People were urged to leave their homes as explosives specialists descended on the scene

A backpack sparked a major emergency response with bomb disposal units called out to the scene in Fallowfield, the M.E.N understands. Residents were evacuated from their homes amid the incident on Abram Close on Saturday night (June 6).

The residential street was taped off and became a scene busy with emergency services, including fire crews, ambulances and army bomb disposal experts, following the report made at around 6pm.

Around 20 neighbouring properties were advised to evacuate, with residents not allowed to return home until around 11pm. One resident described seeing a bomb disposal robot being sent into the property with investigations focussed around a front garden.

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A cordon remained in place into the early hours of Sunday morning. It’s now understood this followed reports of a backpack containing bottles filled with an unknown substance. Investigations into the incident remain ongoing.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed on Sunday that the scene had been stood down with a full investigation underway. No further details have been released.

One resident described seeing a bomb disposal robot being sent into the property. He said: “I’m a bit nervous about what’s going on right now. This is quite a peaceful neighbourhood. This community is really tiny.”

Another eyewitness told the Manchester Evening News: “I was going to my sister’s and they were telling everyone to evacuate out of the streets. They would not let us through and they started to put a cordon up. Everybody was told to go back. They pushed everyone back. There are loads of fire crews and ambulances here.”

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were called to a ‘suspicious item in a front garden’ shortly after 6.05pm. One eye witness told the Manchester Evening News: “I was going to my sister’s and they were telling everyone to evacuate out of the streets. They would not let us through and they started to put a cordon up.

In an update on Sunday, the force added: “The scene has been stood down, package safely removed and an investigation is ongoing into the full circumstances.”

EXCLUSIVE: The Scottish Greens will not vote for a Labour plan for a Scottish Parliament probe.

Plans for a Holyrood inquiry into Peter Murrell’s corruption appear to be dead due to Scottish Green opposition to an MSP probe.

The Greens will vote against the plan this week after claiming an investigation would turn the Parliament into a “political circus”.

Crooked Murrell is facing jail time after he admitted embezzling over £400,000 of funds from the SNP when he was married to Nicola Sturgeon.

Rival parties say the scandal raises huge questions about SNP governance failings and whether public money was stolen.

Delays to the case and the length of time spent by the police investigating the theft have also come under scrutiny.

Scottish Labour want a Holyrood inquiry into the scandal and will force a vote on Wednesday.

With the SNP opposed to a probe, the Scottish Greens are have the power to green light or block an investigation.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said they will vote against the inquiry proposal:

“Peter Murrell’s crimes were a terrible breach of the trust of SNP members and supporters. He will now face the consequences of that.

“If further investigations are needed, they should be led by the independent Electoral Commission or Police Scotland, not political parties.

“There is an obvious conflict of interest in parties ‘investigating’ each other like this, not to mention the cost on top of the millions already spent on the police investigation.

“Scottish Green MSPs will focus on delivering policies that save people money and protect our planet. That is what all parties should focus on, rather than trying to turn our justice system into a political circus.”

If Holyrood refuses to launch a probe, Westminster’s Scottish Affairs committee is ready to embark on its own investigation.

It is understood the committee has already begun a scoping exercise on a potential probe.

“We have never raised our prices since opening, we keep things really affordable, so to call us disgusting just baffles me.”

A Stockport restaurant’s response to a one-star review has received a flood of support after they spoke out following a visitor’s one-star review, which was ‘edited and reposted’ six months after they dined there.

The Mekong Cat, an Asian restaurant located on Lower Hillgate, took to Facebook to give feedback on a one-star Google Review. In the post the restaurant explained that it doesn’t focus on negative reviews, with a “4.8 rating on Google”. But after a review was edited and reposted, The Mekong Cat said it would “publicly shame” them.

In the review posted on Google, the customer had complained about how cold the restaurant was, saying they couldn’t “take their coat off”. They also took issue with the fact “mains came out at different times” and said that paying £2.50 for a can of Diet Coke was “disgusting”.

The Mekong Cat, which serves Southeast Asian cuisine inspired by countries along the Mekong River, responded to the review and explained its food costs. In a Facebook post shared on Saturday, June 6, the venue wrote: …”the average plate at our establishment is about £11-12 for homemade noodles and broths that take hours to make. Our portions are generous, and our profit margins are low.

“We are able to do this because we’re always busy, perform at a high volume, and even though Stockport thinks it’s bougie, we are still located around a food pantry, and the economy is tough, so we keep prices low so the people of this town can enjoy food from a faraway place.”

