The full list of areas placed into Tier 4 in England - including Greater Manchester

direct to your inboxA number of flood alerts have been issued across Greater Manchester and Cheshire as Storm Christoph brings torrential downpours to the region. The Met Office has issued an amber 'danger to life' weather warning for heavy rain and flooding for large parts of northern England.

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection rates in some parts of Greater Manchester are beginning to fall.Lockdown measures appear to be taking effect across the region, with five boroughs seeing a reduction in cases for the first time in two weeks.The latest infection rate for the region was 419.30 cases per 100,000 population in the week ending January 11, according to figures released by Public Health England.Cases are now seeing a week-on-week fall in Wigan, Trafford, Stockport, Rochdale and

direct to your inboxA flood 'alert' has been put in force in Greater Manchester today after hours of heavy rainfall overnight.The alert warns of 'possible' flooding around the area of the middle River Mersey catchment area.It includes areas near Bramhall in Stockport, Sale, Altrincham and Urmston.The Environment Agency warned: "Flooding is possible - be prepared."And Transport for Greater Manchester said: "With heavy rain in Greater Manchester this morning, expect flooding in some areas.

here"If you run a business, please do ask your staff to work from home if they can and where this is not possible, make sure that you are following all the advice on making your premises covid secure.”In Heald Green East, 62 new cases have been recorded in the week to January 6 - 28 more than were recorded the previous week.In the seven days to December 23, there were 20 new cases, which itself represented a huge spike from the week earlier, where four new cases were reported.Currently, the

direct to your inboxTwo areas of Stockport have some of the highest coronavirus rates in Greater Manchester.Only four places in the region recorded more than 800 cases per 100,000 people during the week to January 5 - and these included both Hazel Grove West and Heald Green East.Hazel Grove West saw a huge 213pc week-on-week rise, with the number of cases leaping from 15 to 47 over the seven day period.Latest Public Health England figures put its infection rate at 866.5 - the highest figure in

direct to your inboxManchester Evening News readers are overwhelmingly in favour of the return to a full lockdown, according to our latest survey.A survey of 8,751 people on the site found 81 per cent of those who responded agreed with measures introduced on Monday (January 4).People in Greater Manchester were less likely to be in favour of full lockdown than others across England, based on surveys across Reach's national and regional websites, with 85pc overall backing the full lockdown.The

direct to your inboxThe latest data on the coronavirus infection rates for each local authority in England show that 98 pc of the country has seen a rise. Of the 315 local areas in England, 309 have seen an increase in Covid-19 case rates and only six (2 pc) have seen a fall.

reports that the outlets across the UK will go into "hibernation" after Saturday, to allow the business to focus on larger stores in consolidated areas.

direct to your inboxThe latest infection rates for every local authority in England have been published with one area toppling 1,500.Large numbers of areas of London and the South East are recording rates of more than 1,000 per 100,000 people while all Greater Manchester boroughs continue to fall below the national average of 606.9 per 100,000. However, coronavirus infection rate in Wigan has almost doubled in a week with rises continuing to be recorded in every borough.

direct to your inboxA Greater Manchester Police officer who repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl has been jailed.Farooq Ahmed, 37, walked into a police station with a confession note before Christmas.

direct to your inboxSeven Trafford wards have among the highest rolling coronavirus infection rates in Greater Manchester.Altrincham West, Dunham and Warburton has a rate of 409.7 new cases per 100,000 people.Hale Barns is at 406.9, for the week ending December 29.That ward has seen particularly high rates of infection throughout the pandemic, having been a hotspot for the borough repeatedly over the last 10 months.Other problem areas include Firswood, which has seen its individual infection

Follow our dedicated live blog hereThe ones that are closed are providing places for key worker and vulnerable children, as they did during the first lockdown.And some that were due to reopen later this week are warning parents they'll be staying closed.If your child's school has closed, get in touch with us on our Manchester Family Facebook page here, let us know in the comments here, or email [email protected] are the schools that have closed by boroughMount Carmel RC, BlakleyOswald

direct to your inboxThe streets were empty as Greater Manchester said goodbye to 2020 and ushered in a new year - but many were determined to keep alive at least one tradition.Our video from Werneth Low shows how many parts of Greater Manchester were ablaze with colour as people set off fireworks at midnight to celebrate the arrival of 2021.Around 200 socially distanced people gathered on the popular spot to watch the moment our region said goodbye to 2020 and ushered in the New Year.Car horns

direct to your inboxIt has been a year like no other.However Great Mancunians have still made headlines across the world, for all sorts of reasons.Here we look at those who have put the region on the map in 2020, a year we will never forget.2020 has undoubtedly belonged to Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford.However it is his incredible work off the pitch which has made the headlines, even more than his impressive goal-scoring feats on it.The Withington-born and Wythenshawe raised

direct to your inboxPeople living in Greater Manchester woke up to a blanket of snow again this morning. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice in the region, which came to an end at 2pm.

direct to your inbox"It's absolutely gut-wrenching."Hair salon owner Jane Nixon describes how she felt as Matt Hancock announced that Greater Manchester would be moving into Tier 4.And it's a feeling thousands of business owners across the region will be familiar with.A change in restrictions, businesses finally being allowed to open then being forced to shut again just a few weeks later.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester's doctors and nurses feature heavily on the New Year Honours List. This year's list also includes many people who have gone above and beyond in their careers, or through voluntary work in the community, to help others throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

direct to your inboxDoctors and paramedics say they are bracing themselves for a new tide of Covid patients to hit Greater Manchester's hospitals within weeks. Speaking as plans for the region's move to Tier 4 were announced and the return to school for secondary pupils was delayed, Dr Carole Gavin, a consultant in Greater Manchester, said concerns were growing as hospitals in the south battle to find beds as infection rates - largely found to be caused by the new mutant strain - rise.

direct to your inboxA Greater Manchester Police chief has urged people to stay at home in Tier 4 tomorrow night instead of celebrating New Year's Eve as they normally would. Under Tier 4 coronavirus restrictions, people are required by law to remain at home unless they need to leave their home for essential reasons.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester is to be placed into the toughest Tier 4 coronavirus restrictions, Matt Hancock has announced.The Health Secretary made an announcement on the tiering review across England in the House of Commons this afternoon, revealing yet more areas will face the strictest restrictions.The aim is to reduce social contact in Tier 4 areas - previously limited to London, parts of the South East and the East of England.Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester