'It provides a lot of fun' - tour of Manchester's betting shops shows racing still pulls people together

It's a Wednesday morning in Manchester and the streets are packed with Christmas shoppers and office workers going about their business.

Along one of the city centre’s busiest roads, the crowds are as crammed as the Grand National field and moving as slowly as the finish of the Eider.

Not everywhere on Deansgate is like this, however. The William Hill betting shop is empty, bar the cashier. It is the same in the Betfred shop further down the road, save for one punter on a machine.