CALL FOR NEW SLIP ROAD
An ambitious campaign has been launched to boost Wigan's motorway connections and the town's economy.
Three councillors are bidding to revive a ten-year-old scheme to make Wheatlea's M6 junction 25 two-way by building a new north bound slip road.
Worsley Mesnes councillor Bill Rotherham and colleagues Rona Winkworth (Winstanley) and Ashton's Robin Atkinson say the scheme will boost the economy, slash congestion and reduce urban pollution. Their battle for the project to become official town hall transport policy start's at this week's environment panel meeting.
They say that the junction work which would be 100% government funded could draw on cash announced by John Prescott to boost community infra-structure along the M6 corridor.
It follows a recent call by JJB Sports magnate Dave Whelan for a new link servicing his giant Martland Park complex and the neighbouring Heinz distribution centre, soon to become Europe's biggest warehousing complex.
Coun Atkinson, a civil engineer by profession, insists that there are few physical problems for a north bound access road at Junction 25 with open agricultural land available.
He believes that the congestion-buster road which will require a bridge over both carriageways of the motorway could be constructed in just 18 months.
He said, "The traffic situation is horrendous through Ashton and HGVs from the South Lancs Industrial estate or the Abram and Golborne area trundle through the town centre to Junction 24 because they can't get on to go North at Junction 25."
Coun Winkworth pointed out that drawings for a remodelled Wigan M6 link are already complete and have been gathering dust for a decade as part of the 'pink route' option for Route (5)225.
Coun Rotherham added that the project would be a major boost to the multi-million pound Wigan 'hub' project where bus and train services will be combined at one Wallgate interchange alongside a major business park development to create jobs.
And their campaign also has the backing of Metro head of economic development Adrian Hardy.
He said, "There's no doubt that it would be extremely useful when you consider the growth we have already seen in Marus Bridge, Wheatlea and Bryn and it has my full support because it could help to encourage more business to come to Wigan."
Borough engineer Peter Taylor said, "The government has asked local authorities to help with a study about improving links onto the M6 and we would fully support any investigation into the merits of making Junction 25 each-way."
ARMED ROBBERS CONTINUE TO TERRORISE TOWN
Police are investigating a series of terrifying robberies in Wigan.
In one incident, a cashier at a petrol station was threatened by two masked men, one of whom was armed with a crowbar.
The 34 year-old was alone in the Richmond Hill garage on City Road, Kitt Green, when the men burst into the shop and threatened her with the jemmy.
And in a seperate attack, three women were threatened by a knife-weilding robber as he plundered
cash from a shop till.
The latest robbery took place at Norley Shop and Save on Norley Hall Avenue, shortly after 4pm on Sunday.
Two women were serving behind the counter and a third woman was in the shop as a customer when the young robber
came in, produced a knife and began punching keys on the till to get the money out. The till was opened and the man fled with what police desccribe as a small amount of cash. No one was harmed.
Det Insp Steve Crimmins, of Wigan CID said, "There
have been a number of robberies of this nature in the Wigan area in recent weeks and we cannot discount the possibility that they might be linked. Then again they could be copycat offences.
"In any event we would want to speak to anyone who saw
any suspicious behaviour in the area of the shop on Sunday afternoon."
Included among recent knife robberies on Wigan shops was a raid at AJ Booze and Food in Woodhouse Lane Springfield at 4.50pm on Wednesday December 27th.
In the petrol
station incident, the cashier was forced to hand over around £220 from the till and the men fled on foot in the direction of Fleet Street, leaving their victim badly shaken but physically unhurt.
Port Petroleum, bosses of the garage, have pledged a review
of security to prevent further robberies.
Det Insp Crimmins said, "This must have been a very frightening experience for the lady concerned and we must be thankful that she was not physically hurt. We urgently need to catch these people and would like to speak
to anyone who might have seen them in the area of the shop perhaps donning or removing their masks around the time of the robery at 7.10pm"
Anyone with any information should contact Wigan CID on 0161 872 5050 or the freephone Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111
WARRIORS STAR CLEARED OF RAPE ACCUSATION
Police have confirmed they are taking no further action against the Wigan RL star quizzed in connection with an alleged rape.
Detectives questioned prop Francis Stephenson, 24, after claims that a woman was raped at England's World Cup hotel last October.
But after investigating the case, the Crown Prosecution Service has decided not to charge the Super League star.
The woman had claimed that she met married father-of-two Stephenson in a club the night before England's game against Australia at Twickenham.