It then went on to break down the costs involved in serving customers a can of coke. The restaurant said: “We do make our profits on our drinks, and £2.50 for a can of Coke is a lot more than the 24-pack in a can you get at your local Aldi’s. However, we hire staff to serve you that can of Coke, a pot washer to wash it after, and pay electricity on where the can of Coke is stored. So I apologise that we are trying to profit about 50p from that can of Coke you were served.”

The Mekong Cat explained that due to the nature of the food it serves it comes out when its ready. It added: “We don’t have a heat lamp to keep things warm. Noodles get sticky and soggy when they sit around. In Asian cuisine, food is served when it’s ready; we are not a pub serving Sunday roast.”

Commenting on the temperature, the restaurant added: “If we turn the heat up any higher, we’re going to significantly increase our prices, so yeah, keep your coat on.”

The post has amassed more than 800 likes and 231 comments, the majority in support of the restaurant. One user wrote: “What a fantastic negative review because now I know where you are, I’m gonna come and try your food!! And when I’m eating out, I don’t object paying £2.50 for a coke because every business needs to make a profit.”

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Another added: “This is a great response to a negative review and probably explains a lot to people who don’t understand how Asian food works. “ However one person did say that the response was “unprofessional”, which would “put them off more than one bad review.”

The Mekong Cat posted a follow up comment which read:” This review was posted months ago during the winter, it got edited to be reposted which brings it to the very top. Which is very vindictive/damaging to a small business like ours. Should we be more professional in our response? Write some generic apology? Sure.

“However if we want to give customers free speech to rate, and criticise any business publicly, the business has the right to respond. If those who choose to not come to our restaurant because they think we’re rude, this only opens up more seatings to a fully booked out place.

“We are not arrogant, we are trying to do something good, and something different in Stockport. This is a small business and people who are not happy with the most minor thing will leave a 1 Star as oppose to telling the owners, staff what the problem is.

“We have happily compensated every meal when people are not happy. Anyone who has dined with us and have spoken to us knows this. We have never raised our prices since opening, we keep things really affordable, so to call us Disgusting just baffles me. “

The Mekong Cat is not the only business to deal with the fallout of one-star reviews. Last year the Riverbank coffee shops and cafe, located on the banks of the River Mersey between Urmston and Sale, caused a stir online when its owners called out a reviewer.

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Gus Atkinson continued his love affair with Lord’s, wrapping up England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Rothesay Test with yet another appearance on the famous honours board.

Atkinson took the last three wickets on day four to seal figures of five for 30, his fourth five-for in just three appearances to go alongside an unexpected century in 2024.

The Surrey seamer hurried the hosts over the line by sweeping aside tailenders Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry, taking his Test record at the home of cricket to 26 wickets at just 9.5 apiece.

The result never looked in doubt despite a counter-punching 44 not out from Glenn Phillips, with New Zealand all out for 138 chasing 254 on a sub-standard batting surface.

The win gets England back to winning ways following their 4-1 Ashes thrashing in Australia, with Atkinson adding to strong performances from debutant Emilio Gay and new-ball partner Ollie Robinson.

Gay’s second-innings 57 was the innings of the match, the highest score and longest innings on a bowler’s paradise, while Robinson’s first appearance in more than two years yielded seven wickets.

New Zealand’s position was already perilous as they started out on 55 for five, with any hopes built around their overnight pairing.

Both have enjoyed memorable days at Lord’s in the past, Devon Conway making a double century on debut five years ago and Tom Blundell playing his part in a 195-run stand in 2022.

But conditions this week have been stacked firmly against the batters and it took just a couple of minutes for England to snare a sixth wicket.

It came in predictable fashion off Tongue’s fourth delivery of the morning, with significant seam movement and low bounce proving a lethal combination for Blundell. For the 11th time in the match, the umpire’s finger was raised for lbw.

A swift conclusion looked on when Robinson welcomed Phillips by taking his outside and inside edge with successive deliveries, the all-rounder narrowly surviving on both occasions. Harry Brook then dropped Conway at second slip on 24 in Tongue’s next visit.

With clinging on doing New Zealand no favours, Phillips initiated a brisk gear change with three boundaries in seven deliveries. Better known for his white-ball game, Phillips’ counter-attack injected some jeopardy with a stand of 53 coming off less than 12 overs.

For the first time, English eyes were beginning to be drawn to the scoreboard, but it fell to Stokes to calm any nerves. With two batting failures and no first-innings wickets, the captain was striving to make his first real mark on the game when he squared up Conway and had him well caught by Jacob Bethell at gully.

