Business owners and market vendors revealed fears for their safety due to drug-related crimes on a Hackney market.
Dalston’s Ridley Road Market has played an important part in the borough’s history since the 1880s, with over 150 stalls offering quality goods from all across the world.
But those who make a living there are increasingly concerned about spiralling drug-related crimes, of which 6,600 were reported across the wider east London area between March 2024 and February 2025, according to UK Police Data.
A veteran street vendor, who did not wish to be identified, said: “It happens all day.
“During the daytime, it’s invisible, but it’s there.
“At night, you just have to change the route.”
The rise of drug-related crime across east London marks a 20.3% increase on the previous year.
This equates to an annual rate of 6.4 drug crimes per 1,000 people, more than double the national average, according to UK Police Data.
Drug-related offences include the possession, supply, production and importation of illegal drugs, as listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Due to their danger, substances such as cocaine and heroin are classified as Class A Drugs, and possession of those may lead to up to seven years’ custody, an unlimited fine or both.
A salesman who lives above his own store on Ridley Road Market claimed he had seen cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, and crack being used on the street, despite CCTV cameras in the area.
He said: “They [drug users] just hide from the cameras and use it anyway.
“Because of that, the store always closes before it gets dark.”
A vegetable vendor who has worked on Ridley Road for 30 years claimed the police are often there, but drug sellers re-appears as soon as they leave.
They are among the many residents who fear a backlash against them from criminals, too.
The vendor said: “You never know what they can do if you expose them.”
Councillor Zoë Garbett, Dalston’s Green Party representative on the London Assembly, believes relying only on police enforcement and criminalising people to solve drug-related crimes has been proven to be largely ineffective.
Cllr Garbett said: “A legally regulated supply means that the trade would move from organised crime to licensed venues and health professionals depending on the harm of the drug.
“Unless we make this shift, we will keep wasting resources on an approach that is not only ineffective but also fails to address the root of the problem.”
Garbett called for the implementation of drug consumption rooms to reduce drug harm, an idea that came true in January this year when the UK’s first facility opened in Glasgow.
She said: “I visited The Thistle [in Glasgow] and heard how the facility is saving lives as well as getting people who use drugs the housing and employment support they need.
“We need a facility like this in London.”
Hackney Council’s cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services Susan Fajana Thomas said: “Our overall objective is to create safe, vibrant, and successful neighborhoods for all.
“We also collaborate with the police, our public health partners, and other organisations on various interventions and outreach programs.”
Feature image: Giovana Kury
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