Manchester's infamous Counterfeit Street is to be bulldozed. In a radical move to smash what police say is a national magnet for criminality, buildings on Bury New Road in the Strangeways area are to be closed, compulsory purchased, and then flattened.
The move, is part of an operation to erase for good dozens of shops in the area which sell hooky clothing, perfume, tobacco and toys but are also believed to be a front for serious crime. GMP have established that 33 organised crime gangs from across the UK have links to the area.
Brazen selling of prescription drugs on the streets near the shops is a daily occurrence, and illegal immigration; modern-day slavery; women, being forced to work as sex workers, and the use of empty buildings for cannabis farms are rife in the district say police. Women walking through the area have reported being sexually harassed by men.