With that glimmer of resistance overcome, Atkinson topped up his figures at the Pavilion End. Smith lasted just three balls before edging behind and Jamieson lingered only slightly longer before flicking straight to mid-wicket.

Needing one more to secure his five-for, Atkinson could not have wished for a more willing opponent than Henry, bowled for his second duck of the match and the ninth in total.

She said it could come from a council, company, landlord or an individual person

More than 270,000 people in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have received letters through the post, a BBC expert has said – and anyone ignoring them could face ending up in court. BBC Morning Live viewers were recently told how thousands of letters relating to county court judgements have been sent in the last 12 months.

A County Court Judgement (CCJ) is essentially a court order that’s issued in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland when someone owes money and then doesn’t pay their debt and the company then takes enforcement action, expert Laura Pomfret explained to viewers. She said it could come from a council, company, landlord or an individual person – and if it doesn’t get paid it can go on the person’s credit reports.

She said: ”I think that’s what a lot of people resonate with that they’ve heard of CCJs can be bad for your credit. They stay on your credit report for six years. It can impact you getting a mortgage, even getting um a rental property. Sometimes credit checks are done, even when getting a mobile phone contract.

“It’s definitely something to avoid if someone can avoid it, and worryingly, in the first quarter of this year, over 270,000 new CCJs were registered, and that’s 17.5% up on last year. So this is obviously showing that people are struggling and in the energy industry is something that you know it’s it’s getting bigger and bigger.”

She said they’re often issued for people getting behind on paying power bills – and latest Ofgem figures show debt at £4.5 billion – with Energy UK putting it even higher at £5.5 billion. She added: “That’s like such a big bill that lots of people are pay and people pay every month clearly struggling with it. And interestingly as well, credit card transactions in February were up 6% versus last February whereas debit transactions were only up 1%. And that also shows, you know, that people are having to rely on credit for even the most basic of bills.”

If someone receives a CCJ Ms Pomfret said it often follows lots of threatening letters – so the householder will already be worried. She said: “Firstly, it is upsetting to receive a formal document like that. If you get that through the post, it’s got a court seal on it it’s very formal. It might have followed you, you know, debt demand letters with red writing all over, which is overwhelming.

“Firstly don’t be overwhelmed is easy to say but don’t be alarmed like it’s just a formal process it’s essentially a document asking you asking you for money and so it if it comes through the post you it will tell you what you owe it’ll tell you how to pay it and it will also tell you the deadline by which to pay so you have a few options when you receive a CCJ.”

She said the first option was to pay it back – and if someone does it could be removed from their credit file if done within a month. She said: “After that, it stays on your report, but it says that you paid it. So, please make sure you prioritise paying it.”

It’s also possible to vary the terms of a CCJ, she said, which means speaking to the court to try to change the terms of the judgement. “Another thing that you may be able to do is apply for what’s called breathing space. So this is formerly called in England and Wales the debt respite scheme. “What this does is it gives you space from creditors, including the CCJ, and maybe gives you time to make a plan to pay it back or speak to a debt advisor, which is super helpful. The last thing that you may be able to do is you may actually be able to get the judgment or CCJ set aside. or recalled if you believed um that it’s an error.”

She said there would have to be a genuine reason to apply for it to be set aside, including providing evidence, mainly that the person doesn’t owe the money or it’s a mistake. She added: “Another reason is that you didn’t receive the original claim form. So before a CCJ is issued or a decree is issued, you will get a claim form put forward and there’s an opportunity to respond.

“So you could have, for example, the wrong address, it could have been sent somewhere else. You may not have received it. Now, the court’s not going to take kindly to just saying, ‘I didn’t receive it.’ It’s kind of like the dog ate my homework sometimes for some people, but you may genuinely not have done. So that could be an option. Ultimately, you’re going to need evidence, you’re going to have to fill in the correct forms. You may have to pay fees to get it set aside, but you know, in the long run, it may be worth doing tha if you don’t want it to damage your credit.”

To find the steps and court forms involved in asking a court to vary the terms of a CCJ or decree, such as requesting to pay in instalments, or even how to get a judgment cancelled, you can click on the links below.

For England, Wales and Northern Ireland you can click here.

For Scotland you can click here., external

There temporary protection from your creditors while you get debt advice and make a plan.

In England and Wales this is called Breathing Space, and you can find information on that by clicking here., external

In Scotland this is called a moratorium, and you can find more information on that here.

