Good afternoon, these are the latest lunchtime ECHO headlines.
Swimmer missing in River Mersey after hottest day on record
Emergency services are searching for a missing person in the River Mersey.
Another swimmer raised the alarm after the person failed to return to shore during a swim at New Brighton. A spokesperson for the RNLI said that the search is still ongoing.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: "Shortly after 10:30 last night HM Coastguard responded to reports of a person in the water close to New Brighton. New Brighton Crosby and Dee coastguard rescue teams, and Mersey Police and Fire and Rescue Service have been sent to search the area.
READ MORE: Curtis Warren boasted to police about 'taking over' two weeks after release
"Hoylake Hovercraft, the New Brighton Lifeboat, Hoylake RNLI lifeboat, the coastguard rescue helicopter from Caernarfon and coastguard fixed wing aircraft from Doncaster have also been sent to help. The search is still ongoing."
Read the full story here.
Picket lines and parked buses as first day of indefinite Arriva strike begins
The first day of the Arriva bus strike has started today.
Images show picket lines and parked up buses outside of Arriva's main depot in Liverpool, as strikers walk out over a pay dispute. The strike started today (July 20) and will continue for the foreseeable future until an agreement is reached.
During the industrial action there will be no planned Arriva bus services operating within Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire or Cheshire, except for local Macclesfield services which will all run with the exception of service 38.
Read the full story here.
Lidl, Morrisons and Tesco shelves empty as shoppers snap up water and ice cream
Supermarket shelves across the region are completely bare following the heatwave.
Shelves usually filled with bottled water were empty and sales of fans, ice cream, paddling pools and burgers rocketed. In Liverpool, one shopper said he was unable to purchase deodorant or water at his local Home Bargains.
Pictures show shelves of water and fridges, usually full of lolly ices and ice cream, empty. Taking to Twitter, one shopper, Gail, tweeted: "Went to Asda yesterday and loads of the shelves were empty."
Read the full story here.
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