GMP officers and emergency services were first called to the Arndale at around 7.20pm on Friday 28 January, to a report of a stabbing.
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The teenager who had been stabbed in the disturbance was taken to hospital, but his injuries were ‘neither life-changing nor threatening’ and he has since been discharged.
The group behind the incident left the scene before the police arrived.
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No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.
Inspector Glen Rees of GMP’s City of Manchester division said: “I fully understand and sympathise with the worry and concern that incidents such as this can cause for the wider public, especially in such a busy area on a Friday evening.
“I would like to stress that we are treating this as an isolated incident and we do not believe there to be any ongoing wider threat to the general public.
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Police on patrol outside the Arndale. Credit: Twitter, GMP
“Thankfully the young man who was stabbed has not suffered any life changing injuries but violence such as this will not be tolerated and a full investigation is currently underway to establish the full circumstances and identify those involved.
“Our enquiries are ongoing but I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the assault or has any information to come forward and assist us with our investigation. This was a busy part of the city centre so I am confident there will be people out there who can help us identify those responsible.”
The second incident near the busy shopping centre was shortly after 3pm on Sunday 30 January, when police were made aware of ‘a large group of people acting in an anti-social manner’.
In a statement, a GMP spokesperson said: “Shortly after 3pm on Sunday 30 January, we became aware of a large group of people acting in an anti-social manner around the Arndale centre, Manchester.
“Patrols and specialist resources responded to disperse those suspected of being involved away from the city centre.”
Councillor Pat Karney, who was inside Marks & Spencer at the time it was evacuated, said on Twitter: “The alarm went off in M and S. The staff evacuated us to New Cathedral St. We thought it was a fire.
“It was about 150 kids who looked as though they had arranged a face off. All the shops in that area closed.
“GMP did terrific job calming the situation and splitting these kids up. Moving them out of St Ann’s Sq now.
Three Manchester motorways named in UK’s top 10 ‘most challenging’
Emily Sergeant
Three motorways in and around Manchester have been named the ‘most challenging’ in the UK.
As part of MoneySuperMarket’s new Great British Motorway Report, new research has found that one in three UK motorists find motorway driving ‘stressful’ – despite more than 70 billion miles being travelled on Britain’s motorways each year.
From delays and congestion to high traffic levels, there are a number of factors that can contribute to driver stress levels.
But are some motorways more challenging for drivers than others? According to the data, yes. And three of the top 10 worst motorways in the UK are in and around Greater Manchester.
To find out which are the most challenging, MoneySuperMarket analysed everything from collision rates and roadworks, to lane closures and driver feedback in order to reveal the top 10.
Manchester is home to three of the UK’s top 10 most challenging motorways – the M602, M62, and M60, the latter of which took the top spot on the list.
Three Manchester motorways have been named in the UK’s top 10 ‘most challenging’ / Credit: pxfuel
Encircling Greater Manchester and linking many of the region’s motorways, the M60 recorded the lowest overall score in the index.
Despite handling significant volumes of traffic, the M60 experienced some of the highest average delays, at 15.58 seconds per vehicle per mile, and alongside this, it saw 34 collisions in the past year alone. But despite these challenges, the M60 remains an essential route for regional connectivity, and often cannot be bypassed.
“If you’re feeling anxious, allow extra time for your journey so you don’t feel pressured to rush or make last-minute decisions,” commented Alicia Hempsted at MoneySuperMarket.
“Plan your route in advance, including where you’ll stop for breaks, as regular rest stops can help you stay alert and reduce stress on longer trips, and if you’re travelling alone, consider sharing your route with someone you trust if it helps you feel more comfortable.”
Featured Image – Mike Birdy (via Pexels)
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Chinatown restaurant pleads for help after dine-and-dash customer leaves staff member in A&E
Daisy Jackson
A brilliant restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown has shared CCTV and a heartfelt appeal after one of its staff members was left in A&E.
Noodle Alley shared that one of its young staff members chased after a group of dine-and-dash customers who’d left without paying for their meal.
The restaurant then said that she was ‘assaulted’ at some point in the chase and ended up in A&E.
In their statement, Noodle Alley said that the staff member ‘had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this’.
They wrote: “What has this world come to? A violent man sent our staff to A&E over an unpaid meal.”
The CCTV shows a group of three young men, all carrying Selfridges shopping bags, entering the restaurant.
They sit and enjoy a meal, before two of them slip out of the restaurant. The third man then exits but is chased by a Noodle Alley staff member.
It’s at this point – out of the range of the restaurant’s CCTV – that they said she was assaulted ‘after going beyond her duty to try and recover what had been taken’.
The family business said that she has been ’emotionally affected’ by the incident.
The police are involved and the restaurant has appealed for anyone who can help with their investigation to get in touch.
It’s also the second time they’ve appealed about a dine-and-dash customer in the last few months, but this incident went ‘far beyond’ previous incidents.
In their full statement, Noodle Alley said: “We’re a small family business, and lately it feels like small businesses are being targeted again and again.
“But this time, it went far beyond anything we have experienced before.
“One of our young staff members — a girl simply doing her job — was assaulted after going beyond her duty to try to recover what had been taken from our restaurant. She ended up in A&E.
“What hurts us most is seeing how emotionally affected she has been by what happened. She told us she had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this.
“We work hard to look after our staff and our customers, and nobody should have to go through this simply for doing their job.
“We have reported the incident to the police.
“If anyone recognises these individuals or has any information that could help the police with their investigation, please contact us or the police directly.
“We’re sharing this because we believe our staff deserve to feel safe at work.”
Daisy Jackson -
31st January 2022 
