A logistics firm has been granted an interim licence to operate lorries round the clock at the controversial Astley Business Park

Logistics firm Whistl has started round-the-clock operations at the controversial ‘cruise ship’ warehouse complex in Tyldesley.

The company began trading at unit 2 at the Astley Business Park on Monday (July 20) after being granted an interim licence by the traffic commissioner regarding heavy goods vehicle movements.

The firm previously agreed a 15-year lease for the unit with the intention of moving their local operation from the nearby Logistics North complex near Bolton. The now completed development has been dogged by controversy for more than a year since building work started.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

Many residents, some of whom have gardens just 30 metres from the 350,000 sq ft logistics site, criticised the huge scale and appearance of the ‘towering warehouses’.

Incidents of flooding on nearby paths and gardens have also occurred last winter with complaints that run off from the construction site was causing the issues.

Whistl said it ‘appreciate[s] the strength of feeling amongst the community over the new business park’, insisting it has had an ‘active dialogue’ with the action group representing residents before taking measures to mitigate the impact of operations.

It is understood 250 objections have been lodged with the Traffic Commissioner to the goods vehicle operator’s licence application to keep 60 goods vehicles and 95 trailers at the site.

The interim approval manages the use of the operating centre while the full application remains under consideration.

The interim approval allows no more than 50 HGV movements into or out of the operating centre between the hours of 10pm and 5am, except between 5pm on Saturday and 9am on Sunday, when no movements are authorised.

On Wednesday (July 22), at around 12.30pm around 70 to 80 non-branded vehicles could be seen on the unit’s car park and on the other site of the huge shed several Whistl branded HGVs and vans were present, with frequent lorry movements on and off the site.

Several large orange signs are attached to the exterior of the huge shed stating ‘keep noise to a minimum’.

Astley Warehouse Action Group has been challenging aspects of the planning process and highlighting complaints of those it says are impacted by the logistics development.

On the goods vehicle application, they said a 24-hour logistics operation raises serious questions about ‘noise, sleep disturbance, air quality, vibration, lighting and traffic safety and whether residents can reasonably enjoy their own homes’.

John Peters, who represents the action group, said: “Whistl are now carrying out their normal operations. The big problem is they should never have been placed next to so many houses and a school.

“It’s the impact on families and kids. We’ve met with Whistl, they’ve put signs around the place about keeping noise down. They’ve also agreed to mist over some of their windows which face houses so people can’t look into bedrooms at night.

“They are trying to mitigate a lot of the things we asked them to but the crux of the problem is the sheds shouldn’t be there.”

A spokesperson for Whistl said: “We have been in active dialogue with the local resident’s association regarding our plans to move to the business park and how we will operate.

“We have listened to their concerns about light and noise and where possible taken measures to mitigate the impact of our operations within the approved permissions to operate a 24/7 logistics business from the site.

“We began operating from the business park on Monday and will continue to listen and make changes where practicable as we appreciate the strength of feeling amongst the community over the new business park.”

A letter to the action group from the Traffic Commissioner’s office assured it that ‘the grant of an interim licence does not determine the outcome of the full application’.

It added: “The Traffic Commissioner will consider all relevant information, including the validity and content of the representations received, before reaching a final decision.

“The Traffic Commissioner may determine that a public inquiry is required before a decision can be made on the application.

“If this is the case all valid representors will be notified and provided with an opportunity to attend and participate in that process.”

Sutton Bank on the A170 near Thirsk is due to close between 7pm and 4am on Thursday (July 23) till Saturday (July 25).

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council said: “The works on the road will ensure that the “strategic route remains in a structurally sound condition long term”.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Cause of huge Malton Hospital fire revealed

A spokesperson said: “During the closure of Sutton Bank, access to premises on the bank will be maintained whenever possible, however due to the nature of the works, there may be times when access will be restricted.”

For enquiries on the road closure, contact North Yorkshire Council’s highway department on 0300 131 2 131.

