A young woman says she is scared to leave her flat alone for fear of being sexually harassed by men.
Charlotte, which isn't her real name, claims she can't walk anywhere outside her apartment near Strangeways prison, without being approached by large groups of men.
She says the street harassment on Bury New Road has got so bad that last week she opted for a different route home, only to be greeted by a man asking if he could pay her for sex.
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The 32-year-old moved to Cheetham Hill for its proximity to Manchester City Centre around five years ago, but says the area is now plagued with drug-dealing and anti-social behaviour.
Charlotte says if she leaves her flat to walk into town without her boyfriend, she is constantly approached by groups of young men, calling her "sexy" and "gorgeous."
And when she reported that a man had asked her for sex to her local neighbourhood police officer, she claims he asked her if she thought the man 'might have been joking.'
Greater Manchester Police have since apologised, and say they are investigating Charlotte's complaint regarding the officer's conduct.
'Absolutely lawless'
"The area has always been bad but over the last year it's just been absolutely lawless," she said.
"It's crazy what goes on in broad daylight. There is a lot of drug dealing going on right outside the prison - it's a bit of a joke really.
"If I want to walk into town I have to walk down Bury New Road and it is like running the gauntlet.
"I have to walk down the street as fast as I can with my head down. As a woman walking on your own when you're surrounded by a large group of men, it's really intimidating."
Charlotte recalls one recent incident when she tried to walk home from work, only to be met by around "a hundred" men who had decided to play cricket on the pavement.
"Because I was walking down there and trying to use the pavement I must have had at least 20 men all just staring at me," she said.
"The public streets are just being taken over by groups of intimidating young men.
"Most of the time they will come up to me and say things like 'hey sexy' or 'hey gorgeous'.
"I have to walk down the road pretending to have my headphones on so they don’t engage with me, but I’m also scared of coming across as rude as we know that can be dangerous for women."
'He assumed I was a prostitute'
Last week, Charlotte decided to take a slightly different route home from work, having become sick of the harassment she faced on her usual route.
"The other day there were lots of men shouting at me so I decided to walk home the other way and on that day a man approached me and asked me if I was working," she said.
"He assumed I was a prostitute and was asking for sex.
"When I am out with my boyfriend none of this happens but if I go out on my own I know for a fact that I am going to be approached by men.
"It always feels unsafe when you are on your own around here."
Charlotte recently arranged to speak with her local neighbourhood police officer about the harassment and drug dealing, but said she was left horrified by his response.
"When I spoke to the officer about the man who had asked me for sex, his response was 'do you think he could be joking,'" she said.
"I know he wasn’t joking but even if he was that’s not the point.
"The officer just wanted to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t say he was going to do anything to try and help me."
Charlotte says she has now resorted to driving to work in the city centre, which is less than a 15-minute walk away from her apartment complex.
"I am in my 30s now and I have been sexually harassed by men my whole life and I know now to expect that if I report it nothing will happen," she said.
"But if they want us to stop using our cars and walk everywhere, they need to make the streets a safer place for women."
Greater Manchester Police confirmed they had received a complaint regarding the contact between Charlotte and the officer.
Neighbourhood issues 'deep-rooted', police say
Superintendent Helen Critchley, of GMP's Manchester division said: "Keeping members of the public safe and making sure their concerns are listened to are, and always will be, top priorities for GMP.
"I would like to apologise that, in this instance, this may not have happened.
"I want all members of the community to feel properly heard when raising concerns about crime.
"I will personally make sure the complainant is contacted at the earliest opportunity about this issue and I can confirm that her report has been received and allocated for investigation and resolution."
Supt Critchley said she also wanted to reassure the local community that police are working to "tackle several of the concerns raised in the complaint."
"We have dedicated patrols and a community plan in place across the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area to target the sale of drugs, and we are working with our partners to tackle the deep-rooted issues around the area, including the sale of counterfeit clothing and harassment on the street," she added.
''A crucial part of tackling this comes from information from members of the public, who can help identify enforcement opportunities around individuals or vehicles.
"Anybody wishing to provide information or raise concerns can do so via the GMP website or Crimestoppers."
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