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Body found in Cheshire confirmed to be that of missing man Tony Williamson, as family pays tribute

Tony's family have paid tribute to him.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 21st March 2024

The family of missing man Tony Williamson have paid tribute to him after his body was found in Cheshire.

The 62-year-old father from Trafford had been missing since December 2023.

Formal identification of a body found in the River Mersey in Warrington on Sunday has confirmed, tragically, that Tony has died.

His family have now issued a moving tribute to him, and thanked the public and the police for their support since his disappearance.

Greater Manchester Police have been conducting a wide-ranging search using specialised resources since late last year.

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Tony’s family said: “We would like to thank everyone for sharing social media posts, and members of the public and friends who have been out looking for our dad Tony.

“It is truly with great sadness to say that he has passed away after battling a chronic illness that caused a severe decline in his mental health.

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“He was a much-loved, well-respected man and no-one had a bad word to say about him.

“He was a beloved husband to our mum for over 30 years, a devoted dad and grandad. We are truly devastated by his loss.”

During the appeal to find Tony, his family had shared that he had been suffering with an illness that had left him in ‘continual pain’.

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Speaking on behalf of the force and the Trafford district leading the investigation for GMP, Detective Sergeant Rory Leicester added; “First and foremost, our thoughts and condolences remain with Tony’s loved ones, who we have been in constant contact with for a number of months, always remaining hopeful.

“This investigation has affected us all personally and is not the news anyone wanted.

“Officers were committed to bringing the family their loved one back home but wished it wouldn’t be in these devastating and upsetting circumstances.

“The way Tony’s family and friends have conducted themselves, along with the outpouring of love from the public, has shown everyone just how much he meant to a lot of people and we hope they take some comfort in this.”

Tony’s family have asked for continued privacy while they continue to grieve and lay him to rest.

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Featured image: GMP

News

Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Harvey Bell mugshot

A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.

Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.

At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.

Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.

He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.

Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.

The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.

“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.

“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”

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She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.

“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”

Featured Image – GMP

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IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.

The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.

The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.

IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.

IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)

Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.

Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.

IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.

Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.

The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)

In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.

“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.

“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”

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Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester. 

Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.

Featured Image – Jon Super (via IKEA)

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