Meet the vigilantes who are attacking heroin addicts in Manchester

Handfuls of syringes used by addicts

They won't show their faces.

A group of lads in Manchester are wearing scarves or masks over their heads. They look menacing.

But they talk about cleaning up their neighbourhood, claiming they are picking up used needles chucked on the ground by heroin users.

They present themselves as a socially responsible group of do-gooders.

"I don't want my kids growing up around that ****".

But there's more to this than meets the eye.

One of the vigilantes talks to presenter Livvy Haydock

The men feature in Heroin Haters, the latest episode of BBC Three's Drugs Map of Britain.

Presenter Livvy Haydock asks them whether, as well as cleaning up the needles, they "clean up" the users too.

The answer is stark.

"Yeah. If we need to use violence we'll use violence. Simple as that."

What emerges is a far more complex and ugly picture than a few men trying to move on drug addicts and clean up their mess.

This isn't some kind of radical neighbourhood watch scheme which simply collects and burns dirty needles.

The trainer is full of used needles

It's soon obvious that some of the men are both drug users and dealers, selling cocaine and making a living from it.

One admits that some of his customers have become "crack heads".

But they don't see any hypocrisy and there seems to be some kind of narcotics pecking order.

"Heroin and cocaine are completely different drugs. They will have to go rob people and businesses to feed the habit. We can afford to pay to buy a little gram of cocaine at the weekend."

There is zero sympathy for "smack heads" and a willingness to use extreme violence against them.

"We've given them a good hiding, stabbed them a few times with their own needles, the dirty little ********.

"If my dad became a heroin addict, I would stab him. There are no two ways about that."

It's almost impossible to know how widespread this kind of behaviour is as addicts who are assaulted are unlikely to go to the police.

Livvy Haydock told Newsbeat that she wanted to investigate how a particular prejudice against heroin users has developed.

"I was shocked that in today's society there is very little happening to protect both community and addict from hurting themselves or each other.

"I do hope the film will confront society with a complex and sensitive issue which will not go away but does need to be addressed."

In the film we also hear from recovering heroin addicts who explain that not all users discard dirty needles in streets, gardens and parks.

They think it's the use of them, the need to inject, which has stigmatised heroin users in particular.

Newsbeat contacted the police in Manchester to see if there was a way of working out how widespread violent attacks are.

But because victims just don't report assaults there are no statistics.

Livvy says: "I think wider society does have sympathy towards heroin users until they find the evidence of needle use in their back garden. This is sadly an issue dependent on where you live."

You can watch Manchester: Heroin Haters on BBC iPlayer and catch up on all the Drugs Map Of Britain content.

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