Residents and workers near the New Islington Marina and Great Ancoats Street have dismissed claims that the area is a crime-ridden hellhole, after a newspaper report described it as a hotspot for drug dealing and prostitution.
The area, which includes the former Toys R Us site earmarked as the long-term home of No 10 North, was characterised in The Sun as 'Hooker Alley' where addicts can buy crack for £20 and use drugs openly. Reform UK mayoral candidate Sian Astley echoed the narrative, posting on Facebook that the location being near a drug hotspot revealed Labour's failure on drug crime.
Local views contradict claims
Tom Bennion, a 30-year-old vendor working at Stubbs Mill, laughed off the description. “I wouldn’t say it was as bleak as all that,” he said. “I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of crime in the area – it’s more the kind of place where people take their kids out, walk their dogs, that kind of thing.”
Jonathan, a 24-year-old student living in a tower block on Store Street, said the area felt safe even at night. “The student halls are very high-level, I think a lot of the accommodation around here is. It feels safer here than in the city centre.”
Steven Aston, 33, a fashion buyer walking his dog, also disagreed strongly. “This place has a history. And maybe people still associate it with that kind of thing from ten or fifteen years ago. But it’s been heavily developed and, well, gentrified. It’s not like that anymore. It’s quite a young, affluent area.”
Crime statistics and context
Manchester saw a 31 per cent rise in recorded drug crimes in 2025, with 6,631 offences. Greater Manchester Police said this was due to tackling crime gangs, uncovering more dealing. However, data from Police.Uk shows the area around New Islington has lower overall crime rates than city centre hotspots like Piccadilly.
One local resident, who did not wish to be named, said she had lived there because it felt safe. “I’m hoping it will raise the price of my flat,” she said of the No 10 North plan. “And I think it’s good they’re challenging the London bubble.”
Some acknowledged crime on the area's edges. A couple from Newton Heath waiting at the New Islington Health Centre said they often saw homeless drug addicts there. The centre runs a homeless clinic for those with heroin and other addictions.
Mixed views on redevelopment
Commenter Liam Smyth responded to Astley's post, arguing that placing a major government centre near a challenged area brings investment and security. “You don’t fix a neighbourhood by running away from it,” he wrote.
GMP were unable to provide an area breakdown of drug and sex work offences. The area around Toys R Us was historically a red light district, but redevelopment from nearby Ancoats has changed the neighbourhood, though it has also driven up rents.
