'A middle-aged woman can't walk safely down the street'

ANGER OVER RISE IN ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ON MAIN RUN

- SOPHIE HALLE-RICHARDS

TOTAL shock. That's what Andrea felt after she realised her breast had been groped by a drunken man as she waited to cross the road.

It was barely dark outside, and her raincoat was zipped up to protect her from the rain, as she made her way to the Sainsburys store on Wilmslow Road in Withington.

Her outfit or the location isn't relevant, she points out. But the fact it happened on such a busy and public stretch of road, made the assault all the more chilling.

Having lived nearby in Fallowfield since 2020, encounters with drunk people aren't unusual. Andrea, which isn't her real name, says she often sees people smoking drugs at bus stops, drinking on the street and urinating in public.

But the brazen assault she was subject to on April 30 was particularly shocking, and has left her wary about leaving her home in the evening. GMP confirmed it has received a report of sexual assault and is investigating.

Andrea says the incident is the product of a wider issue, claiming a culture of street drinking and public drug consumption has become the norm among students and vulnerable people residing in temporary accommodation in the area. And she fears the problem will only get worse after Manchester council granted the Shell garage on Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield a licence to sell alcohol between 10am and 10pm.

Motor Fuel Group (MFG) which runs the garage, had originally requested a licence between 8am and 10pm.