Hidden in an abandoned Oldham church, the work of 'dazzling beauty' national campaigners are fighting to save

direct to your inboxPolice are investigating whether a 'suspicious item' which sparked a bomb scare in Oldham, was in fact a tracking device. Officers taped off a large section of Arkwright Street in Chadderton shortly after 1.30pm on Thursday afternoon.

direct to your inboxBosses say Covid-19 cases in Oldham have been dropping week-on-week since the start of the third lockdown, despite recent figures suggesting infections were beginning to increase.The council confirmed that its latest weekly data – the seven days from January 24 to 30 – showed there were 570 cases in the borough, down from 605 the previous week.The local authority had been named in the national press as one of four areas of England where weekly infection rates had increased.It

direct to your inboxA pensioner has been taken to hospital following a crash at a junction in Oldham.The man in his 70s was taken to hospital by ambulance following a collision with a car on Middleton Road, in Royton, on Thursday morning (February 4).The air ambulance landed but the man was taken to hospital by road.He suffered minor injuries, the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said.The road was closed for a time following the collision, which happened just before 9.30am at the junction

direct to your inboxMore than 17,000 children and young people in Oldham will be offered support to stop them going hungry during February half term.The council has agreed to fund food vouchers worth £15.They can be used at supermarkets and will be available for children who are eligible for free school meals; families on low incomes with pre-school children aged up to five; and for care leavers under 25-years-old.Young people at Oldham College and Oldham Sixth Form who receive means-tested free

direct to your inboxA further 34 people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.The region's hospital death toll has risen to 5,086 the latest NHS figures show.Fifteen new deaths were recorded by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust in its 24 hour data.Seven Covid-related deaths were confirmed by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust .

direct to your inbox An inquest has opened into the death a motorcyclist who died in a crash while driving home from work in Oldham. Wayne Heath tragically lost his life after his Yamaha motorbike collided with a Vauxhall Isignia on Ashton Road.

direct to your inboxFlood alerts are in place tonight in Oldham and Tameside with images showing the River Tame reaching 'extremely high water levels'.Storm Christoph continues to bring torrential rain across Greater Manchester and it is forecast to continue into Thursday morning.

direct to your inbox A man who died in a crash between a motorbike and car in Oldham has been named as Wayne Heath. Emergency services rushed to Ashton Road at around 4.10pm on Monday (January 19).It followed reports that a Vauxhall Insignia and Yamaha motorbike had collided near the junction with Hathershaw Lane.Mr Heath, 54, sadly died at the scene.A spokesperson for Rochdale Coroner's Court confirmed a file had been received regarding Mr Heath's death.

direct to your inboxTwenty-seven more people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.The region's hospital death toll has now reached 4,645, the latest NHS figures show.Nine more deaths have been recorded at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.The trust's figures include those for North Manchester General, the Royal Oldham, Fairfield General and Rochdale Infirmary.Eight further deaths were confirmed by Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation

direct to your inbox A man has died after a crash between a motorbike and car in Oldham. The smash happened at around 4.10pm on Monday (January 18) on Ashton Road.A Vauxhall Insignia and Yamaha motorbike collided near the junction with Hathershaw Lane, police said.The motorcyclist - a 54-year-old man - was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

direct to your inbox A road is closed in Oldham due to a serious crash between a car and a motorbike.

direct to your inboxFirst you had to get past the fearsome bouncer in a dickie bow.Then you had to navigate the narrow, rickety staircase - no mean feat if you'd had a few.But if you managed that you were almost certainly in for a good night. If you were a New Romantic, a punk or an indie kid in Oldham anytime from the late 70s to the late 90s chances are you went to Dreamers.

direct to your inboxThere has been major response from emergency services in Oldham town centre following a three car crash this afternoon.There are at least six casualties at the scene on King Street and an air ambulance landed at around 3pm.Police, paramedics and the fire service are also at the scene and surrounding roads are closed.Firefighters were attending to a blue vehicle which had flipped onto its roof.In a tweet, officers from GMP Oldham warned people to avoid the area."Police

direct to your inbox Rapid symptom-free coronavirus testing is to begin in Oldham on Monday.

direct to your inboxA man found with a gun at his house during a police raid has been jailed. Officers, part of an operation tackling serious and organised crime, raided the home of Scott Robinson, 43, on Higher Lime Road in the Limeside area of Oldham last October.

direct to your inboxThe military has been drafted in to help launch rapid Covid-19 testing for key workers without symptoms of the virus in Oldham.From Monday, January 18 people who work in public-facing jobs and key workers who find it hard to socially distance at work will be able to access tests which give results within 30 minutes.More than 5,000 businesses in the borough have been written to with details on how to access the sites.Bosses say the asymptomatic testing will play an important

direct to your inboxA safety scheme could be put in place on a road where three teenage girls were injured in a crash.Two 16-year-old girls were taken to hospital with serious injuries – including a head injury – following the smash in Failsworth on Monday, January 4.The girls, along with a third girl, 16, who suffered minor injuries, were passengers in a car involved in a collision on Propps Hall Drive at around 6.30pm.The road was closed from the junctions with Greaves Avenue to Marlborough

direct to your inboxTwo teenage boys were seriously hurt after a car crashed into a van following a police chase in Oldham.The 17 year olds are in a 'serious but stable' condition in hospital, following the incident on Middleton Road at about 10.20pm last night.Police said officers observed a Ford Ecosport being driven at speed, which they believed was driving using false number plates.GMP said the driver of the car failed to stop, and officers engaged in a 'short' pursuit.Get the latest updates

direct to your inboxHealth chiefs are aiming to vaccinate 25,000 people against Covid-19 every week in Oldham, but warn there could be ‘challenges’ in getting that many doses supplied to the borough.Mike Barker, the chief operating officer of the clinical commissioning group (CCG) revealed that so far more than 4,000 residents have received the jab since last month.The first eligible people in the top priority group received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Oldham on December 15 at Greenbank

direct to your inboxOn November 1, 2019, a 61-year-old woman was stabbed nine times during a frenzied attack.The unprovoked and random assault on a care worker in Oldham shocked the community around Waterhead Park.Miraculously, the victim - grandmother, Joy Clarke, who was knifed from behind on Longfield Crescent - survived.Unknown to police at the time, the person who carried the attack had done so just 90 minutes after being released on bail at Manchester Magistrates' Court, where he had