As most families enjoyed a relaxing day in or trip to the sales on Boxing Day 2024, one couple who ventured out as part of an annual tradition were met with a horror discovery
A couple who embarked on what was meant to be a relaxing Boxing Day jaunt through the woods had their festive high “ruined” after they made a horrifying find.
The couple, who have remained anonymous, had set out on a festive walk “like we normally do” the morning after Christmas Day, heading towards the picturesque Stalybridge Country Park in Stalybridge, Tameside. The park offers views of the sweeping local countryside and a mixture of valleys and riversides to walk alongside.
At one point during their circular walk, the couple made their way down a cobbled road that served as an access route to the nearby Heywood power station, through which they could enter the park. But as they made their way through, they were horrified to find what looked like a human hand poking through the surrounding undergrowth.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the couple said their attention was initially drawn to some dumped drugs and fly-tipped litter. As they continued to look around the “rough and run-down” area, their eyes later settled on a “body sticking out from the undergrowth”.
The man said: “We set out for a festive walk in the morning like we normally do. We went by the canal then cut through the Heyrod Power Station which is a cobbled area that leads you to Stalybridge Country Park. The area is looking a bit rough and run down. The first thing we saw was a pile of cannabis – a grow had been dumped. There were other bits of litter that had been fly-tipped.
“Then there was this body sticking out from the undergrowth.” After looking at the horrifying find, they eventually discovered it wasn’t quite as bad as they initially thought – it was a discarded sex doll. The man continued: “On closer inspection it looked more like a mannequin. Then we saw it was a sex doll. It was a relief to find it wasn’t a body.”
Although they were relieved not to have happened upon a corpse, the couple’s walk was ultimately “ruined” as their conversation was for the remainder of their trip was dominated by the unceremoniously dumped marital aid. The man added: “People have been walking past it all the time. I am surprised the police have not been called.
“It ruined the walk because the conversation then turned to possible scenarios as to how it had finished up there. The tone of the walk was completely ruined. My girlfriend said ‘I can’t be doing this walk again’. Unfortunately we passed it twice as it was a circular walk. Where there is fly tipping you expect to see a fridge freezer, rubbish, but you don’t expect to see a sex doll.”