North west news update 27 Nov 2023: Driver flees after crashing a car into a hedge

Digital reporter Emma Downey with today's top north west news headlines and weather

Transcript

00:00 Hello, I'm Emma Downie and this is your news from across the North West this Monday.

00:05 In Lancashire, over 5,000 businesses have shut their doors for good in 2022, new figures

00:10 have shown. It comes as more UK businesses closed since records began in 2002, surpassing

00:15 the number of new start-ups founded for the first year since 2010. Think Tank, the institute

00:21 for public policy research, has blamed high energy costs and the end of the Covid pandemic

00:26 support schemes.

00:29 In Blackpool, dog walkers were startled when a car ran across the pavement and crashed

00:34 into a hedge. Police found the white vehicle lodged in a hedge and blocking the pavement

00:39 on a street in the flood. The driver and their passenger fled the scene before officers arrived

00:44 and recovered the car. Posting later on social media, police said "You and your passenger

00:48 didn't stick around to speak to us so you will be getting a letter in the post."

00:53 In Wigan, six new homes planned for the suburb could be given the go-ahead. Plans put forward

01:00 by Peter Dickinson Architects on behalf of Leslie Walker Springs would see all the four-bedroom

01:05 homes built off Wigan Road in New Springs. Each home would have a minimum of three off-road

01:10 car parking spaces. The application will be considered by planners in the coming months.

01:16 In Lancaster, two fire engines from Lancaster and Moorcam went to the building on fire on

01:23 Graham Street in Lancaster at 3.38pm on November 25th. The fire involved the kitchen of the

01:28 property. Firefighters used two breathing apparatus, one hose reel and a positive pressure

01:33 ventilation unit to extinguish the fire. They were in attendance for three and a half hours.

01:41 Lancashire's devolution deal is effectively done after the government signed over the

01:45 powers to be conferred on the county during a special ceremony at Lancaster Castle. While

01:50 the agreement will not officially be finalised until it has been approved by the top-tier

01:54 councils whose leaders negotiated it, and not until a public consultation has been completed,

01:59 the moment marks, in principle at least, the completion of a deal that has been seven years

02:03 in the making.

02:07 And now to the weather. Starting off cold, we'll see a few rain clouds throughout the

02:13 day with a maximum temperature of six degrees. Going into this evening, the showers will

02:17 ease into brisk winds, leaving a largely dry night with a minimum temperature of zero degrees

02:23 and much of the same for Tuesday. Have a lovely day.