It was once the the wool capital of the world and the richest UK city outside London.
Now, parts of Bradford have become Britain’s latest no-go zone – where drug-fuelled chaos and violence have left locals scared to walk the streets and businesses are going to the wall.
Fed-up traders and shoppers say areas of the once-thriving city centre are over-run by rough sleepers camped out in tents, using the streets as their personal drug dens and toilets.
One of the worst-hit spots is Rawson Square, where heroin and crack cocaine are smoked openly and fights break out daily.
Staff at a tattoo shop called The Crow & Cartridge told of facing aggressive behaviour, public vomiting and drug use in broad daylight outside their door.
Manager Philippa Leach, 32, said: ‘We see them smoking drugs, injecting themselves. Drinking, fighting, urinating – you name it, we’ve seen it.
‘There are ambulances called quite often because they’re passed out on whatever they’re on.
A group of people huddle round a woman with a pipe (right), as one man crouches over a wall covered with his coat, by businesses in the Rawson Square area of Bradford
A woman sits in a sleeping bag on the pavement in an area nicknamed Crack Alley by locals
A man appears to be negotiating with a woman in a doorway in the Rawson Square area of Bradford
A homeless person sleeps in a doorway with only two blankets for comfort in Rawson Square
‘There’s up to 20 or 30 of them there at a time, just doing what they like and seemingly with very little consequence.
‘We’ve got female staff members who are quite young and they don’t want to go outside on their own.
‘It is really intimidating and it’s round-the-clock. It’s when you come to work, it’s when you leave work.
‘It’s hurt our trade because people just don’t want to walk up here because they don’t feel safe’.
Trainee tattooist Jasmin Stevens, 21, added: ‘I’m usually the second person here in the morning and I hate waiting outside.
‘You get accosted by the crackheads and it’s really intimidating.’
Signs of drug abuse were everywhere when MailOnline visited the square this week.
Outside a former Wilko store, two men were huddled in a fire exit clearly dealing drugs with little concern of who was watching.
Another man kept lookout as addicts queued up for their next fix.
Nearby, a used crack pipe was obvious among the littered cans of high-strength lager and pool of vomit on the pavement.
And a woman could be seen paying for pills with pound coins as children walked by.
Two men drink lager in the sun in Rawson Square where local workers have moaned about anti-social behaviour
Two women pass each other a tinfoil-covered pipe as a friend rolls a cigarette in Rawson Square
A group of people hanging out and smoking in Bradford’s Crack Alley
A woman who looks intoxicated crouches over in her sleeping oblivious to her surroundings
Two men ride a horse and trap through Rawson Place where locals have described it as a ‘no go zone’
Local Jamie Telford (pictured) said drug addicts were being allowed to do ‘whatever they want’ and it was ‘not helping’ them or the community
Subhan Abnan, 21, who runs barbers Hairology, said Bradford council’s efforts to move on the rough sleepers were not working.
He said: ‘The council’s been coming and taking the tents, but the next morning there’s five or six more.
‘By the evening, they’re all back again. It’s full of tents – it’s like Glastonbury but without the fun.
‘There’ll be 30, 40 of them gathered here. It’s like their community centre. People avoid the area. They see it and just keep walking.
‘We’ve had one of them screaming, “I’m going to burn the shops down.” Why should we have to hear that? We’re just trying to run a business.
‘It’s affecting our business. People are scared to come down here. We’ve actually cleaned up the litter ourselves, but by the next day, it’s worse. It feels pointless.
‘You don’t even feel safe leaving the shop in the evening. We literally stay inside because we don’t want to get caught up in something.
‘We promote our business on social media, but new customers always ask: “What’s going on outside? Who are they?’ How do you even explain it?”
‘You see young girls, 24 or 25, sat on benches surrounded by men touching them up, doing all sorts. Who wants to see that? Especially when you’re bringing kids around here.’
A man clutching a pipe sits on the ground as two men talk in front of him in Rawson Square
A man with a bandaged leg pushes a Zimmer frame towards a group of younger people holding a pipe and exchanging money
A man with a beer can loiters in a shop doorway as a local shopper walks past pushing a baby in a pram
Tattoo artists Luke Naylor and Jasmin Stevens, who work in Rawlins Square. Jasmin said the drug addicts can be ‘really intimidating’
The chaos, locals say, was made worse by a recent city centre revamp which displaced many rough sleepers and addicts – pushing them into the northern area of the city centre.
A workman in a high-vis jacket, who recalls Bradford’s status as Britain’s 2025 City of Culture, said: ‘Twenty years ago, it was beautiful around here. Now look at it.
‘City of Culture? It’s shocking.’
Shooing off a beggar, Sheryn Leech, 36, told how she had been scalded when a drug-addled man turned violent when she refused to add extra food to his order at her chip shop in the city.
She said: ‘He ordered a scallop but then demanded that I give him the chips for free.
‘When I said no, he threw the scallop at me, burning my wrist. It was piping hot with oil. This was six weeks ago and it’s still healing.
‘I’ve been threatened with a knives so crackheads can get food for free. I’ve come home with bruises. I’ve had a tub of salt thrown at my eyes. I’ve had all sorts and I’m fed up with it.’
‘It really is disgusting. The businesses are dying. Nobody’s coming down here anymore.
‘I only come to this part of town because I’ve got work. It’s just become a complete no-go zone.’
A man makes a strange gesture with his hand as another man huddles over a pipe in a doorway
Left: A man urinates behind a bin and, right, a syringe left discarded by addicts
Marilyn Atkinson (pictured) said drug addicts walk around the area ‘like zombies’
Sheryn’s mother-in-law, Marilyn Atkinson, 52, added: ‘I feel so anxious when Sheryn is coming home from work. I panic until I know she’s safe.
‘It’s scary coming to town. You’re scared of getting robbed.’
‘Look at me – I’m hiding my bracelets because you’ve got junkies just walking about like zombies.
‘I can’t run if someone tries to rip my bracelet off.
‘I’ve grown up in Bradford. I remember when it was safe. Now, I fear for my kids coming to town.’
Jamie Telford, 36 pointed to a two-year ‘pocket park’ built with Lottery funding opposite his Northgate Bistro coffee shop.
He said: ‘When they were redeveloping it, all the druggies and drinkers had to move on.
‘As soon as it was built, they were back. Now they’ve got a nice new place to loiter at the expense of everyone else.
‘There’s a camera there that goes straight to the police, but no one ever seems to do anything.
‘Don’t get me wrong, the homeless need help. Everyone needs help, but when they’re up here, they are just permitted to do what they want.
‘Which isn’t helping anyone and certainly not them.’
West Yorkshire Police said it was ‘committed to making Bradford city centre a safe and vibrant place to live and work.’
Chief Inspector Nick Haigh insisted: ‘Those who are committing offences will be dealt with appropriately.’
A spokesperson for Bradford Council said 16 people were reviewed for causing ‘serious nuisance’ in 2024.
This led to interventions such as acceptable behaviour contracts and final warnings.
Seven of the most serious offenders received criminal behaviour orders from the courts.
A council spokesperson added: ‘We work very hard to tackle anti-social behaviour by collaborating with police, partners, and stakeholders to address issues while supporting individuals to make positive changes.
‘These challenges are common to big cities and Bradford is no different in that regard.
‘We are aware of the issues in Rawson Square and are visiting the site daily to progress case files against ASB perpetrators and offer relevant support.’
