Horwich Advertiser Issue 626

Page 2 September 2025 AD SALES 01204 478812 No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2025. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. 01204 478812 EDITOR Ged Henderson: ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING Jayne Meadowcroft: 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CLASSIFIEDS Teresa Bond: 01204 478812 teresa@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT US HMOs in the spotlight ● Continued frompage one HMOs are properties where a number of individuals live in one house – usually renting separately from a landlord – with their own room but with shared communal spaces. In 2021, the borough had 117 HMOs but by the end of last year that number had grown to 720. The situation in Horwich Coffee Morning and New to You Sale New to You Sale C o NewChapel URC HorwichBL66QN SaturdayAugust 30, 2025 10amto 1pm Raising funds for MacmillanCancer Support andNewChapel URC CASH ONLY POLICE are calling on mem- bers of the public to help them in their efforts to tackle the anti-social men- ace of off-road vehicles in the Horwich area. GMP says it has had a rise in reports about off-road vehicles including quad bikes being used in the district. In a public message PCSO Emma Small said: “If you see anything with regards to this, please report it through the normal channels. We do have a special team that operates within GMP but they respond to the areas with the most calls/logs, so if reported when seen we can hopefully get the team over to help us. “Please note down any reg- istrations that you may see or any descriptions of riders and if there is anything distinctive about them.” TRADING Standards are warning shoppers about potentially dangerous counterfeit toys that have been seized from shops in Bolton. The counterfeit toys, imi- tations of the popular Pop Mart Labubu brand, have been found to contain loose parts such aseyes, hands and feet, that may pose a choking hazard to young children. The stitching was also found to be loose, exposing the filling which could be an additional choking hazard. The borough’s trading standards team has raised concerns that fake Labubus seized in the borough failed to comply with the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, as have other trading standards oper- ations around the country. A spokesperson said: “These products do not carry the legally required safety A WHOLE LOTTO LOVE! Lucky couple: Darren and Laura celebrate the big win (Photo credit The National Lottery) GAS engineer fromBol- ton is looking forward to marrying his partner of nearly 20 years after becoming a National Lot- tery millionaire. Darren McGuire, 46, hopes to wed Laura Thwaites, 40, after winning the incredible prize on Lotto. He said: “We were going to get married years ago, then Laura fell pregnant and we moved house. “I also regularly work seven days a week as a gas engineer for a housing association in Bolton – a job I love – so with all that we never got around to tying the knot. “However, with this win under our belts we’re hoping to get married in real style sometime soon.” Darren discovered his incredible win just before heading off on a family holi- day to Cornwall. He admits the rest of the week was “basi- cally just a blur”. So much so that they have already booked to go back to the same spot next year. The couple have already treated themselves to a new car, a Volvo CX90, replacing the ‘bone rattler’ that Laura is happy to admit she hated. Meanwhile, their two kids have a few requests of their own. Laura said: “One has asked for a PlayStation 5 and the other fancies going on a shopping spree for clothes and trainers. We’ll see what we can do!” At some point in the future, Darren may start his own business, but he’s in no rush. He says he and Laura are just normal people; they’re not in any way ‘flash’. Laura, who works as a receptionist at a local com- pany, added: “We love our house, the area we already live in and the people in it. “We will be looking to build an extension and expand into the roof to give the whole fam- ily more room. “We also want to convert the cellar into a bar and party room. We like a party and we will definitely be celebrating the win, several times over I should think!” A holiday in Spain is also on the cards. Darren said: “Time abroad – just a week in Spain – will allow us all to let it fully hit us what an amazing thing has happened. “We’ll be able to make some plans and decisions about the future.” Fake danger dolls alert labelling, such as the CE or UKCA mark, or the name and address of a supplier based in the UK. They are often also cheaper than the legit- imate products.” The genuine dolls retail around £13.50 but the price can be upwards of £1,000, depending on the specific doll, and its rarity. Hamid Khurram, Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for regulatory ser- vices, said: “The consumer craze for these dolls has resulted in a lucrative coun- terfeit market. “Children and adults are buying these, and many will be tempted by the lower price of counterfeit versions. “These products lack the necessary safety testing and small parts can become loose, posing a choking hazard to young children.” has attracted national media attention, with an article in the Sunday Times newspaper and a report on the GB News TV channel. More than 1,000 people signed a petition launched earlier this year calling for the end of the “overdevelop- ment” of HMOs in Horwich. It was set up following local concerns about the rapid increase in HMOs in the community. Organisers from the campaign group ‘Say No to HMOs Horwich’ said: “This is not a campaign against the people who live in HMOs, but against a pol- icy that allows uncontrolled development at the expense of our existing community. “We believe that local families deserve a chance to remain in the area, and that housing policies should prior- itise a balanced and sustain- able approach.” The Sunday Times article focused on the impact of an HMO on Brownlow Road in the town. It said residents had complained of noise, overcrowding and a “disas- trous effect” on the chances of selling their homes. It quoted on unnamed women living on the street saying: “We don’t have any ill will towards these peo- ple. They have to be housed. It’s just not appropriate in the street.” Horwich councillor David Grant, who leads Horwich and Blackrod First Independ- ents (HBFI), was quoted in the article and also inter- viewed by the news channel. He said: “I was trying to press the local damage con- versions from family homes to HMOs does to local com- munities. It drives out fami- lies by creating a supply issue increasing rents.” The issue has also been raised in the Com- mons by Bolton West MP Phil Brickell. Action call on off-road menace THE long-awaited open- ing of the Horwich Loco Works spine road has been delayed. The access road, part of the major Rivington Chase devel- opment on the old Loco Works site, which will create 1,700 homes, was to have opened in the spring, Greater Man- chester’s Combined Authority revealed last year. BoltonWest MP Phil Brick- ell also confirmed that likely opening date after visiting the site in November and meeting representatives of the develop- ers and Bolton Council. However, according to a report on the Manchester Evening News website, work on the final part of the road has stopped after a land agreement expired and it is not known when it will now be completed and open to traffic. The £19million road will link the 150-acre site with the Middlebrook Retail Park, Horwich Parkway railway station and the M61. And it is hoped that the 1km link road will reduce road conges- tion locally, particularly on the Beehive roundabout. Horwich councillor David Grant has held discussions with Bolton Council officials and developers Novo Blueman- tle (NBM) over the situation. He confirmed that the five- year land agreement had expired however he added he was told there had been dis- cussions between the parties involved and an extension agreed, with the final details still to be “ironed out”. Cllr Grant added that while that legal process continued: “There is an opportunity for NBM and its partners to progress other areas of the site which will benefit those now living on the site and the wider Horwich area.” He added: “Bluemantle is working up plans and will put something out in the com- ing weeks.” Link road opening delay is revealed