Local News in Macclesfield

A family watched their dog dying in a frozen pond while Macclesfield firefighters stood by – because they didn’t have a raft or water rescue training. The Oldfields lost their beloved King Charles spaniel Alfie, pictured, after he fell through the ice at South Park on Sunday.

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A group of farmers from Macclesfield are set to swap their wellies for a microphone as they put on a night of entertainment.

Macclesfield Young Farmers Club are hosting 'A Night of Music and Laughter” at Heaton House Farm, Rushton Spencer on Sunday 12th February, starting at 7.30pm. The acts range from music to comedy sketches all performed by members of the club. (Read More...)

Firefighters battled a blaze at a wood treatment plant in Bosley for more than four hours this morning.

It is thought the fire at Wood Treatment Ltd was sparked at 7am by an electric motor in a storage silo containing wood flour - used to make linoleum.

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The man leading reforms to the NHS in East Cheshire says the potential dropping of the government’s health bill could cause chaos in local services.

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MP David Rutley has invited the Science Minister to Macclesfield after Astra Zeneca’s plan to axe up to 350 local jobs. The pharmaceuticals giant announced last week it will cut 7,300 jobs globally by the end of 2014.

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Two drug dealers were jailed for kidnapping a man during which attempts were made to saw off his arm. Chester Crown Court was told dealer Daniel Morris, 22, and his lackey Joseph Kimmance, 24, kidnapped Colin Carter as he walked through Victoria Park in Macclesfield in August.

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A flipping fantastic event is being cooked up to raise money for Macclesfield Hospital. The hospital’s annual pancake race is back for another year and teams are now being encouraged to sign up.

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Thousands of disabled and elderly residents could be affected by council plans to cut funding for Shopmobility and make cuts to other key transport services.

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The leader of the council and a senior director have issued a humble apology and vowed to learn lessons after a planning fiasco which cost the taxpayer £560,000.

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It's a bit of change from the Cheshire countryside, but hotelier Mark Barber says setting up a business in the south of France is the best thing he ever did.

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Bosses have been battling for over a week to halt the spread of the Diorrhea and Vomiting virus (D&V) at the hospital on Victoria Road.

A total of four wards have had to be closed which has limited the number of beds available to patients. Three of the wards, Wards 10, 4, and 6 have now re-opened but a fourth, Ward 5, has been shut.

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Macclesfield firefighters were called to a 'Dutch barn' in North Rode at the weekend when a number of wooden pallets and cardboard caught alight.

The crews were called to a farm on Shellow Lane at 12.36pm, on Saturday, February 4, and used two water jets to extinguish the fire.

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Union bosses have warned that job cuts by pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca will be a blow to the UK economy and have vowed to minimise compulsory redundancies. (Read More...)

The Langley Unit, formerly Ward 10, was closed last week to try and limit the spread of the Diarrhoea and Sickness (D&S) virus.

That ward has today been re-opened but Wards 4 and 6, the Respiratory and Orthopaedic wards, have been shut by the East Cheshire NHS Trust.

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The council has withdrawn an application to itself to build a waste transfer station – after spending £500,000 of public money on site work without planning permission. The U-turn on the Lyme Green site pleased hundreds of Sutton residents who had campaigned against Cheshire East Council’s plan.

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A huge thank you to our readers who have smashed the target to raise £35,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. We embarked on 2011 with the aim to make £35,000 – but you have managed to raise £41,400 in the charity’s centenary.

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As The Express arrives at the end of its 200th year in print, we’ve got a lot to write  about. To mark our double centenary starting on February 2, 2011, our year-long party has featured radio shows, open days and much more.

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Council tax is likely to be frozen in Cheshire East and residents in Macclesfield will be spared having to pay an extra charge for a year at least. The Conservative group on the council is proposing the basic rate remain the same for the second year running.

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Police in Macclesfield have brought crime fighting into the social networking age by joining the website Twitter. Officers hope that publishing short updates on the site, known as ‘tweets’, will give the public a better insight into police work.

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The town’s historic Paradise Mill came to life this week when a film crew used the working museum as a set. The Park Lane museum will appear in the Co-operative Group’s new film The Rochdale Pioneers, which tells the story of the Co-op movement which began  in Rochdale in 1844.

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A primary school on the verge of closure three years ago has been named as the second most improved in the country. Ash Grove on the Moss Estate, Macclesfield, hit ‘rock bottom’ in 2008 and was set to be closed, but it won an 11th-hour reprieve after a campaign by parents.

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A policewoman was taken to hospital after an assault during an arrest on the Moss last night.

Officers were called to a domestic incident on Mayfield Avenue at 9pm and a man was arrested. (Read More...)

Speculation is rife that AstraZeneca will announce hefty job losses when the drugs giant posts its annual results on Thursday.

Analysts have estimated that up to 3,000 posts could be axed across the group, which employs about 7,000 staff at two sites in Cheshire and a total of 11,000 in the UK.

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A hit-and-run driver knocked a cyclist off her bike in broad daylight and then drove off without stopping. It happened at the Sainsbury's roundabout in Macclesfield at 1.30pm today.
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The way Cheshire Police records crime has been rated excellent, according to a new report. It follows an audit of 120 crime reports Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

The inspectors analysed how accurately crimes - including burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and violence - were recorded and if appropriate action had been taken.

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Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has taken delivery of another water rescue boat. The county now has three state of the art inflatable craft. (Read More...)

Health bosses have shut down a ward at Macclesfield Hospital after an outbreak of a diarrhoea and vomiting virus.

The Langley Unit, formerly Ward 10, at the hospital was closed yesterday.
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A driver who caused a six-car smash was so drunk she could not stand up when police got to the scene. Lynn Knapton, 53, had drunk a large glass of wine and another of sherry  before the crash involving five other cars  just before Christmas. She had been drinking heavily the previous evening.

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The Archbishop of York paid a visit to a pioneering youth group in Macclesfield as part of a tour of the region. Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior figure in the Church England, met members of the Cre8 group, which runs several projects for young people on the Moss estate.

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Professor Brian Cox has challenged David Cameron to visit Jodrell Bank and formally recognise its importance on the world stage.

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