The La Scala restaurant, located at 49 Chorley Road, has stood empty since the restaurant closed in April 2025.

The latest application proposes creating 15 office units within the property, with eight offices on the ground floor and seven on the first floor.

The plans also include two kitchenette facilities and toilet facilities.

Plans show the layout of the offices (Image: Bolton Council)

A previous scheme, submitted in October 2025, sought to transform the ground floor into a convenience store and convert the upper floor into a series of office suites.

However, that proposal was rejected by planners.

Bolton Council refused the earlier application because the design, bulk, siting and materials would appear “overly dominant and incongruous,” harming both the character of the existing building and the surrounding street scene.

Planning officers also highlighted the importance of the building itself, describing its red-brick façade as “attractive” and noting that it serves as a “landmark” with “high status” in the area.

The new application has again been submitted by the owner of the property, Mr Holden.

According to planning documents, the site is currently classified as a Class E(b) restaurant, with an external car park, and has operated in this capacity for more than 25 years.

Before that, the building functioned as a public house with accommodation above.

The proposal would retain the property within the same broad use class, Class E, meaning significant structural alterations are not expected to be required.

A decision on the latest application is pending.

The Man Who Paints Football is the debut publication of artist Paul Town and features more than 100 artworks of grounds past and present.

Among the stadiums featured is Bolton Wanderers’ former home, which has been immortalised in paintings inspired by Mr Town’s childhood fascination with the sport.

Paul Town said: “My love for football, and in particular my love for football grounds, began as a young child.

“The bus journey to my grandparents’ home would take me past the decaying ground of the then-defunct football club Bradford (Park Avenue), and I would hastily wipe the condensation from the bus window to get a clearer view of the wonderful floodlights rising above the rooftops of the local houses.

“As a child, I’d spend hours creating drawings that were all inspired by football grounds”.

The book, published by Heritage Unlocked, includes a foreword by sports commentator John Helm and explores stadiums across the UK and beyond, from Hampden Park and Highbury to Wembley and more.

Burnden Park holds a special place in Mr Town’s work.

He said: “The artwork of Burnden Park featured in the book shows John McGinlay en route to scoring a hat-trick in a famous 6-1 win for the Trotters over Spurs in the 1996/97 season – the club’s last season at the famous old ground steeped in history.”

Mr Town’s connection to football is deeply personal.

He was present at the Bradford City fire in 1985 that claimed 56 lives and led to major changes in stadium safety across the UK.

His work has been exhibited nationwide, including at Hampden Park in Scotland as part of his ‘Hampden Trilogy’ series, and is also on display at football grounds across the country.

Mr Town’s art has been reproduced in several books.

The Man Who Paints Football is priced at £19.99 and is available from bookshops, galleries, online retailers, and directly from the publisher at www.heritageunlocked.com/shop/themanwhopaintsfootball.

Firefighters were called to the scene in Fenton Lane, Sherburn in Elmet, near Selby, shortly after 6.30pm on Saturday (April 11).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said its crews extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus and hose reels.

“The cause of the fire is suspected to be deliberate,” a service spokesperson.

Later on Saturday, firefighters were called to a fire in the open near a residential area of Sherburn in Elmet.

They used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire in Eversley Garth Crescent.

The callouts come after North Yorkshire Police said it was working with the fire service following a spate of arsons around Sherburn in Elmet.

A force spokesperson said it followed officers responding to several reports of small fires being set around the town on Friday evening.

They said on Saturday that North Yorkshire Police had worked with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to “locate and extinguish the fires quickly, while also making efforts to identify the individuals responsible”.

The police spokesperson urged parents and carers to “please speak with their children about the dangers and consequences of this behaviour”.

“Setting fires, even small ones, poses significant risk to people, property, and the wider community,” they said. “It also diverts emergency services away from other priority incidents, where someone may urgently need our help.”

The spokesperson said North Yorkshire Police would be increasing patrols in the “affected areas over the coming days to provide reassurance and to deter any further incidents”.

They asked anyone with information about the fires to report it to police on 101.

Firefighters and an ariel ladder platform were on the scene at the Talbot hotel in Yorkersgate, Malton, shortly before 1.20pm on Sunday (April 12).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said its two crews extinguished the fire which was confined to the chimney flute.

A service spokesperson said: “A crew from Malton and an ariel ladder platform from Scarborough responded to a chimney fire.

“The fire was confined to the chimney flue and the ariel ladder platform and chimney nozzle adapter were used to extinguish the fire.”

Philip Lee Owen, 41, of Diggle Street, Wigan, faces multiple charges.

