Friday, whilst units were forced to call for back-up on Saturday after trying to subdue a party in Gorton and being pelted with missiles.

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Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling called the situation “serious” and “incredibly disappointing.”

“We’ve been really open with the public about the pressure these calls place on already stretched and limited resources and I really need people to understand what is at stake here,” said the DCC.

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“Can you imagine a vulnerable loved on not being able to get through to 999 when in an emergency because our phone lines are tied up with people reporting illegal parties?

“It’s this serious.”

He continued: “I feel we have been really fair with the public, engaging and explaining with them and only enforcing as a last resort.

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“However, these blatant breaches continue and we owe it to our communities to thoroughly investigate these types of reports and prosecute those involved.

“We will continue to enforce where there is blatant disregard for the rules.”

Police had warned students to celebrate safely this weekend following A-Level results day, reminding youngsters that “anyone can get ill.”

Coronavirus rates remain high in Greater Manchester – with the region under tighter restrictions than the rest of England.

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Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Oasis ticket prices revealed ahead of huge reunion tour. Credit: Publicity picture, Simon Emmett

Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.

The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.

Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.

For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.

They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.

You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.

And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.

THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.

This is the full statement shared by Oasis:

“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.

“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.

“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.

“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.

“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.

“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.

“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.

“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”

Featured image: Simon Emmett

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Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.

The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.

That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.

Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.

For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.

Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group

Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.

And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.

Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.

According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.

As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.

The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:

Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.

“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.

“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”

Read more:

Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.

“This is completely unacceptable.”

Featured Image – Manchester Airport Group

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