While most people will be opening presents and tucking into their Christmas turkey, Staffordshire County Council’s fleet of 37 gritters and associated crews will still be ready to spring into action if temperatures plummet. Crews across the county will be on standby throughout the festive period, and will be ready to roll if the temperature drops below freezing. On routine winter days and nights, gritting crews focus on the major routes, extending to the wider network in prol

A settled and chilly Christmas (from the Met Office) On Christmas Eve (Wednesday), temperatures will fall as high pressure brings drier, more settled conditions with chilly easterly winds. Christmas Day is expected to be mostly dry with variable amounts of cloud and sunny spells in places. A few light showers are possible, particularly along southwestern coasts later in the day. Daytime temperatures could be as low as 2°C but will feel colder in the strong easterly breeze. Pa

Mistletoe isn’t just a festive tradition - it’s a vital part of Staffordshire’s winter ecology. It most often grows on apple, lime and poplar trees, and it prefers open, well‑lit settings such as orchards, parkland and churchyards rather than dense woodland. It's an evergreen plant provides food for birds like mistle thrushes and blackcaps, helping wildlife survive the colder months. Its presence signals healthy, connected habitats, exactly what the Local Nature Recovery Stra

Earlier this month, Manager Stacy observed a customer acting suspiciously. She asked, “What are you doing?” He replied, “I am not pinching.” Stacy told COGNEWS that those people who say they are not stealing are usually the ones that do. The thief pushed his way towards the till, stole some fragrances, swore at her, and said, “If I want to pinch, I am going to pinch.” Stacy tried to stop him from leaving the shop, and he said, “I am going to punch you,” which resulted in Stac

16th December 2025 1.30 - 5.00 pm Thorley Drive Recreation Centre, Thorley Drive, Cheadle ST10 1SA A festive pop-up event is to take place for Cheadle families with something for toddlers right through to teens. Activities and games will offer fun for all ages, see the poster below for details. Festive Family Hub Roadshow - created 8.12.25

With Christmas just around the corner, the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) has some important advice for anyone thinking about buying an e-scooter as a present.    While it’s legal to buy and own an e-scooter, you can only legally ride a privately owned one on private land, with the landowner’s permission.   This means it is   against the law to ride, or to allow your child to ride, an e-scooter anywhere on the roads, pavements, cycle tracks and parks, or to scho

Former doctor Nathaniel John Spencer, 38, of Quinton, Birmingham, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of assault by penetration, nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, three counts of assault a child under 13 by penetration and one count of attempted assault by penetration. It follows a complex investigation by Staffordshire Police Public Protection Unit into sexual offences at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Ru

From 4 December 2025, the existing Action Fraud support will be replaced by a new Report Fraud service.   If you previously received alert messaging from Action Fraud this will change to advice on cyber crime and fraud from Report Fraud.   You should report cyber crime and fraud here from now on - reportfraud.police.uk . New Report Fraud Service Goes Live - created 8.12.25

It's been reported to COGNEWS that a local resident has won a life-changing sum of money on the National Lottery last week. The unnamed resident purchased their ticket in a Cheadle High Street store and was reported by the local store owner to be elated—dancing happily around the shop. Who wouldn't? We wish them every blessing with their newfound wealth, which no doubt will be a huge seasonal blessing for their family and friends too. A Cheadle Resident Wins Big - created 8.1

It’s the biggest change since HMRC launched Self Assessment more than 30 years ago. If you work for yourself as a sole trader or earn money from property then yo'll need to consider that tax returns are changing – with a new way to record and report your income and expenses. This is called Making Tax Digital for Income Tax or MTD for Income Tax. You won’t fill out your tax return all at once, instead, you’ll split and spread the admin throughout the year. You'll need to: Use

If you’re taking medication, check whether it could affect your ability to drive before getting behind the wheel is the latest advice from Staffordshire Police. Some medicines can slow reaction times or cause drowsiness, putting you and others at risk. It’s also against the law to drive with any of 17 controlled drugs above the legal limit in your blood. Each drug has its own limit, and for illegal drugs the threshold is extremely low. If you’re unsure about how your prescrip

On Saturday, 5 th December, at 12:30 pm, another theft occurred in a Cheadle store, this time at A&C Stores on Froghall Road. A middle-aged man questioned the price of groceries in the shop before running out with a black shopping basket full of food without paying. The store owner, Ram, reported the theft to the police, who gave him a police case number. The police officer said on the phone that they would keep him updated, but no officer has called since to take down the d

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, presented her  Autumn Budget  to Parliament on 26 November 2025. There were no rises in income tax, national insurance or VAT, a new High Value Council Tax Surcharge on properties worth £2 million or more from April 2028 and Mayors to gain a new tourist levy power on overnight stays.  Minimum wage for 18 to 20-year-olds rises to £10.85, and National Living Wage increases to £12.71. 0.5% reduction in departmental budgets in 20

5th of December Until 7pm Cheadle High Street FAQ's Download your poster A group of Cheadle shop owners are banding together to offer local residents the opportunity to visit their stores for a late-night shopping event this Friday, 5th of December. This is the perfect opportunity not only to get great Christmas gifts and more, but to share some love with our town centre businesses who, despite ongoing difficult times, turn up day after day to provide us with the very best a

1st – 30th December 2025 Great Wood Community Hall, Upper Tean, ST10 4JY Free Event This December, Great Wood Community Hall in Tean is proudly hosting The Longest Yarn 2: Britain at War, which is a stunning exhibition of knitted and crocheted wartime scenes.  From the declaration of war in 1939 through to VE Day in 1945, this 3D wool art display brings history to life with colour, creativity, and heart. Created by artist Tansy Forster and a talented community of knitters and

The meeting space for many Cheadle Town Council Meetings. Cheadle Town Council convened on November 3rd at 7pm, the customary time for full council meetings held on the first Monday of the month. During this meeting, the activities of committees, sub-committees, and individual councillors are reviewed and decisions are made. Members of the public are always welcome, and all residents have an opportunity to speak for up to three minutes on any topic of local interest. It's bes

This Wednesday do consider a visit to Cheddleton Flint Mill, where Gareth the donkey and Saint Edwards Parish choir will be supporting Santa Claus in bringing festive cheer to local visitors. The mill will be lit and refreshments available in support of this fantastic historic space. Santa at the Mill this Wednesday - created 1.12.25

If you’re venturing down into Cheadle today please be aware that the walkway between the Card Factory and Coral is blocked by a commercial rubbish bin from the High Street end and with tape at the car park end. We couldn’t see a footpath closure notice and asked the scaffolder if they had one. We were told that they had, but they’d forgotten to bring it. Further investigations revealed that their telephone number on the flatbed trucks doesn’t work and we rang several compani

Monday, the 1st of December, saw SMDC leaders and County Council deputy leader Marin Murray descend on Cheadle High Street, Mike Gledhill and Andrew Stokes among their number. Why they are here, we cannot tell, what we do know is they walked past the Empty market hall, crossed and over the road in the direction of Cross Street. Perhaps tonight’s full council meeting will reveal useful information as to developments in our town. Senior Council Leaders Spotted in Cheadle - 1.1

In many communities across the UK, the Christmas Lights Switch On event is a celebration of both the Christmas period ahead and a wonderful way to light up those darker nights after long summer days. It's the coming together of families and friends to the town or village centre, not just to count down the moment until the lights are first seen, but to experience other activities too. Favourites include a visit to Santa Claus, mulled wine and mince pies, carol singers and othe