Urban legend? ‘Manchester pusher’ strikes again

A supposed urban legend about a mystery attacker who pushes people into Manchester canals has been given new currency by a new attack on a man in the city.

Greater Manchester Police are looking for a white male aged between 20 and 40, who was described as a “complete psychopath” by his victim, a 34-year-old office worker who was pushed into the canal while cycling near Old Trafford at 10pm last Tuesday.

The victim said he was “lucky to be alive”, reports The Guardian, after his legs became tangled in his bicycle. When he first tried to climb out of the water, the attacker kicked him back in again.

The victim said: “I definitely feel like I’m lucky to be alive. I could easily have drowned because of what he did.”

At least 76 bodies have been found in Greater Manchester waters since 2007, giving rise to stories of a serial ‘canal pusher’. Police and local politicians have tried for years to dispel this as a myth, says The Guardian, but it keeps resurfacing.