'No one gives a f*** around here': Yobs 'scare shoppers and traders away' in 'town going down'
02.09.2023 - 06:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Standing behind a sea of cardboard boxes, Umair Hussain looks out across the sun-drenched market square. For the past 15 years, this is where he has made his living, flogging everything from puzzle books to socks and toilet roll.
Other stallholders have come and gone in that time, but he has remained. Today, he is one of just a handful of traders operating on Hyde's outdoor market.
“This used to be a busy market," he explains. "I used to be here six days a week but it's not worth it anymore. You get too much hassle."
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These days Mr Hussain only opens three days a week - and even that is starting to feel like too much. He explains that he has thought about packing it in altogether after being repeatedly targeted by groups of yobs.
He is not alone. Last week, shocking footage emerged of an armed group terrorising the market. In the video, which was widely shared on social media, horrified shoppers watched on as balaclava-wearing bikers brandished a baseball bat and a pair of bolt cutters before they appeared to attack a man who challenged them.
Following the incident, police issued a dispersal order while patrols were stepped up around the market. GMP's Chief Constable, Stephen Watson, has since called on the force's neighbourhood team in Tameside to make sure it can 'nip in the bud' any problems plaguing Hyde town centre.
But Mr Hussain says the fracas was just the latest in a series of incidents that have left him fearful of going to work.
“No one gives a f*** around here,” he added. Over the last few years, he says his stall has been repeatedly targeted by groups of youths, who have stolen stock and hurled abuse at him.
“I