Updates from across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire on Wednesday 6 May
That's all from our live coverage for Wednesday. Many thanks for joining us.
We'll be back from 09:00 on Thursday with more of the latest on the coronavirus pandemic and all of the rest of the day's news.
Manchester Metropolitan University is working with prisons across the UK to mass manufacture medical gear that will be distributed across the North West.
The scheme was launched by the Manchester Fashion Institute following a call for help from an NHS trust in the North West.
The university contacted Public Sector Prison Industries, who have launched several workshops in prisons that aim to produce thousands of medical scrubs.
The university also hopes it will provide prisoners with work experience that they can use after being released.
Professor Liz Barnes, head of Manchester Fashion Institute, said:
Quote MessageWe are pleased this partnership enables us to contribute to the national effort in our response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A Manchester restaurateur discusses the changes that will be needed to open when the coronavirus lockdown ends.
BBC Business News
The UK's competition watchdog has blocked sportswear retailer JD Sports from taking over rival Footasylum, saying the purchase would leave shoppers worse off.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said, external the £90m deal would leave shoppers with fewer discounts and lower quality customer service.
JD Sports, whose headquarters is in Bury, hit back, saying it "fundamentally" disagreed with the CMA.
The company said the watchdog had not properly taken account of the market.
It said retailers not only compete with each other, but with big online businesses, and sportswear manufacturers who sell directly to consumers.
BBC News UK
A father who survived coronavirus says his life was saved by his trainee doctor son who called for help after realising how ill he had become.
Image source, Parekh familyBipin Parekh, 49, says he was at first urged to try to recover at home after calling the NHS 111 helpline.
But son Devershi, who is studying medicine in Manchester, persuaded medics to act after listening to his father's "crackling" chest.
Mr Parekh is now recovering at home after a period spent on a ventilator.
The married father of two said: "I had tears in my eyes when I saw my son again. It was very emotional.
Labour, Conservative, Green and Liberal Democrat leaders in Trafford have written a joint letter thanking residents for following Covid-19 guidelines.
Image source, David DixonAs well as advising residents to still contact the council for any emotional, financial or medical support, the letter also praised volunteers and businesses who have supported their local communities.
The letter stated:
Quote MessageMany people will have had their lives affected, either at home or at work, because of the pandemic. Please know that if you are affected then there is help available and you should not suffer in silence.
Quote MessageThese are indeed trying times for us. But this is when we most need to stick together and be one home, one street, one community, one Trafford.
A British cruise ship worker has told of his "nightmare" after being stuck on a vessel in the Philippines due to the "complexities" of the pandemic.
Image source, Eddy O'BrienSound engineer Eddy O'Brien, 25, from Accrington, has been on the ship for nearly 50 days off Manila.
Mr O'Brien said crew members were stuck and were unsure when they would return home due to the complexities of air travel created by coronavirus.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it will continue to help.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Major roadworks are being ramped up across Manchester during the coronavirus pandemic.
Image source, LDRSThe city council's highways teams have taken advantage of the quieter roads by filling potholes and fixing pavements, and staff also helped with the opening of the city’s Nightingale Hospital by repairing surrounding roads.
Work is also progressing on larger projects including the £9.1m revamp of Great Ancoats Street and the new £13m Chorlton Cycleway.
More than 100,000 sq m of new road surfaces – the equivalent of 14 football pitches – have been laid since 1 April.
Councillor Angeliki Stogia said:
Quote MessageFrom supporting the opening of the new Nightingale hospital to laying the groundwork for improved school crossing facilities across the city, there’s been a huge amount achieved already, with much more to come.
BBC News UK
School leavers could be among the worst hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Image source, Getty ImagesYouth unemployment in the UK could rise by 640,000 this year - taking the total to above one million,a report from the Resolution Foundation think tank found, external.
It says school leavers are hit the hardest by recessions.
The report, called Class of 2020, said that more than one in three school leavers and one in five graduates normally found their first job after education in those sectors worst affected by the lockdown, such as cafes, bars and retail.
A new testing facility run by the military and Knowsley Council will be open to essential workers and their families in Kirkby from Thursday.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe unit will run from Thursday to Saturday, and will have a maximum of 300 appointments available per day.
As well as key workers, care home residents will also be able to book an appointment for testing.
Dr Peter Gregory, a GP in West Lancashire, has shared a "message of reassurance" for anyone who needs to use a local surgery.
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BBC Business News
Ocado says "more normal" shopping habits are back after a huge jump in demand amid the coronavirus lockdown.
Image source, Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty ImagesIts customers are now purchasing fewer items than at the peak of demand, with the balance between fresh and long-life food returning to normal.
The online grocer has made changes to increase the delivery slots available, including suspending the delivery of mineral water.
