More than 10,000 people in the North West of England are now homeless, an increase of 10% on last year, Shelter said.

Image source, PA

Manchester has the highest number of people in the region sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation.

John Ryan works for the charity in Manchester and says there simply is not enough social housing.

The government said it was committed to building more houses - including a £9bn affordable homes programme.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to build a school for 96 children with special educational needs have been approved by Trafford council, despite some local residents' objections

Image source, Bowker Sadler Architecture

The Orchards Primary School, which will offer places to pupils aged four to 11, will be built on land near Audley Avenue in Stretford.

The school first opened its doors in September 2015, but has been using an old building at Acre Hall Primary School.

The new £5m facility will provide children, who often travel out of the borough, with the opportunity to attend school within their community.

Some residents objected, saying the site should remain as "open space".

Concerns about additional traffic and a potential decline in house prices were also raised.

In a letter Stuart Holland, of Dalton Avenue, wrote: “The field is green belt space and other areas should be looked at to be regenerated.

“The area is widely used as a social space.

“Children play on this field as it is local to the properties skirting the perimeter.

“This enables parents to keep an eye on their younger kids without having to accompany them.”

Despite objections, members of the council’s planning committee approved the scheme.

A two-year-old boy has been left fighting for life after he is thought to have fallen from the upstairs window of a house.

Image source, Google

The toddler was taken to hospital after being found lying on the pavement on Fairnburn Road in Tuebrook, Liverpool.

Merseyside Police are trying to trace a woman who helped the child after the incident, which happened at about 16:10 on Saturday.

The force said officers were investigating the full circumstances.

Two mouth-painting artists are showcasing their skills for visitors to Manchester this week.

David Hawthorne and Leanne Beetham say they will be paying homage to the Manchester worker bee as they re-imagine the iconic symbol with a festive spin.

A teenager suffering a severe reaction to ecstasy was left to die in a tent by three adults who were not in a "fit state" to supervise him, an inquest heard.

Image source, Family handout

Josh Connolly-Teale, 16, had been drinking heavily on a camping trip on 25 May, Rochdale Coroners Court heard.

His mother Joanne said she only let him go because three adults were supposed to be supervising him.

Coroner Lisa Hashmi branded the trio "irresponsible".

A new Eden Project in Lancashire will feature five giant mussel-shaped domes inspired by local marine life, plans have revealed.

Image source, Eden Project

Morecambe's Eden Project North will include "performance spaces, immersive experiences and observatories", the charity behind plans for it has said.

The Eden Project, which runs the Cornish attraction of the same name, said the new site would also feature "re-imagined lidos" and gardens.

The charity is currently seeking funding for the proposed buildings.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans for the £6.4m Urmston Leisure Centre have been deferred after a resident complained the building lacked disabled facilities.

Image source, Google

Trafford Council submitted blueprints to overhaul the Bowfell Road site last year and recently consulted with the public on redesigning the centre.

Plans included a remodeled entrance, a refurbished pool and sports hall, cafe space and changing area with a 100-station fitness suite and gym.

But members of the authority’s planning committee have postponed making a decision on the application after receiving an objection from a resident.

BBC Weather Watchers

Never mind antifreeze or a windscreen scraper, the first thing the people of England reached for this frosty morning was a camera.

BBC Weather Watchers captured an array of frost-kissed scenes - including Jeff in Lancashire who braved temperatures of -5C to capture these sheep in Bashall Eaves.

More frosty weather photographs from across England.

Image source, Jeff

BBC Sport

League Two side Oldham Athletic become the first club in the EFL to offer sensory packs to their autistic fans.

A trip to watch football is something large numbers of people take for granted but, for fans who have autism, it can be a challenge.

However, the Latics are leading the way in making their home games a more inclusive environment.

One of the survivors of the Manchester Attack has welcomed MI5's admission that it made a mistake in failing to track suicide bomber Salman Abedi.

Martin Hibbert, who was left paralysed by the explosion, said “It does look like the truth is starting to come out”.

Mr Hibbert, whose daughter was also wounded in the bombing, was leaving Manchester Arena when the bomb went off.

He was hit by 22 pieces of shrapnel, one of which severed his spine.

He said the report’s release “doesn’t make my life any easier and it probably won’t make the life of the bereaved any easier because their loved ones are gone".

Bomb squad officers have carried out a controlled explosion after a suspicious package was delivered to Greater Manchester Police.

