More than 50 customers had to be rescued by police after locked inside a counterfeit shop infested with rats in Cheetham Hill.
And surprisingly, this isn’t even the first time an incident like this has happened this month.
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 on patrol in the Cheetham Hill area this past Sunday (18 December) when they saw a man in his 60s trying to close the shutters of a premises on Great Ducie Street.
After determining the man was “acting suspiciously”, officers moved to detained him, before they then unlocked the doors of the premises and group of customers ran out.
GMP explained that, once the officers were inside the premises, officers found more members of the public locked inside a further three rooms on the second and third floor, with the number of trapped shoppers eventually totalling more than 50.
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They had been “locked in against their will” when the man had spotted the police, GMP confirmed.
As if that wasn’t bad enough as it is, during an initial search of the premises, officers also found excessive amounts of rat urine and faeces littered across the building – including on the shelves and all over clothing, underwear, and makeup that was being sold at the store.
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Then, in the basement of the premises, officers say they couldn’t see the floor for boxes and bags full of items, and they even found “incredibly dangerous infrastructure” and “signs of exploitative labour” too, such as an underground air conditioning system the staff had made by drilling holes into the pipes on the ceiling.
The Operation Vulcan team began a thorough search of the building, and two days later, they’re just finishing bagging items.
So far, an estimated 27tonnes of replica clothing, shoes, perfumes and make up have been seized.
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Police find more than 50 shoppers locked inside ‘rat-infested counterfeit shop’ in Cheetham Hill / Credit: GMP
“The state of this building was disgusting and so structurally unsafe,” explained Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood.
“My team found members of the public trapped on the top floor with no means of escape, and this isn’t the first time we’ve had to rescue members of the public from these buildings, but I urge people to think twice about entering these shops.
“With our presence increasing, the shop owners are becoming increasingly nervous and quick to lock the doors, no matter who is inside.
“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
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Women can now get the ‘morning after pill’ free on the NHS at high street pharmacies
Emily Sergeant
Women can now get the ‘morning after pill’ free of charge on the NHS in high street pharmacies across England.
As part of a major expansion of pharmacy services announced by the NHS in what is said to be the biggest change to sexual health services since the 1960s, the oral emergency contraception pill is now available for free to women from almost 10,000 pharmacies across the country without needing to see their GP or get an appointment at a sexual health clinic.
The initiative is part of a wider package of support for community pharmacies, helping people to get the care they need in ‘convenient’ and ‘familiar’ settings.
Dr Sue Mann, who is an NHS National Clinical Director in Women’s Health called this move a ‘game-changer’ in making reproductive healthcare more easily accessible for women.
“Instead of trying to search for women’s services or explain their needs, from today women can just pop into their local pharmacy and get the oral emergency contraceptive pill free of charge without needing to make an appointment,” she added.
From today, women in England can get the emergency contraceptive pill for free from pharmacies, without needing a GP appointment.
This is part of ongoing work to expand NHS services through community pharmacies.
Free morning after pills aren’t the only change to pharmacies’ services this week, as people who have been newly prescribed antidepressants will also be able to seek additional advice and support about their medication and healthy lifestyle changes from their local pharmacist too.
As well as over-the-counter support and treatment for minor health concerns, community pharmacy services can also supply medicines to treat common conditions.
All of these changes follow a record funding boost by the Government to pharmacies of £617 million over two years, which is supported by Community Pharmacy England.
“This is a major step forward that removes barriers of access to reproductive care that have let women down for too long,” commented Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock.
“Pharmacies play a central role in communities, trusted by local people and easy to access [and] that’s why it’s vital there are a wide range of services and medications available.
“These changes will make it easier for people to get the advice and medications they need, while also reducing unnecessary pressure on GPs.”
Featured Image – Rawpixel
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Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2022 
