Residents living in the central Ancoats area have spoken out to shed light on the ongoing acts of antisocial behaviour that they believe is ruining their neighbourhood.
Some homeowners have said that continuous loud music being played, littering and street drinking has taken over the area’s popular Cutting Room Square and it is turning one the most desirable neighbourhoods in Manchester into “the new Piccadilly Gardens”.
Antisocial behaviour in the area is reported to have significantly risen during the past few months of lockdown amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
One resident – who spoke to the Manchester Evening News but did not wish to be named – claims that groups of people from outside the area have taken advantage of the open outdoor spaces to get drunk and play loud music all hours of the day.
These claims come after images and videos surfaced on social media following May Bank Holiday weekend, which showed dozens of people congregating in Cutting Room Square – sparking concerns after there appeared to be a visible lack of social distancing – and leaving hundreds of items of litter behind them.
Spent the day despairing of the reprobates gathering in Cutting Room Square, Ancoats all day today. 36K deaths, 261K infections, but infinitely more selfish people that live only for themselves. Only silver lining was the community + NAM restaurant coming together to clean it up. pic.twitter.com/x8UpDZyHZj
— MaximilianCarstensen (@_MaxInAMillion_) May 25, 2020
The resident said: “This year I have seen a lot of changes with the way lockdown has affected the type of people coming into Ancoats and being disrespectful. I think it started when lockdown began to ease and people could go outside, probably around late May. We noticed a lot more people being in Cutting Room Square that were perhaps not from round here.”
“It’s the drinking, noise and behaviour to people walking through the square that’s the worst,”
“These people are still coming to the square but may not be buying from businesses who own the square, and are instead bringing their own drinks.
“People have been urinating in doorways and stairways and openly do drugs.
“I understand that I live in the city centre and it’s going to be noisy, but these people are coming in groups of more than six – which is not allowed. They are drinking and then deciding who should drive the car which is dangerous for everyone in the area not just them.”
The resident also said that his friends and neighbours have been verbally abused, and that some have received homophobic abuse, which is behaviour he has “not really seen round here before”.
He said that the behaviour has made him consider moving from the area and he is worried his flat could lose value.
The resident continued: “I work from home and even during the day there are groups of people out there drinking Budweiser at 11am in the morning. It could definitely become the new Piccadilly Gardens and it’s a shame for everyone who lives here, but particularly the businesses.”
“It’s quite scary at times – on a weekend we have gone outside the square for food and drinks because we didn’t want to be involved in that,”
“It has made me consider moving from Ancoats and that has never crossed my mind before.”
FOR INFORMATION- There is currently a section 35 dispersal order in place in Cutting Room square, Ancoats. Police will actively be inforcing this order if members of the public are engaging in antisocial behaviour in the square. Many thanks
— GMP – Newton Heath (@GMPNewtonHeath) June 13, 2020
Manchester City Council say they are aware of reports of antisocial behaviour in the area, and are working with Greater Manchester Police to tackle the issue.
Councillor Nigel Murphy – Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council – said: “We are aware of reports of antisocial and criminal activity in the Cutting Room Square area and are working in partnership with Greater Manchester Police to tackle this unacceptable behaviour.
“We’re committed to ensuring that residents can enjoy using the square without being subjected to verbal abuse and antisocial street drinking. The council has a dedicated team working with partners and residents to investigate and take appropriate action. We would welcome any new information that would help us to identify the individuals responsible – for example, descriptions, vehicle details and registration plates.”
Residents are urged to report incidents of antisocial behaviour, via www.manchester.gov.uk, or to contact the Police if any criminal activity is witnessed.
News
Police appealing for information about missing teenage girl from Stockport
Danny Jones
As detailed in the official appeal by Stockport Police, the white female was wearing black shorts, a red top and a black long-sleeve zip-up before she went missing.
Measuring roughly 5’2″ in height, she has long brown hair and had it tied at the time of her last sighting.
Writing on Facebook, fellow Stopfordian residents wrote, “Her parents are very worried about her. Please share”, and “Please keep your eye out for Freya. Very kind-hearted girl. Let’s get her home safely.”
Helping spread the news on social media, GMP went on to add: “Officers are concerned about Freya and want to ensure she is safe and well.”
The post has been shared in Stockport towns such as Bredbury, Hazel Grove and Marple, as well as further across Greater Manchester and the North West in hopes of tracking her down.
Anyone with any info they think might be of use should call 101 ASAP, quoting 3495 of 17/08/25.
Alternatively, you can get in touch with the anonymous referral service Crimestoppers online, or over the phone via 0800 555 111.
Last but not least, if you have urgent information regarding anyone’s safety or a crime being committed, please dial 999 immediately.
Three Greater Manchester boroughs named in UK’s top 10 fly-tipping hotspots
Emily Sergeant
Three Greater Manchester boroughs have unfortunately claimed place in the list of the UK’s top 10 fly-tipping hotspots.
There’s absolutely no denying that fly-tipping has becoming an increasing issue in recent years, with the UK’s rubbish problem piling up… literally. And now new analysis of Government data has revealed that councils in England dealt with more than 2.7 million fly-tipping incidents in the past year.
In theory, this is the equivalent of more than 7,397 illegal dumps every single day.
The research, which has been conducted by garage clearance company, Rainbow Rubbish Removals, ranked local authorities on the scale of their littering crisis, looking at the number of waste and land incidents, as well as the total amount of fines issued.
This was all in a bid to find out who has earned the unwelcome title of Britain’s fly-tipping capital – and it’s not pleasant news for Greater Manchester.
Three Greater Manchester boroughs have been named in the UK’s top 10 fly-tipping hotspots / Credit: Alan Stanton (via Flickr)
Thankfully though, while three boroughs in our region have found themselves on the top 10 list, they’re not right near the top and actually claim the last three places – with Oldham at number eight, Manchester at number nine, and Bolton in the tenth spot.
Oldham recorded 479.28 fly-tipping incidents per 10,000 residents, Manchester recorded 348.36, and Bolton had 503.36.
While Bolton recorded the most incidents out of the three local regions, it actually dished out the least amount of fines for the incidents, hence why it falls below below Oldham and Manchester.
Claiming the non-so-favourable title of the UK’s fly-tipping capital is Lewisham.
Top 10 Fly-tipping Hotspots in the UK
Lewisham
Newcastle
Westminster
Peterborough
Newham
Hammersmith and Fulham
Brent
Oldham
Manchester
Bolton
Several other boroughs in London also found themselves in the top 10, with Westminster, Newham, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Brent all featuring.
“Fly-tipping isn’t just an ugly blot on the landscape, it’s a stubborn public health risk and an environmental time bomb,” commented Miroslav Radov, who is a waste expert at Rainbow Rubbish Removals.
“Our findings reveal a worrying pattern in big cities, especially London [and Greater Manchester].
“If action isn’t stepped up, these areas could become permanent dumping grounds, with taxpayers footing the clean-up bill year after year.
“Solving this crisis means more than just sweeping up the mess – it calls for tougher penalties that bite, more accessible waste disposal options, and a cultural shift where people take real responsibility for the rubbish they create.”
The Manc -
7th September 2020 
