Woodhead Pass CLOSED to some vehicles amid windy weather

April has begun with heavy rain across Greater Manchester and around the country. Our region has enjoyed some pleasant weather over the Easter bank holiday weekend so far.

The M.E.N recently reported on the scale of demand for high school places in Trafford, the only Greater Manchester borough which still has a state grammar school system decided by the 11-plus exam. Here, the M.E.N's Damon Wilkinson writes about how Trafford came to be the only borough in our region which kept a selective school system which defined post-war Britain - but only survives in a few parts of the country today.

The one thing that can make a long bank holiday weekend better is when the sun comes out, and it looks like Greater Manchester is in for a treat - for now. After a spell of wet and windy weather earlier this week, the region is enjoying some pleasant sunshine.

The Department of Works and Pension's (DWP) Cold Weather Payment scheme comes to an end today (March 31) following a chilly winter that saw hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people handed extra cash.

Greater Manchester has woken up to a sunny Saturday morning as we enter the Easter weekend.

Tui has issued guidance for passengers flying from Manchester Airport during its ongoing £1.3billion transformation. Terminal 2 doubled in size following the first phase of the transformation and work started on the second phase in January last year.

A mix of sunshine and showers is forecast for Greater Manchester over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Actor Wunmi Mosaku is the star of ITV's upcoming crime thriller series, Passenger, which is set to air at 9pm on Sunday, March 24 on ITV1. Wunmi plays the lead role of Riya Ajunwa, a Former Met Police Detective who investigates a number of strange crimes that have sent the fictional small Northern town of Chadder Vale into a frenzy. The first series focuses on a young local girl who disappears without a trace, only to reappear a mere 24 hours later.Then, as further mysterious happenings and more sinister crimes take place, Riya must try and convince the residents that darker forces might be at play.

Winter is officially over - but you're still going to need your big coat in Greater Manchester. The region is gearing up for the first weekend of spring since the March equinox.

Airline Jet2 has issued a warning to holidaymakers jetting off to holiday hotspot Majorca. The airline has warned today (March 16) that there is currently ‘maintenance work’ taking place at Majorca (Palma) Airport that is likely to cause delays.

A ‘volatile’ career criminal grabbed a blind man’s head before pushing him into some bins and stealing more than £600 from him during a shocking attack in Piccadilly Gardens.

‘Human error’ has been blamed for Metrolink passengers being fined — even though they had paid for a ticket.

Heavy rain is expected to fall on Manchester and around the North West - with a string of flood warnings in force. Areas including Warrington and the Lancashire coast have been hit by a number of flood warnings by the Environment Agency today (March 13).

The theatre company behind Oldham Coliseum has announced its spring and summer programme will be staged at a pop-up theatre. Its comes almost a year after the organisation bid farewell to its home on Fairbottom Street after losing its Arts Council England funding.

Three men have been found guilty of murder after a teenage boy was stabbed to death. Callum Riley, 17, was lured to the family home of a drug dealer who he had become embroiled in a feud with, prosecutors said.

Fans of the Five Guys burger chain have been defending the firm amid a row over its free peanuts. Anyone who's been to one of the diners will have noticed they have big boxes of nuts that customers can munch on during their visit.

Wythenshawe bus station in south Manchester was closed this morning following a 4am assault which left a man with serious head injuries.

Manchester Airport experienced its busiest February on record as 1.9million passengers flew into or out of the northern travel hub last month. The half term holidays provided a huge boost with more than half of those passengers travelling during the school holiday period.

Manchester Airport is celebrating another monthly passenger number milestone - its third on the spin. And bosses said that at the same time, every passenger travelling through queued for less then 15 minutes before reaching security.

The Saturdays star Mollie King has officially began her gruelling 500 km cycle ride from London to Hull - and she’ll be making her way through Greater Manchester later this week.