Mohammad Asim Bashir, 31, of Shaftesbury Road, Cheetham Hill, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, July 23.

He will serve a minimum of 17 years, with time already served meaning 16 years and 135 days remain on his minimum term.

Bashir was found to have conducted hostile reconnaissance of the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham alongside Jihad Al Shamie, who later attacked the synagogue in October 2025.

Al Shamie, who killed two men and injured several others when he attacked the Crumpsall synagogue last year, was shot dead by armed police shortly after they arrived at the scene.

The prosecution described Bashir during sentencing as a “long-standing, committed jihadist”.

He pleaded guilty last month to one count of preparation for acts of terrorism under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

The investigation began after the synagogue attack, with Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) leading a large-scale inquiry supported by the national CTP network.

Officers reviewed phones belonging to Al Shamie and identified Bashir as a close associate who also held extremist views.

WhatsApp messages between the two men revealed that they discussed preparing for “war” and made frequent antisemitic remarks.

Investigators discovered the pair took a 10-hour round trip to the Defence Academy on August 14, 2025, where they carried out reconnaissance.

Bashir drove for most of the journey while Al Shamie took notes about the base’s security on his phone, which he labelled “espionage.”

Both men later disposed of the phones used to conduct their research and make notes, but investigators accessed cloud data linked to Al Shamie’s devices.

This revealed internet searches for weapons, potential target sites, and individuals with links to the Israeli military.

CCTV and audio evidence also captured the pair talking about plans for an attack.

Rob Potts, assistant chief constable for Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “Mohammed Bashir is a dangerous individual with extremist views who held conversations about preparing for ‘war.’

“He was caught on camera discussing carrying out a terrorist attack with a man who would later go on to conduct an attack himself.

“Together they made a ten-hour round trip to conduct hostile reconnaissance at a military base and noted its security arrangements.

“The pair tried to cover their tracks by disposing of their mobile phones but, thanks to the meticulous work of investigators, evidence of damning internet searches that show research for attack planning was uncovered.

“Bashir is now facing the consequences of his actions, and I hope his sentence will act as a deterrent to anybody considering taking part in extremist activity.”

Mr Potts said there was no evidence that Bashir knew in advance about the synagogue attack.

He said: “Although there is no evidence to suggest that Bashir knew in advance about plans to conduct a terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, I know today’s sentencing will prompt public discussion on that incident.

“My thoughts today are with all those affected by the attack, particularly the loved ones of those whose lives were taken and those who were seriously injured.

“They have been at the forefront of our minds throughout the investigation and will continue to be so.”

Bashir will also be subject to a serious crime prevention order for five years and part 4 notification requirements under the Terrorism Act should he be released from prison.

Six lucky readers will win this unforgettable Bottomless Brunch experience

Turn up the heat this summer! We’ve teamed up with Las Iguanas to give 10 lucky readers a Bottomless Brunch experience packed with bold flavours, ice-cold cocktails, and pure summer vibes.

Sip, refill, and repeat for two hours with 25 drinks to choose from – including signature cocktails, fizz, and mocktails – paired with 10 delicious Latin-inspired dishes like melty quesadillas, Bahian katsu curry, and juicy burgers.

Available all day, every day from £39.95 (students from £24.95), it’s the ultimate way to make the most of the sunshine.

HOW TO ENTER

Simply fill in the form below & you could be our winner!

If you cannot see the form please click here.

For the full terms and conditions see the form above.

18+ only. Please drink responsibly. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.

Greater Manchester Police said officers are becoming “increasingly concerned” for the welfare of Ayesha and Aeryn, who are believed to be together.

Ayesha was last seen at around 8am on July 22 in Ramsbottom, while Aeryn was last seen at around 5pm in the same area.

Officers believe the pair may have travelled beyond Ramsbottom and could be anywhere across the Bury borough or further afield.

