Manchester 250: 22 June 2007

MEN in Manchester die younger than anywhere else in England according to a survey of the nation’s health. The average life expectancy age for Manchester men is 72, almost 10 years less than the south west of the country. Areas with the shortest life spans are the poorest areas. Dr Kailash Chand of the British Medical Association said: “This is a social crisis, not just a medical one. We need improved education, employment and housing to help people break free from poverty.”

A HEATWAVE under Piccadilly Gardens is causing the grass to die, despite the Gardens’ new watering system and hundreds of thousands of expenditure. Councillor Marc Ramsbottom said: “Thousands of pounds have been spent on the new turf and patches are already going brown.” This is just as Manchester Confidential predicted. On 16 April we wrote: ‘This is Confidential's prediction. If it's a hot summer the lawns won't last until winter. They'll be a mess and an embarrassment’.

THE OFFICIAL new owner of Manchester City, Thaksin Sinawatra has promised fans he will bring a new lease of life to the club. He said: “I want to make the giant wake up from its sleep. The money that we plan to use to work with Manchester City I got permission to bring from Thailand a long time ago.” The Thai billionaire has assured fans the seizure of his assets in Thailand will not affect the takeover. Shinawatra has confirmed he has held talks with Sven-Goran Eriksson about City's manager's job.