Officers searching for a man who went missing after going for a walk in Worsley have “sadly discovered human remains”.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed last night that, on Saturday 4 March at around 10:48am, officers from its Tactical Aid Unit who were conducting further search operations for missing man Peter Baglin in the area around the Bridgwater Canal in Boothstown have discovered human remains.
The remains have not been formally identified, GMP revealed.
However, the force did confirm that Mr Baglin’s next of kin has been informed of the discovery, and that specialist officers are “continuing to support the family and their loved ones”.
The death is currently being treated as “unexplained”, according to GMP, and enquiries are currently ongoing to establish the surrounding circumstances.
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Peter Baglin left home to go for a walk on the evening of Wednesday 28 December 2022, and was last seen on CCTV at a garage in Mosley Common near Worsley that same night – before his phone, hat, and headphones were found on a towpath beside the Bridgewater Canal the following day.
Peter’s wife, Michelle Baglin – who made a desperate plea for his return last month – reported him missing when he didn’t return home.
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In the two months since the 55-year-old was reported missing from what has been described as his “favourite walk”, extensive police searches have been carried out along the canal towpath, between the Moorings and Astley Point, and adjoining fields and woodland areas – including by teams specialising in mountain rescue, underwater searches, and drones.
Peter Baglin / Credit: Family Handout (via GMP)
Speaking on the discovery of the remains, Detective Inspector Michael Sharples of the GMP Salford District said: “Though we are not currently in a position to confirm this is Peter, our thoughts remain with his wife Michelle and his loved ones.
“We understand that the last two months have been extremely difficult for them and this continues to be a distressing time for all of Peter’s loved ones.
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“Search teams, made up of GMP personnel and colleagues from partner agencies have worked extensively to try and find Peter, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has assisted to date.”
DI Sharples also added and confirmed that “enquiries will not stop until we have found the necessary answers for Peter’s loved ones, for our investigation and for coronial proceedings.”
TfGM apologises after two weeks of major tram disruption across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Trams have finally resumed running in Greater Manchester following two weeks of major disruption across the Metrolink network.
Tram services have resumed across the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this morning (Monday 2 November) following the completion of major track replacement work between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield, while maintenance and renewal work also took place on the Eccles line and in the city centre during the planned closure.
Engineers replaced around 4km of track on what is said to be one of the ‘busiest and most complex’ sections of the Metrolink network.
The new track will allow further speed restrictions to be lifted, as according to TfGM, around 100,000 journeys are already benefiting from journey time improvements delivered through previous phases of work every day.
It all forms part of the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network in a bid to make it ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
✅ This morning, tram services have resumed on the Altrincham, East Didsbury, Eccles, Manchester Airport and Trafford Park lines.
We thank customers for their patience and understanding while these works took place.
↪️ A small service change remains in place through the city centre until the end of service on Wednesday 4 November.
Until then, trams on the Bury – Altrincham, and Victoria – Manchester Airport lines will divert via Exchange Square. Customers may need to change trams to reach Shudehill or Market Street.
👉 Find out more: https://t.co/Vm08ZEDUq4
With services now back up and running, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued a statement apologising for disruption.
Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, commented: “This was an essential piece of engineering work on one of the busiest parts of our tram network and will help keep services safe, reliable and fit for the future.
“We’re sorry for the disruption and I’d like to thank passengers, residents, and businesses for their patience while we got on with the job.
“The upgrades mean customers will benefit from smoother journeys and allow us to lift further speed restrictions on this section of the network. It will help speed up our journeys and improve reliability for everyone who uses our network.
“Completing work of this scale on time is a significant achievement and I’d like to thank everyone involved for getting it done safely and efficiently.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Only two arrested after day of ‘peaceful’ protests in Manchester city centre over the weekend
Emily Sergeant
Only two arrests were made following a day of far-right protests and counter demonstrations in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the day passed ‘peacefully’, with smaller numbers of people arriving than expected.
‘Significant’ police resources were in place throughout the day (Saturday 31 October) in order to safely facilitate the demonstrations – which saw an estimated 400 protestors and counter protestors gather around the Albert Square area of the city centre.
The police say they ‘attempted’ to work closely with organisers to ensure people could protest safely, all while wider disruption was kept to a minimum.
Increased ‘stop and search’ powers under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 were put in place in the city centre to help keep the public safe, but the vast majority of people both sides caused no issues for officers.
Only two people were arrested, but they were later released without charge.
One man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, and one male counter-protester was arrested on suspicion of robbery following an incident unrelated to the events.
“Our policing operation was designed to balance the right to peaceful protest with the need to keep the city centre safe and moving for everyone else,” commented Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Dexter.
“We also have had to ensure our plans were flexible and resilient so that any ‘flash protests’ in other areas of the city could be dealt with quickly, to minimise disruption and risks to safety in our communities. This plan continues into the remainder of the evening.
“As a result of extensive preparation and the work of officers and partner agencies throughout the day, both groups of demonstrators were able to exercise their rights safely, and we saw no significant disorder.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th March 2023 
