On The Spot News | OTS News - Southport

Lewis’ Dolphin dream edges closure as campaign passes halfway mark

A campaign to help a poorly 12 year old Southport boy fulfil his lifelong dream of swimming with dolphins is one step closer. The fundraising campaign to get £3,000 together for youngster

27th September 2020

Birkdale school is latest to send entire YEAR home

A primary school in Birkdale has become the latest to insist an entire year group isolated at home after a positive test for Coronavirus. This week OTS News revealed that over a

27th September 2020

Police warn of poachers on the prowl in Formby

A White Vauxhall Astra van reg VN53 KGZ with two males on board and lurcher type dogs have been involved in hare coursing. Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen

27th September 2020

Churchtown restaurant cleared to reopen after virus case

A Churchtown restaurant says it’s giving its staff a well earned break while the building is deep cleaned following a confirmed case of Coronavirus. A diner who ate at the Grapevine Bar

27th September 2020

Here’s how Southport pizza lovers can get FREE food

Pizza lovers and fans of Italian food in Southport are being offered an exclusive free meal. However there is a catch. Popular chain Pizza Express, following the closure of their Lord street

26th September 2020

Detectives launch CCTV appeal in axle grinder jewellery store theft

Detectives have released an CCTV still of a man they want to speak to following a smash and grab robbery at a jewellers in Ormskirk, which saw the store owner threatened with

26th September 2020

Award-winning Southport photographer launches magical Christmas shoots for 2020

Leading Wedding Photographer Matthew Rycraft, who created his new brand earlier this year, Rycraft Studios, launches Christmas Photoshoots in his Birkdale Studio. Make the holiday season extra special with a unique Christmas

26th September 2020

Cllr Pugh: “Town Hall Gardens – past point of no return?”

A warning that one of the most high profile town centre areas may have passed the point of no return has come from Cllr John Pugh, opposition leader on Sefton Council. Princess

26th September 2020

Driver ditches van in Wyke Cop

A lorry driver has escaped without serious injury after his van ended up ditched off a small farm road in Birkdale. The haulage heavy goods vehicle ended up irreversibly stuck in a

26th September 2020

Top Birkdale restaurant shuts as diner tests positive for coronavirus

Yet another popular eatery in Southport has had to temporarily shut its doors after a diner tested positive for the killer coronavirus. Customers who were in Villagio Cucina on the night of

25th September 2020

Resort schools on high alert after ‘stranger danger’ cab driver targets schoolgirl

Schools in Southport are on high alert after a man reportedly approached a schoolgirl in a frightening manner during her evening paper round yesterday. A warning over stranger danger has been issued

25th September 2020

‘As many as one third’ of schools in Sefton have been affected by Coronavirus

Cllr John Joseph Kelly Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Safeguarding has admitted that “as many as one third of schools in Sefton” have been affected by Coronavirus in some

25th September 2020

Damien Moore MP urges everyone in Southport to download new NHS Covid-19 app

NHS Covid-19 app launched in England and Wales to help control the spread of coronavirus. App will alert people if they have come into contact with someone who later tests positive for

25th September 2020

Big shoes to fill as micro pub launches search for bar manager

An incredibly popular micro pub between Southport and Birkdale is on the hunt for a new manager. The team at the Beer Den on Duke Street in Southport are now advertising for

24th September 2020

MP goes to war with council in cycle path blame game

Sefton Council’s Labour chiefs have hit back at Resort MP Damien Moore after he issued a scathing attack on the new Hoghton Street cycle lane. The much maligned cycle route which has

24th September 2020

Why Has Online Shopping Increased in the UK?

It’s no wonder that online sales and shopping skyrocketed in March. Lockdowns were going into place, people were being told to self-quarantine inside, and everything outside of food shops and hospitals were

24th September 2020

Police collar driver after Banks bash

Detectives say two drivers involved in a high speed smash in Banks are lucky to have walked away without serious injury after their cars collided. Police from Lancashire Constabulary attended a road

23rd September 2020

Community group boost Queenscourt funds with £1k donation

A community group in Crossens have helped to raise £1,000 for a popular Southport charity. Queenscourt Hospice recently received a very generous donation of £1,000 from the Crossens Community Association (CCA).⠀⠀⠀The CCA,

23rd September 2020

Business owners slam town centre cycle lane as petition launched

Furious business owners in the town centre are in a spin over the ‘ridiculous’ cycle lanes which have appeared outside their places of work. Popular restauranteur Sinclair D’Albuquerque has blasted the new

23rd September 2020

Councillor endorses pension petition calling for missed payment checks

A new petition could point the way for a section of Southport women to be refunded missing pension entitlements which has been welcomed by Sefton Councillor Pat Keith. “ It is planned

23rd September 2020

Government announces £10,000 fines for failing to self-isolate due to Covid-19 plus new £500 lockdown support packages

The Government will introduce a new legal duty requiring people in England to self-isolate if they test positive for Coronavirus, or are traced as a close contact. From next Monday (28 September),

23rd September 2020

Coronavirus survivors should donate blood, medics say

The NHS are asking men in Southport who have recovered from coronavirus, to donate blood plasma. Doctors leading the NHS Blood and Transplant have made the urgent appeal because there is currently

22nd September 2020

Tip queues build up as winter time change looms

Queues at the Southport recycling centre are once again increasing as hundreds of people rush to get rid of their rubbish before the tip changes its opening hours. In October the waste

22nd September 2020

Town centre pub shuts after staff member tests positive for coronavirus

The landlady of a Southport pub says she is not taking any chances after one of her staff tested positive for coronavirus. Annie McTarggart, landlady of the Wellington Pub on Eastbank Street,

22nd September 2020

Can you find Coco? Birkdale Budgie last seen flying solo at pub

A budgie which has disappeared from a Birkdale family home was last seen in a pub according to witnesses. Coco the bright yellow budgie disappeared from a house on Kew Road, Birkdale

22nd September 2020

Sweary Birkdale blooper leaves teacher red faced

A Birkdale High teacher has been left red faced after a virtual assembly went drastically wrong. The unnamed staff member had gone out of their way to put together a special virtual

22nd September 2020

Fourth man arrested for the murder of Stephen Maguire

Detectives investigating the murder of Stephen Maguire in Birkdale in March have arrested a fourth man today, Tuesday, 22 September. Emergency services were called to an address in Guildford Road shortly after

22nd September 2020

SWANS stop traffic on Formby bypass

Furious drivers on the northbound carriageway of the Formby bypass have had their journeys ground to a halt thanks to a family of swans. In a scene straight from Hot Fuzz, a

22nd September 2020

Southport Dance Academy closes temporarily after teacher tests positive for coronavirus

The Southport Dance Academy has temporarily closed after a teacher tested positive for Covid-19. The Mornington Road based dance school will close for a deep clean after the positive test. “One of

22nd September 2020

Cross party group of politicians determined to reunite North West towns and cities by rail

North West towns and cities including Preston, Southport and Ormskirk could soon be connected by rail thanks to a growing cross-party campaign by local MPs, council leaders and business leaders. They have

22nd September 2020