Its revenues in April were up more than 40% from a year earlier.
"At the beginning of the outbreak demand increased significantly, almost overnight," the retailer said.
It limited the number of items on sale initially in order to stop customers from panic buying.
Ocado said these limits have since been rolled back as the number of items shoppers are putting in their baskets "appears to have passed its peak but remains high".
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BBC News England
Lifeguard patrols will be back at about 70 beaches this summer rather than the usual 240, the RNLI has said.
Image source, RNLI/Nathan WilliamsThe roll-out of lifeguarding was paused in March amid government measures to control the spread of coronavirus.
The move back to the beaches had been prompted by "anticipated changes to the lockdown restrictions in the coming weeks and months", the RNLI said.
"Beaches will be chosen based on risk and popularity," a spokesman added.
An ice cream seller has urged a council to lift its lockdown ban on the cold treat traders.
Image source, LDRSMohammed Mulla, who operates as Mr Whippy, wants Blackburn with Darwen Council to allow vendors back on to the streets.
Mr Mulla, 49, said neighbouring Hyndburn Council had allowed vans to sell ice cream as long as strict social distancing measures were observed.
Blackburn Council said it would not change its policy without "definitive" public health guidance.
Lancashire cricketer Emma Lamb, who helped the county to double silverware success in 2017 while also studying for a sports science degree, has seen her heroics with bat and ball rewarded with an England contract.
Image source, Edge Hill UniversityThe 22-year-old all-rounder, who made her senior debut for the county in 2012, has spent the last few years juggling cricket and her work at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk and said it was hard to "underestimate how difficult it can be to balance university studies with training".
However, being awarded an England Rookie contract after graduation, which will give her some of the financial support needed to concentrate on her cricket, she said the sport was now "my main focus, where it wasn’t before".
She added:
Quote MessageI am extremely grateful to be awarded a rookie contract, but the hard work doesn’t stop here.
She said she hopes to play cricket over the summer, though all levels of the sport are currently suspended due to coronavirus, and added that she was using what she learned in her degree to help her through the lockdown.
Quote MessageA tip I find helpful is splitting the day up with exercise and activities. For example, doing a running session in the morning, then resting and doing a small agility fielding session in the afternoon.
Quote MessageThis is the only time as a cricketer I’ve been able to fully focus on fitness, so I am trying to improve on the areas I need to develop.
Quote MessageI’m lucky that I have a back garden, so I am able to top up and do some small fielding drills as well as throws.
Household waste and recycling centres in the Cheshire East Council area will reopen on Monday.
There will be some restrictions, including traffic management using a car number plate system to help control the number of visitors to the sites each day.
Image source, Cheshire EastCouncillor Laura Crane said some rubbish usually recycled would go to landfill, which "goes against the council's environmental policy", but there was "no other option at the moment".
She said:
Quote MessageUnfortunately, due to the additional volumes of waste and recycling that is accumulating due to the lockdown situation and reduced capacity with our contractors, some of the waste brought to the sites will have to go to landfill.
Quote MessageWe would be grateful if additional waste and recycling could be kept safely at home until we are out of this temporary situation. This would benefit the environment in the longer term.
Quote MessageResidents are reminded that all normal collections for household waste, garden and food waste and recycling collections are still operating and have been throughout the whole of the Covid-19 crisis.
All eight of the council's sites will reopen, operating seven days a week from 08:30 to 17:00.
BBC News Technology
Parents and carers can find it difficult to find video games the whole family can enjoy, especially if they do not play themselves, but there are guides out there which can help them navigate the complex gaming landscape.
GP practices in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale will remain open on Friday, along with most pharmacies in the area, despite it being a bank holiday.
Image source, Getty ImagesA spokesman for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group said the move will help the NHS cope with the Covid-19 outbreak.
Pharmacies will operate from 14:00 to 17:00, but residents are advised to only order medicine if "necessary".
The group's chairman Dr Chris Duffy said:
Quote MessageDue to the unprecedented situation the NHS is in currently, GP practices will be open on Bank Holiday Friday and will be available in the same way they have been over the past five weeks.
Quote MessagePlease ring your GP practice and if necessary arrangements will be made for you to be seen. Please do not turn up to the GP practice unless you have been asked to. This will help you stay safe, protect the NHS and save lives.
A woman in her 20s who escaped a property where she was forced to operate as a sex worker was found on the street in Salford, police said.
Image source, GoogleThe woman had endured a "terrifying experience" but managed to flee, according to Greater Manchester Police.
She was found on Dallas Court, off South Langworthy Road, on Saturday.
It is believed she may have travelled to the area from outside Greater Manchester after asking for help from a passing lorry driver.
