Firefighters tackle large blaze at storage unit
Firefighters have tackled a large blaze at a storage unit.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) crews were called to Old Hall Street, Middleton, at 17:00 BST on Wednesday.
More than 40 firefighters tackled the fire, with many wearing gas masks. There were no reports of injuries as flames were brought under control.
A GMFRS spokesperson said residents had been asked to "to keep their windows and doors closed due to a large amount of fire being produced."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
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Lime bikes dumped in rivers 'posing pollution risk'
Hundreds of Lime e-bikes have been dumped in rivers and canals since hire schemes were introduced across England - raising concerns about pollution and flooding. The Canal and River Trust said it was a national problem and was having to spend thousands of pounds retrieving the bikes from waterways. The charity said Nottingham was a particular hotspot, with eight or nine Lime bikes pulled from the canal each week. Lime, the US company that runs the hire scheme in Nottingham and other cities, told the BBC it is working with various authorities to tackle the problem. According to the Environment Agency, electric bikes pose a pollution risk because the batteries contain substances that can enter a watercourse if they remain submerged in water. The Canal and River Trust said the number of Lime bikes being dumped nationally "could be into the thousands". "Whilst the quantities are a concern, and this is a drain on our resources, it's worth remembering one bike alone can easily cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to a boat, tens of thousands of pounds of damage to canal infrastructure, and an incalculable value of damage to wildlife," said Dick Vincent, the charity's national towpath advisor. The charity has asked Lime to cover the cost of retrieving the bikes, but an agreement has not been reached. "If I'm being honest, I would like them to answer their emails and get back to us," said Mr Vincent. "They seem to be ignoring this as a problem, and that's a real shame." Toni Robinson, founder of the Little Litter Pickers of Nottingham, said her group had retrieved 23 Lime bikes from just a short stretch of the River Leen, in the Bulwell area of the city. She said she had written to Lime but the company had not responded to her. "I would like them to stop them ending up in the river," said Ms Robinson. "We're trying to keep the river clean from pollution and then we've got these bikes that are polluting the river more than probably any rubbish we've ever found was." Ms Robinson is particularly concerned because e-bikes are powered by lithium-ion batteries, and she is worried about substances entering the water. She believes Lime should have docking bays to keep the bikes locked up unless people pay to ride them. "I think young people get bored and think 'I'll throw it in the river'," said Ms Robinson. "It's just been ongoing. We pick one out and there's another one in there." Ethan Radford, deputy leader of Nottingham City Council, is so concerned he has been putting on waders and entering the River Leen himself to retrieve the Lime bikes. He said it started happening after the Lime scheme was introduced two years ago, in spring 2023. "On one particular occasion I think we pulled out about five bikes in one day," said Radford, who has been helping Ms Robinson's group. 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When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists in London have painstakingly pieced together thousands of fragments of an ancient Roman fresco that has not been seen for 1,800 years. "It was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle," Han Li, a senior building material specialist at the Museum of London Archaeology, said in a statement. After three months of hard work, the fresco (a painting on plaster) from Roman Britain was back in its original arrangement. It reveals intricate depictions of birds, fruit, flowers and lyres, as well as ancient graffiti and a link to its artist. The shattered plaster pieces were discovered in 2021 in a large pit in the Southwark district of London during redevelopment of the site, according to the BBC. The fresco adorned 20 walls of a building constructed between A.D. 43 and 150. The excavation team blames the destruction of the villa, which happened within 157 years of its construction, for the dilapidated state of the painting. Li was nervous and excited to start the assembly process. "Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together," he said. Related: Rare fresco discovered in Pompeii shows type of woman who 'breaks free from male order to dance freely, go hunting and eat raw meat in the mountains' The art served to demonstrate the wealth and taste of the villa's inhabitants. The painters of the masterpiece seem to have been inspired by aesthetics far across the area of Roman influence, emulating designs from what are now Germany and France, according to the statement. Parts of the fresco display a pattern of rectangular panels, which was common for the period, but the yellow color of the pattern is rare. The Greek alphabet is etched into the plaster as ancient graffiti. Similar findings in Italy point to the alphabet as a checklist or tally, and the quality of the writing suggests the graffiti artist was an experienced writer, the statement reported. The fragments also contain a hint about the fresco's artists. The Latin word "fecit" — which means "has made this" — is identifiable and framed by a decorative carving that Romans used when signing artwork. Much to Li's chagrin, though, the plaster is broken in the spot where a signature would be, so the artists remain a mystery. RELATED STORIES —Ancient fresco of mythical Narcissus found in Pompeii —Gladiators fought in Roman Britain, action-packed cremation urn carvings reveal —Ancient Romans sacrificed birds to the goddess Isis, burnt bones in Pompeii reveal Li also found faintly drawn painter's guidelines that are visible only under certain light. Faint sketches of a flower within a circle can be recognized, but "the painters likely changed their mind and chose not to paint it," Li said in the statement. Many questions about the fresco remain unanswered, including the purpose of the Roman-era building it decorated. But it could have been a commercial property, "perhaps relating to the storage or distribution of storage jars and vessels, brought to London by ship from the wider Roman Empire," the statement reported.
