ManchesterOnline

Blaze causes traffic chaos

A HUGE blaze left Bolton town centre a virtual no-go zone today.

Girl burnt at bbq dies

A SCHOOLGIRL who was badly burnt when her dress caught fire at a family barbecue has lost her fight for life.

Crackdown on net piracy

BRITAIN'S six biggest internet service providers (ISPs) have signed up to a government-backed drive to clamp down on illegal downloading of music and films.

Top cop's pledge of action

GREATER Manchester's new Chief Constable has vowed to tackle gun crime and booze-fuelled yobs as his priorities.

New anti-smoking proposals

FILMS featuring people smoking could be slapped with 18 certificates in cinemas under plans backed by Greater Manchester health chiefs.

Max Mosley wins privacy case

FORMULA One boss Max Mosley today won his privacy action against the News of the World.

Fire at Crown Court

FIRE crews were called out to a court last night after a blaze started in a lift shaft.

11-year-old cyclist rescued

A YOUNG cyclist had to be rescued by firemen after riding into a brook and suffering back injuries.

Scissors, paper ... lifesaver

A BROTHER and sister used the game of paper, scissors, stone to decide who would donate a kidney and dramatically improve another brother's life.

Teen saw pals drown

A TEENAGER who watched in horror as two of his friends drowned at a reservoir has spoken of his ordeal and grief.

Police hunt rapist

POLICE have released a CCTV picture of a man they want to trace, following the rape of a woman.

Former child actor dies in Ibiza

A FORMER child actor has been found dead in a hotel room on the holiday island of Ibiza. The body of Will Johnson, 20, from Wigan, was discovered by pals at apartments in San Antonio.

Pub landlord waits on smoking appeal

A PUB landlord who became the first in Greater Manchester to be convicted of defying the new public smoking ban last year deliberately set out to flout the law, a court heard.

Cops target hardcore criminals

ABOUT 1,000 hard-core criminals are believed to be behind half the 300,000-plus crimes reported in Greater Manchester last year.

Bottled water down the plughole

WASTEFUL bottled water has gone past its sell-by date, according to the results of a new survey carried out by leading independent consumer champion Which?

Museum marks 25 years

MANCHESTER'S Museum of Science and Industry is celebrating 25 years at its Castlefield home.

Waterways more popular than ever

THE number of boats on Britain's waterways is now greater even than at the height of the industrial revolution, it was revealed today.

Tesco jobs plan 'a success'

A SUPERMARKET'S scheme to get the long-term unemployed back to work in east Manchester is being hailed a resounding success.

Driver's ticket battle

A DISABLED motorist has been fined £60 for parking 12 inches outside a marked parking bay.

Sydney Laserson, 81, who has an incurable medical condition, was given a parking ticket despite displaying his blue badges.

Fahy new Chief Constable

THE HEAD of Cheshire Police will be the next Chief Constable of Greater Manchester.

Bride-to-be dies in diving accident

A WOMAN from Stockport died after apparently suffering the bends while on a diving trip in the South Pacific a week before she was due to be married there, it was revealed today.

Student died of meningitis

TESTS have confirmed that a teenager who died on holiday in Spain was suffering from meningitis.

Brass Handles: Arrest in Spain

A SALFORD man has been arrested in Spain in connection with a bungled assassination attempt at a pub.

Thousands of dead fish in canal

THOUSANDS of fish have been found dead in a canal.

New plan for casino site

A £300m tourist attraction in east Manchester could create more jobs than the doomed supercasino, town hall chiefs claim.

Heskey's partner in raid terror

PREMIERSHIP star Emile Heskey has spoken of his relief that his fiancée was not hurt when knife-wielding robbers raided his home in broad daylight.

Canoe fraudsters jailed

BACK-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin and his wife Anne were each jailed for more than six years today for carrying out a £250,000 con by faking his death in a canoeing accident.

Holiday mum's passport fury

A HOLIDAYMAKER was able to fly home from Turkey using a stranger's passport - after staff at FOUR security checkpoints failed to spot the difference.

A blooming lovely show

RECORD crowds were expected to descend on the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park this week after weather forecasters predicted a mini heat wave up to the weekend.

Schoolgirls' fake tan ban

A HEADTEACHER has outlawed fake tans, urging parents not to allow their daughters to come to school in `varying shades of orange'.

Family 'devastated' by drowning

THE FAMILY of a teenage dad who drowned while swimming at a remote reservoir have spoken of their 'devastation'.

