Good afternoon, these are the latest lunchtime ECHO headlines.
Stalker's plot to 'destroy' man's life with hundreds of fake Instagram accounts
A stalker set out to "destroy" a man's life by sending messages to his girlfriend and married women pretending to be him.
Ian, who has asked only to be referred to be his first name, told how Annika Sands made his life a misery after she began stalking him online and waiting outside his gym.
Ian first met Sands in a pub in Oxton Village, Birkenhead, in November 2019 when she was on a work night out.
READ MORE: Masked men riding motorbike 'fire gun shots' at house
Thinking back to that night, Ian recalls chatting to Sands in the pub before one of her colleagues came up to him and warned "she's a f****** psycho" but he "thought it was a joke" at the time.
Read the full story here.
Concerns for children's safety after 'shots fired' close to primary school
Horrified parents are "worrying for their children's safety" after reports of shots being fired near a school.
Merseyside Police was called to Shaw Lane, Prescot, after shots were reportedly fired at a property on Wednesday.
One woman told the ECHO : "On the whole it's not a bad place to live but the few ruin it for the majority.
"It is worrying for the children."
Read the full story here.
Energy bills to rise by £693 as new price cap confirmed
Around 22 million households will see their energy bills soar from April 1.
The new energy price cap was announced today, revealing a huge bills hike for many families.
Ofgem brought the announcement forward by four days, with it initially set for Monday (February 7).
Read the full story here.
