Manchester: Customers found in rat-infested counterfeit clothing store

Fifty people have been rescued from a rat-infested counterfeit clothing shop in Manchester’s notorious Counterfeit Street area.

The group was “locked against their will” and trapped in a building on Great Ducie Street.

Police had been on patrol in the area on Sunday when they spotted a man acting suspiciously and trying to close the compound’s shutters.

The area as a whole – near Strangeways Prison – is known by the infamous nickname “Counterfeit Street” and for high levels of crime and gang activity.

When officers later managed to open the doors, a group of customers stormed out of the building.

Other people were found trapped in three other rooms on the second and third floors.

A man in his 60s was arrested in connection with the incident.

A search of the fake clothing store on Sunday found excessive amounts of rat urine and feces throughout the building, including on the shelves and all over clothes, underwear and makeup sold in the store.

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

Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers uncovered incredibly dangerous infrastructure and signs of exploitative labour, including an underground home-made air conditioning system which staff had made by drilling holes in the pipes on the ceiling.”

An estimated 20 tons of replica clothing, shoes, perfumes and makeup were confiscated from the building.

Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood said: “The condition 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 is not the first time we have had to rescue members of the public from these buildings, but I urge people to think twice before entering these stores.

“As the presence increases, shopkeepers become more and more nervous and quickly lock the doors no matter who is inside.

“By entering these stores you are not only putting yourself and fleeing staff at risk, you are also funding serious organized crime that is having a devastating impact on the local community.

“These people don’t care about your welfare; They’re just trying to make money fast.’

David Minto, Protection Manager at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are working with Greater Manchester Police on Operation Vulcan and our fire officers are conducting fire safety inspections at the premises they raid.

“Our fire safety inspectors visited this property and found it so unsafe that a ban was issued. Together we are working hard to rid Greater Manchester of this illegal and dangerous activity that is damaging to communities.’

The seizure was carried out by officers from GMP’s Operation Vulcan, which has been waging an all-out war against criminals operating in the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area since October.

It is known that an estimated 33 organized crime groups from across the UK are linked to a large concentration of counterfeit shops on Bury New Road.

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