A woman is still fighting for her life after she was caught in a horror smash on the M60, a devastated mum has spoken out claiming her teenage son was battered by a stranger in a random and unprovoked attack in Trafford, and with just days to go before Christmas, hundreds of police officers took to the city's streets as part of a huge crackdown on crime.
Here are the top stories from our website today.
'I felt sick, I was just screaming': Mum's horror after son 'battered by stranger in random attack'
A mum says her teenage son was battered by a stranger in a random and unprovoked attack in Trafford.
Tom Ryan went to pick his mother Lorraine up from a work night out in the early hours of December 19.
The pair were getting into a taxi on Flixton Road in Urmston, when a man approached them.
Lorraine says he grabbed her from behind and pulled her back.
When Tom asked what he was doing, the stranger swung for him, she added.
The 19-year-old was punched several times in the face and sustained injuries to his knee as he tried to get away.
Dozens of GMP officers smash into homes and arrest 14 in major Christmas crackdown
"You shouldn't be surprised if your door comes in on Christmas Day."
That's the tough message one of Greater Manchester's top cops has sent out to criminals this festive season.
With just days to go before Christmas, hundreds of police officers took to the city's streets as part of a huge crackdown on crime.
All across the city, doors were rammed, drugs and weapons were seized and arrests were made as part of a massive policing operation.
The day of action was part of Operation Avro, which sees GMP target criminals in a different borough each month.
Today (December 23), the focus was on Manchester and the M.E.N. was invited along to watch it all unfold first-hand.
Teenager arrested at Manchester Airport for attempted murder as mum and daughter fight for life
An 18-year-old man has been detained at Manchester Airport on suspicion of attempted murder.
It is the fourth arrest police have made following a horrific blaze in the Bentilee area of Stoke on Trent late on December 16.
As reported by StokeonTrentLive, care worker Sabrina Rushton, 31, and her 13-year-old daughter, Rubi-Mae Martin, both remain in hospital in a 'critical and stable' condition following the incident in Beverley Drive.
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "Officers have arrested a fourth man in connection with a house fire in Bentilee last week.
"An 18-year-old man from the Stoke-on-Trent area was arrested at Manchester Airport on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder.
"He has since been released on conditional police bail. Inquiries are continuing."
Woman, 21, left fighting for life in M60 horror smash
A woman has been left fighting for her life in hospital after she was involved in a horror smash on the M60.
The serious incident happened last Sunday, December 19, and involved three vehicles - including cars and a lorry.
One woman, aged just 21, who is now in a critical condition, had to be cut from her Vauxhall by fire crews after becoming trapped.
The other five sustained minor injuries.
The incident happened shortly after 7.30pm on the anti-clockwise stretch of the motorway between junctions 16 and 17, near the Clifton Interchange.
The motorway was closed overnight as emergency services investigated.
Drivers were stuck in queues for more three hours following the smash.
Huge queues seen across Manchester as shoppers flock to stores in Christmas Day rush
Turkeys are being collected, veg hoarded and cheese stockpiled by customers at food shops across Manchester, as the Christmas rush began in earnest today.
For those collecting orders from butchers on Thursday, queues were seen snaking down pavements with shop floors and high streets packed across the region with people hoping to get (only slightly) ahead of the anticipated Christmas Eve mayhem.
In Timperley, the legendary queue at Treadgold's Butchers was as epic as ever on Thursday though, as with last year, customers were masked up as they waited patiently outside in the chill December air.
One customer, Peter Cable, noted in a post to Facebook that despite arriving at a spritely 7.55am, he didn't manage to get away until gone 9am, but praised the local favourite for its 'great service, as always'.
Taylor's of Sale were also doing a roaring trade, with reports of waits of an hour and a half from the doors opening at 7.30am, with the queue coiled around the car park next door, off Northenden Road.
