NW Friday Bulletin- March 15

Digital Reporter Sian Jones with the latest headlines from our North-West newsrooms

Transcript

00:00 Hello, my name is Shia Jones and these are the latest headlines from our newsrooms across

00:04 the North West.

00:05 Nine men, including several from Wigan, have been jailed after an investigation into a

00:10 drug dealer revealed organised crime networks across the country and abroad.

00:15 Rhys Barnes, 31, was jailed for 12 years at Carlisle Crown Court on Thursday for conspiracy

00:20 to supply Class A drugs, a spokesman for North West Regional Organised Crime Unit said.

00:26 The investigation, which began in March 2022 after reports Barnes was selling cocaine in

00:30 Windermere, found the supply of 350kg of cocaine between crime groups across the UK and with

00:36 links as far away as Portugal and Dubai.

00:40 An ice cream shop on the outskirts of Preston has struck a deal to be sold in cafes across

00:44 the country.

00:45 Mum and daughter's team, Karen Donaldson and Carrie Tuttle from Tootsies in Little

00:50 Hull, have linked up with the chain Batch which will be selling 12 flavours across their

00:55 24 sites this summer.

00:57 The Leeds-based outfit were introduced to Tootsies by a counter-player and were impressed

01:01 by what they saw and tasted.

01:04 A taxi driver has been left in a serious condition following a stabbing in Blackpool.

01:09 Hackney Crab driver was stabbed in the stomach as he sat in his vehicle on Whitegate Drive

01:13 at around 11.30pm on Wednesday.

01:16 His dashcam was also stolen.

01:18 The victim, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital where police said he remained in

01:22 a serious but stable condition on Thursday.

01:27 Hospitals in Morecambe Bay earned more than £1 million from parking fees last year.

01:31 Latest NHS England figures show University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation

01:35 Trust which covers the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmoreland and Furness General Hospitals

01:41 earned £1.1 million from parking charges in 2023.

01:45 This was made up of a combination of £866,000 from visitors and £271,000 from staff and

01:53 was up from £425,000 the year before.

01:58 And finally a new store is to open in Burnley Sound Centre next week.

02:01 20 jobs have been created at the 1B on discount store which is opening in Charter Walk on

02:07 Wednesday at 10am March 27th.

02:10 Owned by the Edwards family, the former owners of Poundworld, there are around 101 1B on

02:16 stores across the country.

02:18 Manager Peter Wilson said he felt confident that shoppers would love the new store which

02:22 is located in the former Wilco unit.

02:25 The weather now, mostly cloudy with patchy rain in the morning, turning drier and brighter

02:29 throughout the afternoon with the odd shower and highs of 12 degrees.