It’s been confirmed today that parts of one of north Manchester’s oldest buildings have been demolished over fears it could become a “danger to the public”.
Hough Hall in Moston – a now-dilapidated timber-framed Grade II-listed farm house that dates back to the early 16th century – is thought to have been built in 1502 for a Moston merchant called Hugh Sherlock, and has been used as a butchers shop, doctors surgery and a lipstick manufacturer over the years it, but has since stood empty for some time.
Local historian Alan Hampson once described the hall as “representing a snapshot of life in a north Manchester village as it was 400 to 500 years ago”.
It is not clear who currently owns the hall, as it was sold at auction by its long-term owner for £150,000 last March, and is believed to have been sold once again last October, although Land Registry records for the property have not been updated.
Mr Hampson added that: “It would be a huge shame if, having lasted all this time, it were lost now”.
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But sadly, a spokesperson for Manchester City Council has revealed that, after building control officers were called out on a “emergency response” following reports that the gable end was buckling, sections of the gable end and chimney stack at 500-year-old building have now been knocked down.
Manchester Libraries and Archives / Geograph
Speaking on the decision to carry out emergency repair works to the historic building, a Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “Hough Hall in north Manchester is a privately owned property, and the council has attempted to work with successive owners due its poor state of repair for a number of years.
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“The council’s building control team were called out as part of an emergency response following concerns that a gable end of the property had buckled and could be a danger to the public.
“A notice was served on 23rd February to make the building safe and part of the gable end was cleared to ensure safety. Another notice was served at the end of last week which required the chimneys to be taken down and the site secured, and a partial road closure has been put in place next to the property.
“A council structural engineer and conservation officers have attended the site and building control are awaiting further information on the structural integrity of the building.”
Hough Hall Road is currently closed while the work is being carried out.
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Police appeal after thieves steal 800 barrels of Guinness from HGVs in Cheshire
Emily Sergeant
Police in Cheshire are appealing for information after more than 800 barrels of Guinness were stolen.
Cheshire Police explained that, at around 7:45pm on Monday 31 August, a lorry entered an industrial estate in the Aston Lane area of Runcorn. The lorry is then connected to a HGV trailer containing barrels of Guinness, before leaving the site at 7:55pm and driving in the direction of the Mersey Gateway.
Then, at 9:12pm, a second lorry arrived at the same site in a different lorry and connected it to another trailer containing barrels of Guinness. The lorry left the site at around 9:30pm, in the direction of Rainhill and Watkinson Way.
The estimated total value of all the items stolen is approximately £205,000, police confirmed.
According to police, the trailers are described as white Tri-Axle Curtain side trailers with GXO company branding on curtains and rear doors.
The trailers also have unique ID numbers on their rear doors in the top left corner – with the numbers of stolen trucks being DL736 or DL542.
Both HGVs were believed to have been driven by men. The first man is described as white with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat, and the second believed to be wearing a cap.
Officers are now appealing to anyone with any information, or dashcam and video footage taken from around the time of the incident, to come forward.
“It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you’, but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,” commented Detective Sergeant McClatchy, from Cheshire Police.
“It is with this in mind that we have wasted no time in launching enquires to identify those responsible for the theft of £115,000 worth Guinness and the two trailers that housed the barrels.
“We will settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police via its website, or by calling 101 and using incident reference number IML-2408641.
Featured Image – Volker Repke (via Unsplash)
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Police seize convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A convoy of supercars has been seized by police following reports of dangerous driving on the M66 and M62 near Rochdale.
On Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were made aware that a group of individuals driving high-powered vehicles – such as Lamborghinis and Mercedes G-Wagons – were ‘driving dangerously’ at speed, weaving across lanes, wheel spinning, and slowing down to speeds of around 17mph on the motorway.
After finding the convoy of vehicles on the M62, police were able to stop two of Lamborghinis as they were coming off the motorway.
Officers then used specialist tactics to bring the remaining vehicles to a stop in Rochdale.
As a result of police intervention, GMP was able to seize five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, and on top of this, the drivers of the offending vehicles were prosecuted for a number of driving offences.
Police have seized a convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on the M62 near Rochdale / Credit: GMP | Wikimedia Commons
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command, said the force takes road safety ‘very seriously’.
“We will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads,” he began.
“Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
“People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted, and where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.”
The Manc -
8th March 2021 
