Greater Manchester Police has recorded its busiest period for lockdown breaches since the pandemic began last weekend.
A spokesperson for the constabulary stated that 85 fines were handed out between last Friday and Sunday, with breaches ranging from wedding receptions to birthday parties.
This is confirmed to have brought the total number of fines issued in the region to 400.
Flouters of the rules included a birthday party in Bolton with 30 people in attendance – where eight fines were handed out – and officers also attended a wedding reception in Heaton Moor, Stockport where around 60 people were in attendance and one fine was issued.
One person in Bolton now also has four penalties, with an accompanying fine totalling £800.
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It comes after officers were called to a large gathering at the same property on four separate occasions, and the latest being at 2am on Sunday.
Nick Bailey – Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police – said: “While the vast majority of people in Greater Manchester continue to abide by government legislation, there are some who continue to flout the law.
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“I would appeal to this small minority to think of the safety of their nearest and dearest before making decisions that literally risk people’s lives. Should that not be reason enough, I would also remind people of the very stark financial penalties now in place for failing to follow lockdown guidance – with fines doubling for each further breach.
“I’d like to thank our officers for the dedication and patience during what was a very busy weekend,
“I’d also like to thank the majority of people in Greater Manchester for helping to keep themselves and others safe by continuing to follow government guidance.”
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It only takes two seconds to put on a mask, and it helps save lives.
The busy weekend comes as the rate of infection across all parts of Greater Manchester continues to rise.
Manchester city region has now also been declared the country’s coronavirus (COVID-19) hotspot.
The latest data shows that it has the highest infection rate of any area in England and figures released by Public Health England show that the seven-day rate in Manchester has reached 495.6 cases per 100,000 population for the week ending on 1st October.
Bolton however recorded almost 240 cases per 100,000 people on 2nd October, which is down from 261 cases per 100,000 seven days earlier.
This makes it the only one of Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs to have seen a reduction in the past week.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signs
Daisy Jackson
After months of swirling rumours, bakery group Gail’s has finally confirmed it’s moving to Prestwich – but locals have spotted a glaring error at the first hurdle.
The popular artisan bakery will be moving onto Bury New Road, right in the heart of the suburb and directly opposite the new Rudy’s pizzeria.
Prestwich locals have been hearing whispers of a Gail’s arriving for a few months, and finally the London-founded cafe has stuck up signs to confirm it’s on the way.
But the sign contains one crucial mistake – it’s spelled Prestwich wrong.
The red window displays now read ‘Hello Preswich. We’ll be baking here soon’.
One local messaged Gail’s to point out the error and to say it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
Gail’s has since confirmed it’s in the process of fixing the signs.
The arrival of both Gail’s and Rudy’s has already caused a stir in Prestwich, which has always been fiercely independent and has only a handful of chains within it (Greggs and Costa are perched by the tram stop).
In fact, one local business-owner shared a moving statement about his concerns for the future of local businesses just a few weeks ago.
Gail’s has confirmed it’s opening a bakery in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.
Today the brand has more than 100 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery.
It’s famed for its freshly-baked loaves, cinnamon buns, ham and cheese croissants and coffees, and is likely to go down a storm in Prestwich.
But the signs have been causing a bit of a stir in the wrong way this weekend – in a local Facebook group, one person commented: “Not locals who own it then.”
Another described it as an ‘epic fail’.
And one person said: “Oh the DRAMA of it all.”
Someone else joked: “I cannot wait for Gais to come to Preswich.”
Met Office issues snow warnings for large parts of northern England from this evening
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester could be waking up to a winter wonderland as weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued across northern England.
Expected to arrive anywhere from 6pm this evening (18 November) and last until around 10am tomorrow morning (19 November), the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for large parts of northern England – indicating that “snow may bring disruption to a central swathe of the UK during Monday night and Tuesday morning”.
Weather forecasters say that although most snow is likely to accumulate on higher ground, with five-10 cm on ground over 200 metres, and possibly 15-20 cm over 300 metres, there is a chance that snow may settle at lower levels “within the warning area”.
The Met Office also said that this possible five-10 cm at lower levels is likely to be “more disruptive”, particularly if travelling and if the snow coincides with rush hour, but the likelihood for that is still “uncertain” at this stage.
Greater Manchester could see snow from this evening as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning / Credit: Geograph | Pexels
As the rain, sleet, and snow begin to clear on tomorrow morning, ice may form on surfaces that are untreated.
“We have issued yellow warnings for snow and ice as cold weather moves in from the north,” explained Andy Page, who is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office.
“This brings snow showers and some ice to parts of Scotland on Sunday night, and then the potential for a spell of snow to lead to disruption to some transport routes across a central swathe of the UK on Tuesday morning.”
⚠️ Yellow weather warning UPDATED ⚠️
Snow & ice across southern parts of Scotland, northern England, the Midlands and north Wales
In addition to the severe weather warnings, a Cold Health Alert has also been issued by the UKHSA, and it covers the north of England and the Midlands right through until Thursday.
The Manc -
6th October 2020 
