North west news update 21 Dec 23: Warnings as Storm Pia arrives

Assistant editor Iain Lynn with today's top north west news headlines and weather

Transcript

00:00 Hello and welcome, these are the top headlines making the news today from our newsrooms across

00:04 the North West.

00:05 A yellow weather warning issued by the Met Office has been updated as Storm Pier looms,

00:09 bringing winds of over 70mph to Lancashire. A notably deep area of low pressure will track

00:14 to the north of the UK over the Norwegian Sea and will persist into Thursday. This is

00:19 expected to bring very strong winds and heavy showers to a large portion of the UK. The

00:24 Met Office has subsequently updated a yellow warning, covering large swathes of the country,

00:28 including all of Lancashire.

00:31 The Swan Hotel in Poulton Street in Kirkham has closed with immediate effect less than

00:35 a week before Christmas, according to its landlord, who says he's been evicted from

00:38 the premises. It's not clear when the pub will reopen, but it's understood that the

00:42 brewery is planning to recruit new management.

00:46 Police have released photographs of three more people they want to speak to about disorder

00:49 after a match between Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers. So far, 15 people have been arrested

00:54 and bailed following the violence that took place at West Houghton on Saturday, August

00:58 19th. Two men were detained immediately after the incident, which saw around 50 people fighting,

01:03 with a further 12 arrested in early morning strikes in November. A man in his 30s handed

01:08 himself in to a police station yesterday and has also been released on bail.

01:13 Stenaline has signed a significant deal with Peel Ports Group to operate from Heysham Port

01:17 for the next 77 years until 2100. The Swedish ferry company runs a twice-daily freight service

01:23 from Belfast to Heysham, providing a vital trade corridor between Northern Ireland and

01:27 the rest of the UK. The collaborative agreement demonstrates a strong working partnership

01:32 between the two organisations and seeks to further strengthen their long-term relationship.

01:38 And a talented apprentice from Gisborne is delighted after an outstanding performance

01:42 in a prestigious national painting and decorating skills competition. After winning her heat

01:46 in the regional qualifiers of Skill Build, Accrington and Rosindale College student Shelby

01:50 Fusakoli finished an outstanding second place as 78 construction trainees competed in the

01:56 national final, battling to be crowned winner in their chosen trade. At the awards event,

02:00 Shelby was awarded silver and received a trophy and a £750 cash prize. I hope she'll be painting

02:06 the town red. In the weather, as we mentioned earlier, it will be a very windy Thursday

02:11 with potentially severe gales over hills and coasts. Friday will be grey and cloudy with

02:15 outbreaks of rain and drizzle at times, but it should turn brighter for Christmas Day.

02:21 That's it for now. Thanks for watching. We'll see you tomorrow.

02:23 (laughs)