Returning to England's bleak midwinter after a new year sojourn in the warmth of north Africa is a grey enough prospect on its own. For Richard Shackleton, though, the homecoming will be doubly difficult.
He will arrive back in Westhoughton, near Bolton, today to discover that not only has his pristine house burnt down, but also that the flames disclosed a sophisticated cannabis farm that has attracted the interest of Greater Manchester police.
It is thought that Shackleton, a joiner, knows nothing about the fire; his mobile phone is switched off and he and his girlfriend are in Morocco. According to neighbours, the couple had gone there for the new year to celebrate the end of their three-year project to renovate the £115,000 house.
Shackleton's mother, Elaine, said she was "shocked and somewhat confused" by the fire, but would not ruin her son's fun. "I just can't believe it," she said. "But we're not going to tell him about it yet - we're going to let him finish his holiday."
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