Greater Manchester residents are being asked to give their views on transferring control of former Clean Air Zone cameras to the police.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is seeking the approval of the local public to allow Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to have full control of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) that were installed for the now-defunct Clean Air Zone scheme in a bid to help ‘prevent and tackle’ crime.
GMCA believes that if the cameras are transferred over to police, this will help to keep communities safe and support victims going forward.
The six-week consultation was launched this past Friday (26 September) to seek views on changing the ‘main use’ of the cameras.
ANPR data can identify vehicles associated with crime and terrorism, and can ‘dramatically’ speed up investigations.
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We are seeking your views on plans to change the main use of the former Clean Air Zone ANPR cameras to tackling serious crime.
Giving them to Greater Manchester Police will speed up investigations and keep communities safe.
— Greater Manchester Combined Authority (@greatermcr) September 26, 2025
GMP can already access information and number plate images from the cameras at this time, but do need to request permission from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) beforehand – which it says ‘takes time’ and ’causes delays’.
Transferring ownership to GMP would allow camera data to go straight into local police systems, so that officers can act more quickly in real-time to help keep communities safe and solve serious crimes.
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The consultation has been launched after insights into a non-charging scheme was published by GMCA back in December 2023, and then it was confirmed back in January of this year that Greater Manchester’s plan for the introduction of a non-charging clean air zone had been backed by the Government.
It also comes after it was confirmed in July that the more than 1,300 Clean Air Zone signs installed across Greater Manchester at the start of the scheme would finally be taken down.
Mancs are being asked for their views on transferring CAZ cameras to police to ‘prevent and tackle’ crime / Credit: The Manc Group | Flickr
“We don’t have the same level of ANPR cover that other similar forces have, and this can hold us back in protecting the public,” explained Chief Superintendent Neil Jones, from GMP.
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“The data supplied from these ANPR cameras has already played a key role in GMP investigations ranging from missing persons to serious crimes such as sexual assault and murder, so by taking on ownership of the cameras and having a direct feed into our network, we’ll be able to act even more swiftly to protect people and communities and bring criminals to justice.”
GMP says it’s ‘committed’ to regularly reviewing the location of ANPR cameras to make sure their use remains justified.
The consultation will be running up until 11:59pm on Thursday 6 November, and residents are invited to submit any comments or questions before this time.
A decision on future arrangements is expected by the end of 2025, and you can find out more and fill out the survey here – https://gmconsult.org/ANPR
Featured Image – Pixnio
News
Appeal launched to find the owner of live chickens found at Creamfields festival
Daisy Jackson
The hunt is on to find the owner of a pair of chickens who were discovered at Creamfields festival.
The two birds were spotted on the grounds of the huge electronic music festival by bewildered festival-goers.
The cockerel and hen were trapped in a hedge, after it appears they wandered onto the festival campsite before the security barriers were installed.
The birds then found themselves trapped inside as around 70,000 music fans poured into Cheshire for a line-up that included Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, and Tiësto.
The chickens have been safely rescued from the Creamfields festival site and are recovering at a wildlife centre, and now the RSPCA is on a mission to find their owner.
Festival-goers first called the RSPCA on Saturday 29 August to alert them to the cockerel and hen trapped inside the festival, one of whom assisted in the rescue mission.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper: “I was surprised that they were inside the festival site and I needed to get through the road blocks and security before reaching them on foot through muddy fields. I met the caller who helped me as they were just running up and down the hedge line where there was a wire fence blocking access.
Where the chickens were discovered at CreamfieldsThe RSPCA wants to track their owners down
“We managed to guide them out and I caught both of them with my rescue net which was a bit of a sight for the festival campers.
“I don’t think they were abandoned and they’re more likely to be stray because it’s farmland all around the festival site. They don’t have any health issues, apart from being quite underweight.
“With the fences going up a week before the festival starts they’d probably been unable to get out for some time and had been left foraging in the hedge. Someone mentioned that a third bird was also trapped, although we couldn’t find any others.
“I am really grateful to the festival-goer who found them and alerted us to their plight.”
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
Emily Sergeant -
29th September 2025 
