Greater Manchester Police has confirmed how it is planning to tackle any “lockdown tourists” from Bolton who travel to the city or other parts of the region with the intention of flouting the rules.
The constabulary has stated that it has diverted extra personnel to Bolton to help local officers enforce the new lockdown restrictions put it place to combat the steep increase of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the town, and more police resources will also be sent to neighbouring Bury and Wigan in the event that Bolton residents travel the short distance to take advantage of more relaxed rules there.
It’s also been confirmed that senior officers in the town are meeting with council leaders and Public Health England officials every morning to assess the latest “clusters” of infections to help police decide where to focus their attentions.
It comes after latest figures revealed that Bolton currently has more than 130 positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases per 100,000 – which is the highest proportion in the UK.
It’s believed that 75% of the town’s cases are people aged between 18-39.
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Bolton Lockdown Restrictions
All hospitality venues (restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs) are restricted to takeaway only.
Restriction of operating hours meaning all venues, including takeaways, are required to close between 10pm to 5am.
A ban on mixing outside households/support bubbles in homes, gardens and public settings.
Additional restrictions on visitors at care homes and hospitals in the borough.
Greater Manchester Police has said that a minority of residents in the town are knowingly disregarding the rules, while some act in ignorance of the rules.
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According to senior officers, most shops, restaurants and pubs of all sizes have been rigorous in sticking to the rules, and in the instances where police uncovered poor practice, matters are usually put right immediately and enforcement isn’t required.
It’s been confirmed that going forward – backed up by health and licensing officials – police officers will first try to engage with people who have breached the rules, and then enforcement action is usually taken as a last resort.
Extra patrols – whose sole task will be to respond to reports of lockdown breaches in Bolton – will also be deployed.
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Rick Jackson – Superintendent of Greater Manchester Police in Bolton – said: “It’s really clear in Bolton that the public have voiced their concern and I can say that because of the demand and reports we are getting within the community.
“People are clearly concerned about people breaching the existing measures and it’s important we give confidence back to the community that we will enforce it and protect them together with our partners.”
Chris Sykes – Assistant Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police – added: “We understand that the news of additional restrictions is disappointing for Bolton but they are necessary to fight COVID-19 and people in the borough have a responsibility to comply to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“People in Bolton should be aware that, in response to breaches, GMP will be taking enforcement action.
“Officers will also continue to engage with people, explain the restrictions and encourage them to comply going forwards.
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“If you are in Bolton and are unsure what you can and cannot do, it is essential that you read the guidance on Bolton Council’s website.”
You can find more information via the Bolton Council website here.
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The Boots recycling scheme where you can get £5 off every shop
Thomas Melia
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you’re still struggling to come up with a New Year’s resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you’re at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third-party app, Recycle at Boots, uses a ‘Scan2Recycle‘ system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can’t usually be recycled at home, such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you’ve followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store at your nearest location, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you’re also an eco-warrior.
There’s even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs, which gives customers 100 Advantage Points when they spend £5 in-store.
Brilliant.
Credit: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood, with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Manchester Market Street – 32 Market Street, M1 1PL
Salford Regent Park – Regents Park, M5 3TP
Manchester Didsbury – 736-740 Wilmslow Road, M20 2DW
The Trafford Centre – 10 Peel Avenue, M17 8BD
Trafford Retail Park – Neary Way, M41 7FN
If you’re up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
Manchester United issue statement after Bruno Fernandes’ social media is hacked
Danny Jones
Manchester United were forced to issue an official statement following Bruno Fernandes’ social media being hacked.
The Man United star’s digital profile was hijacked in the wake of the defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend, which saw the Red Devils knocked out of the FA Cup and, it’s fair to say, quite the flurry of activity online.
As if to add insult to injury, with United‘s exit from the competition, a user then commandeered the club captain’s presence to share several fake posts.
With the official Bruno Fernandes X account being targeted following the game, the club had no choice but to respond after several controversial and/or inappropriate posts, not to mention multiple instances of general anti-ownership sentiment.
In case you didn’t see any of the since-deleted posts, besides one understandably troublesome comment which read, “let’s get rid of INEOS“, others were even more provocative/inflammatory.
The comments ranged from everything between messages @ing darts player and United fan Luke Littler to influencers like KSI and Jake Paul.
Offensive language was also present in many of them.
As for the Portuguese midfielder, he also quickly clarified that he obviously had no involvement in the activity; meanwhile, despite plenty of players coming out to apologise for the defeat on Sunday night, the skipper is yet to address the disappointment directly.
The loss to Brighton confirmed that Manchester United will be playing just 40 games for the rest of the campaign – the fewest since the 1914/15 season (i.e. at the outset of the First World War) – which serves as yet another unwanted record for the club of late.
You can see the highlights for the game down below.
It is also likely to have been caretaker manager Darren Fletcher’s final game in charge of the Reds, with an interim replacement set to be appointed imminently following Ruben Amorim’s shock sacking earlier this month.
His predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, also looked like the frontrunner at one point – and could still be involved in a backroom setup – but The Athletic now has it that Carrick could be is odds-on favourite to be announced before the Manchester derby.
Nevertheless, plenty of supporters still feel the problems remain deeply rooted throughout the club and that a change of personnel among the coaching staff still may not be enough…
Emily Sergeant -
10th September 2020 
