On a May afternoon, families are walking their little ones home from school, as others natter to their neighbours from their front yard. These terraced streets are a community like any other.
But by night, residents living around Rosedale Road, a street which runs into an alley on the border of Fallowfield and Moss Side, say they feel 'trapped' in their own homes.
Last Sunday an 18-year-old man was rushed to hospital with serious injuries following a stabbing on Rosedale Road, the third time they've been called to an attack in the vicinity this year. Following the stabbing, officers cordoned off the alley section.
It's this alleyway, not far from where Manchester City's former Maine Road stadium once stood, where anti-social behaviour and crime, the stench of cannabis and the sound of fighting, is becoming the norm, according to locals who spoke to the Manchester Evening News.
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Residents - many speaking anonymously for fear of being targeted - paint a picture of intimidation and growing fear. One man, who has lived on Middleham Street since the 1990s, says what's happening is typical of many areas - but has been getting worse.
"You would be hard pressed to find somebody living around here who would be shocked at the news somebody has been stabbed or attacked," he starts. "I have raised two sons here, and feel that we actually have a close community, but antisocial behaviour is rife.
"We would all like to see more security cameras and lighting around here, especially that alley there, because it would be a deterrent for these people who think they can get away with whatever they are up to."
Meanwhile, an elderly homeowner who has lived in her Dorset Avenue home for 50 years told the M.E.N that she no longer leaves the house at night, leaving her feeling 'trapped'.
"Many years ago, we could walk to see our friends at night. It used to be safe, but now, I stay behind my door or I'd have to be looking over my shoulder. It makes you feel trapped.
"It used to be such a nice area but now the alleyway attracts so many crimes as its an easy getaway. I live on my own and was quite fearful, so got a dog to feel safer.
"More cameras in the area would definitely be one solution because we could see what's going on. I've been thinking of putting cameras outside my own house because I've had rocks thrown at my window so many times.
"I'm just behind all the shops where gangs hang out, and you can just smell weed all the time, it's just awful, it stops me being able to sit in my backyard. I feel sorry for my neighbours who are bringing up such young children.
"The biggest problem is the stabbings and the violence, it's really quite frequent. It's happening so much more that you just get used to it now. These days I stay in because you just don't know you you can bump into or what they could do to you."
Others have spoken of their desire to move away from the area after they have been 'threatened' at their own front doors. Another told the M.E.N: "That alleyway is a public walkthrough but there is constant crime. There are no cameras or lighting at all, despite residents asking for it, and then another stabbing happens.
"This has just gone on far too long and people are fed up with it, they have had enough. It has got a lot worse over the last 12 months, gangs with balaclavas with weapons. It is just relentless."
It is not just those living on these streets that are witnessing the spike in crime either, with local businesspeople also exposed. One shop owner also described large groups of young men wearing balaclavas on the streets, adding: "There are stabbings or attacks left right and centre, it never used to be like this.
"People come into the shop telling us about it, many of them have lived here for 40 or 50 years, and feel they have no option but to move because it's gotten so bad and frightening for them."
Councillor Mahadi Mahamed, Assistant Executive Member for Family Poverty told the M.E.N more patrols had been requested for the area. "We are aware of the issues raised by our residents and are very saddened by the recent incidents in the area," he said.
"Though we agree that crime might have increased at this time of the year as it often does during the summer, we have had no information from GMP to indicate that crime in general has gone up in Moss Side. We believe some of the burglaries and ASB issues in that part of the Ward (around Dorset Avenue) were perpetrated by an individual who we believe is now in police custody.
"We are constantly engaging with our partners including GMP to reassure our residents and support them in any way we can. We have asked GMP for more patrols in the area, with focus on knife crime and drug dealing.
"We have recently installed CCTV cameras in some parts of the area in order to help us tackle crime. Although we would have liked to extend this to all areas affected by crime in the area, we currently do not have funding for this but we are trying our best to identify where we can find further funding to support this.
"We will continue to work with our partners to tackle youth crime and improve the safety of the area."
Approached for comment, Greater Manchester Police said CCTV and house to house enquiries were ongoing following the recent stabbing, and that no arrests had been made yet.
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