What really happened in town on Saturday afternoon

The disturbing sight of young people from traveller communities up and down the country - many of them children - being herded onto trains by police at Manchester Victoria railway station on Saturday has prompted anger, consternation and concern.

The obvious upset, however, isn't confined to people from those traveller communities.

The question being privately asked of Greater Manchester Police bosses by the Mayor's Office is whether it was really proportionate to use a so-called 'section 34' order to cover the whole of Manchester city centre. For some, it is an indiscriminate, blunt weapon that risks collateral damage.

The order, made under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, allows police to turn people away from a specified geographical area if they think there might be trouble - and arrest those who refuse.

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The Manchester Evening News understands that the senior officers were well aware their decisions might well attract some public flak, but they sanctioned the order to prevent a repeat of trouble from previous years.

The arrival of hundreds of young people from traveller communities from all across the country to enjoy Manchester's Christmas markets has become an important date in the social calendar of those communities.

But it has also proved something of a headache, particularly for security and retailers in the Arndale centre which has been a particular focal point for young visitors.

In November 2022, police were called to break up a 'huge' gathering of young traveller people at the Arndale amid reports that fire alarms had been triggered, fireworks set-off and people were