Kyle in car crash

TV star Jeremy Kyle walked away unhurt after a 65 mph crash left a car upside down on its roof.

Doctors face regular testing

PLANS to bring in annual tests to weed out poorly performing doctors have received a mixed reception from GPs across the region.

Bevin Boy makes history

GETTING a history degree was child's play for grandad Robert Benjamin - he lived through most of the curriculum.

McCormick's contract at an end

A PROFESSIONAL footballer whose car was involved in a motorway crash in which two children from Greater Manchester were killed has had his contract with his club cancelled.

Tribunal blow to police

POLICE could be forced to erase the names of thousands of people with minor convictions from their databases following a landmark ruling against Greater Manchester Police.

Medical records stolen from doctor

THOUSANDS of confidential patients’ records belonging to patients have been stolen from a GPs’ surgery.

`Satanic Verses' family win reprieve

A FAMILY wanted in Iran for allegedly having a copy of The Satanic Verses has won a last-minute reprieve from being deported.

Meltdown for illegal icecream traders

A CONES hotline has been set up to keep dodgy ice cream vans off the road.

Camera pervert walks free

DJ who secretly filmed up the skirt of a 14-year-old schoolgirl should be `thoroughly ashamed', a judge said.

Python star is king of the jungle

MONTY Python star John Cleese has revealed he would rather have a lemur species named after him than receive a knighthood or peerage.

Scanner is a breath of fresh air

PATIENTS have literally been holding their breath for the arrival of a new £600,000 scanner.

Good life blossoms from tragedy

A STRETCH of wasteland has blossomed into a green oasis in memory of a teenager killed in a road tragedy.

Breathing new life into old homes

PEOPLE who could lose their homes under a controversial government scheme have hit back - with their own regeneration blueprints.

Grandad half the man he was

A GRANDAD crowned as Slimmer of the Year described shedding more than half his body weight as a `life-saving' experience.

£10,000 reward for armed robbers

RAIDERS wearing high visibility jackets struck at a post office.

Schoolboy found hanged

A SCHOOLBOY has been found hanged in a wood. Joe Richardson's mother reported the 12-year-old as missing from their home at Dewberry Fields, Up Holland, Wigan, at 10.10 Monday night.

13-year-old boy missing

POLICE are appealing for information about a schoolboy who has gone missing from home.

Mother's appeal over shot son

THE heartbroken mum of a promising young footballer shot dead in a takeaway has made a direct appeal to the killer's mother to shop her son.

Hero fireman fights for life

HERO fireman Steven Morris is fighting for life in hospital after he was engulfed in a fireball from a gas explosion while rescuing a family trapped following an arson attack.

Fined over furry dice

A TAXI driver involved in a car crash in which a man died has been fined - for having two furry dice hanging from his rear view mirror.

Postmaster assaulted in raid

A postmaster has been tied up and assaulted during a robbery in Droylsden, Greater Manchester, police said.

Gangster's 45,000 phone calls

A JAILED gang leader ran a drugs empire from his prison cell by using his mobile phone 45,000 times in six months. Gareth Curtis, from Stretford, made or received more than 246 calls or texts A DAY.

Student dies on holiday

AN 18-YEAR-OLD student has died of suspected meningitis while on holiday with friends in Spain.

Crash on danger road

A NOTORIOUS road was closed last night after a head-on crash. The A635 Holmfirth Road in Saddleworth, has been subject to a massive improvement scheme by Oldham council.

3p cut sparks supermarket fuel war

ASDA has sparked a supermarket fuel price war - bringing relief to hard-up drivers.

Community service on trial

LAW-abiding reporter Nicola Dowling carries out some Community Service to see if it really is the soft-option that's often portrayed.

Million hits for £7 movie

TWO film-making friends with a budget of just £7 have become an internet sensation.

Huge blaze in Gorton

NEIGHBOURS stand and stare in disbelief as a huge black cloud billows over their homes on a suburban street.

Father pays tribute to Demi

A FATHER has paid tribute to his toddler 'princess' nearly a week after she suffered a fatal head injury.

Father and son in suicide pact

A FATHER and son were found hanged in their home in a suspected suicide pact. Hugh Robertson, 87, and his son Donald, 58, were discovered by a neighbour.

Six not guilty of murder plot

EIGHT men were today found not guilty of plotting to murder a drug dealer. Friends and family shouted and cheered when the majority verdicts were read out by the jury foreman at Preston Crown Court following a seven-week trial.

Pervert jailed for grooming

A MAN who groomed a teenage girl he met through the internet has been jailed.