One local resident said: “Several wing mirrors were broken off, windows smashed and bodywork damaged, leaving residents [...]]]> Several cars were reported damaged on Church Road in Uppermill late on Friday night. Some people who had earlier been expelled from the Church Inn pub have been suspected of being involved, according to information received by Saddleworth News.

One local resident said: “Several wing mirrors were broken off, windows smashed and bodywork damaged, leaving residents with the cost of repair and insurance excess bills.”

Police were said to be interviewing affected residents yesterday, as well as examining CCTV images from the scene.

Anyone with any information can contact the Saddleworth and Lees Neighbourhood Policing Team on 0161 856 4524.

A police helicopter took to the skies over Marsden in the early hours of yesterday, apparently searching for thieves who had allegedly been trying to steal copper and lead from a disused mill building. The chopper was called out just before 4am, and was in the air over the village for an estimated [...]]]>

A police helicopter took to the skies over Marsden in the early hours of yesterday, apparently searching for thieves who had allegedly been trying to steal copper and lead from a disused mill building. The chopper was called out just before 4am, and was in the air over the village for an estimated 40 to 45 minutes, according to local residents.

The call-out was confirmed on West Yorkshire Police’s helicopter log, which can be viewed here. However, no more information was immediately available from the force today.

A drainpipe from the building, on Warehouse Hill Road, has been seen broken and lying in the nearby River Colne. Local speculation has suggested that thieves, possibly teenagers, had tried to climb up the drainpipe to the roof of the building.

Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas has been accused of manipulating an image of his election rival Elwyn Watkins. The allegedly photoshopped image of Mr Watkins in front of a row of police officers appeared in one of Mr Woolas’ leaflets during the general election campaign.

The allegations were made today in [...]]]>

The image in question. (via Nick Thornsby)

Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas has been accused of manipulating an image of his election rival Elwyn Watkins. The allegedly photoshopped image of Mr Watkins in front of a row of police officers appeared in one of Mr Woolas’ leaflets during the general election campaign.

The allegations were made today in an article by Liberal Democrat blogger Nick Thornsby. He wrote: “If you look a little closer, though, it doesn’t take a genius to see that there’s something not quite right. No wonder: the photo is a complete fabrication.” He goes on to point out that the image of the police officers is the same one that appears as the top result when searching for “uk armed police” on Google Images (as shown here).

Since May’s election, some commenters on various Internet forums have pointed out the apparently altered image, but this is the first time the allegations have been made in any detail. Mr Thornsby has also described Mr Woolas as “hypocritical” because he had apparently complained about a past Lib Dem opponent, Tony Dawson, allegedly manipulating photographs.

You can view the article in full here. When Saddleworth News contacted Mr Woolas’ offices for a comment this afternoon, nobody was answering the phone in either Oldham or London. If I get a response at a later time, I’ll add that here.

Mr Woolas is already facing  a rare election court hearing about some of his campaign literature. Mr Watkins, who lost by just 103 votes at the election after a bitterly-fought battle, has argued that Mr Woolas broke the law by making certain statements about him in his leaflets.

Two High Court judges will hear the case at Uppermill Civic Hall, starting a week on Monday. If they agree with Mr Watkins, a by-election could be held, and Mr Woolas and his election agent might be barred from holding public office.

You can read full coverage from Saddleworth News of the campaign in Oldham East and Saddleworth, and the continuing aftermath, here.

The number of road crashes on the A62 has fallen in Kirklees as well as Saddleworth. Figures obtained by Saddleworth News show there were a total of just six accidents between Slaithwaite and Standedge between the start of 2008 and the end of May this year. That’s a notable improvement [...]]]>

The A62 between Marsden and Standedge.

The number of road crashes on the A62 has fallen in Kirklees as well as Saddleworth. Figures obtained by Saddleworth News show there were a total of just six accidents between Slaithwaite and Standedge between the start of 2008 and the end of May this year. That’s a notable improvement on the period between 2000 and 2007, when there were at least six incidents in each of the calendar years, apart from 2002.

The data, released by Kirklees Council under Freedom of Information laws, reveals there were a total of 65 accidents on the five-mile stretch from the middle of Slaithwaite to the district boundary between 2000 and May 2010. That compares to 75 accidents on the Saddleworth side, between Austerlands and the district boundary, a similar distance of just over five miles.

The A62 has long had a reputation as a dangerous road. But recent safety measures introduced in Saddleworth, including speed limits and vehicle-activated warning signs, appear to have had a positive effect, with no accidents reported on the road in the first five months of this year.

