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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Lyell Tweed

Slow walkers, performers, fake mice! We asked Mancunians the one thing they'd ban from the city centre if they could

Walking slow down Market Street, loose paving slabs that splash muddy water all over your shoes... pigeons. Everyone's got a gripe or three with Manchester City Centre.

While our town has an awful lot going for it - great nightlife, great museums, incredible food - if we're honest, we could all pick at least one thing we find just awful.

Swansea in south Wales has actually gone there and banned swearing from it's city centre.

READ MORE: The Greater Manchester street so haunted you had to sign a WAIVER to move there

New Public Space Protection Orders will be coming into force, outlawing drug-taking, drunkenness, going to the toilet in public - and foul language.

So we asked Mancunians what's the one thing they would ban from the city centre given the chance.

As always our readers delivered... and here is what you suggested.

Firstly, what did people make of banning 'excessive swearing'? Donna Hutton simply said: "Blimey, they'd be millionaires in no time."

Simon Ruddy agreed that banning swearing in Manchester would probably be easier said than done: "Not excessive swearing …. It’s part of the everyday vocabulary," with Ed Warwick adding: "I best stay away from Swansea then!"

One unpopular habit that people definitely want to see the back of is spitting. Several commented that this should be clamped down on labelling it 'disgusting'.

Mancheter's notorious Market Street (Mark Waugh)

Iris Breakwell lamented: "Spitting, I remember notices on buses stating 'SPITTING IS AN OFFENCE FIXED PENATLY FINE £5.00'. Should be displayed everywhere again," with Hayley Starkey saying: "Spitting, like the footballer’s do, eeeeeewwww, should be fined and the money given to charity. Dirty habit."

Eleanor Galvin simply put: "Spitting it’s a disgusting habit and people should be fined."

David Chad kept it simple, saying: "Piccadilly 'Gardens' in their current state", while others opted simple for "smoking".

Vincent Paul Jones had a very particular gripe in mind.

He said: "I would ban the man who stood outside C&A with the magic mouse that ran up his arm.

"After parting with my 2/6d, returning home and unwrapping the packaging, I found a lump of misshapen wax with a piece of string attached.

Some have had enough of pigeons (Getty)

"Sixty years on I still feel the trauma of being ripped off.

"If your still there, mouse man, I want my half a crown refunding!"

Others said they would give slow walkers down Market Street the elbow, while Daniel Alonso would outlaw "any sort of performing" on one of Manchester's busiest streets.

Tracey Trickett was more specific, stating: "People who walk on the right or in the middle of the pavement!"

The compassion of the city was also clear when people called for homelessness to be banned.

Phil Grimshaw said: "What would I ban in Manchester. Homeless. In is day and age know one should have to sleep in doorways on benches under bridges."

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