In an appeal issued on Bury Police’s Facebook page, GMP said: “MISSING: Can you help find Ayesha and Aeryn, both 13, from Ramsbottom?

“Ayesha was last seen missing at around 8am on July 22 in Ramsbottom, while Aeryn was last seen around 5pm yesterday in the same area.

“They are now believed to be together and could have travelled across Bury and are known to frequent Manchester city centre.

“Officers are becoming increasingly concerned about them and want to make sure they are safe and well.

“Anyone with information about Ayesha’s whereabouts should contact us on 101, quoting log 127 of 22/07/26 – or Aeryn’s whereabouts, quote log 4324 of 23/07/26.”

The force has urged members of the public to get in touch immediately if they have seen either girl or have information that could help trace them.

Anyone with information about Ayesha should contact Greater Manchester Police on 101, quoting log 127 of 22/07/26.

Anyone with information about Aeryn should contact police on 101, quoting log 4324 of 23/07/26.

Motorists who had been enjoying a jam-free journey to work since the schools broke up found themselves caught up in a jam on Wednesday morning as temporary traffic lights were installed on a busy junction.

Bury Road, at the Ainsworth Lane turning, has a set of temporary traffic lights.

It is causing long delays during peak hours of the morning and evening for commuters into and out of Bolton.

The works started for “utility asset works” by an electricity company and started on Monday July 20.

(Image: NQ)

They are to last until August 31.

Bury Road is a route that connects Breightmet, Tonge Moor, Harwood, and a route to Bury Town Centre.

Expected traffic disruptions on council documents say the traffic impact is to be high.

Multi-way Signals are on manual control 7am to 7pm.

One motorist said: “I don’t remember any advanced notice, I suppose at least they are being carried out during the summer holidays – but traffic doesn’t seem to be moving at all during rush hour.

“Maybe it is best to go via Tonge Moor Road, but honestly there are always always roadworks in the area.”

Best overall dress – Realisation Par Simone Riviera Noir: £280, Realisationpar.com

Best scarf dress – Rixo roux dress in Chelsea print: £395, Rixo

Best bandeau dress – Nobody’s Child pink floral Robyn dress: £130, Nobody’s Child

Best floral dress – Mango floral print flared dress: £69.99, Mango

Best pink dress – Bhoem pink V-neck poplin midi dress: £59.99, Next

A police officer who could be Scotland’s Wayne Couzens killed himself after carrying out a 14-year spree of rapes and attempted murders, it was revealed today.

PC Alan Greer took his own life in May, but his ‘truly shocking’ offences were not revealed by Police Scotland until two months after his death.

The 47-year-old was a married father of one, with his wife and family said to be completely ‘oblivious’ to his double life.

Senior officers have insisted there were no ‘red flags’ to indicate years of offending. 

But a source close to the investigation said: ‘This could be Police Scotland’s Wayne Couzens moment.

‘Folk will be in a state of shock when they learn the full truth. I don’t think anyone really knows how bad it is yet.’

Greer killed himself on May 6 this year. His colleagues had only been told via the force’s intranet that he had died while suspended and under criminal investigation.

His first rape was of a woman in 2012 who had been a victim of crime. She came forward last year.

Detectives have discovered he had nine victims, five of whom were sex workers. In several cases, the sex attacks were so violent they constituted attempted murder.

He had used multiple pseudonyms and at least seven phones to hide his identity and offending.

Australian-born Greer, who came to the UK as a child, had 17 years of apparently unblemished service with Strathclyde Police and then Police Scotland.

He had worked in officer safety training in recent years. 

But a woman came forward in late 2025 to say that he had raped her in 2012.

She had been a victim of a crime and police were called to check on her. Hours later Greer apparently came back alone and raped her.

After she gave a statement to anti-corruption officers earlier this year, on April 24, police raided his home and arrested him. 

He had seven mobile phones and a laptop seized.