The indie favourites launched a record-breaking summer of live music at The Piece Hall in Halifax, marking 30 years since the release of their 1996 classic album A Maximum High by playing the record in full, alongside a run of their biggest hits, in front of 6,000 fans.

York band Shed Seven wow fans with anniversary gig marking 30 years since the release of their 1996 classic album A Maximum High. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

The set opened with Dirty Soul, Dolphin, Speakeasy and Ocean Pie, before frontman Rick Witter appeared in a red sequined shirt to launch into A Maximum High’s explosive opening number Getting Better.

Rick Witter, frontman of York indie band Shed Seven, at The Piece Hall in Halifax last night, June 6, 2026. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

Fan favourites including Magic Streets, Where Have You Been Tonight, Going For Gold, Bully Boy and On Standby followed, before the band closed the album section with Parallel Lines.

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The band, which is one of York’s most celebrated musical exports after putting the city firmly on the UK indie music map, returned to the stage for an encore featuring Disco Down and the anthemic Chasing Rainbows.

Rick Witter, frontman of York indie band Shed Seven, at The Piece Hall in Halifax last night, June 6, 2026. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

Speaking on stage, Rick Witter told the crowd: “What an incredible night. The Piece Hall is an amazing place – we will be back.”

Fans turned out in force to watch as York’s Shed Seven mark 30 years at sell-out Piece Hall show. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

Shed Seven, which formed in York back in 1990 and built a strong following through local gigs before breaking into the national charts, were joined by special guests Seb Lowe and The Guest List.

Shed Seven at The Piece Hall in Halifax, June 6, 2026. (Image: Cuffe & Taylor)

The show opened TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall 2026, which will host a record 42 headline performances this summer.

The series continues on Friday with the first of two nights by Madness who wowed the crowd last night at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.

Madness had a headline slot at the open-air arena, bringing their energy to an 85-minute set packed with hits during their fourth appearance at the coastal venue.

Asked whether he thought the vice-president had been racist, the Deputy Prime Minister told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I reminded him that the family have called for calm, they don’t want division… and, two, I reminded him also of the online space and how toxic that can become. So, we had a robust conversation, a respectful conversation.

EXCLUSIVE: The incoming El Niño, detected by global weather monitoring organisations, could produce an effect so powerful that it drives up food prices in the UK and leaves shelves bare

A ‘Godzilla‘ El Niño so strong that it could outstrip every other in recorded history is set land in a matter of months, tipping global weather patterns on their head – and hitting Brits squarely in their pockets.

Scientists and top weather experts have warned in recent months that a super-powered El Niño – a recurring climate event originating in the Pacific Ocean that causes sea warming, creating a massive heat source that raises global temperatures and disrupts the weather – is inbound this year. El Niños occur every two to seven years with varying intensity, raising temperatures in a vast area between North and South America and Asia by an average of 0.5C above the long-term average.

But the latest, a weather expert has warned, could outstrip historic temperature increases established in previous events, and potentially exacerbate the ongoing cost of living and price rise crises by interrupting the UK’s commodities supply chain.

Speaking to the Mirror, weather expert and founder of British Weather Services, Jim Dale, said that the long-term average during the latest El Niño could reach a “catastrophic” 5C, and be compounded by the effects of global warming. He said: “One of the reasons why this is being flagged is because the combination between that and ongoing global warming means that we could be on steroids in terms of when it actually manifests in its fullness.”

The extreme nature of the upcoming temperature increase is set to produce nightmare conditions across a massive band across the equator.

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Tropical land is likely to be unnaturally suppressed when El Niño arrives, leaving Asia, Africa and South America with drier than usual conditions during the continents’ rainy seasons. The phenomenon will also hit the United States, Peru, Argentina, and nations in southern Europe, and East Africa, where it can cause increased rainfall and severe flooding.

The impact area means that the UK isn’t directly in Godzilla El Niño’s path, but it is still subject to its effects on other countries on a “slow fuse”, Mr Dale added, saying the consequences will likely be catastrophic for the country’s supply chain.

He said: “In terms of the UK, it’s a slow fuse. We are on the periphery, we’re not in the mind’s eye of it, because essentially this is for tropical, subtropical areas. That’s where the main effects will be, along with Australia, some parts of that tropical, some not. But that’s essentially where the main impacts will be.”

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“In effect, it’s the commodities, the food chains. So everything from bananas to coffee, sugar, tea, cocoa, all of those are going to be under pressure going forward.”

