Significant heavy rainfall has fallen in the North West since Monday evening – with a number of flood warnings in place across Greater Manchester – and is expected to continue through the rest of the week.
An amber weather warning for rain is currently in place for Greater Manchester.
The Flood Information Service has put warnings in place for 12 locals areas so far.
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This includes the River Roch at Littleborough, River Roch in Rochdale, the River Mersey at Cheadle Wood and Ford Lane, and Walsden Water.
The River Mersey has been highlighted as the main area of current concern.
This relates to Didsbury, Northenden, Sale, and potentially leading into parts of Stretford and Flixton.
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Greater Manchester Police has also declared a ‘major incident’, warning residents that flooding is now expected in several parts, and stating that: “The safety of the public is our number one priority and we’re continuing to work alongside partner agencies across the region.
“Whilst we appreciate that everyone has been told to stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic, we want to make it clear that should members of the public need to evacuate to protect themselves due to flooding then that is the priority and you should follow your local authority’s advice regarding evacuation.”
At the Mayor Andy Burnham’s press conference this afternoon, Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey – Chair of the GM Strategic Coordination Group for Storm Christoph – gave an additional update on the latest information across the region.
He said the main risk in the Greater Manchester area is around the River Mersey relating to Didsbury, Northenden, Sale, and potentially leading into parts of Stretford and Flixton.
“As we speak, residents across those areas are being contacted by the Environment Agency and local authorities to advise them. Alerts have already been put out [and] people there are being advised to consider evacuation procedures should that happen.
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“We are going to start to see the overflow contingency provisions at around 5pm.
“That will reach a peak at around 11pm this evening where we will see flooding of those areas.”
He continued: “In its worst-case scenario, estimated by Environment Agency, that could impact on up to 3,000 properties across all the areas
“This is a significant incident in terms of disruption to population.”
ACC Nick Bailey said those 3,000 properties may not have to evacuate, and local authorities would work “right up to the last minute” to prevent it.
A flood warning means you need to act as flooding is expected, and you should:
Move vehicles to higher ground, if it’s safe to do so.
Move family and pets to safety.
Move important items upstairs or to a safe place in your property, starting with cherished items and valuables, then furniture and furnishings.
Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies if it’s safe to do so; never touch an electrical switch if you’re standing in water.
If you have property protection products such as flood barriers, or air brick covers, use them now keep track of the latest situation.
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You can find further details regarding the flood warnings issued across the region on the gov.uk website, and more information can also be found via the Met Office.
News
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
The Manc -
20th January 2021 
