Police have issued an urgent appeal for information after a string of arson attacks were carried out on four streets in Bolton over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, between 12am and 1am yesterday morning (Sunday 16 April), officers and several other emergency service response teams were called to reports of multiple arson attacks on properties across the Great Lever and Farnworth areas of Bolton.
The fires were said to have been “extinguished quickly” by local residents and emergency services, and no injuries have been reported.
Two men, aged 31 and 28, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, according to GMP, and a Section 60 stop and search was also enforced in the local area and remains in place until midnight tonight.
Police say they are currently treating the fires as “targeted arson attacks”.
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The attacks resulted in criminal damage of multiple properties and one vehicle – with enquiries remaining ongoing and scenes still in place, GMP confirms.
“The arson attacks across the Farnworth and Great Lever areas are shocking displays of violence and aggression and have put innocent members of the public at risk,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Peter Morley of GMP Bolton’s district.
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“Thankfully nobody was injured, and the incident is believed to be a targeted attack – but these were reckless attacks and will not be tolerated in our communities.
“Two males have already been arrested on suspicion of these attacks and we are continuing our extensive enquiries to locate any other possible suspects involved in these incidents.
“We remain committed to locating, arresting, and bringing justice to these offenders and the victims of these attacks.”
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Urgent appeal for information after string of ‘targeted’ arson attacks on four Bolton streets / Credit: GMP
GMP is asking that anyone with any information that could help with enquiries to “get in touch as soon as possible”, no matter how small it may seem as this “could be the missing piece we need to locate these offenders and bringing them to justice”.
Anyone with any information or footage of this incident should contact GMP on 0161 856 5757 or 101 quoting log 3979 of 15/04/2023.
Alternatively, report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Pxfuel
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High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
Fontaines D.C. announce massive return to Manchester on new European tour
Daisy Jackson
Fontaines D.C. have just announced their biggest headline tour to date, including a massive arena gig here in Manchester.
The wildly popular Irish rock band are set to play a whopping 20 arena shows across Europe and the UK this autumn.
The tour has been announced in celebration of their upcoming fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, which is set for release this October.
Fontaines D.C. will hit the road just five days after the album drops, kicking off their European tour in Lisbon on 21 October.
Then they’ll make their way over to the UK, with shows in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.
Fans in their home country of Ireland are told to stay tuned for live news very soon.
As we speak, Fontaines D.C. are warming up to play one of the country’s biggest festivals, with headline slots at Reading & Leeds Festival.
They’ve already released Marianne, the first single from their new album, and frontman Grian Chatten says of the album: “The album itself is a dopamine chamber. You step inside and we test these different mind- or mood-altering pieces of music on you.”
The new record has been recorded between London, the English countryside, and Palermo, where Chatten recorded vocals in a makeshift booth built from mattresses and cushions.
He said: “There’s a poignant sense of us being on the brink of some other kind of form of humanity, or non-humanity.”
Tickets will go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 3 September, with pre-sale live from 10am on Tuesday 1 September.
You can access tickets for Fontaines D.C. in Manchester HERE.
Fans who pre-order Dopamine Chamber from the official store by 6pm on Monday 31 August will gain access to the UK pre-sale.
Fontaines D.C. UK tour dates in full
Friday 20 November – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
Saturday 21 November – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Sunday 22 November – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tuesday 24 November – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Wednesday 25 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Emily Sergeant -
17th April 2023 
