'Obviously it's s***, but it is what it is': Life on the Manchester street where cab drivers were too scared to go

A pair of shoes hang from a telephone line above a street in north Manchester. A group of children play on their bikes, a shop owner watches on from his doorway.

Taxi drivers were once too scared to visit this quiet terraced street in Moston. Gangs were said to “run riot” in the area, attacking delivery drivers and throwing missiles at passersby.

But life on Cicero Street has calmed down in recent years, according to those who live there. While criminality is still happening, locals say it’s “nowhere near” as bad as it used to be.

Doris Isoken stands outside her home, glancing over at two hooded boys walking nearby. “I don’t feel safe; I feel scared,” the 48-year-old says. “Children gather, they almost broke my car window. They didn't allow me to pass; they blocked the road and when I tried to go past, they said no.

"They poured liquid on my car, I had to lock the doors. They always put their bikes on the road. That happened last month. It's not good for the other children, they might learn from it.

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"Before, they stopped and now it's coming back again. The problems were really high and now it's coming back."

Anti-social behaviour was rife on Cicero Street in 2018 when a takeaway delivery rider was mugged in broad daylight. The shocking incident was captured on the worker’s helmet video camera.

The victim could be heard screaming for help as youths punched and kicked him from behind before stealing his phone and bike. The vicious attack was just part of a spate of violence and vandalism plaguing the area at the time.

One current resident, who did not wish to give his name, says there is still a high level of crime and