Is Manchester’s infamous ‘Canal Pusher’ real?

The Canal Pusher is easily one of the most famous characters from modern Manchester folklore.

In the past decade, an estimated 77 bodies have tragically been pulled out of Manchester’s canal and waterway network. Most of them are young men.

Many publications around the country eagerly jumped on the idea that Manchester is home to a serial killer, donned ‘The Canal Pusher’. The stories spread across the world, despite continued denial from the Greater Manchester Police.

So, why do people think The Canal Pusher is real?

It boils down to the connection between The Pusher and the definition of a serial killer.

Serial killers murder simply to murder without empathy or feeling and there is usually some sort of sexual gratification involved.

In the instance of a serial killer, victims are usually murdered in the same manner and have something in common which is usually to do with their appearance or gender.

Many but not all of The Pusher’s potential victims were young men. Of the 77 cases, only 12 were deemed to be in mysterious circumstances. In the majority of the victims, there were no signs of struggle or any evidence of suspicious injuries including sexual assault.

There are of course anomalies, such as Tony Scanlon who was found in the Ashton Canal in March 2007 with “cuts and bruises to his head”.

So, if all of these deaths are victims of The Pusher, why aren’t they all the exact same? Potentially, the person could be a ‘Thrill Killer’. Whereby they seek for the ‘adrenaline rush’ of killing, the attack is usually not prolonged and there is no aspect.

In these instances, the victims are usually strangers and the killer becomes more successful as they refine their murder methods.

But even serial killers make mistakes.

Which brings us to our next problem with The Canal Pusher theory, not one single person has survived and managed to tell the tale. Almost all serial killers mess up at least once. Mistakes are human nature so it’s unreasonable to assume the Pusher hasn’t made even one tiny error.

Of course, there is one report of the Canal Pusher. A cyclist on the towpath was violently thrown into the canal one night in April 2018. He gave a very vague description of The Pusher: a white male aged between 20-40, average height and wearing a black jacket.

Police pretty quickly dismissed this claim as completely unrelated to the other deaths as there was no evidence to suggest any link.

Along with a lack of survivors, there’s also a lack of evidence to support the theory of The Canal Pusher. Manchester is littered with CCTV so unless this person has an invisibility cloak it would be near-impossible to operate almost 100 crimes without ever being caught, seen or so much as even arousing suspicion at any of the events.

What’s actually happening then?

In the most part, it’s believed these deaths are a long string of tragic accidents, which are typically put down to too much alcohol or drug use.

Such tragic deaths are pretty common in any other city where there is a large waterway. In the same time period, Amsterdam saw 88 drownings. Meanwhile, in London around 250 people a year are pulled out of the Thames.

It goes without saying that there are many bars along the canal in Manchester so these accidents are quite likely given the intoxication levels about on a weekend – pre-lockdown, of course.

The fact that almost all the victims are men speaks volume too – with many men looking to the canal as the perfect opportunity to relieve your bladder when you’re drunk.

So with little to no evidence to support the theory, the more obvious conclusion is to say that The Canal Pusher is simply just an urban legend.

But while there’s likely no serial killer stalking the canals of Manchester, you should still be careful on the waterways, as those tiles can easily become slippery in this rainy city.

And don’t ever think about going down there after a few drinks, no matter how good of a swimmer you are – stay safe out there everyone.