These include three counts of false imprisonment, threats to kill, two counts of child neglect, aggravated burglary and sending a communication threatening death or serious harm.

Greater Manchester Police said officers were called to reports of a disturbance at a house on Dicconson Lane at around 2am on Friday (April 10).

On Friday, Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said: “Following this challenging incident, I can confirm the individual has been detained by our officers, and those involved have been safely secured and protected.

“I want to commend the bravery and professionalism of our officers and thank the public for their patience and cooperation while we worked to bring this situation to a safe conclusion.”

Owen has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court on Monday (April 13).

Large parts of the street were locked down for several hours following the incident, which also included the attendance of armed police.

Residents were not allowed to leave their homes as around 17 police vehicles – including armed police – took over the street.

Dicconson Lane connects Westhoughton and Blackrod to Aspull and Wigan.

A police car with two officers inside remained parked outside the house in question for much of Friday.

The major retailer has announced around 700 Wash.ME self‑service laundry machines will be installed at its Supercentres, Superstores, supermarkets and Express sites in May, following a partnership with ME Group International.

Each washing machine unit will offer large‑capacity 9kg and 20kg drums, energy‑efficient cycles and high‑speed drying.

This means everything from everyday laundry to larger household loads such as duvets can be accommodated.

Even better, the washing machines are designed to allow customers to wash while they shop in a “quick, convenient and great‑value way”.

Discussing the partnership, one shopper on Reddit has said it is “great news” as they have “used them before and are much better than your standard household washing machine”.

Another said the Wash.ME units “can be useful when you have issues with your own”.

They added: “My washing machine wasn’t spinning so had a basket full of soaking wet clothes that would’ve made my flat super damp.

“These things came to the rescue.”

Someone else shared: “They’re particularly handy for bulky bedding”.

Joseph Sutton, Vice President of Asda Express, foodservice and fuel, commented: “We’re always looking for new ways to make life easier for the customers who shop with us, particularly by strengthening the breadth of services that meet their needs under one roof.

“This large‑scale rollout of Wash.ME units gives customers a quick, convenient and great‑value way to tackle their laundry while they shop.

“We’re pleased to be working with ME Group on this significant partnership and look forward to seeing the benefits it brings to customers across the UK.”

In total, there are currently more than 1,000 Wash.ME launderettes installed around Britain, which can be found in the car park of your local supermarket, petrol station or shopping centre.

To find the nearest Wash.ME unit near you, enter your postcode on the company’s official website.

How much will Wash.ME washing machines cost at Asda?

For those wondering how much the units could cost to use, Wash.ME explains: “Prices vary depending on the machine used.

“The cost of a wash cycle in our laundrettes will cost you between £5.50 (8-9 kg) and £11 (18-20 kg), including detergent.

“As options, you can opt for pre-wash, softener, disinfectant, disinfectant fabric softener in addition to your regular wash.”

Vladimir Crasneanscki, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ME Group, said: “Asda is a perfect company to partner with, their retail and petrol stations are excellent locations for our services and their innovative and fast paced approach will enable us to deploy our units rapidly.

“We are delighted to announce this partnership; this is the largest single client deal in the history of our laundry division and demonstrates the growing demand for our services.”

Have you used Wash.ME before? (Image: Asda)

Asda confirms it is not axing in-store pizza counters at 464 locations

Elsewhere, Asda has given an update to customers regarding the rumoured axing of the popular pizza counters in stores, following a viral post on X.

The ‘create your own’ pizza counters have long been a standout feature at the supermarket, allowing foodies to choose a base, sauce and toppings.

Prices start at £3.33 for a medium size and rise to £4.93 for the large option, and have often earned praise for their affordability.

But some customers were concerned that Asda was planning to close down its pizza counters over the past few days, following a recent social media post that blew up online.

Going to need @asda to confirm or deny the rumours that the create your own pizza counters are going from all stores

— Lauren (@laurennUTD) April 10, 2026

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It comes as someone shared: “Going to need @asda to confirm or deny the rumours that the create your own pizza counters are going from all stores.”

The post has since gained more than 911,000 views, creating a lot of stir on X.

However, pizza lovers will be delighted to know that an Asda spokesperson has confirmed they have no plans to remove the pizza counters from any stores.

They said: “We know how much our customers love our pizza counters, and they can be reassured that freshly made pizzas will continue to be available in all 464 of our stores as usual.”

Will you be using the new Wash.ME machines at Asda, or will you just be sticking to using the pizza counters? Let us know in the comments below.

Family-run Baby & Toddler Kingdom, run by mother-and-daughter duo Ebony and Jill, shared the news on social media on Friday (April 10), describing the decision as “not an easy” one.

