Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that Oxford Road in the city centre will remain closed for “most of the day” today.
Due to what has been described as a “serious water leak” occurring in the early hours of this morning, Oxford Road – near the University of Manchester and the Manchester Royal Infirmary – is currently closed both directions, and the nearby Lloyd North Street is also closed to traffic.
Both are main roads, with Oxford Road being one of the busiest bus routes into the city centre.
Oxford Road is shut between Booth Street West and Grafton Street, and Lloyd Street North is closed between Denmark Road and Burlington Road.
GMP City Centre said in a tweet posted at 5.40am: “Road Closed – Oxford Road is closed in both directions between Booth Street West and Grafton Street outside the University due to a serious water leak, causing major flooding on the road.”
A second tweet later added: “Road Closed – Lloyd Street North is closed between Denmark Road and Burlington Street due to serious flooding on the road.”
Road Closed – Oxford Road is closed in both directions between Booth Street West and Grafton Street outside the University due to a serious water leak, causing major flooding on the road. Sgt K pic.twitter.com/upZ6yI7tjm
Those travelling into the city centre are being asked to stay away from the area.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) took to Twitter this morning to say it is part of a “multi-agency response” to the incident.
“This morning we’re part of a multi-agency response to a large burst water main on Oxford Road, Manchester. There is a lot of localised flooding and damage to the road [and] there will be substantial traffic disruption this morning due to road closures so avoid the area.”
The University of Manchester is also urging people to “avoid the area”, saying in a tweet to students this morning: “We are aware of a major water leak which is affecting travel, access and supplies to several buildings on campus around Oxford Road [so] please avoid this area of campus for the time being [and] we will update you as soon as possible.”
This morning we're part of a multi-agency response to a large burst water main on Oxford Road, Manchester. There is a lot of localised flooding and damage to the road. There will be substantial traffic disruption this morning due to road closures so avoid the area. https://t.co/nUknSrAOt0
— Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (@manchesterfire) September 22, 2021
URGENT: We are aware of a major water leak which is affecting travel, access and supplies to several buildings on campus around Oxford Road. Please avoid this area of campus for the time being. We will update you as soon as possible.
United Utilities confirmed that the leak – which is said to have been caused by a burst water main – has also left some houses and properties in Manchester without water, and many with low water pressure this morning.
A spokesperson for the water services company said earlier this morning: Some customers in the locality of the burst may be experiencing a loss of water or low pressure [but] our teams on site are working as quickly as possible to rectify this.
“We would like to thank everyone for their patience while we complete this emergency repair.”
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Stagecoach Manchester, First Manchester, Go North West have announced that diversions are in place on public transport services, and those travelling into the city centre are being advised to “seek an alternative route”.
Delays are expected throughout the today.
Featured Image – GMP City Centre
News
‘Dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture goes on public display in Greater Manchester after fears it was lost
Emily Sergeant
A long-lost masterpiece of Victorian silverwork has been saved and is now on display to the public in Greater Manchester.
Anyone taking a trip over to the National Trust’s historic Dunham Massey property, on the border of Greater Manchester into Cheshire, this summer will get to see the ‘dazzling’ sculpture called Stags in Bradgate Park – which was commissioned by a former owner in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him.
The dramatic sculpture of two rutting Red Deer stags, commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, was said to be an ‘act of love and rebellion’.
It also serves as a symbol of ‘locking horns’ with the society that ostracised him over his marriage to a woman considered ‘beneath him’.
“This isn’t just silver – it’s a story,” says James Rothwell, who is the National Trust‘s curator for decorative arts.
“A story of a man who fell in love with a woman that society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised. Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them.”
Modelled by Alfred Brown and crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, Stags in Bradgate Park is a meticulously-detailed depiction of nature, and was considered a ‘sensation’ in its day.
Showing the rutting deer positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled hollow oaks, it graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, and at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 – both of which were events that drew millions of visitors.
A ‘dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture has gone on public display in Greater Manchester / Credit: Joe Wainwright | James Dobson (via Supplied)
The silver centrepiece was the celebrity art of its time, paraded through streets and admired by the public like no other.
Gradually over the years, some of the Earl of Stamford’s silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey, and this particular world-renowned sculpture, thought to be lost for decades and feared to have been melted down, has miraculously survived with its ‘dramatic’ central component being all that is left.
“The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park’s rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey,” added Emma Campagnaro, who is the Property Curator at Dunham Massey.
“It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them.”
The sculpture has now gone on display at Dunham Massey from Thursday 26 June.
Featured Image – James Dobson (via Supplied)
News
Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year
Thomas Melia
Everyone’s favourite Scottish ballad-maker, Lewis Capaldi, is heading out on tour across the UK, including a massive Manchester date.
Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is ready to tug at our heartstrings again right in front of our eyes as he announces a new UK arena tour.
This huge announcement comes right after his surprise set at the UK’s biggest music event of the year, Glastonbury, where he made a heroic return to the Pyramid Stage just two years after being forced to pull out.
Capaldi is known for writing some of the most notable and emotive hits of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including a long list of anthems such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Before You Go’.
His monster of a hit ‘Someone You Loved’ has surpassed 3.9 billion views and is the UK’s most-streamed song of all time, so it is safe to say that his presence has been well and truly missed.
To many fans’ delight, the singer has stepped back into the spotlight and is ready to sing his heart out live at a variety of arenas across the UK, including Co-op Live right here in Manchester.
Now, in a post on his official Instagram account announcing this upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour, it’s good to see the Scottish powerhouse hasn’t lost his wit and charm as he jokes, “About time I got back to work.”
These shows are set to be in high demand as the singer has also revealed these upcoming dates, “Will be my only shows in the UK, Ireland or Europe this year! Would love to see ya there.”
On the back of his glorious Glasto return, Capaldi has dropped a huge heart-wrencher titled ‘Survive’ which offers more insight into the struggles and challenges the singer has been facing.
There is no confirmation of whether this new single marks the launch of a bigger project or not, but we can’t wait to scream his hits at the top of our lungs, regardless of when he pays Manchester a visit later this year.
The Manc -
22nd September 2021 
