These are the latest Liverpool ECHO headlines this morning.
Man who woke up paralysed finally returns home after five years
An Everton fan who woke up paralysed has made a "remarkable recovery" as he moved home five years after life-saving surgery.
Alan Huxley woke up one morning feeling like he couldn't breathe properly, but things got so bad he needed to call an ambulance. At hospital he was diagnosed with sepsis, pneumonia and a form of MRSA and was placed in an induced coma.
But four days later, he woke up and was unable to move from the shoulders down. Subsequent tests showed he had two potentially deadly abscesses on his spine and needed surgery. This has left him paralysed and he has been stuck in hospitals and care homes since.
READ MORE: Mum, 22, was 'most beautiful and gentle' person before sudden death
But almost five years on, the 54-year-old has returned to his own home, after an emotional 'guard of honour' from staff and carers at Priory's Cleveland House care home in Southport. The dad-of-three will now embark on a new chapter in a purpose-built bungalow in Speke.
Alan said: "When I collapsed, I was at home in my flat, and was in a coma. I had abscesses down my spine which I needed surgery to remove, which left me disabled.
"When I came to Priory, I was given a physio who stabilised me. They got me sorted. It has been hard, really, really hard. But I wanted to prove to people I could make this recovery." Read the full story here.
Mum stole thousands of pounds from hospice after falling victim to romance scam
A charity shop manager stole thousands of pounds from a hospice after falling victim to an online romance scam.
Claire Starkey pinched the cash from the St John's Hospice branch where she worked, having been left struggling to pay her bills due to the swindle. The mum-of-two walked free from court yesterday, Tuesday.
Joanne Cronshaw, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that the 47-year-old was the manager of the charity's shop on Upton Road in Claughton. But checks carried out by an IT support worker revealed a total of 38 "unbanked" transactions between January and March this year.
READ MORE: Man stabbed multiple times by gang in alleyway
Starkey, of Strathlorne Close in Rock Ferry, claimed that the safe was "faulty" and she had not been able to access money when this issue was raised with her. The area manager attended the store in order to assist her, but when she arrived she was falsely told that the cash had already been collected by a security company.
But CCTV footage revealed that this had not been the case, and the defendant admitted to the Higher Bebington hospice's marketing manager what she had done. Overall, Starkey had stolen a sum of £3,989.88 from the good cause. Read more here.
Five fire engines rush to huge house blaze
A road is closed after five fire engines rushed to the scene of a huge house blaze.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Hale Road at 8.28pm on Tuesday, November 1, following reports of a large house fire. Five fire engines from Cheshire and Merseyside arrived at the scene shortly after and found a large detached house well alight.
Crews got to work fighting the fire and requested help from Merseyside Police, who closed the road between Ramsbrook Lane and Eastern Avenue while emergency services work at the scene.
READ MORE: First picture of woman suspected of murder after dad stabbed to death
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said the don't believe anybody was inside the property at the time of the blaze. Firefighters are using hose reel jets and are said to have made "good progress" in the three hours they have been at the scene.
The North West Ambulance Service have not been called to the scene, and one firefighter is wearing breathing apparatus "for their own comfort". Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service are asking people to avoid the area while crews work at the scene. Read the full story here.