There have also been changes made to the road on the Kirklees side of the boundary. According to the council, a “small number of targeted improvements” have taken place in Slaithwaite and Marsden in recent years. Those include better lights and signs, new textured and coloured road surfacing, and more pedestrian crossings.

The improvements appear to have had an impact. There have been no fatalities on the road between Slaithwaite and Standedge since 2005, and the six accidents recorded since the start of 2008 have left just eight people injured. That compares with 2003 alone, when 11 accidents left two people dead and 23 injured.

The figures also give details about accidents on the A62 in the rest of Kirklees. They reveal that there have been no deaths anywhere on the road in the borough since 2006.

The number of people being injured on the A62 across Kirklees has also declined steadily, with 188 injuries recorded from 128 accidents in 2009. Those were the lowest numbers since the start of the decade. The worst year was 2001, when one person was killed and 327 were injured in 215 crashes.

To read my earlier story about the A62 in Saddleworth, go here.

The Conservatives in Oldham East and Saddleworth have called for a sharp cut in the allowances given to each member of Oldham Council. The party’s local spokesman, Kashif Ali, said he’d like to see an “immediate” 20% reduction, and he’s also threatened to “name and shame” councillors who [...]]]>

Kashif Ali, pictured during the general election campaign.

The Conservatives in Oldham East and Saddleworth have called for a sharp cut in the allowances given to each member of Oldham Council. The party’s local spokesman, Kashif Ali, said he’d like to see an “immediate” 20% reduction, and he’s also threatened to “name and shame” councillors who refuse such a cut.

Mr Ali, who finished a close third behind Phil Woolas and Elwyn Watkins in the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency at the general election, said the average allowance package for a borough councillor in 2008/09 was £13,900. He added: “If evidence was needed on allowances being ridiculously high, this is shown by donations councillors make to their parties once they are on their allowances.  For example, in 2008 Oldham’s Liberal Democrat councillors donated £28,500 effectively from their council allowances to their party.  It is pretty scandalous and appalling.”

He continued: ““The actual reality is often the donation is extracted by the political party as a condition of being a councillor for that party. It is
interference in the democratic process by providing public funding of political parties through the back door.”

The new campaign from Mr Ali seems to indicate a split within Oldham’s Conservatives about the issue of expenses. An attempt by the opposition Labour group on the council to get councillors to agree to a freeze was voted down 30-28 earlier this summer. The ruling Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition rejected Labour’s plan, although two Tory councillors including Greenfield-based Cllr John Hudson, voted in favour of the proposal.

The leader of the Labour group on Oldham Council, Cllr Jim McMahon, said: “Yet again this is total hypocrisy from our local Tories. When given the chance to support our 10% reduction in allowances the local Tory leader and Lib Dems joined forces to vote down the proposal. Even in Westminster the Tories only agreed to a 5% reduction in ministerial allowances – no reduction at all in the basic allowance for all MPs.”

Cllr McMahon continued: “As part of our forthcoming budget proposals we will look at allowances across the board and if we win control of Oldham Council in May the other parties will have no option than to show we are all truly ‘in this together’”.

Oldham Council’s only Green member, Cllr Ian Barker, said: “This is a bit rich coming from the Tories.  Especially after Oldham Tory group leader Cllr Jack Hulme and his wife voted against a 10% cut in councillors allowances in full council.  It is laughable simply because the Tories, who are
running the council with the Lib Dems, are putting out press releases against what they have voted on! ”

Cllr Barker called for a cut in the amount of extra money each councillor gets to cover the costs of their computer equipment, saying councillors should be able to fund that our of their basic allowance. He added: “The childish Tory approach of naming and shaming councillors is just pie in the sky electioneering close to a possible Parliamentary by-election in Oldham East and Saddleworth.”

That potential by-election could take place if High Court judges agree with Mr Watkins that certain allegations made about him in some of Mr Woolas’ election leaflets were against the law. The hearing is due to begin at the Civic Hall in Uppermill a week on Monday.

The Liberal Democrats had not replied to a request for a comment by the time of publication. But if the Lib Dems do get in touch, I’ll add their response here.

Oldham East and Saddleworth Conservatives have set up an online petition to go along with their campaign. And you can find that here.

For full coverage of the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency from Saddleworth News, go here.

The pub chain which owns The Shambles in Dobcross has said it is investigating the apparent decision by the landlord to close it. The pub has been shut all week, and local people have seen items of value being removed from the premises, suggesting the landlord was moving out.

