Oldham had the highest number of race crimes in the Greater Manchester area
that year, according to the police, although figures were undoubtedly skewed
by the riots.

Many Asians in the town had accused the authorities of favouring whites and
creating “no-go” zones for them.

The town was once one of the most important centres of cotton spinning in the
world and, in fact, by 1909 it was producing more than France and Germany
combined. At its peak, it had 360 textile mills working day and night.

However, it declined in the first half of the 20th century before immigrants
settled in the town in greater numbers, and the roots of problems which
persist to this day began to grow.