The 'terrifying' row threatening the heart and soul of the Northern Quarter

Shortly before 3pm on Tuesday, Jennifer Smithson, owner of Greater Manchester's most famous bars, sighed and let her head collapse into her hands.

Sitting in courtroom 18 at Manchester Magistrates’, she had just been told that the noise row embroiling her venue - one which has sent shockwaves through the Northern Quarter - is far from over.

The long-running case stems from allegations that club nights at the Oldham Street venue frequently go on into the early hours, are so loud that water in toilet bowls vibrates, and that the lyrics of Eurythmics hit 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) could be heard by council officers from a nearby flat.

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The dispute is a sign of how successful the Northern Quarter has become with both revellers and developers.

But some fear it could be the first clash of many, as more and more see the city centre not merely as a place to shop, work and party - but as a place to live.

An expert in the case has warned of 'residential creep' bumping up against the city's 'vibrant venues'. And Greater Manchester's night-time economy tsar, Sacha Lord, has called on the government to change 'outdated legislation', saying 'it just isn't right' that under the law 'as it stands, one resident can complain enough to shut down a venue, creating jobs losses and affecting the whole supply chain'.

It's a problem mirrored in the capital, where venues in fashionable corners of east London have fallen out with neighbours - and fallen foul of licensing authorities.

Now, with Night and Day's case delayed for further acoustic testing, expected to take weeks, the M.E.N looks at how the row has unfolded for both sides.

It all started