Councillors warn the only way to stamp out counterfeiting in Cheetham Hill is to regenerate area

It comes just weeks after fake goods worth more than £2.5 million were seized from units in the area

Published 30th Dec 2018

Manchester City Councillors say the only way to stop the counterfeiting industry in Cheetham Hill is to completely redevelop the whole area.

It comes just weeks after more than £2.5 million worth of fake goods were seized from a number of units in the area.

Now, Cllr Rabnawaz Akhbar is calling on the Government to help the council by investing in the area.

He said:

"For decades, this has been known as the counterfeit capital of the UK. We've done our best but I don't think this is something that can just be relied upon by the city council or GMP.

"We're talking about international crime and that needs the help of central Government.

"The message is simple. We're not going to tolerate this kind of activity. We're going to continue working with our partners, lobbying central government for more funds to get rid of this menace once and for all.

"The long term aim is regeneration but in the meantime we will continue to disrupt their activity and rid the streets of them once and for all."