Police have fined an Oldham gym owner £1,000 after discovering the business was operating during lockdown.
GMP officers visited the premises last week after receiving reports that people were sneaking into the gym despite COVID rules.
Police were ignored when they turned up at the venue to investigate and subsequently forced their way in.
Two people were discovered inside – including one gym user who had attempted to evade officers by hiding in the toilets.
As well as fining the gym owner, GMP also issued £200 fixed penalty notices to each of the individuals caught inside the venue during the raid.
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Arooj Shah, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for COVID-19 Response, said the council had received additional reports of other gyms in the area remaining open during lockdown, and that they would be looking into the matter further, “taking action if necessary”.
The councillor stated: “We know lockdown has been hard for businesses.
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“We don’t want to see any business shut, but the vast majority of those which have had to close have stuck to the rules and we’re thankful for that.
“People may say there were only two people inside but the government’s rules state that indoor gyms must close. The rules are in place to protect people and cannot be ignored.
“Irresponsible behaviour like this affects us all – it can add to the high infection rate which could stop us moving out of the strict measures currently in place.”
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Gyms and leisure centres must remain closed in all parts of the UK under current coronavirus legislation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed the government is in the process of reviewing lockdown measures and a ‘roadmap’ to exit lockdown will be announced on February 22.
Over the weekend he told press that reopening schools on March 8 remained the priority, with non-essential retail and hospitality to follow.
Despite plans for a cautious reopening, some Conservative MPs are asking for fast removal of lockdown restrictions once the nine priority groups have been vaccinated.
Scientists and experts have continued to campaign for a more gradual easing of measures, warning the UK risks another wave if businesses reopen too quickly.
Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told the BBC: “It’s worse to open up, have another wave of pandemic, another bunch of hospitalisations and have to close down again than to be able to progressively normalise things.”
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TfGM issues statement as ‘essential’ work begins on three major Metrolink lines across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Passengers are being urged to plan ahead as no trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines for the next two weeks.
If you need bringing up to speed a little, as part of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network, essential improvement work is being carried out on three major Metrolink lines across the region in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable for passengers’ for years to come.
This means that from today (Monday 19 October) through to Sunday 1 November, tram improvement works will take place at Deansgate-Castlefield, and Trafford Bar.
Additional works will also take place in the city centre during this time, allowing TfGM to keep closures of the tram network to a minimum.
During the dates above, no trams will run on the Altrincham, Trafford Centre, and Eccles lines.
A number of shuttle bus services will the running over the course of the two-week closure, however – with services arriving every 10 or 15 minutes, depending on the line, and you can find a full list of these here.
But despite the alternative services, widespread disruption is still expected for hundreds of people.
TfGM has issued a statement on the works being carried out, and offered support to anyone who may need it: “This is essential work that will help keep our tram network safe, reliable and fit for the future. We’re sorry for the disruption and we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure people can still get around while it’s taking place.
“We’ve listened carefully to feedback from customers during previous closures and have introduced more direct shuttle buses between key locations and extra buses on local Bee Network routes.
“If you use any of the affected lines, now is the time to check your travel plans.
“We’d encourage everyone to visit the Bee Network website or app before travelling so they can see the options available to them and allow extra time where necessary.”
Services will resume on these lines from start of service on Monday 2 November.
However there will be some minor route changes through the city centre in place from Monday 2 to Wednesday 4 November, so it’s important to check your journey before you travel.
Featured Image – TfGM
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Victim named and murder investigation launched after young woman is killed in Newton Heath stabbing
Emily Sergeant
The victim of a street stabbing in Newton Heath this week has been named for the first time as a murder investigation continues.
It comes after officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) responded to reports of a disturbance at around 2am yesterday (Thursday 15 October) on Dorking Avenue, in the Newton Heath area of Manchester, and when they arrived on the scene, they found a woman in her 20s with serious injuries that were ‘consistent with a stabbing’.
Despite best efforts of all emergency services involved, the young woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
As the murder investigation progresses, the woman has now been publicly named and a photo of her has been released for the first time.
She has been named as 26-year-old Alisha Samuels.
At this time, one man, aged 25, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and a man and woman, aged 61 and 38, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and they all remain in custody – with officers continuing their enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this incident.
Alisha’s family have asked for privacy whilst they deal with the devastating loss of their loved one, GMP has stated.
“We are continuing to urge people who may have information in relation to this incident to please come forward to support our investigation and bring justice for Alisha,” the police force said in a public appeal.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or has mobile phone, CCTV, or doorbell footage, is urged to call GMP on 0161 856 5464, or contact them via the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
The Manc -
14th February 2021 
