Repairs will be made to the Manchester Arena attack memorial following recent acts of “sickening” vandalism.
The damage made to the new monument, known as the ‘Glade of Light’ – which was opened in January, and is dedicated to the 22 people who tragically lost their lives during the bombing at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017 – was considered to be “minor” by Manchester City Council, but no less “disrespectful” and “sickening”.
The halo-shaped memorial made out of marble – which has been engraved with the names of the victims – was marked with a number of scratches, but the Council has said that it will be repaired.
The shocking incident was captured on CCTV, and Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that an arrest has been made in connection.
Speaking on the incident, a spokesperson for Manchester City Council told the BBC: “It is sickening that someone should do something like this but we know the perpetrator does not reflect Manchester as a whole and the city will not tolerate disrespect to the memorial.”
They added that repairs would be made “as quickly as possible”.
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The Glade of Light is located between Manchester Cathedral and Chetham’s School of Music in the heart of the city centre.
It has been designed by BCA Landscape and Smiling Wolf, is surrounding by plants that grow in the UK’s countryside, and has given families of the victims the chance to place memory capsules inside the halo that are filled with mementos and messages.
Seating has also been included around the outer part of the garden that blooms colour all year-round to allow people to linger and pay their respects.
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In December 2021, families of the victims said they were “disgusted” after they learned the memorial site was trespassed on and vandalised before fences were taken down in January and it became accessible to the public.
An official opening for the memorial is planned for spring.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Rules around booking driving tests in UK change from today to make system ‘fairer’
Emily Sergeant
The rules around booking driving tests in the UK are officially set to change from today in a bid to make the system ‘fairer’.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now introduced new rules for car driving test bookings, putting learners ‘firmly in control’ of their own booking, as it is now against the law for third parties – including unofficial test booking and cancellation finder services, as well as driving instructors – to make bookings for someone else.
It will also be a breach of DVSA’s terms and conditions for the booking service for third parties to change, swap, or cancel a driving test for someone else.
Learners should only ever pay the official DVSA fee – which is £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
The Government says the new rules aim to make booking driving tests ‘fairer’ for learner drivers.
While driving instructors will no longer be able to book tests on behalf of of learners, they will still be able to advise learners on when they are ready to take a test, as well as set their available times to prevent learners from booking tests at times that do not work for them.
Following on from changes to test alterations which were introduced at the end of March, from 9 June 2026, further restrictions will come into force limiting learners to moving their test only to one of the three nearest driving test centres.
The DVSA has also pledged to continue increasing driving examiner capacity to help provide more tests for learners to book.
“Our priority is to stop learners being exploited by third parties, put them in control of their driving test, and make the process fairer by clamping down on businesses that resell tests at inflated prices,” commented Beverley Warmington, who is the DVSA Chief Executive.
“These new measures help bring a halt to a system where the use of bots and third parties increases the amount some learners pay for a test and blocks test availability for many others.
“These measures will help free up appointments for genuine learners who are ready to take their test.”
Featured Image – Pxfuel
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Canal Street cordoned off after ‘suspicious chemicals’ reported at hotel
Daisy Jackson
Canal Street and several other streets in the Gay Village in Manchester have been cordoned off this afternoon.
Greater Manchester Police are attending reported of a smell that’s believed to be chemicals coming from a hotel room in the area.
There’s a huge emergency services presence in the area, including vehicles from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, and the North West Ambulance Service.
Police have confirmed that they have detained a man who is believed to have been the occupant of the hotel room.
The hotel itself has been evacuated while the material is examined.
Thankfully, no one has been injured in the incident that has shut down part of Canal Street today.
Emergency services vehicles at the scene on Canal StreetThe cordon in place on Canal Street
GMP said in a statement: “We are currently searching a hotel room at a premises on Canal Street, Manchester. This follows a report of a smell – currently believed to be chemicals – causing suspicion.
“A man, believed to be the occupant of the room, has been detained and is currently in custody.
“As a precautionary measure, the hotel has been evacuated while specialist resources examine the material and conduct further enquiries.
“No-one has been injured and we are working to establish the full circumstances. We thank people for their patience as we continue with our work.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th February 2022 