Wayne Couzens (pictured), abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in 2021 

Thousands of graphic sexual videos and images were recovered and revealed that he had used hundreds of prostitutes.

Detectives are still going through those videos and found that at least five were raped or sexually assaulted and some constituted attempted murder. 

There were also a number of secret photographs he had taken of female colleagues while they were training. 

Greer killed himself in early May.

Assistant Chief Constable Lynn Ratcliff, gold commander for the investigation, said: ‘This officer has clearly abused his power and has revisited someone that he’s encountered in the course of his duties.

‘But this victim was brave enough to come and speak to us, and that really was the trigger point for us starting our investigation.

‘That’s allowed us to proactively identify eight further victims.’

A police source has compared him to PC Wayne Couzens, who used his job to commit heinous crimes.

Sarah Everard, 33, was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 2021 by Couzens as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London.

She was snatched from the street as she was walking home from a friend’s house towards Brixton on March 3, 2021. 

A major Metropolitan Police investigation was launched and her body was found a week later in woodland in Kent. Couzens is serving a whole-life sentence.

His case revealed major vetting failures at the Met and he had even exposed himself at a McDonald’s drive-thru days before he murdered Sarah but was not properly pursued. 

In 2018 a sex worker in Glasgow had gone to police to say that a client had been violent towards her and gave them a phone number.

That person was Greer – but the phone number was not matched to him until now.

ACC Lynn Ratcliff said the comparison between Greer and Couzens was unhelpful.

She told the BBC: ‘At this stage, we’ve got no evidence to suggest [missed red flags] is the case, but we absolutely keep that under review because one of the things that we have to do from inquiries of this nature is make sure that we capture and we take on board the lessons learned.’

The Commonwealth Games, being staged this year in Glasgow, hold para events in the same place and at the same time as the general competition. Not only does this give equal opportunity to all athletes, but it also brings disability sport into the mainstream conversation.

The multi-sport competition has been held every four years since 1930, when they were known as the British Empire Games. At the 1994 games in Victoria, Canada, disabled athletes were included in exhibition events. But in 2002 in Manchester, England, para athletes were fully integrated into their teams.

This made the Commonwealth Games the first major event where para competition took place alongside the general programme, with disabled athletes’ medals counting towards their nation’s tally.

À lire aussi :
Too many disabled young people are missing out on PE – here’s how that could change

And over recent years, opportunities for elite para sportsmen and women have grown and coverage has expanded. A partnership between the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee, the increased media coverage of the Paralympics, and integration within the Commonwealth Games have all been important steps for disability sport.

Now, Glasgow 2026 will see records broken for the largest integrated event in Commonwealth Games history, with 47 medal events over six sports. More than 450 para athletes will compete. And the very first medal of these games will be awarded in para powerlifting.

Despite this progress, the effects don’t seem to be felt the same at all levels of sport. Disabled people are still significantly less likely to participate in sport and physical activity compared to non-disabled people.

In Scotland, for example, almost one in five disabled people do no physical activity at all. And globally, disabled people have been found to be twice as likely to be physically inactive as non-disabled people.

Physical inactivity and lack of access to sport are also harming disabled children. So the Commonwealth Games represent a moment of inclusion and representation when young disabled people (and everyone else) can see what is possible.

But this is an incomplete picture without efforts to combat the barriers that many disabled people face to sport and physical activity.

Attitudinal barriers

These are common yet hard to measure. Ableism and the way perceptions and ideas influence how people understand inclusivity can have a large impact on how it is implemented in sports clubs. For example, disabled people who require fewer or minimal modifications are often more able to fit into mainstream sport. Overly cautious perceptions of risk, both from coaches, families, and disabled people themselves can also lead to limitations on disabled people’s participation in sport.

Physical and financial barriers

These include issues such as inaccessible venues, a lack of appropriate (or any) transport to sports centres, and the costs associated with participation. A Scottish survey found that 41% of those taking part were afraid of losing their disability benefits if they were seen as being too active. On top of these concerns, supports such as personal assistants (for those who need them) for sport and physical activity often come at a cost. And depending on where they live, many people might not have accessible facilities or programmes nearby.