Mr Dale summed up the situation by adding El Niño would “have a knock-on effect of food distribution around the world“. He continued: “The knock on effects, as far as life is concerned, ecosystem life, that isn’t just humans, but it’s also wildlife and other things, is likely to be huge, potentially huge.”

The expert added that forecasters are currently only “talking potentials” as the Godzilla-sized event is yet to arrive, but said the situation looks increasingly bleak for the UK.

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He added: “You might be sitting here thinking to yourself: ‘Yeah, okay, I can afford coffee at this moment in time’. But if coffee crop fails in West Africa, or in Central America, then you know those commodities prices are going to go through the roof and your coffee is £1 or £2 more than it was yesterday.

“You can expect shelves of various products, particularly fruit, veg and other items, either to be sky-high prices or not available at all into the future. That may take six months to happen, but nonetheless it still has to be factored in.”

Mr Dale evoked the supermarket crisis of 2023, when crop yields in southern Spain and Morocco – two major UK produce sources – were hit by unusually cold weather and floods. During the crisis, shelves were empty for extended periods as the two nations favoured their European neighbours due to disrupted travel.

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The warning about supply chain disruption was repeated by the WMO’s Secretary-General, Celeste Saulo, who said its footprint would also impact energy supplies and water resources.

She said: “This update matters because El Niño is a major driver of global weather and climate patterns. The footprint of an El Niño travels far beyond its origins in the Pacific Ocean, impacting agriculture, energy supplies, trade, water resources, supply chains, and livelihoods across entire regions.”

The strain caused by El Niño, if it lands as predicted, will hit already cash-strapped Brits impacted by the UK’s cost of living crisis, with the product monitoring Consumer Price Index (CPI) up by 2.8 percent, and a 13 percent increase in the Ofgem energy price cap.

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El Niño has been followed for the last 200 years, with Peruvian fishermen first noting the Pacific Ocean warming back in the 19th century, naming it “the boy” as it typically arrived in the month of December. In the 21st century, it is doggedly tracked by official organisations, including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The WMO warned this week that there was an 80 percent chance El Niño conditions will emerge between June and August this year, and a 90 percent probability in the months following. El Niño events tend to appear late in one year and peak in the early months of the next.

Those projections have been fuelled by readings showing that tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures are 6C above normal for the time of year, outstripping some of the most significant temperature increases caused by other “super” El Niño events. The upcoming event, which has also been called “super duper”, is one of several souped-up, notably intense instances.

Three have been recorded since the 1980s, landing from 1982 to 1983, 1997 to 1998 and 2015 to 2016 respectively and pushing sea temperature 2C above the long-term average.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Nigerian army said Sunday it freed 360 people abducted by Boko Haram in southern Borno, in the northeastern part of the country.

The operation, according to the army’s statement, was conducted in the Mandara mountains which form a part of the militant group’s stronghold. It resulted in the release of several people, including children, who had been abducted across different communities in Borno.

Two infants “succumbed to exhaustion” due to the challenging mountainous terrain and the hardship they endured during their prolonged captivity, an army spokesperson, Haruna Sani, said.

“The remaining rescued abductees were successfully evacuated to safe locations for medical care and humanitarian support, marking a major operational success and a significant setback for the terrorist group,” Sani said.

Nigeria faces a complex security crisis, especially in the north where a more than decade-long insurgency and the activities of armed groups that carry out kidnappings for ransom and illegal mining have heightened the country’s security challenges.

Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group and known as Islamic State West Africa Province.

Last month, the West African country said its joint operation with the United States had killed 175 ISWAP fighters.

The insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, according to the United Nations. Analysts say not enough is being done by the government to protect its citizens, despite repeated promises by President Bola Tinubu to curb the crisis.

LNER services between Doncaster and Leeds will be affected by the engineering works.

Some lines will be closed between Doncaster and Leeds in the evenings from Monday, June 8 until Thursday, June 11.

Passengers are being advised to check their travel plans carefully between these dates.

During this period, there are two affected London Kings Cross to Leeds services.

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The 10.40pm service to Leeds will not stop at Wakefield Westgate and will arrive at Leeds Station later than scheduled.

To assist the journey, a replacement bus is being organised from Doncaster to Wakefield Westgate.

Similarly, the 11.33pm service from London Kings Cross will arrive later than usual into Leeds.

National Rail has advised rail users to plan their journeys using its Journey Planner feature ahead of time.

Advice for those needing to use replacement bus services can be found on the Rail Replacement Services page of the National Rail website.

Routes and locations where rail replacement services will pick up and drop off passengers can be found by checking station signage or by visiting the National Rail’s Find a Station page.