Police probing the slaying of Wigan dad Liam Smith search 25 homes and businesses in a day

38 year-old Liam Smith, who was originally from Chorley and attended Holy Cross RC High School, was found dead near his home on Kilburn Drive, Shevington, on the evening of November 24 after being shot.

Police revealed at the time that a “potentially hazardous substance” was found on the businessman’s body, with members of the public who had direct contact with him urged to seek medical advice.

Risk levels were later lowered and it was concluded that both an acid and alkali had been poured over his remains.

The murder investigation has been called Operation Vestige and on Wednesday, December 28, Greater Manchester Police worked in partnership with Lancashire Constabulary to take action.

Specialist officers from both forces say they searched around 25 properties in Lancashire that investigators believe could provide positive leads in the murder investigation.

No details of what, if anything, was found and whether any arrests were made, have been disclosed.

"We will continue our investigation at full throttle, pushing forward to find the person(s) responsible and bring them to justice.

"We sincerely hope that the searches we have carried out can provide further information and provide us with positive lines of enquiry which we can pursue.

"GMP’s Major Incident Team (MIT) are continuing to urge anyone with any information to come forward. No matter how big or small you think your information is, this could benefit this investigation massively.”