When contacted [...]]]>

The Shambles closed earlier this week.

The pub chain which owns The Shambles in Dobcross has said it is investigating the apparent decision by the landlord to close it. The pub has been shut all week, and local people have seen items of value being removed from the premises, suggesting the landlord was moving out.

When contacted by Saddleworth News, Enterprise Inns appeared unaware The Shambles had shut. In a statement, the company said its regional manager would be “investigating rumours that the landlord had closed the pub after the Bank Holiday.” A spokeswoman added that the manager would be “trying to make contact with the licensee” to get more information about the situation.

Nobody has been answering the door at the pub itself. Although a band booked to play there later this month confirmed it was told their gig was off because the pub had closed.

The Shambles had only reopened in January under new landlord Andy Thornton. Previously, the pub was known for more than two centuries as The Woolpack, although it had struggled in recent years and had been shut for a time before its rebranding.

You can read more in yesterday’s article from Saddleworth News here. An earlier piece about the pub’s name change can still be read here.

All kinds of local food and drink suppliers will be setting up stalls at the festival, which runs between 11am and 4pm. Among them will be Saddleworth News sponsors [...]]]> The Brownhill Food Festival is on this Sunday. The event takes place at the Brownhill Countryside Centre, which is next to the Wool Road roundabout between Dobcross and Uppermill.

All kinds of local food and drink suppliers will be setting up stalls at the festival, which runs between 11am and 4pm. Among them will be Saddleworth News sponsors Sugar Junction, who will be serving tea and cake on proper china from their ”travelling vintage tearoom.”

Even better, the forecast is for the dry and sunny weather to last all day Sunday and beyond!

The website is known for its often caustic reviews of Manchester’s bars and restaurants. That considered, [...]]]> The Church Inn above Uppermill has been visited by a critic from the food and culture website Manchester Confidential. The reviewer had kind words to say about the portion sizes at the pub, but wasn’t so keen on the service.

The website is known for its often caustic reviews of Manchester’s bars and restaurants. That considered, the Church Inn did pretty well to have its food described as “hearty fare” even if the writer said it appeared to be “from a pub menu from circa 1977.”

To read the review for yourself, go here (it’s down the page a bit and on the left).

According [...]]]> Saddleworth teenager Andrew Curwell, who fell from cliffs to his death while on holiday in Newquay last summer, had lost his wallet and was looking for it when the tragedy happened. An inquest was told today that the 18-year-old left his friends during a night out to search for the wallet after realising it had gone missing.

According to several media reports, the Deputy Coroner for Cornwall recorded a verdict of accidental death at the hearing in Truro. You can read more from the BBC here, the Daily Mail here and the Sun here.

Andrew, who attended Rishworth School, was a promising rugby league player with Saddleworth Rangers and the Leeds Rhinos academy team. A charity set up in his memory to help young rugby players from both codes raised £350 from a recent tribute match. An article about that from the Halifax Courier is here.

The Shambles pub in Dobcross has closed down. The doors have been shut since the weekend, and local people have reported seeing removal men taking items of value out of the building.

A blues band which had been booked to play later this month has confirmed that it’s been told [...]]]>

The door is firmly shut at The Shambles.

The Shambles pub in Dobcross has closed down. The doors have been shut since the weekend, and local people have reported seeing removal men taking items of value out of the building.

A blues band which had been booked to play later this month has confirmed that it’s been told the show is off because the pub has closed. A spokeswoman for the pub’s owner Enterprise Inns had no further information about the closure (see update below), while nobody answered the door at the pub itself when Saddleworth News called round.

The pub had only reopened in January under new landlord Andy Thornton. He tried to revitalise the pub’s fortunes with events including live music, and for a time The Shambles appeared to be doing good business. It’s not clear whether the pub’s closure is because of a drop-off in takings, or for another reason.

Mr Thornton’s decision to change the pub’s name from The Woolpack, as it had been known for more than two centures, caused controversy. Local councillor Mike Buckley was among those who objected to the name change, while other local people supported Mr Thornton. A Saddleworth News article about that debate, with some interesting comments beneath it, can still be read here.

Two other local Enterprise Inns are currently up for sale. The Diggle Hotel is listed as available on the company’s website, while the Farrars Arms in Grasscroft is described as being under offer, having been shut all summer. To read more about that, go to the Enterprise Inns website here.

(UPDATE 2/9: A spokeswoman for Enterprise Inns got back to me after this article was published to say the company’s regional manager would be investigating the apparent decision by the landlord to close the pub. It appears the firm didn’t know anything about it)