There was no "deliberate cover-up" by the authorities involved in investigating child sex abuse allegations in Rochdale, an indepent report has found, but there was a "careless and wholly inadequate response".

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse panel said police did not turn a blind eye as records suggested they did not obtain sufficient evidence to prosecute, although they did not provide "any satisfactory answer" as to why no-one appeared to have been charged with abusing Knowl View boys in the town centre despite some disclosures from the boys and police knowing the names of some men.

Pupils at Knowl View residential school were sexually exploited in Rochdale town centre, the bus station and at public toilets across the road from the borough council's offices over a 20-year period, an independent inquiry into historical child abuse in the town has found.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse concluded that from 1989 the police, Rochdale Council's social services and education departments, as well as staff at Knowl View, knew youngsters were being subjected to sexual exploitation for money in public toilets.

The panel found: "The records of individual children convey a total lack of urgency on the part of the relevant authorities to address the problem and treat the matters involved for what they were - serious sexual assaults.

"This remained the case even in the face of clear evidence of the risks to children's health... one young boy at Knowl View recorded that he had contracted hepatitis.

"We concluded that no-one in authority viewed child sexual exploitation as an urgent child protection issue.

"Rather, boys as young as 11 were not seen as victims but as authors of their own abuse."

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has found that Rochdale Council failed to keep children in its care safe from harm for 25 years.

It found that sexual exploitation and trafficking of boys was well-known to staff members at Knowl View, a former school for troubled boys which closed in 1995.

The report found that "no one in authority viewed child sexual exploitation as an urgent child protection issue. Rather, boys as young as 11 were not seen as victims, but as authors of their own abuse."

Valuable opportunities were lost in 1998 and 1999 to charge and prosecute former Rochdale MP Cyril Smith and for his alleged victims to seek justice, an independent inquiry into historical sexual abuse in the town has concluded.

Image source, PA

The inquiry heard evidence about abuse at Cambridge House Boys' Hostel. Smith was honorary secretary of the hostel and a governor of 29 or 30 schools

There was a misguided "unwillingness to consider that someone in a position of public prominence might be capable of perpetrating sexual abuse", the report said.

Smith, Rochdale's Liberal MP from 1972 to 1992, died aged 82 in 2010.

An independent report into historical child sex abuse in Rochdale between 1962 and 1995 said former council leader Richard Farnell came across as "bullish, self-opinionated and unyielding" while giving evidence to the inquiry last year.

The report also criticises the man who took over from him as council leader in 1992, Paul Rowen.

He bears "considerable responsibility" for what happened at Knowl View residential school, and "he turned a blind eye" to what was going on.

Former Rochdale Council leader Richard Farnell "lied to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in the town during his evidence", the report's authors have concluded.

The inquiry examined how the council, police and Crown Prosecution Service invesigated claims of abuse at a hostel, residential school and other places between 1962 and 1995.

"The inquiry did not believe the evidence of Richard Farnell… it was shameful that he refused to accept any personal responsibility for the young lives blighted by what happened."

“It defied belief that Richard Farnell was unaware of the events involving Knowl View residential school.”

A former council leader's claim he was unaware of child sex abuse in Rochdale "defies belief", a report has found.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has published the findings of its Rochdale investigation.

It focussed on abuse allegations at the former Cambridge House hostel, Knowl View residential school, and other places between the early 1960s and early 1990s.

It was "shameful" Richard Farnell "refused to accept responsibility for young lives blighted", the report added.

Council chiefs in St Helens have ruled out a formal public consultation on plans to introduce a three-weekly non-recyclable household waste collection in the borough.

The change to the brown bin collections comes as the council attempts to reach a recycling rate target of 50% by 2020.

The borough’s recycling rate averaged at 39% - but dropped by 5% following the introduction of the garden waste charge.

Strategic director of place services Paul Sanderson said a formal consultation was "not neccessary" as the council changed from a weekly to a two-weekly bin collection service in 2013 without consultation.

He said St Helens boasted the "best recycling rate in Merseyside" - but about 50% of residents’ brown bin waste could be recycled.

If approved, a three-week collection pilot will start in September and cover 2,000 homes.

An amateur football team may have to play four times each week for the rest of the season after claiming several games were called off "unnecessarily".

Image source, Poulton Vics FC

Poulton Vics FC, who play in Cheshire FA's Wallasey and District League, have seen 10 games postponed since December.

A club spokesman said Wirral Council, which runs the league's pitches, had sometimes called off matches "before checking" conditions.

The council said the season had been extended to help with the backlog.

A baby girl was rescued by coastguards after her pram rolled several feet down a slope into a seafront lake during a family outing in Lancashire.

Image source, Antony Gilderdale

Mother-of-two Laura-Jane Gilderdale first dived into the water in Fleetwood after her oldest daughter Emily, three, fell in while searching for crabs.

While she was distracted, five-month-old Amelia's pram slipped into the lake behind them and became submerged.

Coastguards came to the rescue after hearing the mother's screams.

BBC Sport

Liverpool's Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads after the first two rounds of the Commonwealth Games heptathlon.

Image source, Getty Images

The 25-year-old is the favourite for gold and has 2,111 points, 27 clear of second-placed Canadian Nina Schultz.

Johnson-Thompson, who won the World Indoor pentathlon title last month, was fifth after the opening 100m hurdles but moved top with a joint-first finish in the high jump.

The "trauma teddies" will be used to help officers comfort children involved in road traffic accidents.

A date to switch off the life support for a seriously ill Merseyside toddler at the centre of a legal battle has been set by a High Court judge.

Image source, Family handout

In February, the High Court ruled Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool could stop treating now 23-month-old Alfie Evans.

The details of when it will happen cannot be reported for legal reasons.

Alfie's parents' legal fight against the decision ultimately ended in March when theEuropean Court of Human Rights rejected their case.

The toddler has been at Alder Hey since December 2016 with an undiagnosed degenerative brain disease.

• A date to switch off the life support for a seriously ill Merseyside toddler Alfie Evans has been set by a High Court judge
• Greater Manchester traffic police get 'trauma teddy bears' to help comfort children
• A baby girl was rescued by coastguards after her pram rolled down a slope into a lake in Lancashire

BBC Weather

A misty, murky start to the day with lots of cloud around. Mainly a wet with some patchy light rain and drizzle. Highs of 11C.

There could also be some areas of fog through the day, especially on the hills.

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