Latest headlines from across Lancashire and Wigan on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
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00:00Hi, I'm digital reporter Amy Seddon, and these are all the latest headlines from across
00:05Lancashire and Wigan.
00:07Former staff at two gyms that suddenly closed over the weekend have spoken out after many
00:12members have claimed they've been left thousands out of pocket. Gym goers were left in shock
00:17after turning up for their daily workouts at Body Confidence HQ, only to find both the
00:22Preston and Chorley sites had closed. The sites located at Ruffhay Road, Grimsar and
00:27Unit 2, Viking Park, Chorley are no longer accessible to members of the public and all
00:32social media forums relating to the company have been deleted. Staff have now broken their
00:37silence saying they have not had any contact with the owner, Liam McNamara, since last
00:41month and that they were heartbroken by the turn of events. A joint statement circulating
00:46on social media read, we are absolutely heartbroken that the memories, wins, sessions and the
00:50community has come to an end. The gym was a safe haven for a lot of people, not one
00:55of us saw this happening or wanted it to end this way. They added, none of the coaching
01:00team have had any contact with Liam since Friday 13th September and we reassure and
01:04promise that we had no knowledge of the events or situation at BCHQ prior to its closing.
01:10We wanted to say a thank you to our amazing members for being so supportive and understanding
01:14throughout this whole situation and hope to see them succeed even more in the future.
01:20A coroner is set to prove the death of a woman, 24, who was starved to death by her
01:25mother in Blackpool. The emaciated body of Debbie Leach, 24, who was born with Down syndrome,
01:31was discovered at her family home in Garden Terrace in August 2019. Preston Crown Court
01:37heard the scene that greeted emergency services was truly shocking. Miss Leach's face was
01:42completely encrusted with scabs and thickened skin such that she was no longer recognisable
01:47as being a young female. She weighed 10 stone 1lbs when she lived in Leeds in 2016, but
01:53she only weighed 3 stone 10lbs at the time of her death, the court heard. A final inquest
01:59into Miss Leach's death is due to take place on October 14th and is expected to last five
02:04days.
02:06A factory shop selling outdoor wear and equipment in Lancaster have put their sign up ready
02:11for the official opening. Montaigne Factory Shop Lancaster is an official retailer of
02:16Montaigne discontinued products, samples and limited-edition exclusive factory product
02:21lines. The shop, which is in Marketgate Shopping Centre next to Home Bargains, will officially
02:26open on Friday, September 27th. You can still enter a competition for an invitation to the
02:32opening weekend and a sneak peek at the exciting opening offers on the shop's website. The
02:40competition closes at 11.59pm on Monday, September 23rd.
02:45A Mexican-inspired restaurant, Taco Bell, opened its doors in Burnley on Monday. Guests
02:50queued up for the grand opening by the Mayor of Burnley, Councillor Shah Hussain, and newly
02:55elected MP Oliver Ryan. The Burnley eatery is the first Taco Bell to open in East Lancashire
03:00and only the second in the county. Known for its burritos, tacos and quesadillas, Taco
03:06Bell completes the final piece of the Pioneer Place jigsaw after joining major names Starbucks,
03:12Icara Lounge, Nando's and Heavenly Desserts on the site. The restaurant is operated by
03:17Soul Foods Group, which owns and manages 381 restaurants across the UK and Canada. The
03:23opening was attended by special guests from Pendleside Hospice, Taco Bell Burnley's chosen
03:28charity. Keen to be involved in the community, staff at the eatery have all taken part in
03:33volunteer days at the hospice. Firefighters have issued safety warnings about charging
03:39batteries after a blaze broke out at a Wigan home. A lithium-ion battery on charge for
03:44a camping torch was responsible for the fire which damaged the loft of an address on Ormskirk
03:49Road, Newtown, last night. The owner was with the device when it failed and burst into flames,
03:55setting surrounding materials alight. He and a woman in the house were able to get outside
04:00and raise the alarm quickly. Neither were harmed. Five engines from Wigan, Hindley and
04:05Skelmsdale fire stations descended on the scene at 9.45pm. Hindley watch manager Steve
04:11Waygood said, the firefighters did a good job on the battery and so the fire was contained
04:15to the one loft. This incident could have been a lot more serious had not the device
04:20catching fire not been seen straight away. We are encouraging the public to use batteries
04:25responsibly, never put things on charge and then leave the house.