Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is set to make a radical move to smash a “national magnet for criminality” by bulldozing parts of the infamous ‘counterfeit street’.
After decades of repeat raids to seize tonnes of counterfeit clothing and goods worth tens of millions of pounds, the police force has confirmed that buildings on Bury New Road in the Strangeways area of Manchester are to be closed, compulsory purchased, and then flattened – for good.
It’s all part of a new operation known as ‘Operation Vulcan’.
Operation Vulcan is setting out to shut down shops selling fake clothing, perfume, tobacco, and toys that are believed to be a front for serious crime, and comes after GMP has already stablished that 33 organised crime gangs from across the UK have links to the Cheetham Hill area.
The area is also known to have links to illegal immigration, modern-day slavery, human trafficking and women being forced to work as sex workers.
Police say the gangs also have links to mass money laundering, firearms, drugs, and more.
Greater Manchester Police is set to bulldoze Manchester’s infamous ‘counterfeit street’ / Credit: GMP
But now, the area’s reputation is set for a facelift as GMP is to work with Manchester City Council and other organisations to deliver “a permanent solution”.
“This comes directly from our Chief Constable. He has described Cheetham Hill as a place that is criminally hostile and he is not prepared to have that in his force area,” Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood, who is heading Operation Vulcan, told the Manchester Evening News.
“Counterfeiting has been around for a very long time but the criminality has shifted into prescription drugs [and] people being exploited sexually and for their labour, and illegal immigration – a microcosm of criminality.”
When asked if Operation Vulcan would eventually see the demolition of the buildings used for counterfeit sales and other crimes in the area, DS Blackwood confirmed this in the works.
“We are probably in the position of clear, hold, build. Clear it, and hold, so no one comes back, and then its Manchester City Council’s gift to give in terms of rebuilding. Most of those buildings will end up at the end of a bulldozer. Most unrecoverable, because they have been chopped and changed around.
“There has been a lack of consistency – we are there one day not the next, and that is where our chief has recognised that is a problem, so we will be there everyday.
“I have more patience than them.”
It’s all part of a new operation known as ‘Operation Vulcan’ / Credit: GMP
DS Blackwood said the aim of Operation Vulcan is not only to shut down counterfeit street, but also to pursue multiple prosecutions for other major offences.
“It needs to feel safe, it needs to be for the law-abiding community,” DS Blackwood said.
“We will do whatever it takes – arresting people for drug dealing, if they have premises – which a lot of them do – we will take it off them, and we will close it.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Northern is offering Greater Manchester students half-price train tickets for the entire academic year
Emily Sergeant
School students in Greater Manchester are to be offered 50% off their train tickets for the entire upcoming academic year.
Now that schools are out for the summer, train operator Northern is encouraging parents and guardians of schoolchildren who use the train to get to and from school to take advantage an early bird discount giving them 50% off tickets for the coming academic year.
The operator hopes that the discount will convince parents of children aged under 16 to ‘trust the train’ for their school run.
The half-price child season ticket for the 2025-26 academic year is available until 11:59pm this Thursday (31 July).
Season tickets for those under 16, and Year 11 students, that are purchased after this date will only be 40% off the normal child season ticket price, and term time tickets are to also become available from this date too.
Northern is offering Greater Manchester students half-price train tickets for the entire academic year / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | TPE
Any season tickets purchased will be delivered in time for the new school term in September.
The 50% off offer comes as Northern teams up with TransPennine Express to offer school children maximum flexibility – with education season tickets now valid on both operator’s services on a number of routes across the North.
“As we continue in our mission to make our railway accessible and as easy to use as possible, annual education season tickets are there to offer the best value for journeys to school and college,” commented Alex Hornby, who is the Commercial and Customer Director for Northern.
“We’re encouraging parents and guardians to take advantage of even bigger savings now before of the end of July, where the discounts available will reduce.
“Locking-in this earlybird discount with a season ticket not only saves a lot of money; it ticks one more thing off the back to school list and it means no more faffing around with day or weekly tickets too.”
Find more information and take advantage of the Education Season Tickets offer here.
Featured Image – Jonny Walton (via Northern)
News
More than 1,300 Clean Air Zone signs to finally be taken down across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A saga is finally coming to an end… the saga of Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone, that is.
The Clean Air Zone was to initially hand motorists daily charges of up to £60 for some of the most polluting vehicles on Greater Manchester‘s roads.
The Government agreed to delay the deadline for the scheme until 2026, but local leaders wanted to scrap all charges and help to fund vehicle upgrades instead.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) then set out evidence supporting an investment-led, and, crucially for residents and motorists, a non-charging Clean Air Plan back in June 2022 – which it said was ‘the best solution’ to address the roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) problem.
More than 1,300 Clean Air Zone signs to finally be taken down across Greater Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group | Flickr
And then, back in January of this year, it was confirmed that Greater Manchester’s plan for the introduction of a non-charging clean air zone had been backed by the Government.
More than 1,300 Clean Air Zone signs were installed across Greater Manchester at the start of the controversial scheme being initially proposed, as well as a total of 407 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
But while it was initially thought that this technology may go to waste, it was revealed in March 2023 that they were actually being used for an entirely different reason all together – detecting crime.
While the cameras are intended to stay in place and in use, the more than 1,000 signs are to be taken down.
“We’ve always been focused on doing what’s right for Greater Manchester, and by accelerating investment in our public transport network, we’re showing that it’s possible to improve air quality faster than if a charging Clean Air Zone had been introduced,” commented Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, who is the Clean Air lead for Greater Manchester.
“As we deliver our Clean Air Plan alongside the Bee Network, with support from the Government, we’ll roll out the UK’s first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system by the end of the decade and improve the air we all breathe for generations to come.”
Emily Sergeant -
25th October 2022 
