West Lancashire Cemetery and Crematorium is inviting people to visit to remember and pay tribute to loved ones they have lost in honour of Mother’s Day. On Friday 8 March, between 3.30pm and 5.30pm, the chapel will be open to enable people to have peaceful periods of reflection and remembrance in memory of their loved ones. Lancashire Cemetery & Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 40 sites in England, Scotland, and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for…
Author: On The Spot News
Sefton Council has joined nationwide calls to extend a crucial financial support scheme for struggling households. Organisations including The Children’s Society, Trussell Trust, Barnardo’s, the Local Government Association, and other councils across the country are calling on the Government to extend the Household Support Fund, which is due to end on 31st March. The fund enables councils to provide emergency support suited to the needs of their communities, whether that is so families can buy essentials such as food, energy or help with providing white goods or furniture. In the last year Sefton Council has supported 24,165 of households including…
Top Southport photographer Matthew Rycraft has been honoured with two prestigious awards at the renowned London Print Competition, hosted by the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP). The multi award winning wedding and events photographer said that this latest achievement highlights his “extraordinary talent and creative vision” The latest accolade firmly places him at the forefront of the UK photography industry. Whilst in London Matthew also delivered his own Photography Masterclass to a room of fellow photographers. The London Print Competition, known for its rigorous judging criteria and the high calibre of submissions it attracts, is a celebrated event…
A vicious predator has given binmen a scare after landing on a quiet residential street in Southport. The apex avian predator, identified by OTS News’ bird experts as a Harris hawk, was spotted perched atop a series of bins after they were collected this morning by council binmen. However the huge hawk is not an uncommon site for residents of Mallee Crescent. The hawk reportedly belongs to a local who keeps the bird well trained and well fed, allowing it plenty of time to spread its wings and enjoy the surroundings of the crescent. It’s since been reunited with its…
Park rangers in Southport have spent the afternoon scrambling to catch an escaped bird from the Botanic Gardens aviary. OTS News understands a parakeet has managed to make a hole in the cage before escaping in front of amazed visitors to the park. Rangers were alerted to the breakout around 1pm after the jailbird was spotted flying around the perimeter of the aviary. This is not the first time birds have managed to escape the aviary and questions have been raised about the quality and safety of the cages the birds are kept in. It’s understood the escaped parakeet has…
The former manager of a coffee shop in Southport Town Centre has managed to avoid prison time after being caught stealing more than £10,000 from the franchise. Shaun Cairns, 30, pocketed a total of £10,991 from Costa Coffee between September 24 and November 1 2022. However the plot began to unravel after concerned cash collectors contacted the shop’s franchise owner who then discovered no money had been picked up from the shop for three weeks. Brian O’Connor, defending, said: “He was in financial difficulties and made the stupid decision to borrow some money with the intention of paying it back,…
‘Dear OTS I would like to share with readers the disgraceful mess and lack of concern at Morrisons Southport today. They have signs on the trolley bays telling how they keep their trolleys clean. Today there were no smaller trolleys close to the shop for customers, elderly or disabled customers were relying on other shoppers to help them to find one. There was a basket thrown inside a trolley with rubbish in and metal barriers which had fallen down in the road which was a safety hazard for cars and pedestrians. Rubbish was covering the floor underneath the trolleys…
Two shops on Lord Street were forced to temporarily close today after the pavement became a crime scene. Police have taped off a section of Lord Street opposite the Vincent Hotel after an incident which occurred overnight. It’s believed it could be linked to a disturbance between late night revellers at the pop up taxi rank nearby. Police have taped off the pavement underneath the verandah and have asked at least two shops to remain closed while an investigation is carried out. Forensic support staff were seen attending the crime scene earlier today and two police officers have now been…
In a bizarre move the Southport MP has gone on record saying Liz Truss is the answer to saving the Conservative Party at the next general election. Damien Moore has given an exclusive interview to the Daily Express to say the failed Prime Minister’s new Tory group ‘Popular Conservatism’ is the answer to the political party’s current woes. Despite being famously outlasted by a a decaying head of lettuce, the former PM’s new group has won the backing of the Conservative Southport MP. Southport MP Damien Moore, one of the MPs behind the new group, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to…
He remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Inflatable tents have been seen erected within the grounds of Southport Hospital this afternoon. People visiting the Town Lane hospital said they had been encouraged to leave the building unless absolutely necessary and reported that they were told ‘a major incident’ had been declared. OTS News understands it’s a reaction to a dangerous chemical incident at the nearby Southport Recycling Centre. Bosses at the hospital Trust have yet to make any public comment about the situation. Video footage shared on social media show inflatable tents being erected outside the entrance to the Accident and Emergency department. Half a dozen ambulances…
An Ainsdale man has been jailed after stealing more than £20,000 from his former bosses at a town centre estate agent. Kieran Moore then splashed the stolen cash on a Jaguar car and Lego sets, a court was told Moore pocketed more than £20,000 from Anthony James Estate Agents after an apparently acrimonious end to his job. Evidence showed he purchased the car on the same day he received an illicit £18,000 lump sum but Moore claimed that the timing of this had merely been a “bad coincidence” The 39-year-old had been employed as accounts manager at Anthony James Estate Agents…
Birkdale candidate
Save Our Pharmacies
A man has today, Friday 26th January, been jailed for seven years and four months following a road collision in Southport in which two woman were killed. Liverpool Crown Court heard that on Tuesday 30th November 2021, an Audi A3 was being driven by Glyn Jones along Lulworth Road towards Southport town centre when it collided with 79-year-old Marie Cunningham and 85-year-old Grace Foulds who were crossing the road. Both women were taken to hospital with multiple catastrophic injuries and both sadly died that evening. Jones later failed a roadside eye test and it emerged that he had not notified…
A well known Formby resident is leaving his job.
The plaques will be reinstalled once the refurbishment of Southport Pier is completed, the chair of the Pier Trust has confirmed.
Machete Attack
Telephone masts
Callous Burglary
Botanic Gardens and Hesketh Park will close at 4pm today as park rangers fear potential safety issues as a result of Storm Isha. The parks will be locked up at 4pm and secured by Sefton Council as people are being warned to stay away from the coast and open areas. High winds of over 30mph are already hitting the town but the Met Office say it could reach speeds of up to 80mph by this evening. Such high winds can cause a danger to life as well as damage to buildings, trees and power supply. Park rangers won’t open Botanic…
Churchtown RTC
The first ever woman leader of Sefton Council has officially taken the reins. Marion Atkinson was ‘sworn in’ as the new leader of the labour led council at a meeting in Bootle tonight. She becomes the first woman to lead the council in its 50 year history but her tenure begins with unfounded favouritism claims given that she is the niece of Bootle MP Peter Dowd. Ms Atkinson, who has been a councillor since 2012, has been named as leader of the party’s group and will be ratified as the Labour-led authority’s leader at a council meeting later in the…
“It’s a disgrace”
Freezing Temperatures
Southport Pier
Cycle Lanes
Job interviews
Queenscourt Hospice
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service