He was arrested at the Thames Lodge Hotel in Staines, Surrey after the woman who is in her 20s, said Stephenson had raped her in his room.
He was later questioned at Staines police station before being bailed pending further inquiries.
Detectives passed a file to the CPS who have decided to take no further action. Stephenson, who maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, was unavailable for comment.
The Super League star joined Wigan from Wakefield last September after an impressive season with the struggling Yorkshire club.
He made two appearances for England during their World Cup campaign last autumn, and was one of Wigan's most impressive forwards during the Boxing Day victory over St Helens.
He is now in pre-season training in preparation for his debut season with the Warriors.
MAN LIES DEAD FOR MONTHS
A former Wigan Casino bouncer's body lay undetected in his house for more than three months because police thought it had already been found.
An inquest heard that a police officer, called by a concerned neighbour to the home of one-time karate ace Malcolm Brown did not investigate further because he heard on his radio that a body had already been taken to Wigan Infirmary from the same street earlier that day.
In fact, it was one of Mr Brown's neighbours, Michael Jones, who had died.
The mix-up was only discovered months later when further calls were made to the authorities, this time about clouds of flies seen on the inside of windows at Mr Brown's home in Stopforth Street, Springfield.
The same constable PC John Bibby, attended again and because he still thought the death of Mr Brown had already been dealt with, assumed the problem to be related to a dead animal and he contacted environmental health.
It was a further two days later that police and council officers finally entered the house and found Mr Brown's badly decomposed body. Because of the advanced state of decay a pathologist was unable to determine the cause of death.
Mr Brown's brothers Alistair and Stuart, accepted that it would have been already too late to save him when the neighbour raised the alarm last February 22nd. Newspapers piled up behind the door and uncashed cheques suggested he had died at the end of January. What saddens them is that the delay between February 22nd and May 12th when the body was found, denied them the cause of death.
The hearing was told Mr Brown had enjoyed a fit and active early adulthood, taking his karate very seriously, and he was well known as a doorman at both Wigan Casino and Bluto's club.
But in his mid-thirties, his health deteriorated very rapidly. He contracted bronchitis, pleurisy and arthritis.
Coroner Mr Simon Nelson recorded an open verdict.After the hearing, Alistair Brown said, "If the police had not made a mistake they would have found him three weeks after his death instead of more than three months later."
The court was told that since the incident "certain measures" had been taken by the police as a result.
COUPLE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE
Standing in the street, wearing the pyjamas and dressing gown he escaped in, Raymond Cottingham
surveyed the charred ruin which only hours earlier had been his house.
Fire officers said the blaze was one of the worst they had ever seen, adding that were it not for the bungalow's smoke alarm, Raymond and wife Pauline, of Nicol Road, Ashton, may well not have survived.
Just one room and the garage
were not ravaged by flames, heat and smoke and the front and back gardens were littered with the blackened and twisted wreckage of furniture, appliances and irreplaceable personal effects. It was not even clear wether Mr Cotttingham would be able to salvage a change of clothes.
The couple were woken in
their seperate bedrooms by alarm bells at 4am last Wednesday morning. Mr Cottingham, 67 opened his bedroom door and was confronted by a wall of smoke which prevented him from getting through to his wife's room.
He climbed out of the ground floor window and tried to get round the back of the house to his
wife's window but the door to the side passage was locked.Thankfully 70 year-old Mrs Cottingham had herself managed to get out of a window and into the grounds of a new house next door through a broken fence panel.
Mr Cottingham said, "We have lost just about everything. But at the moment all I feel is relief
that my wife and I are safe. I was woken at 4am by the burglar alarm and thought we had intruders. Then I realised the smoke alarm had gone off as well. I opened my bedroom door and the house was full of smoke. My immediate concern was for my wife, but fortunately she was able to get out of her window as well.
"The neighbours have been marvellous looking after us since. I have no idea how the fire started. We always make a point of switching everything off before we go to bed and we did not leave any food on last night."
Neighbour Mr Gordon Clayton said, "I was woken up by the burglar alarm and then heard the smoke alarm
as well which made me more suspicious so looked out and could see flames coming out of the kitchen at the back."
Firefighters say the blaze was particularly difficult to deal with because the flames had taken a firm hold of the roof space before they arrived and the heat was intense.
Assistant Divisional Officer
Dave Lewis said, "This is one of the worst house fires we have dealt with for some time and there is no doubt that if the occupants had not quickly evacuated, they would not be here today. Once again, a smoke alarm proved it's worth."
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