Greater Manchester's seven hotspots for 'dodgy shops' as criminals target UK high streets
Trading standards officials say organised criminals are embedding themselves on our high streets - and some areas have a particular problem
Greater Manchester's seven hotspots for 'dodgy shops' have been revealed - as trading standards officials fire a warning over 'endemic' organised crime on the UK's high streets. A major new report has highlighted the staggering number of high streets which are believed to have become awash with illegal activity, with shops being used as a front for illicit purposes.
According to a Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) survey, a staggering 97 per cent of UK trading standards officers were aware of suspected organised crime groups operating out of retail premises on their local high streets. In some parts of the country, up to half the number of 'mini-marts' and vape shops are estimated by trading standards officials to have links with organised crime.
Around a third of 'American' sweet shops and a quarter of fast food takeaways are also estimated to have links with organised crime in some areas. And at the same time the number of cash-intensive businesses has boomed on high streets across the UK, local authority trading standards services have seen budgets slashed by up to 50 per cent in the last decade, according to the CTSI.
"It is clear from this research that serious and organised crime is endemic across the UK," said John Herriman, chief executive at the CTSI. "And the threat posed by illegitimate high street businesses is having a significant impact on the work of trading standards, and our ability to protect consumers and maintain the level playing field for legitimate business."
According to the CTSI, the widespread proliferation of 'dodgy shops' across the country deprives the economy of billions of pounds in taxes and puts the health of people - including children - at risk through the sale of illegal products, such as illicit vapes or tobacco. It says 'dodgy shops' undercut legitimate businesses through the sale of illegal or counterfeit goods, which can lead to legitimate businesses closing down.
Those vacant premises can then be snapped up by more 'dodgy shops', in what the CTSI describes as a 'hollowing out of our precious high streets'. As well as such shops failing to pay utility bills, the CTSI says they can also be associated with other forms of crime - including theft, violence, drug supply, modern slavery, child sexual exploitation and anti-social behaviour.
In the report, the Manchester area - including surrounding towns outside the city borough - came fifth in a list of UK hotspots for high street 'dodgy shops'. Birmingham topped the list, followed by Liverpool in second, London in third place and Bradford fourth.
Greater Manchester Police, and local authorities across the region, are well aware of the risks posed by 'dodgy shops' and their rise in recent years. Operation Vulcan was launched in November 2022 to shut down the counterfeit trade in the Strangeways area - leading to the closure of 216 hooky shops and the seizure of more than 1,000 tonnes of counterfeit clothes, which was repurposed and donated to charities.
The force has also seized tens of thousands of unsafe toys and illicit vapes, three million illegal prescription drugs and more than £500,000 in cash. Since November 2022, 238 arrests have been made and 117 warrants executed, while GMP credits the work to a reduction in violent crime of 62 per cent. Away from Vulcan, officers regularly team up with trading standards officials to raid shops for illicit goods.
Greater Manchester's seven hotspots
Alongside the report, the CTSI told the Manchester Evening News of seven hotspots in Greater Manchester for the proliferation of 'dodgy shops'. Cheetham Hill topped the list for the region, while Levenshulme and Burnage were also named as hotspot areas, with the CTSI unable to give more specific locations due to operational reasons.
Manchester council says more work 'will be done' across the borough to tackle the issue and prosecute offenders. A council spokesperson said: "The council, over the past four years, has embarked on a wide ranging operation alongside our colleagues in GMP as well as other local and national agencies to address issues around criminality and the sale of illegal goods and products.
"Over the course of Operation Elswick - a multi-agency operation to target the sale of illegal goods - the council and its partners have seized thousands of illegal items, raging from toys to tobacco and secured a number of closures and prosecutions of traders who have broken the law. However, more work can and will be done and alongside our partners in GMP efforts will continue to prosecute offenders across Manchester.”
Elsewhere, the city of Salford featured second on the Greater Manchester hotspot, behind Cheetham Hill. Eccles and Irlam, which are part of Salford borough, were also named as 'dodgy shop' hotspots by the CTSI. Salford council says its ranking as a hotspot reflects some of the work being carried out to get on top of the problem - with 'robust enforcement action'.
A Salford council spokesperson said: "The concerns identified are relevant on a national level. The hotspot areas highlighted have been identified using a range of data sources, including the seizure of illicit products.
"In Salford, we have seen notable levels of non‑compliance, which reflects our rank in the findings and demonstrates our proactive enforcement activity, including the seizure of illegal goods and the use of robust enforcement action. While we continue to use all available enforcement powers and resources to best effect locally, we welcome Chartered Trading Standards Institutes focus on this issue and support its call for increased resources and strengthened enforcement powers, delivered through a partnership approach, to effectively tackle this criminal activity.”
The other location to be named as a hotspot by the CTSI was Middleton, which falls under Rochdale council. A spokesperson for the local authority said: "We recognise the national importance of tackling high street crime and on a local level we have been making strides with a proactive approach that takes action against both illegal traders and the landlords who provide the premises for this activity.
"As of May 2025 our trading standards service has successfully closed 11 stores for illegal trading and seized over £8million worth of illegal goods, including illicit tobacco, counterfeit goods, and non-compliant vapes. The council will continue to work effectively with our partners as part of our commitment to support legitimate local businesses and give residents and visitors confidence on our high streets."
The CTSI report highlights a 'significant challenge' for trading standards, police and other agencies in tackling the issue. It says that such organised criminal activity is resource-intensive, cross-border in nature and employs complex storage and distribution networks to evade detection - while funding pressures at local authorities have made tackling the issue tougher.
The organisation has called on the Government to 'bring together and properly invest in enforcement agencies' across the country in order to 'tackle what is a widespread and growing national problem'. The Home Office was approached for comment.