Bomb squad called after ‘suspicious device’ find
AN incident in which a teenager reportedly left a ‘suspicious item’ outside Rochdale police station and ‘ confronted’ officers with a knife is not believed to be terror-related, police have confirmed.
Officers were called to Dane Street, near to GMP’S base in the town centre, in the early hours of Thursday morning - after receiving reports of a ‘suspicious item’.
When police arrived at the scene, they were ‘confronted’ by a teenager who was armed with a weapon. The incident led to a huge cordon across Rochdale, with a large portion of the A58 shut off for much of the day.
Police bomb disposal experts used a robot to carry out two controlled explosions of the item -shortly before 7am and at roughly 10am - which was later found to be non-viable.
The cordon was still in place by mid-afternoon, with images showing damage to the road where cops had used a storm drain to contain the blast.
Other photos show a knife left on the main road, which a GMP spokesperson confirmed was thought to be carried by the 17-year-old attacker.
It is understood that the male was also carrying an imitation firearm, thought to be a lighter.
Detectives also added they are not treating the incident as a foiled terror attack, but have also not ‘detained’ the 17-year-old ‘as those in a mental health situation usually are’. The suspect remains in custody.
A GMP spokesperson added: “At around 3.10am on Thursday, 21 April 2022, we received a report of suspicious circumstances on Dane Street, Rochdale.”
A statement from the force at 11.45am said. “Officers attended and discovered a suspected suspicious item.
“As a precaution, a cordon was put in place and EOD [explosive ordnance disposal] attended and carried out a controlled explosion.
“The device has since been confirmed as not viable or suspicious.
“During the initial response, officers were confronted by a man with a weapon.
“A 17-year-old male was safely detained and arrested on suspicion of affray, possession of a bladed article and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear. He remains in custody at this time. Enquiries are ongoing.”
The closure of Manchester Road, along with St Mary’s Gate, was in place until mid-afternoon.
It also resulted in the closure of the Asda and Aldi superstores, as well as Hopwood Hall College - although students are currently still on their Easter break.
Despite the disruption to the town’s road network, only minor delays were seen - with small queues forming at rush hour and lunchtime as traffic management teams moved in to put a more robust closure in place.
We welcome new members, and you don’t have to be a mother!
ST MARY’S, BALDERSTONE
THIS morning is our Women’s breakfast from 9am to 10.30am in the parish room.
Why not come and join us for a breakfast roll and a chat?
Catch up with old friends, make new ones and relax.
Over the last few months we’ve also been thinking about women in the Bible.
This morning, Sheila will be sharing some brief thoughts on Rahab.
There is no charge for the breakfast but donations are accepted.
All are welcome to join us tomorrow.
At 10.30am, our service will be led by the Rev Tim Wickham.
The Rev Wickham is the Student Minister at Holy Trinity, Platt.
He is also a former curate here at St M’s.
We are thrilled to welcome him back and hear what he has to share.
There will be no evening prayer gathering tomorrow.
This will restart on May 1 at St Saviour’s and on zoom.
You are also warmly invited to our Annual Church Meeting on Monday, April 25,
7.30pm. This meeting is an opportunity for members of St Mary’s ‘ Electoral Roll’ to gather together and vote for the new Church Council (PCC).
As well as electing new council members, the meeting also includes a look back at the past year, discussion of future plans, financial review, Q&A and prayer.
We hope you can join us as we celebrate God’s goodness and look forward to the future.
Smurfs (St Mary’s Under Fives) returns this week.
Tuesday afternoon
1.30pm-3pm in the parish room for stay and play fun.
There is a small charge of £ 1 for one adult with one child and an extra 30p each for extra children.
Evening Bible Studies are still on a break this week.
Most groups resume next week.
For further information, please get in touch by email at stmarysbalderstone@ gmail.com or see our Facebook page on www. facebook.com/ saintmarysbalderstone/
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VICKY SHAW gets some expert tips on how you can build a pot of money smoothly and steadily
SAVING can often be a struggle – and as living costs rise, there are signs households are finding it even tougher.
Households put less money into accounts in February than the average monthly amount in the run-up to the coronavirus pandemic, according to recent Bank of England figures.
Saving significant sums may seem impossible, particularly as bigger bills start to land on the doormat. But you could build a pot of cash by saving smaller amounts here and there, without even having to think about it too much.
Elle Mcatamney from Topcashback. co.uk has some tips for making subconscious savings...
1. Let technology do the legwork
Make the most of any tools in your banking app to track your spending, and see what extra could be put into savings.
Elle says: “Sometimes it’s easier to let technology do the thinking and acting for you. Certain banks can round up each time you spend, and some apps