News
News
11 people arrested during early-morning police raids across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested following a series of early morning police raids across Manchester this week.
In what formed part of Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) operation to disrupt, deter, and crack down on gang-related criminality across the region, officers from local neighbourhood teams, along with the Tactical Aid Unit, conducted warrants at seven addresses in Gorton and Openshaw, securing a total of 11 arrests along the way.
Nine males and two women, all between the ages of 16 and 28, were arrested.
They were each arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, and assault, and with investigations currently ongoing, they remain in custody for questioning.
#ARREST | Eleven arrested with drugs and weapons seized across multiple morning warrants in #Manchester
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) February 11, 2025
Nine men and two women, aged between 16 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and assault. pic.twitter.com/onhDiqG4vb
Not only that, but police also seized a quantity of class A and B drugs, weapons including knives, and other ‘suspicious items’ for further investigation too.
Police say this ‘renewed work’ in targeting urban street gangs in the Manchester area comes off the back of a number of violent incidents in recent months – particularly including the shooting of a teenager in October.
Further activity and ‘proactive action’ is planned in the coming months as part of the ongoing operation, which, according to GMP, will see more criminality targeted, more arrests and charges, and more work with local partners to reduce and prevent all manner of crimes.
![Police raids in Gorton](https://themanc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/gorton-raid-04.jpg)
![Police raids in Gorton](https://themanc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/gorton-raid-09.jpg)
“We simply will not tolerate incidents which see young people being left with devastating injuries, lifelong issues, and being trapped in a vicious cycle from which they struggle to break out of,” commented Inspector Dan Pickavance, from GMP’s North Manchester neighbourhood team, following the raids this week.
“Our work today is designed to stop exactly those things.
Read more:
- Tameside ambulance worker jailed after trying to murder her boss in a ‘frenzied hammer attack’
- Manchester’s alleged ‘counterfeit king’ arrested after early-morning police raids
- Police seize record-breaking £870m worth of counterfeit goods in latest Cheetham Hill raids
“We want to get people who we suspect of crime off the streets, seize deadly weapons, and get drugs out of supply before they end up in the hands of vulnerable people.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Five Manchester bars have just been named in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars
Daisy Jackson
Five bars in Manchester have just received one of the industry’s highest accolades – a place in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars.
In a glittering ceremony down in London today, the best in the cocktail industry were crowned, and our city has a lot to be proud of.
Manchester now has five cocktail bars in the Top 50, with two new entries this year.
And while Schofield’s has been toppled from the top spot this year, this award-winning bar on Quay Street is still heading home with a podium finish, now ranked the third-best bar in the entire UK.
One of the new faces on the prestigious list is Stray, a beautiful cocktail bar tucked into a corner of Mackie Mayor.
Famed for its tomato vine margaritas, as well as the pain-staking effort the team goes to to infuse their own spirits and make their own cordials, Stray has deservedly debuted at number 25. And we have a feeling they’re just getting started.
Red Light is another new name on the list, after taking home the coveted ‘One To Watch’ award in 2024.
![Red Light in Manchester has been named in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars](https://themanc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/top-50-cocktail-bars-110225-DH-themancgroup-4-scaled.jpg)
![Stray in Manchester has been named in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars](https://themanc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/top-50-cocktail-bars-110225-DH-themancgroup-3-scaled.jpg)
![Blinker in Manchester has been named in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars](https://themanc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/top-50-cocktail-bars-110225-DH-themancgroup-2-scaled.jpg)
The gorgeous LGBTQ+ cocktail bar on Little David Street at Kampus has placed 40th.
Blinker has held on to a place in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list, dropping down to 22nd – still a phenomenal achievement for the Spring Gardens boozer.
Blinker has a dedicated martini menu, and also serves them alongside retro Breville toasties.
And finally, last but not least, Speak In Code on Jackson’s Row jumped up into 11th place.
This fantastic brick-lined bar opened properly (it was a pop-up before) just five years ago and it’s consistently topped national lists of the best bars ever since.
There were also amazing results for our sister cities in Sheffield and Leeds, with The Pearl at Parkhill at 44 and Public at 39 for the former, and Tabula Rasa at 27 and Below Stairs at 11 for the latter.
A huge congratulations to all these very worthy winners.
Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2025 – the full list
- Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green, London
- Panda and Sons, Edinburgh, Midlothian
- SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Couch, Stirchley, West Midlands
- Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch, London
- Swift Soho, Soho, London
- Passing Fancies, Digbeth, Birmingham
- Dram, Soho, London
- The Hideout, Bath, Somerset
- Lyaness, South Bank, London
- Speak in Code, Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Nauticus, Edinburgh, Midlothian
- Three Sheets, Dalston, London
- AMARO BAR, Kensington, London
- Below Stairs, Leeds, West Yorkshire
- Hey Palu, Edinburgh, Midlothian
- Viajante87, Notting Hill, London
- Daddy Marmalades, Glasgow
- Silverleaf, Spitalfields, London
- The Connaught Bar, Mayfair, London
- Bar Termini, Soho, London
- BLINKER, Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Filthy XIII, Bristol, Somerset
- Murder Inc, Soho, London
- Stray, Manchester
- Lab 22, Cardiff, Glamorgan
- Tabula Rasa, Leeds, West Yorkshire
- SOMA, Soho, London
- Little Mercies, Crouch End, London
- Nipperkin at NIJŪ, Mayfair, London
- Kwãnt, Mayfair, London
- Scarfes Bar, Holborn, London
- The Absent Ear, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
- Side Hustle, Covent Garden, London
- 🔶🟥🔵, Hackney, London
- Bramble Bar & Lounge, Edinburgh, Midlothian
- The American Bar, Auchterarder, Kinross-shire
- Bar Glue, Liverpool
- Public, Sheffield, Yorkshire
- Red Light, Manchester
- TWICE SHY, Kensington, London
- Mother Mercy, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
- The Gate, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
- The Pearl at Park Hill, Sheffield
- Sister Ray, Liverpool
- Archive & Myth, London
- Happiness Forgets, Hoxton, London
- Callooh Callay, Shoreditch, London
- Kiki Lounge, Douglas, Isle of Man
- 69 Colebrooke Row, Islington, London
Read more
- Skof scoops Michelin Star in stunning victory for Manchester
- The UK’s top 50 gastropubs have been named, and the North West has shone again
- Inside Stray, Manchester’s least pretentious new cocktail bar tucked into a corner of Mackie Mayor
Featured image: The Manc Group