Image source, Google

Explosives experts were called to the force's offices in Ashton-under-Lyne after the alarm was raised in the early hours.

A force spokesman said: "Following an assessment by bomb disposal the device was confirmed to be possibly viable."

People were evacuated from Nexus House but have been allowed to return.

Phil McCann
Cheshire Political Reporter, BBC News

A council has been accused of "unfairly" allowing developers to avoid paying into a new fund for roads, schools and health services.

Cheshire East Council wants to exempt dozens of planned housing projects from a Community Infrastructure Levy, external.

However, several parish councils have said the local authority has "missed an opportunity" to raise money for much-needed community facilities.

The authority said the new system would be "fairer" than the current set-up.

Three men have been arrested during modern slavery raids in Manchester.

Image source, GMP

Officers forced entry to five addresses in the city centre, Fallowfield, Beswick and Longsight on Wednesday.

Seventeen people are currently being helped by specialist police officers and the British Red Cross, police said.

The men, aged 18, 35 and 24, were held on suspicion of offences under the Modern Slavery Act, following reports a man had been assaulted and trafficked to work in unacceptable conditions.

A master watchmaker from Bolton has received his OBE from Prince Charles.

Image source, Roger W Smith

Roger W Smith is one of a handful of watchmakers in the world to master all 32 unique trades needed to make a watch by hand from raw materials.

Mr Smith, who has been making watches on the Isle of Man for 20 years, was recognised for outstanding services to the trade.

He said:

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to build new homes on the site of a former truck dealership in Culcheth have been revealed.

Image source, Google

Elan Homes has planning permission to build 15 homes on the former Trucks 2 Go site, on Warrington Road.

The developer says the scheme, known as Culcheth Green, will bring previously developed land in the green belt "back into good use".

Elan Homes will develop 1.75 acres of the 2.67-acre site and will create a biodiversity area within the development.

The home-builder says it will also be investing more than £300,000 into affordable housing and contributing almost £50,000 to Culcheth High School.

In wide-ranging criticisms, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said the government had also failed to fully learn lessons from attacks dating back 13 years.

Salman Abedi is believed to have been taught bomb-making while in Libya, before returning to Manchester in May last year to construct his device.

He walked into the Manchester Arena, where thousands had been watching Ariana Grande perform, and blew himself up.

A previous report into the attack revealed that MI5 had planned to review the risks posed by Abedi - but the meeting was not scheduled to take place before the attack occurred.

In its findings, the ISC said there had been "no follow-up action" after Abedi went to prison to visit a jailed terrorist organiser from Manchester.

Furthermore, MI5 could have put a plan in place to monitor Abedi's movements, which would have revealed his return to the UK from Libya, days before he struck.

MI5 has admitted for the first time that it made a mistake in failing to track the 2017 Manchester Arena bomber, MPs have said.

A report by the Intelligence and Security Committee said MI5 recognised it had moved "too slowly" to establish how dangerous sucide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, really was.

The security service had cause to monitor Abedi's return to the UK from Libya days before the attack, the report said.

Twenty-two people died in the attack on 22 May 2018 after an Ariana Grande concert.

MI5 has admitted for the first time that it made a mistake in failing to track the 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bomber, MPs have said.

A report by the Intelligence and Security Committee said MI5 had recognised it had moved "too slowly" to establish how dangerous Salman Abedi, 22, really was.

Bomb disposal experts are carrying out a controlled explosion on a suspicious package that was taken to a Greater Manchester Police office in Tameside on Wednesday night.

Image source, Google

The package, containing what police confirm was a possible viable device, was seized and taken to Nexus House in Ashton-under-Lyne.

It is not yet known where the package was seized.

A GMP spokesman said: "Following assessment by the bomb disposal unit in the early hours of this morning it was confirmed it is possibly viable and a controlled explosion will take place nearby.”

The offices were evacuated but staff have since been allowed back into the building.

A travel agent who conned clients out of more than £250,000 - including tricking a financial adviser out of almost £175,000 - has been jailed.

Image source, Police handout

Liverpool Crown Court heard Rita Hunter "brazenly" took some of the money while she had a suspended prison term hanging over her for similar frauds.

She has left a trail of 13 "devastated" customers with "no explanation" about where the money went, the court heard.

Hunter, 63, from Liverpool, was jailed for four years and eight months.