City news in 250 words

PARENTS are being urged to have their children vaccinated against measles after two reported cases of the illness in Manchester in the past three weeks. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said that a third of five-year-olds are vulnerable and it is vital that two doses of the MMR vaccine are administered. Common symptoms of measles are fever, cough, sore eyes and a rash.

FIRES which tore across the Pennines over the Bank Holiday are a 'major disaster' according to environmentalists. The blaze covered seven miles between Ripponden and Littleborough with smoke drifting across Rochdale, Bury and Bolton. Firefighters also had to deal with a second blaze at Marsden Moor, which blew smoke over large parts of Oldham.

LANCASHIRE POLICE are blaming gangs from Manchester and Liverpool as the reason for the rise in gun crime in Preston. Serious court cases are often moved to Preston and result in the entourages of defendants committing crime themselves in the small city. The chief constable of Lancashire Police, Steve Finnegan, told the BBC that Preston is where Liverpool and Manchester were five years ago.

JUNIPER restaurant in Altrincham has been closed temporarily but will reopen according to reports. Head chef Paul Kitching and manager Kate Johnson have both left to pursue new projects. A spokesman for the restaurant told Crain's Manchester Business: “Paul and Katie have left us to start their new venture, but Juniper will be open again. At this stage, however, we can’t say when that will be.”