A washed-up ex-professional footballer, who had trials at Manchester United and City, masqueraded as a Premier League star to maintain his celebrity life but is now facing a ‘substantial’ stretch in jail for fraud.

The firm who spearheaded the rise of ‘legal loan sharking’ revealed yesterday it is to wipe debt from more than 330,000 customers – costing the company a total of £220million.

George Osborne has revealed the Conservatives will cut the benefit cap from £26,000 to £23,000 to fund three million apprenticeships if they win the General Election next May.

Oldham’s roller derby team are gearing up and rolling their way towards Sweden to compete in a international tournament – which could see them crowned champions of Europe.

A Salford student nurse who spent his childhood in care has raised almost £2,000 for the NSPCC – after taking on a series of the most gruelling obstacle courses in the country.

The ‘good folk’ of Manchester and the city’s finest musicians have rallied together and drummed up almost £3,000 for Manchester Dogs’ Home which was gutted by a fire two weeks ago.

More than 15,000 undergraduates ditched their books for shopping bags as they flocked to the Trafford Centre’s record-breaking Student Lock-in yesterday.

A finance watchdog has warned 2,500 customers to stop paying three Bolton debt firms – or face losing their money.

A Bury unemployed welfare claimant nicknamed ‘Mr Bullshit’ scrounged an extra £100,000 from the taxpayer – by posing as a wheeler-dealer businessman.

A journalism student has bounced his way to victory with his third pogo-related Guinness World Record of the year, all in aid of raising cash for Manchester children’s hospital charity.

‘Kindness Kits’ are being rushed to schools across the city following the arrest of a 15-year-old boy who is being held on suspicion of setting the fire last night, which left more than 60 dogs dead