In the post, the owners said: “After 10 wonderful years I wanted to share that our shop will be closing its doors after this summer.

“This has not been an easy decision, but it feels like the right time for a new chapter. We are incredibly proud of everything this little business has become and that is entirely down to you, my amazing customers.”

The pair have yet to announce a closing date for the Newgate Street shop but thanked their loyal customers for supporting the business over the past decade.

They added: “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support, loyalty, and kindness over the years. Whether you’ve shopped with us once or have been here since the very beginning, it has truly meant the world.

“We still have a little time left before we close, and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible before then.

“With love and gratitude, Ebony and Jill.”

Since the announcement, many items in the shop have been reduced, with discounts of up to 70 per cent off, including prams.

Many customers were quick to share their support online.

One person commented: “Ah this is such a shame. We send everyone to you for prams, car seats and more and have always heard such lovely things.

“You will be a massive miss to Bishop Auckland.”

Another said: “All the best for the future. Got my baby’s first pram from you and her outfits all the way through – going to miss getting her beautiful outfits from here.”

A nine-year-old boy who was trapped in his dad’s van for two years, malnourished and without access to a toilet, has been rescued.

Neighbour heard ‘sounds of a child’ coming from a van, near but were initially told it was just a cat.

But officers who broke the vehicle open found the child ‘lying in a fetal position, naked, covered by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement,’ in Hagenback, on the Swiss and German borders, on Monday.

According to prosecutor Nicolas Heitz, the father, 43, told police that he put his son in the van in November 2024 ‘to protect him’ because his partner, 37, wanted to send him to a psychiatric hospital.

He also outlined the conditions his father held him in, telling the child to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate in bin bags, adding that his last shower was at the end of 2024.

The child was visibly malnourished and could no longer walk because he had been kept in a seated position for so long. He has now been taken to hospital.

Heitz said the boy had no record of psychiatric issues before his disappearance and that he had good marks at school.

The child told police that he had ‘big difficulties’ with his father’s partner and that he thought his dad had ‘no choice’ other than to lock him up.

His father was held in police custody on kidnapping charges after his arrest, while the partner denied knowing anything about the boy being in the van.

She was also charged with failing to help a minor in danger but was released under judicial supervision.

The boy also has a 12-year-old sister, while the partner has a 10-year-old daughter too, who lived in a block of flats with the couple.

Both of them were taken into care by social services.

Friends and family told police they thought the boy was already in a psychiatric institution while his teachers were told he had moved to a new school – now detectives are looking into whether other people knew about his imprisonment.

Residents said they heard noises coming from the van but were told it was a cat. One, called Danielle, told reporters it was ‘truly devastating’.

She said: ‘We don’t understand it. It’s horrific, there are no words.

‘I never once noticed anything, never heard anything … It feels like we’re living in a movie or a dream, and we keep thinking, “Tomorrow I’ll wake up, and maybe it’s not real.” We just can’t comprehend it.’

The victim and his relatives were not named.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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The park was once an industrial quarry used to provide chalk to colleges at the University of Cambridge

There are many beautiful and picturesque places to walk in Cambridgeshire. Cambridge itself has many itself, such as Christ’s Pieces or Midsummer Common.

However, in Cambridge there is also one unusual place to walk that feels very different to some of the other walks on offer. This is Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits, which feels like you are walking among cliffs.

The pits used to be a large industrial quarry. However, quarrying came to an end in Lime Kiln Close around 200 years ago.

When it was active, it provided hard chalk to build some of the University of Cambridge’s colleges, as well as lime for cement. Since then nature has taken over the site, with large ash trees now towering over it.

Chalk grasslands like those at Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits are rare in the UK. The nature park is also home to rare plants and wildlife.

The moon carrot grows here and only two other locations. These are Beachy Head in East Sussex and Knocking Hoe in Bedfordshire. The Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants, which oversees the pits, annually monitors the moon carrots.

Two other rare plants grow at the pits: grape hyacinth and great pignut. The pits have been named as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, due to it being home to the three rare plants.

It is made up of three pits altogether. These are Lime Kiln Close, West Pit, and East Pit. East Pit is the largest of the three, and it was worked on until the early 1980s.

If you stand within this pit, you will be surrounded by steep cliffs of chalk that glow in the late afternoon sun. In 2009, a large excavation was undertaken where a number of interesting things were discovered.

Archaeologists unearthed human remains and Roman artefacts in an Iron Age ditch. People are warned to stay away from the base of the cliffs and not to climb them as rocks could fall down.