A long stretch of road nestled in the north of England is so riddled with crime and fake designer fodder, it has been nicknamed Counterfeit Street. At least 33 criminal gangs are linked to the area, with crimes such as money laundering, firearms, drugs, modern-day slavery and illegal immigration believed to be a regular occurrence.
There are dozens of shops selling a plethora of fake goods, from designer clothing to knock-off perfumes and colognes, electricals, handbags and shoes. This is Bury New Road, a five-mile thoroughfare stretching from the edge of Manchester's city centre to the northern suburbs.
The counterfeit goods industry is thought to cost the UK's economy £8bn a year, and some estimates reckon around half of that comes from this mile-long stretch of road outside Strangeways prison. But finally, police have pledged to clean-up Manchester's notorious 'Counterfeit Street' once and for all, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who has described Bury New Road as a 'disgrace', has vowed the area will be patrolled day and night under a 24/7 clampdown dubbed Operation Vulcan. Unsafe buildings could be compulsory purchased and demolished, while the 'full force' of GMP will be brought to bear on the gangs.
The Manchester Evening News visited Bury New Road on Monday morning to find out what legitimate business owners in the area think about the plans. For many the change can't come soon enough.
Worried about potential repercussions, every shopkeeper we spoke to did so only on the condition of anonymity.
"I'm sick and tired of it," said one small business owner, who has run a shop in the area for the last nine years. "It's getting worse.
"They (the drug dealers) stand right outside my door. I spoke to one of them one the other week. He threatened to burn the shop down.
"They're nasty people. It's not good for the customers and it's not good for the businesses.
"Come down here after 12pm and you'll see them all (the drug users). They get surrounded by dealers, they're fighting for their custom. The police do f*** all about it. They come at the wrong time."
Previous regimes have repeatedly raided the shops, seizing tonnes of counterfeit goods in the process. But that's barely put a dent in it.
When one shop was closed down another quickly sprung up in its place and trade continued with barely a hitch. What's changed now, however, is the relentless development of Manchester city centre.
In September a new £93m campus for Manchester College opened on the site of the old Boddington's Brewery around 200 yards away. Hundreds of flats will also be built on the former brewery as the city centre expands northwards beyond the inner ring-road.
Recently there have been reports of students and guests at the Travelodge next door being harassed. Women walking through the area have also told of being sexually harassed by the dealers and spotters - men employed to entice people into the counterfeit shops and alert those inside to police raids.
One business owner told the M.E.N. that kind of intimidation happened on a daily basis. He said he found it difficult to employ female members of staff because they were concerned about walking to and from work. He said: "The quicker they close (the counterfeit traders) down the better. It's intimidating.
"We've have a few girls not turn up for interview once they realised where we are based. One girl's mum called me up and said she wasn't going to let her take the job because she was worried about her daughter walking to work.
"When we go to a takeaway for lunch (the spotters) approach us. It's ridiculous.
"But the city centre is spreading out here now. They're building flats on the old Boddington's, Renaker is building towers across the road and the college has opened.
"You can't have all this here with that development going on. Students are getting harassed at the bus stop. It's got to go.
"But my question has always been why don't they go after the landlords? They close the shops down, but what about the landlords?"
Another business owner also welcomed the new hard-line approach, but questioned what would happen to the area's genuine businesses.
He said: "It needs doing. They need to grab everybody off the streets, drop all the buildings and develop it. Because at the minute if they close one shop, they just open up again in a different shop.
"There's so much money involved and so many people involved they can't stop it. The counterfeit clothes doesn't bother me - that happens all over the world.
"My biggest concern is the drugs. People dying from the tablets they're selling. But what will happen to the legitimate businesses? The vape shops, the cafes - they're all legit. What's going to happen to them?"
Speaking last week Chief Constable Stephen Watson said illegal enterprises had 'pushed aside' legitimate businesses on Bury New Road. Mr Watson said he wanted 'physically unsafe' buildings to be compulsory purchased, adding: "And if we can't make any use of that building, then perhaps they should be bulldozed because at that point, they can give rise to honest developers, people who might run legitimate businesses.
"We can bring some legitimate economic life back in that area for the people who live there."
Det Supt Neil Blackwood, who is heading Operation Vulcan said: "Op Vulcan is a relentless multi-agency operation to rid Cheetham Hill of the serious organised crime that has infected the area for decades. For too long, these gangs have felt invincible and out of reach, preying on vulnerable victims and bringing violent crime to our city. GMP will no longer stand by and let this happen.
"Working with our partners, local businesses and members of the community, we will revitalise Cheetham Hill, making it a safe and thriving place you’re proud to live and work in. Watch this space as GMP and partners take Operation Vulcan forwards together."
