A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed following a four-week crime spree in Greater Manchester.
Callum Daniels, of no fixed abode, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 29 April 2026), after previously pleading guilty to 19 offences committed over a four‑week period between December 2025 and January 2026, primarily in the Ashton-under‑Lyne and Audenshaw areas of Tameside.
His sentencing comes after an investigation, led by officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Tameside Neighbourhood Crime Team, linked Daniels to dozens of offences – including burglaries of homes and business, attempted burglaries, and thefts from vehicles.
In late December of last year (19 December 2025), Daniels broke into a business on Stockport Road by gaining access through the roof and stealing goods.
He later targeted another premises on two separate occasions, forcing entry and stealing cash, alcohol, and cigarettes, and then in January 2026, he targeted properties in Ashton where he attempted to force doors, searched vehicles, and in one case, even entered a family home while the occupants slept upstairs, and proceeded to steal high‑value items like laptops, a games console, and bank cards.
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Police trawled through CCTV footage, clothing comparisons, and recovered stolen property that linked Daniels to the offences, before he was subsequently arrested on 20 January 2026.
Daniels was sentenced and jailed for five years this week.
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Speaking following Daniels’ sentencing, Sergeant Playford, of GMPs’ Tameside Neighbourhood Team, said: “Callum Daniels carried out a sustained series of offences which caused fear and disruption across several communities. His actions showed a clear pattern of targeting homes and vehicles during the night, regardless of the impact on victims.
“In total, more than 20 victims across Tameside were impacted, with losses including cash, personal belongings, household items and damage to properties.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending and sends a clear message that burglary and associated crimes will not be tolerated.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Chester Zoo named UK’s best zoo for third year in a row with record number of ‘excellent’ ratings
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Chester Zoo has been named to best zoo in the UK for 2026.
While everyone in and around Greater Manchester and the North West may already be familiar with just how brilliant the UK’s biggest charity zoo is, you may remember that, for the past two years running now, it has been officially named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews.
And now, the zoo has managed to retain that respectable title for the third year in a row, as the world’s biggest travel guidance platform has, once again, named Chester Zoo as the best-rated zoo to visit in the UK this year.
It’s even more of a cause for celebration this year, as the zoo has claimed a record 11,666 ‘excellent’ ratings for the first time.
Chester Zoo has been named the best zoo in the UK for 2026 / Credit: Chester Zoo
Based on millions of online reviews, the updated ranking puts the beloved Cheshire-based attraction ahead of the country’s other zoos after earning consistently good feedback from its visitors.
Not only has the zoo’s strong focus on conservation and unforgettable visitor experiences made it the best in our country, but this has also earned it a place among Europe’s elite too – with the new listings placing it in the top 10 best zoos or aquariums in the continent.
“We’re over the moon to be named the UK’s top zoo by TripAdvisor,” commented Jamie Christon, who is the CEO of Chester Zoo.
“This recognition is built entirely on genuine reviews from our visitors, and that means the world to us. I’m very proud of everyone who makes our national conservation zoo such a special place.
“Every visit to Chester Zoo directly supports our vital conservation work, both here at home and around the world, and the past year alone is a reminder of just how much that work matters.
“We’ve developed the world’s first vaccine for a deadly virus that threatens Asian elephants globally, we’ve officially pulled a tiny species of snail back from the brink of extinction, and right here on our doorstep we’ve been planting thousands of new trees to create important new woodland habitat.
“None of that happens without the people who come through our gates – and we’re enormously grateful to every one of them.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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Glitzy Manchester restaurant KAJI has quietly shut down
Daisy Jackson
A glamorous Manchester restaurant famed for its Japanese cooking and sushi has quietly closed its doors for good, it seems.
KAJI, on Bridge Street, has pulled table reservations and repossession notices have been stuck into its windows.
The glitzy, futuristic restaurant made a pretty big impact on the city’s dining scene since opening in 2022 – but not always for the right reasons.
It first launched as MUSU, and hit headlines when vandals smashed the windows and threw paint all over the restaurant space in the middle of a busy Valentine’s Day service.
It attracted other famous faces too, including Man City boss Pep Guardiola, and Jason Derulo.
Then in 2024, the restaurant rebranded to KAJI, promising dishes cooked over fire in ‘homage to ancient Japanese cooking techniques’.
And last year it received a review in The Telegraph, where William Sitwell said that KAJI was ‘all tummies, bald heads, tattoos and heat’, describing the experience of eating there as ‘brash (and pricey) torture’.
KAJINotices in the windows of KAJI
But now, it appears the business – which launched a new menu concept just weeks ago – has oh-so-quietly shut its doors for good.
When you try to book a table, no availability is showing.
And walking past its glamorous Bridge Street location now, you can see repossession notices have been displayed in the windows.
It appears that the landlords of the building took possession way back on 10 April – and KAJI has been silent on social media ever since.
Emily Sergeant -
30th April 2026 
