A number of restaurants, bars and coffee shops have said they will be closing their doors today and tomorrow as temperatures across the region soar above 30C.
Hatch street food traders Fuku and Cheeky Tikka Bites have shared news that they will close up shop today (18 July) and tomorrow – with the latter adding their team will be “enjoying some down time with some chilled drinks and ice creams” as they wait out the heatwave.
Northern Quarter coffee shop North Tea Power has also announced it will close today and tomorrow “due to the high temperature.”
Image: NTP
Elsewhere, Greater Manchester food halls Mackie Mayor and Altrincham Market have both said they will close tomorrow, Tuesday 19 July, amidst the ‘red warning’ heatwave.
Bosses at both the city centre and Trafford food halls said that they made the decision to close in order to protect both their staff and customers from extremely high temperatures, which the Met Office has already warned pose a ‘danger to life’.
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The decision to close affects over ten different traders at the food halls, including Tender Cow, Picoss, New Wave Ramen, Chilli B and Mummas Fried Chicken.
An additional food hall site the Picturedome in Macclesfield, Cheshire, will also remain shut until Wednesday, when ‘much more manageable temperature[s]’ are expected to return, whilst Stretford and Sale food halls remain open as usual.
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Image: Mackie Mayor
Sharing the news on social media, the Mackie Mayor team wrote: “STAY COOL.. Due to the mad temperatures predicted on Tuesday (19th) we’ve decided to close for the day. for the welfare of our staff and customers.
“Sorry for the inconvenience but don’t worry.. we’ll be back to normal on Wednesday with a much more manageable temperature.”
Altrincham’s outdoor market and New Market Square will remain open, with the indoor food and drinks are closed until Wednesday.
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Hatch will stay open, but several of its traders have decided to close up shop for a few days. / Image: Hatch
Last week, Britain’s first ever extreme ‘red’ heat warning was issued by the Met Office with advice for commuters to stay at home and avoid travelling unless deemed absolutely necessary.
The Red extreme heat national severe weather warning covers parts of central, northern, eastern, and southeastern England on Monday 18 July and Tuesday 19 July.
This elevated weather warning followed an Amber Extreme heat warning, which had previously been in place for much of England and Wales for Sunday.
Feature image – North Tea Power
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Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Georgina Pellant -
18th July 2022 
