Live updates for Greater Manchester and east Cheshire have finished for the day, but we'll be back from 08:00 on Friday with more of the day's news, sport, travel and weather.

Lucy Martin
BBC Weather

Overnight it will stay cloudy, with further patchy light rain and drizzle for some, particularly over the hills.

The cloud cover will keep the temperatures from falling too far, with most places staying frost-free. Highs of 9C.

More from BBC weather

Bury North Conservative MP David Nuttall has told the Commons that prisoners are pretending to find God in jail so they stand a better chance of being released on parole. 

He says convicts who claim to have become Christians should have their religious faith monitored on release to make sure they aren't "playing the system". 

Speaking for the Church of England, Conservative MP Dame Caroline Spelman says chaplains are skilled at identifying criminals who are stringing them along. 

Police are appealing for two witnesses to a crash in Royton to come forward. 

Image source, Google

Brian Croxon, 77, died after being hit on Sandy Lane. 

He was helped by two women, who may have been wearing healthcare uniforms, police said. 

A 23-year-old woman was arrested on 17 December on suspicion of careless driving, failing to stop and report a collision. She has since been bailed. 

• Four of the six victims of a fatal road crash in Saudi Arabia include a baby boy and his grandparents from Manchester, the BBC understands
• More than 200 reports of historical sex abuse against 83 young footballers are being investigated by Cheshire Police
• A school where pupils were reportedly leaving at break times to take illegal substances has been put in special measures

Four of the six victims of a fatal road crash in Saudi Arabia included a baby boy and his grandparents from Manchester, the BBC understands.

Image source, Getty Images

Levenshulme-based travel firm Haji Tours said the victims included Muhammad Adam Anis - a baby boy who was less than a year old - and his three grandparents, Khurshid and Noshina Ahmed, and Rabia Ahmed.

The baby's mother was also injured in the crash.

The members of the Manchester family were among six Britons killed in a road crash after having completed the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca.

The fatal victims also included a Glasgow couple - named as Mohammad and Talat Aslam - who had five children.

It is believed they were travelling in a bus, which had 12 people on board, to visit the Prophet Muhammad's mosque in the city of Medina.

Unlike the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Umrah is not considered an obligatory act in Islam and can be performed at any time of the year.

Greater Manchester Fire Service is going to recruit 100 new firefighters in the next year and it says it is particularly keen to sign up women and ethnic minorities. 

The figure is five times higher than in recent years due to an increase in older officers retiring. 

The remains of 255 bodies, unearthed in a forgotten graveyard during Metrolink works, were interred at Manchester’s Southern Cemetery earlier today.

The remains, discovered under Cross Street in Manchester city centre, date from around the 1720s to the 1850s in early 2013.

Seven sealed lead coffins were buried at Southern Cemetery in 2015, with the final burials taking place today.

A school where it is not known where some pupils are at break or dinner times has been put into special measures.

Image source, Google

New Park School in Eccles, Salford, was criticised in the Ofsted review, external over its safeguarding arrangements and delays in reporting concerns.

It was also criticised for failing to give its 91 pupils an "acceptable standard of education".

The school said it is taking "swift action" to address issues.

The RSPCA has launched an appeal to help them build a new animal rescue centre in Oldham.

Image source, Google

The charity's bought a building on Holgate Street - next to the Strinesdale Country Park - but they need to find around £1.7m to convert it. 

The Oldham, Bury and District branch have the funding to get the project started - but they need around £200,000 to complete the work.

Crime is up in England and Wales after fraud and cyber offences were included in the figures for the first time.

Image source, PA

The Office for National Statistics says there were 11.8 million incidents in the 12 months to September, a year-on-year increase of 8%. 

Greater Manchester's Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd says the figures also reveal the region is second in the UK for serious violent and sexual offences. 

• A family from Manchester is thought to be among six Britons who have been killed in a road crash in Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Office says

• More than 200 reports of historical sex abuse against 83 young footballers are being investigated by Cheshire police

• A school where it is not known where some pupils are at break or dinner times has been put into special measures

Aston Villa are understood to be finalising a deal to sign teenage defender Jacob Bedeau from League One side Bury.

Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News

A young wife stabbed her husband’s teenage mistress, external after discovering they met up whilst she sat with their gravely ill baby in a Manchester hospital.

The Foreign Office is providing consular assistance to relatives of six Britons who have been killed in a road crash in Saudi Arabia. 

"We are supporting the families of six British people who have sadly died following a road accident in Saudi Arabia," a spokesman said.

"We are also helping several more British nationals who were injured in the crash," they added.

"Our thoughts are with the victims and their families at this very difficult time."

It is thought those involved, included a family of four from Manchester, and they had been in Saudi Arabia as part of the Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims at any time of the year. 

Six Britons have been killed in a road crash in Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Office says.

Image source, Getty Images

It is understood the group were killed in a minibus crash as they were on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Four members of a family from Manchester, and a couple from Glasgow, are thought to have died in the accident.

Several other Britons on the bus, which had 12 people on board, were injured.

Four members of a family from Manchester are thought to be among 6 Britons who have been killed in a road crash in Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Office says. 

BBC Radio Manchester Sport

BBC Radio Manchester understands that Aston Villa are finalising a bid believed to be in the region of £750,000 for Bury's Jacob Bedeau.

Shakers Manager Chris Brass says he believes at least one of his young players will leave the club by the end of the January transfer window.

BBC Weather

A mainly dry cloudy and grey afternoon with the odd spot of drizzle. Highs of 9C.

A total of 282 secondary schools in England have been deemed to be failing by the government, as they have not met a new set of national standards.

Here's a list of the local authorities and the percentage of their schools not meeting the government's targets:

• Oldham – 13 schools, 5 underperforming (38.5%)
• Stockport – 13 schools, 2 underperforming (15.4%)
• Cheshire East – 21 schools, 3 underperforming (14.3%)
• Salford – 14 schools, 2 underperforming (14.3%)
• Tameside – 15 schools, 2 underperforming (13.3%)
• Manchester – 25 schools, 3 underperforming (12%)
• Bolton – 17 schools, 2 underperforming (11.8%)
• Trafford – 18 schools, 2 underperforming (11.1%)
• Bury – 13 schools, 1 underperforming (7.7%)
• Wigan – 18 schools, 1 underperforming (5.6%)
• Rochdale – 12 schools, 0 underperforming (0%)
• Warrington – 12 schools, 0 underperforming (0%)