What the people of Tameside think about HMO attacks

Recent attacks on HMOs have left residents in shock. But locals understand the feelings of anger and frustration.

In the last few weeks, suspected houses in multiple occupations (HMOs) have been targeted in acts of vandalism and criminal damage. It was homes in Salford that were hit first, with similar targeting happening in Stockport.

But last week four suspected HMOs in Denton, Dukinfield and Stalybridge had their windows smashed, ‘NO HMOS’ scrawled on the walls and swastikas spray-painted on the doors.

The criminal damage is believed to have been carried out overnight, between October 20 and October 21, according to Tameside council. These latest acts in Tameside were similar in nature to those taking place in the other areas of Greater Manchester.

Since October 5, Greater Manchester Police has received just under 50 reports of criminal damage to properties that are either HMOs, or properties that are being mistaken for HMOs. On October 27, GMP announced a seventh person had been arrested in connection with investigations into damage being caused to HMOs, or properties that are being mistaken for HMOs.

HMOs are used widely across the city-region, many people would have known them as house-shares in university. Because the housing market has become increasingly pricey, so many HMOs are now housing ‘young professionals’ to offer them cheaper rent.

Despite these multiple purposes for HMOs, they have seemingly become synonymous with housing immigrants – much of the time with a negative perception. Based on the anti-immigration graffiti on the walls in some cases, it is fair to assume the housing of immigrants or refugees in HMOs is the reason behind the attacks.

In the main, the recent incidents have been condemned as racist or just an excuse for violence online. But there is also a large number of people supporting the violent action.

So the Local Democracy Reporting Service headed out to Tameside’s biggest town, Ashton-under-Lyne, to ask people how they felt about the incidents. Again, there was a split of support for the action and those who found it all deplorable.

Gail Carter was out shopping with her son Scott Whelan. The 61-year-old described the spate of incidents as scary, but she said she could understand it.

She said: “It can be scary. I believe everyone should have somewhere to live.

“But the government is saying these people are documented but they’re not. No one says they can’t have a safe haven, but people need to stop lying about them.

“It’s the unknown that is triggering this. If everyone is documented this would not be a problem.

“If there is nothing sinister about them, why aren’t the authorities being transparent? A lot of it is scaremongering.

“We’re sheep and we all follow the norm. It’s culture and the fact that Great Britain isn’t as great as it should be accepting diverse cultures. But on the other hand, why should people come here and take all the housing?

“I understand the tension, and these people need somewhere to live. But they need to be properly documented.”

These feelings were echoed by a number of locals.

Nigel Dwyer, sat outside Ashton Market Hall, said: “I think there are more hardcore issues going on. Obviously there must be a reason or agenda.

“It’s not a very nice world. This is more of that and people are very angry. This is probably retaliation or anger at the government.

“I think there are better ways of going about it. People get fobbed off a lot and people are getting taxed more and costs are going up.

“This is a culmination of anger of seeing these cost rises and an increase in homelessness. I went to school with people from different cultures. But I think we need to look after our own.

“My parents were Irish immigrants. I remember my mum and dad saying when they came to Moss Side, there was a thing of people putting signs on walls saying ‘no blacks, no Irish’ on houses.

“That must have been horrible. There is concern that something like that is happening again in 2026.

“I think the immigration needed to be tackled a long time ago.”

But the 56-year-old thinks the anger is also about the general decline in people’s lives, not just homelessness. He believes the immigration conversation has become a focal point for people’s anger and frustrations.

“They need to tackle homelessness as well. It’s really sad to see. I came back from Scotland in 2019 and I remember saying homelessness has got so much worse.

“The government needs to face up the truth and deal with it all. You’re here for the public, stop telling lies and deal with the truth.

“Start putting a plan together to take action and create order.”

Michael Cooper lives in Mossley and was visiting Ashton to do some shopping and visit the bank. He was concerned that this sort of behaviour could spread even further.

The 82-year-old said: “Because the government isn’t listening to people on the immigration debate, the extremists are doing this. It’s an excuse for them to commit crimes.

“It’s like modern rockers. I live in Mossley and we’re a bit out of the way, but I haven’t heard of anything there.

“I don’t go online a lot so I don’t see this. But I am worried it could come to us. I think if they get answers they’ll stop these actions.

“In Ashton you see more homeless, so whether Burnham does anything about it I don’t know. There are loads of homeless people over there, they’re pinching things out of Greggs and there is general antisocial behaviour.

“If they’re hungry it’s understandable I suppose. This is happening out of desperation.

“It’s getting out of hand, this needs to be addressed. It’s a wider societal issue. We need to have something done about it, or things will get worse.”

Tensions have been rising in the borough in recent weeks, with a group calling itself Tameside Patriots garnering support by protesting outside suspected HMOs. But claims the recent attacks were conducted by Tameside Patriots have been strongly refuted by the group.

Although politicians have tried to put out messaging to ease concerns and quell these acts, there is still anger, frustration and more incidents happening.

Last week, political parties in Tameside condemned the incidents. Group leaders from Tameside Labour, Reform, Conservatives and the Independent Group have issued a joint-statement in response.

Cllr Eleanor Wills, Cllr Allan Hopwood, Cllr Andrea Colbourne and Cllr Ged Cooney said: “We stand completely united in a message to the public: acts of criminality, violence, aggression, and intimidation in Tameside will not be tolerated and are entirely unacceptable in our borough or indeed anywhere.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home and there is absolutely no place for fear or hostility in our communities.

“Those who choose to engage in this behaviour do not speak for the people of Tameside, and their actions counter the values of safety, respect, and unity that define our towns.

“We want to reassure all residents that we are working closely together, and in direct partnership with Greater Manchester Police. They have made a number of arrests in relation to Greater Manchester incidents and are providing extra patrols in our communities in Tameside.

“We urge anyone with information regarding the incidents to contact the police immediately.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig said ‘there is no place’ for this type of behaviour in the region.

Speaking on the BBC Radio Manchester hotseat about the issue last week (October 22), Ms Craig said: “We’ve been following it closely and I know GMP have been making statements, and Paul Dennett, the city mayor of Salford, has been spending a lot of time trying to reassure people over the week.

“I’d start from this by saying look, we are a decent society and we should all abide by the rule of law.

“What we’re seeing here – damage to properties – irrespective of what’s driving it, people shouldn’t be engaging in criminal damage, terrorising people in their homes and spraying racist graffiti on houses, I think there’s just no place for it.”

The latest arrest from GMP came while on patrol in Valencia Road on Tuesday, October 27, when Salford officers arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of causing criminal damage. The arrest was made in connection with damage caused in Littleton Road on October 22, according to GMP.

Chief Superintendent Marcus Noden said: “Our relentless pursuit of those causing or facilitating this recent spate of damage is not letting up as we continue to explore multiple lines of enquiry.

“One area of focus continues to be our belief that vulnerable people – including children – are being exploited and paid to damage buildings.

“If you know anything that could help us, we’re continuing to urge you to come forward and speak to us. The information you provide us with could form a vital part of helping us piece this together.”