Greater Manchester Police have revealed why they had a number of vehicle checkpoints stationed across the city last night.
The force explained in a tweet that the random checkpoints are part of Project Servator, an initiative designed to spot and disrupt a range of criminal activity, including terrorism, through patrols carried out by specially trained officers.
They wrote: “Specially trained officers have deployed vehicle check points across the city centre this evening as part of #Projectservator. These unpredictable deployments occur day or night and utilise uniformed and plain clothes officers.”
GMP also reassured the public that heightened police presence does not always mean a crime or act of terror is suspected to be about to happen, and that it can just be routine patrolling.
Over on their website, they explained further: “Our officers are experienced and specially trained to spot the tell-tale signs that someone is planning or preparing to commit an act of crime.
“Our officers will arrive unannounced at various locations. These patrols could last for different lengths of time and involve varying numbers of officers.
“You’ll see, as a minimum, uniform and plain-clothes officers, but we might also include officers from other departments such as dog or horse units or armed officers, depending on our specific requirements.”
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Project Servator will also see GMP officers working with British Transport Police at transport hubs or Aviation Police at airports.
The force also said that the public will play an important role in the initiative by ‘reporting anything that doesn’t feel right’, saying: “You’ll never get into trouble for reporting a genuine concern and we’ll always take your report seriously.”
For more information on Project Servator, visit the GMP website.
A dad accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses after misreading an order.
The dad has gone viral on Twitter for his massive order of reading spectacles. He was left baffled as to why the parcel was so full when it arrived at his address on Sunday March 26th, leaving his son in stitches.
Tom Arnold, 61, from Perranporth in Cornwall, thought he’d only ordered one pack to share with his wife — not a whole shop’s worth. Radio and podcast host, Chris Arnold could not stop laughing as he witnessed his dad open the parcel with a bewildered look on his face.
The viral tweet read: “My Dad has accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses off the internet after misreading the quantity of his order.”
My Dad has accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses off the internet after misreading the quantity of his order. pic.twitter.com/CfH5JtcM5e
Speaking about the mishap, Chris said: “I just found it hilarious, he said he thought the packaging was excessive, then he opened it up and the box was full.
“He seemed confused as to what had happened. We looked at the order and he had ordered 12 packs instead of one, as they were for him and my mum, plus spares. The order came to over £100 but he’s managed to get a refund!”
He described the incident as ‘very funny indeed’, saying it ‘cheered up’ him and his family. As the tweet went viral and accumulated thousands of likes, Specsavers jumped in on the banter as they tweeted: “Do we even need to say it?”
@chrisarnoldinc / Instagram
Chris joked in reply: “At this point guys, I don’t think you do. P.S. Are you interested in buying 59 pairs of reading glasses off my dad?”
They hilariously replied: “If you can’t shift them you might want to consider adding an extra 118 eyes to your dad’s face.”
Specsavers tweeted an update on the situation: “The glasses have been safely returned, but Chris’ dad deserves a bit of good luck. How about a free eye test and a brand-new pair of glasses for good measure?
Aldi is now selling wearable sleeping bags for ultimate comfort — they even have arm and leg sections.
If you love to go to budget supermarket Aldi and have a wander over to the middle aisle, you’ll know you can find all sorts of handy and unusual things to buy.
Aldi shopper and TikTok user Paris de Jager sharedwith her followers how she picked up a wearable sleeping bag ‘onesie’, that even has leg and arm sections.
The social media user upload a video to her TikTok account @parisdejager showing her modelling the bright pink seasonal must have.
She wrote in a caption: “The sleeping bag one-z you never knew you needed until now.”
She ‘catwalked’ in her home as she showed off her incredible new bag suit by Adventuridge, looking ‘snug as a bug’.
Her video has racked up over 137k likes and many people were amazed at her incredible Aldi find.
Her followers flocked to comment and rave about the hot pink cosy number.
A ‘fit as a fiddle’ charity runner, 85, from Greater Manchester has been chosen to be one of the faces of a new Adidas advert.
Barbara Thackray, a grandmother from Altrincham, runs 10k twice a week to keep fit. She has been chosen — alongside the likes of Liverpool footballer, Mo Salah, Qatari hurdler Mariam Farid and Egyptian runner Khadija Hegazy in the new TV and YouTube advert — as one of the faces of to feature in it.
The retired college lecturer took up running eight years ago, aged 77, to raise funds for St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green, Stockport.
She has been raising money for the hospice since her sister died there in the 1990s.
She said she watched the new advert ‘on a little screen’ and it was ‘fine’, adding: “So long as they were prepared to make a significant donation to St Ann’s Hospice, I felt ok about it.”
Ms Thackray has raised over £20,000 for St Ann’s Hospice in just a few short years, having been a champion of the organisation for over 10 years — including during her sister’s illness and eventual passing.
She’s not planning on stopping running any time soon.