A GANG who used a Manchester high street betting shop to sell drugs are being barred from every branch of one of the country's leading bookmakers.

Police believe thugs have been using William Hill on Stockport Road, Longsight, to trade crack cocaine and heroin.
Today, 23 men were being served with orders banning them from the premises.
The orders, which run for five years, are being issued by William Hill and work on the same principle as being barred from a pub.

If thugs try to ignore the bans, they will be punished with anti-social behaviour orders or legal action.
The names of the men have not been released by William Hill. But they are understood to be linked to south Manchester street gangs, with a number identified as `main players'.

Eight of the 23 have previous convictions for drug offences.
Police have stepped up patrols in the area and have been visiting the shop every day to stamp out the problem.
The move comes just months after the fatal shooting of a teenager in another branch of William Hill. In January, 16-year-old Louis Brathwaite and an 18-year-old friend were targeted by gunmen while they played on fruit machines at the Mauldeth Road West, Withington branch. Louis died the following month. Police are not linking his murder, which remains unsolved, to the problems in Longsight.

Local traders welcomed the new crackdown last night.
Mohammed Sarfraz, who runs the Andaaz clothing store next door, said: "Police are always being called out {ndash} daily, sometimes several times a day.

"The place has also been raided with police going in with dogs and police cars blocking off the escape routes. Most of the time, it's the same few characters who get moved on, but keep coming back." A female worker at a nearby clothing store, who asked not to be named, said: "We get the drug addicts coming in and shoplifting. They are quite intimidating."

Hassan Naser, who runs McTucky's takeaway on Stockport Road, said: "They used to deal drugs in the toilets here, but when I started working here we got rid of them by putting in security cameras and locking the toilets."

Dr Ibrar Saleem, of the dental practice next door to William Hill, said: "The worry is that drug dealers will move to another betting shop."

Police have confirmed the shop has been raided in the last month. And in the last year, five people have been arrested and either charged or cautioned on drug offences at the shop.

They say they `fully support' the banning order and will work with William Hill on a `zero tolerance approach' to drugs.

Bill South, William Hill's head of security, said: "We have nearly 2,300 shops across the country and unfortunately, on occasions, we will get people in our shops who misbehave or engage in criminal activity.

"We're working with police to eradicate the problem from our shop and the local area."
`We get drug addicts coming in shoplifting {ndash} they are quite intimidating'William Hill take action against dealersTraders welcome new move to clean up area.