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.
