Manchester City Council has confirmed that the Mancunian Way will no longer be closed for its “annual maintenance” this weekend.
It was revealed earlier this week that the major road in and out of the city centre would be fully closed in both directions so that maintenance works could be carried out this Saturday and Sunday – a weekend full of events scheduled to take place.
This weekend alone, Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League clash at home at Old Trafford with a 5:30pm kick-off, boyband The Wanted will take to the stage at the AO Arena as part of their reunion tour, and the Manchester ‘Irish Parade’ will make its through Cheetham Hill to the city centre to mark St Patrick’s Day.
But now, the Council has announced that the road’s annual closure will be rescheduled to the weekend of Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March, from 5am on Saturday morning through to 7pm on Sunday evening.
The closure will allow essential work to take place to keep the bridge safe and will be in place from Chester Road roundabout through to Pin Mill Brow, the Council says.
A map showing the section of road due to be closed and the surrounding areas set to be affected / Credit: Google Maps (via TfGM)
The work will include safety inspections, road repairs, lighting inspections, street sweeping, drainage clearance, and general work to improve any defects, while the overall integrity of the structure will also be assessed.
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TfGM has already set out a number of transport alternatives for those travelling in and out of the city centre on the scheduled maintenance weekend, but has now also revealed that signed diversions will be in place for the duration of the closure.
However, TfGM says it’s still important to “plan ahead” and familiarise yourself with the recommended diversion routes before travelling.
Explaining the reasoning behind the decision to postpone the scheduled maintenance to the following weekend, Cllr Tracey Rawlins – Manchester City Council’s executive member for environment – said: “Apologies if the change in dates to close the Mancunian Way for its annual maintenance weekend has impacted anyone’s weekend plans.”
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The Mancunian Way will now be closed on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March / Credit: Pixabay
She continued: “Tens of thousands of cars use the bridge each day, so these works are vital to ensure the safety of the road – but we try to choose an appropriate weekend to undertake the maintenance work to limit congestion caused by the closure.
“The weekend coming was originally chosen as it presented the least amount of disruption on our roads, but it is right that we can be flexible to changing circumstances.
“Given the postponement of the Man City game against Brighton next weekend, it is sensible to reschedule our maintenance works to limit the impact on road users.”
You can find more information about the Mancunian Way closure next weekend here.
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
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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 -
10th March 2022 
