The news is currently all about the increase in security in the major cities. However, I rarely hear the media refer to Sheffield as a potential target. In fact, whenever the news mention England's major cities, they normally forget to mention us.

While I'm glad that Sheffield is not a target for terrorists, it does annoy me that Sheffield is always the "forgotten city".

Why do you think no-one remembers Sheffield?!

Always been the same, Sheffield rarely get's a mention, but as you rightly say it is rarely a terrorist target. The cities of London, Birmingham and Manchester have usually been targeted. I vaguely remember the Labour Council here inviting Sinn Fein members some years ago, maybe that helped ?

sheffield isnt a major target anymore, due to the steelworks being scaled down etc. (even tho today sheffield produces more steel than before) plus thers not a large population base, this is a good thing really :)

There are too many ethnic minority families in Sheffield and there are no major politcal targets here either.

Moon Maiden

This is something that has alway's puzzled me,sheffield has never been mentioned with regard's to terrorism, or indeed for much else at all. Being U.K.s fifth largest city it surely should rank as being worth a mention, on the positive side I have alway's felt more safe living here. We should be thankfull that we are! During the cold war,sheffield had sign board's on it's boundary's declaring that this was a nuclear free zone! can't see what good that would have been, if weapon's of mass destruction had started coming over. Suppose we are very lucky that the evil people of this world seem to have have overlooked this city(touch wood) and at least we can rest in our bed's at night.Hal. Evans. :D

There's not much worthwhile left of us to bomb is there? I don't think our airport is a huge target, or our steel industry any more. Anyway, didn't we make a big gun for someone once, they might need us again. You're right though, even as the forth biggest English city we're often seen very much as a nothing. Never mind, lets keep us a secret a little longer.

Barnsley is on a terrorist organisation list - the IRA.

There is some guy who lives up near the police station who was prime minster over in Ireland for a time. His armed guards scared the life out of me when I moved into my first flat - no one told me he lived right behind them.

Mind you I felt very safe coming home after a nite on the tiles :D

Moon Maiden

Before we all get too smug about safe we are in the "forgotten city", it may be well to remember that just a few years ago Meadowhall Centre was found to be on the hit list of a group of gentlemen from across the Irish Sea.

When you remember that Meadowhall represents everything that Al Qaeda is supposed to hate, consumerism, greed etc etc, it would make a very tempting target to some nutter with ten pound of Semtex strapped under his jacket....makes you stop and think doesn't it?

Originally posted by Geoff
...whenever the news mention England's major cities, they normally forget to mention us.



I think your answer is in the question so to speak! We might be 5th largest in size, but I think even Al-Qaeda would dismiss any suicide bomber if he decided to blow himself up in Sheffield!

OBL " Ahh yes, may god place this martyr in a special place in heaven, for his sacrifices against the infidels in erm.... now where was it again....erm, oh right yeah Sheff....Sheff something, infact no sod it, does it even exist?!? "

It better to be the "unknown" city sometimes hey ;)

1Man&HisBMW

Does anyone else remember the IRA bomb scares in the 70s? The markets were evacuated on a couple of occasions as were one or two big stores but I can't remember which. Hopefully, we've sunk enough into obscurity for modern day terrorists to have forgotten us.

I used to live in Warrington when the IRA bomb killed a couple of young dudes...warrington being a tiny nondescript town...Lets not get to comfortable...as for Meadowhall being a target I must have considered a suicide mission there myself after being dragged round by the missus (only kidding if any CIA or FBI agents are tracking this forum)

I don't think sheffield IS England's fifth largest city anymore but in 2000 it was the fourth largest... I know London, Birmingham and Manchester are larger, but is Liverpool? and what about Bristol, Leeds and Nottingham???

we've been over this a few times, manchester isnt as big as sheffield... reason you ask: the classification of greater manchester and manchester.

bristol and nottingham are much smaller

Roy Mason was the name of your neighbour I think Moon, but if ya dont stop killing spiders Ill have to call you Loon Maiden.

p.s. my sister who is a vegetarian, will pour neat bleach on spiders if they dare to be in her bath Horrible person she is

Here are the stats which put Sheffield 4th in population size of Englands largest cities.

