Nazi-linked graffiti scrawled by Marine Lake
Racist graffiti has become a common problem in other areas of Sefton recently
Hello and welcome to the first edition of The Southport Lead of 2026.
On Wednesday, we looked back at 2025 and after the disruption of the festive period we return to normal service today. Predictions are always hard to make but one thing I’m expecting to see, with a heavy heart, is the political environment becoming more toxic.
Many leading politicians seem to be in a race to the bottom to sew hatred and division and use any tactic possible to make their opponents look bad. There’s a short-termism that makes little sense given it means that for many of these people they’ll be inheriting a political system which is too toxic and too broken to have anything achieved when these tactics have become commonplace.
But more importantly than that for those affected by the targeting of minorities is the hatred spilling out into the streets. We’ve seen this up and down the country throughout 2025 and earlier and after Nazi-inspired graffiti was found in Southport, one leading local figure is warning that worse could be coming in 2026.
The Southport Lead marks its one-year anniversary in January so to celebrate we’re offering 30% off monthly and annual subscriptions for the entire month. That means you can get an annual subscription for just £34.30 or pay £3.49 a month, a little more than the cost of two hours’ parking in Southport town centre. Use this link to take advantage of the offer.
Southport briefing
🚓 A Southport teenager has been charged over a PS5 and a bottle of vodka were stolen in a burglary. Police said two balaclava-clad males ran into a flat in Birkenhead at around 10pm on New Year’s Eve before threatening the occupants with a machete. Four people were later arrested in Poulton and officers recovered the console and a machete. Four people were arrested and 18-year-old Leighton Conlan, of Bakersfield Drive, was charged alongside a 16-year-old boy from Litherland with aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit a burglary with intent to steal. Two women, aged 18 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of the same charges and have been released on bail.
🏅A neurosurgeon, medical director and lollipop are among the local recipients in the King’s New Year’s Honours. Jennifer Turner, who works as a school crossing patrol officer, was given an OBE for services to road safety, while Professor Paul May received an MBE for services to charitable fundraising and to neurosurgery, and Dr Graeme Allan was recognised with a BEM for his services to the community in Southport.Dr Allan is best known for his role as Volunteer Medical Director, Southport Macmillan Centre and more recently taking the helm as the Cancer Lead GP in Sefton. Dr Allen, who has worked as volunteer medical director at Southport Macmillan Centre and is a former Cancer Lead GP, said: “I am truly humbled and somewhat overwhelmed by the many messages of support via Facebook and email, letters and phone calls that I have received. It is emotional enough to hear from colleagues and peers, but appreciation and kind comments from previous patients, service users and their families have been even more moving.”
Also recognised were Merseyside Police chief constable Rob Carden and Trish Bennett, chief executive of the trust which runs Southport Hospital, while commendations were given to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory team which helped Merseyside Police investigate the Southport Attack.
‘Darker turn’ warning after Nazi graffiti left by Marine Lake
By Jamie Lopez
Graffiti linked to Adolf Hitler and a Russian Neo-Nazi group has been found near Marine Lake.
The scrawled messaging has prompted a warning over the potential for extremists to be emboldened in the immediate future, with one councillor warning that local politics “could be about to take a darker turn”.
Spraypainted messages left near the lake appear to include a crudely drawn Swastika and also the number 88 and the letters NS/WP.
The number 88 has long been linked to Nazism, having become shorthand for ‘Heil Hitler’ through each ‘8’ representing H as the eighth letter of the alphabet. The association is recognised greatly enough that it is banned from Austrian licence plates and is regularly referenced in guides to far-right and white supremacy symbolism.
In 2020, a Sky History carpentry talent show co-hosted by Lee Mack was axed when viewers noticed that one contestant had an ‘88’ tattoo on his face. He initially claimed the number referenced the year of his father’s death, only for journalists to track down his dad who was very much alive.
