Two people taken to hospital and four arrested after police chase ends in crash in Oldham

direct to your inboxThe church itself is unremarkable.But inside its sacred walls is artwork of 'dazzling beauty'.A 1955 mural by Hungarian George Mayer-Marton of Christ on the cross dominates the interior of Holy Rosary RC Church in Oldham.But the building stands empty, and closed for good, its congregation scattered.Redundant for three years, it is now at risk from developers.It will never be considered of sufficient importance to be given listed building status.But a national campaign has

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

direct to your inbox The old Littlewoods distribution centre in Oldham - once the town's biggest private employer and one of the largest warehouses in the world - is to close its doors today for the final time. At the height of operations the warehouse, which dominates the skyline in Shaw, once employed more than 1,200 staff.

direct to your inboxA drug addict who tried to murder lone women in two vicious knife attacks just 19 days apart has been handed a life sentence.Jayden Hayes, 24, attempted to kill one of his victims just 90 minutes after he had been released on bail by magistrates following other alleged offences.

direct to your inboxPolice want to speak to a Wythenshawe man, who is wanted in connection with a robbery and kidnap.Dominic McGrath, 28, is from Newall Green and is known to have links to south Manchester.He is wanted in connection with a robbery and kidnap offence that took place in Shaw, in Oldham.A man was assaulted and had to be taken to hospital during that incident, on December 27, 2020.The man has since been discharged.Officers are appealing for the public’s help to trace Mr McGrath.A

direct to your inboxA batch of 'counterfeit drugs' are being tested by police trying to find out how three people died at a house in Oldham, an inquest heard.From 'an unknown source', the pills 'could have lead to the deaths' of James Acton, 41; Zoe Hamilton, 28; and Andrew Smith, 39, a coroner was told. The three friends were found  unresponsive inside the property on Oldham Road, Failsworth, Oldham, on December 28.

direct to your inboxA new community growing hub has been approved for land planned to become the huge Northern Roots eco park and urban farm in Oldham.The council has given planning permission for the new base, which will include a polytunnel, allotments, as well as the proposed RHS Hampton garden and a pond and apiary.It will replace the existing growing hub in Alexandra Park, which needs to be relocated to accommodate the new eco development at the depot.The new space will be located south of

direct to your inboxTributes have been paid to a dad-of-two found dead at a house in Oldham alongside a couple he had 'stayed with over Christmas'.Andrew Mark Smith, 39, was discovered unresponsive at the property on Oldham Road, Failsworth. Couple Zoe Hamilton, 28, and James Acton, 41, were also found dead on Monday, December 28.

direct to your inbox Detectives in Oldham have released images of a man they want to speak to in connection with an attempted sexual assault at Alexandra Park. It comes after a woman reported being attacked on Monday night.The victim told police she she was approached by a man in the street who started talking to her.

direct to your inboxHomeless people in Oldham are to be given priority for the coronavirus vaccine.Health bosses say rough sleepers and those without a permanent home will be prioritised alongside the elderly and the vulnerable.Since the vaccination programme started in Oldham in December, more than 3,700 people have had the jab.Coun Zahid Chauhan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said it was important the homeless were prioritised because they come into contact with large numbers of

direct to your inboxCovid-19 infection rates are beginning to rise again in Oldham after weeks of plateauing case numbers.It comes as a more transmissible variant of the virus has begun to circulate in Greater Manchester, which Mayor Andy Burnham says could already account to 25pc of all new cases in the region.Oldham’s infection rate is the second lowest of the ten boroughs, just above Bolton, standing at 249.7 per 100,000 people in the week to January 3.However this is up 29pc on the previous

direct to your inboxLeaders in Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale have now spoken out in the row over whether schools should stay closed due to coronavirus.The Prime Minister said today 'schools are safe ' and that he wants all primary schools to open tomorrow as planned, apart from those in London and the South East where the number of cases is soaring.

direct to your inboxFriends and family have been paying tribute after three people were found dead in Failsworth. James Acton, 41, Zoe Hamilton, 28, and Andrew Smith, 39, were found unresponsive at a house on Oldham Road on Monday afternoon.