London 7,074,265
Birmingham 1,020,589
Leeds 726,939
Sheffield 530,375
Bradford 483,422
Liverpool 467,995
Manchester 430,818
Bristol 399,633

It surprises me that good ol' Sheff isn't a terrorist Target in people's mind these days (I'm not saying that asthough it's a bad thing!!) Sheffield has the highest proportion of central government workers in the country outside London which when Afganistan was in the melting pot resulted in many bomb warning in buildings I was working in at the time... (you can probably guess I am one of those government workers)...

I guess the 'Forgotten City' tag has it's fringe benefits after all...

It's certainly not on the BBC Weather maps, so if terrorists are using that for reference, I think Sheffield is safe!

It's lack of an airport and other places which attract a high volume of people (other than Meadowhall) means there is nothing worth targeting.

Originally posted by Geoff
The news is currently all about the increase in security in the major cities. However, I rarely hear the media refer to Sheffield as a potential target. In fact, whenever the news mention England's major cities, they normally forget to mention us.

While I'm glad that Sheffield is not a target for terrorists, it does annoy me that Sheffield is always the "forgotten city".

Why do you think no-one remembers Sheffield?!


Don't get complacent!!!

Any on e remember the play (about early 80s) that was about a nuclear bomb going off over Sheffield?

Scared the daylights out of me, looked real. What was it called?

Originally posted by RPG
sheffield isnt a major target anymore, due to the steelworks being scaled down etc. (even tho today sheffield produces more steel than before) plus thers not a large population base, this is a good thing really :) Interesting statement that we now produce more steel than before, though i find that hard to believe.

i was fairly shocked when i heard it personally, but basically due to automisation less people are needed to make more steel now.

Originally posted by The Cycleracer
Interesting statement that we now produce more steel than before, though i find that hard to believe.

I don't believe it either. It may be true that less people are required but the fact that we to this day produce more steel than ever before is very hard to believe.

It was called Threads. Brilliant. Now out on DVD.

Originally posted by stvh
Any on e remember the play (about early 80s) that was about a nuclear bomb going off over Sheffield?

Scared the daylights out of me, looked real. What was it called?

Is that the same one that was shown on TV in the late 90's?

Originally posted by Lickszz
I don't believe it either. It may be true that less people are required but the fact that we to this day produce more steel than ever before is very hard to believe.
Sheffield did a lot of recycling of scrap steel, esp at the templeborough steel smelting plants (now magna) so one wonders if this was included in production figures.

Also is it steel tonnage or steel value? because Sheffield is certainly producing more prefab and speciality steels than ever before.

Alternatively it might be that Steel Production was actually relatively low 'back in the day' and most of the work was in Wire, Strip and Plate mills, which would count as fabrication.

Who knows, anyone have any actual figures?

Originally posted by alchresearch
It's certainly not on the BBC Weather maps, so if terrorists are using that for reference, I think Sheffield is safe!



I spotted Intake on the weather map on the channel with Harry and Christa (never know which is which LOL)

The weather map where they pick tiny odd places rather than always put cities etc

Originally posted by Moon Maiden
There are too many ethnic minority families in Sheffield

thats a bit harsh isn't it?

Originally posted by FAITHLESS
thats a bit harsh isn't it?
I thought it was just personal opinion which we are all entitled to! JMO! :P

and I've given my personal opinion. I thought that was what this is all about

Fair play! I wasn't knocking what you said... I was Just adding My Opinion (JMO) :thumbsup: :P

Originally posted by LouiseB
I spotted Intake on the weather map on the channel with Harry and Christa (never know which is which LOL)

The weather map where they pick tiny odd places rather than always put cities etc

It's Look North.

Broomhill was on the weather map earlier this week!

Yes, every bomb scare in Sheffield has been a hoax.

Blowing Sheffield up probably wouldn't really cause the national disruption that terrorists want, plus we have Irish communities, Muslim communities etc etc who are generally looked after and happy (ish).

If they blew Meadowhall up I think they would be doing us all a favour, as long as no-one was in it at the time!

Originally posted by Andy C
If they blew Meadowhall up I think they would be doing us all a favour, as long as no-one was in it at the time! ...or relying on it for their income ;)

(not that I am, but plenty of Sheffielders do work there)

No, there's not 'too many minorities' in Sheffield, the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. As long as they're welcomed and made to feel part of the community then I couldn't care less if I was the only white face between here and Rotherham. Secondly, the whole issue of terrorist attack is less likely statiscally than you feeling down and deciding to end it there and then...so don't worry!