The Greater Manchester town with gorgeous views and a bright future... but a few things are putting people off

It has all the making of a quaint, lovely town, with its setting in the foothills of the Pennines, and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal flowing right through the centre.

But some residents say the heart of Stalybridge has become a 'ghost town', with overflowing bins, parking costs, and inadequate transport links and overflowing bins hurting local business and pride.

The Tameside town has a population of just over 26,000 - but there was little sign of them when the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the centre this month.

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Although that day's icy weather may have deterred some from frequenting the local shops, many regulars said empty streets had become a normal sight.

The hub of the area cut a picturesque scene in the snow, but that vision fell apart when locals started to point out the overflowing bins that have become a regular eyesore.

Listening to people who regularly visit the area, it has become apparent that the tornado ripping through the Carrbrook area of the town on December 27 is not the only problem that needs to be resolved.

Just like the council acted to help those who saw huge damage to their homes due to the 160mph winds in the Tameside Tornado - people want to see action to spruce up their town centre.

Janet Howard, sitting waiting for her bus home, said: “It used to be dead busy around here but look at it now. There used to be a market hall over there (pointing at a building covered in scaffolding off Corporation Street).

“I come here fairly regularly). Buses are awful and unreliable, transport needs to be seriously looked at by authorities, otherwise people can’t get in and out as easily.

“My husband would rather