More than £13,000 and a large amount of counterfeit clothing and goods have been seized by police after yet more raids in Cheetham Hill.
It may be a new year, but stories like this one are still the same it seems.
Once again, as part of Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) ongoing ‘Operation Vulcan’ – which is a mission to crackdown on the sale of counterfeit and hit the finances of the gangs operating out of the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways areas of Manchester – officers were out conducting high visibility patrols when they were stopped by a panicked boy who said his mum had been locked inside a shop on Harris Street.
It came after the ‘spotters’ – which are people paid to keep watch and alert illegitimate business owners of approaching officers – had told the shop owner that police were patrolling the area.
After the boy alerted them, officers then forced entry under section 17 – which is an emergency warrant granted to preserve life – and rescued the mum and a further 20 people who had been trapped inside by the shopkeepers spooked by the police presence.
ADVERTISEMENT
Police then carried out a full search of the building.
More than £8,000 cash and two large floors of counterfeit clothing were found inside.
ADVERTISEMENT
GMP has confirmed that two men, aged 26 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit trademark offences at the premises, and their arrest then led to three further locations being searched.
These subsequent searches resulted in a further £5,000 cash being recovered and a large amount of counterfeit clothing being seized.
Both males were interviewed and have been bailed with conditions.
Harris Street off Bury New Road in Cheetham Hill / Credit: Google Maps
“We’ve heard whispers that the illegitimate shop owners thought Operation Vulcan was just a short-lived operation over Christmas, and that in the new year, all would be forgotten,” Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood said.
“I hope this weeks action will demonstrate that Operation Vulcan is here to stay.
“My team and I will be relentlessly pursuing anyone who decides to commit criminality in this area. The illicit money made from the counterfeit items funds serious organised crime, and we will do everything in our power to strip criminals of their finances and reinvest it back into communities across Manchester.
“This latest seizure will make a dent in finances of the serious organised crime gangs operating in the area, but I’d like to take this time to again emphasise the danger that members of the public are in when they shop here.”
ADVERTISEMENT
DS Blackwood has previously warned shoppers that they are “at risk”.
After one of December’s Operation Vulcan raids, DS Blackwood said: “By entering these shops, not only are you putting yourself in danger and at risk of the volatile staff, but you’re funding serious organised crime which is having a devastating impact on the local community.
“These people do not care for your welfare – they’re simply trying to make some quick cash.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2023 