Lack of data

As well as too few resources for disabled people looking for opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity, data is also limited. Data and analysis on opportunities and best practice remain fragmented. Nor is participation in disability sport monitored.

Sport for disabled people is outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. My ongoing research looks at Article 30 of the Convention, which sets out the right to participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport, and the views of young people and their coaches around this right. It includes sections for both mainstream and disability-specific sport, as well as sport for children and young people. The UK has ratified the convention, meaning it agrees to protect these rights.

And the UK’s Equality Act provides for “reasonable adjustments” in access to services, public functions and education. The Act also sets out the public sector equality duty, which requires authorities to consider groups with protected characteristics, including disability.

But despite human rights conventions and legislation, sport remains inaccessible for many disabled people. Organisations worldwide are working to provide both advocacy and opportunity for disabled people to participate in sport, but change is slow. Including disabled people in decision-making is a crucial component for bringing about the transformation needed.

The Commonwealth Games have become a vital example of para sport becoming integrated within the mainstream. But they also highlight the importance of continuing to work towards disability inclusion at all levels. For now though, the stage is set for Glasgow 2026 to allow new sporting heroes to burst on to the world stage.

Eighty cats have been rescued from the home of a mail carrier who collected strays along her route.

Authorities braved the stench and heat of the secluded home in Stuart, Florida, where the animals were being kept in squalor.

“We’re talking about in some places a foot of animal feces in that house,” Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek told reporters Monday. “There is no air conditioning in that house. So when we cracked the door on it earlier today, the stench was unreal.”

The 77-year-old woman living in the house, Gail Giustino, was charged with one count of Animal Cruelty and one count of Confinement of Animals Without Sufficient Exercise.

Authorities were tipped off a couple of weeks ago about a woman who worked for the Postal Service and was “stealing or collecting cats along her route,” Budensiek said.

“She didn’t steal somebody’s pet, but she was likely collecting feral cats,” the sheriff emphasized.

In addition to the 80 cats, 12 dogs were rescued Monday. While no animals are believed to be dead, their condition is unknown.

Budensiek said the animals were fed, but there was no ventilation in the house and they were never brought outside.

“They’ve been confined to that animal jail really for however long she’s been hoarding these pets in there,” the sheriff said.

Budensiek explained that the sheriff’s office was “not trying to demonize” Giustino, explaining that they didn’t believe she was intentionally abusing the animals, but rather was suffering from some mental health issue.

“We truly believe that Gail thinks she’s doing the right thing, but she’s doing it the wrong way,” the sheriff said.

Budensiek noted that this wasn’t the first time authorities had to get involved at the home.

Giustino was issued up to 65 civil citations at least a decade ago “for different types of animals that she was confining in her house.”

Budensiek said the sheriff’s office tried to work with Giustino in the past week, but she was “not cooperative.”

When their animal control unit “would come to the house, she would do anything she could to try to stop them from seeing what was going on here,” the sheriff said.

Eventually, the sheriff’s office went “the criminal route” and obtained a search warrant to enter the house, Budensiek said.

“The goal of arresting her was to be able to seize the animals, to save them from death, and try to get them the help that they need, and then to keep her from repossessing animals, and then to move her into mental health court so she can get the help that she needs to try to deal with what we’ve dealt with today and whatever needs she has,” the sheriff explained.

The number of animals rescued would’ve been higher, Budensiek said, but Giustino dropped off about 15 animals at two different facilities in Martin County in the last week.

Budensiek said this was the “worst case of animal hoarding that I’ve seen here in Martin County.”

The sheriff’s office’s Animal Services Division and the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast have assessed all the animals and provided immediate care, according to a Facebook update.

The owners of five animals have been identified as of Tuesday afternoon.