Be careful where you go last minute Christmas Shopping.

[northernladuk]

Interesting thing is I don't think that is Great Ducie St. It's only got a very thin pavement. Great Ducie St is an A road with massive pavements so must be a side road or something.

[northernladuk]

And a bit futher up. Nice bit of genuine Burberry in the door way to attract the punters.

[northernladuk]

Why were they locked in? Was the bloke going to demand a ransom to let them out? I wonder how long they were in there?

So many questions…

Many of the shops are so run down there are no windows so they keep the shutters down and just open the doors. There will be a couple of look outs outside and if the police turn up they just pull the shutters down so whoever is in is locked in. I am surprised at their being 50 people in there though.

Most of the shops look more like they are squatting in them rather than anything that remotely resembles a proper shop.
Here is a street view of one block of shops and these are the decent end. Ones further up look like they've been burnt out or abandoned for years

[cojak]

Why were they locked in? Was the bloke going to demand a ransom to let them out? I wonder how long they were in there?

So many questions…

[northernladuk]

I can't understand why they haven't razed that entire area to the ground TBF. It's literally with in 100 yards of some of the most luxurious and expensive apartments in Manchester so is prime space for regeneration. I'd guess buying it up is gonna prove an utter nightmare because I am sure the actual owernship and lease agreements are non existant though.

Not one single shop down there will be above board whether it comes down to leases, taxes, H&S, products they sell whatever. It's just a cess pit. Get rid of it all and you solve a whole host of problems plus continuing to regenerate the city.

[SueEllen]

Yuck.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/12/22/manch...tore-17980957/

Dozens of people have had to be rescued from a rat-infested shop in Manchester’s notorious Counterfeit Street.

Some 50 people were held against their will on Great Dulcie Street, in an area of Manchester known for its fake shops.

A man in his 60s was arrested after he was seen behaving suspiciously while trying to close the shutters on the building near Strangeways prison.

Police had to use an angle grinder to get into the shop and when they did a group of people came flooding out.

Once inside, they found more people crammed into three other rooms on the second and third floor.

The building was littered with rat urine and faeces – including on shelves and over clothing, underwear and make up that was being sold at the illegal outfit.

In the basement, officers could not see the floor for boxes and bags full of items which would be sold after being stored in unsanitary conditions.

Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood said: ‘The state of this building was disgusting and so structurally unsafe. My team found members of the public trapped on the top floor with no means of escape.

‘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.’

Greater Manchester Police said: ‘Officers discovered incredibly dangerous infrastructure and signs of exploitative labour, including an underground homemade air conditioning system the staff had made by drilling holes into the pipes on the ceiling.’

An estimated 20 tonnes of replica clothing, shoes, perfumes and make up have been seized from the building.