Residents in new war over ancient battleground

Brendan Montague
Wednesday November 22, 2000
Manchester Evening News

A NEW war is looming over the site of an ancient battleground which is now a robbers' escape route.

On one side are residents in Rusholme, Manchester who want the footpath closed in an attempt to cut down crime.

And on the other is the Open Spaces Society which is campaigning to keep the path named Dead Man's Entry open.

The new fight over the future of the footpath, once the site of a battle between the Normans and the Danes, will take place at Manchester town hall tomorrow.

Residents want the footpath, between Norman Road and Wallace Avenue, closed off to curtail the activities of burglars, muggers and drug addicts.

But the Open Spaces Society wants the ancient lane kept open, celebrated and even marked with a plaque.

The small alley is overlooked by Joan Rowe's home. She said: "It is used as a toilet and I can't leave my window or door open because of the stench.

"All night long the villains are using it - it's a rat-run for all the dead-legs. It's lethal and it is full of syringes. I'm sick of it."

She added: "It needs closing off. with out a doubt. It's a den of iniquity."

Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Prof Paul Murphy said all the local residents were in favour of closing the path.
He said: "The police had a lot of complaints and a lot of residents want the path gated-up.

"When the police called a public meeting in 1998 there was overwhelming support for it.

"You often see suspicious people going up and down the back and I have seen them breaking in. Occasionally we have caught them but most often they get away."

But Don Lee, of the Open Spaces and Footpaths Preservation Society, will call on the council to keep the historic right of way open to the public.

The society will demand a public inquiry and argue that the closure would be illegal.