West Street or Division Street: Sheffielders have their say on which is best for a day or night out

But those who know West Street and Division Street in Sheffield city centre say this is far from the truth.

Both busy streets feature over 30 bars, shops, and other establishments each.

West Street has a slight advantage on space, about a hundred metres longer than its competitor, but does this matter in terms of attracting customers?

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“West Street has got Olivia's, Players, One Four One…I feel like there's just more," says Georgia, who grew up in Sheffield.

“Division Street has more pubs, little independent ones, and is more student-y I think. But it just depends on what you like.”

Nick Simmonite is the chair of Unight, an organisation working to improve the nighttime economy and safety, and the landlord of Division Street's 300-year-old pub, the Frog and Parrot.

“It's like comparing apples and pears!”, he says.

“I will always have a fondness for Division Street because of the vibe we have created collectively along here, but I tip my hat to the good people of West Street.”

For those who prefer a heavier night out, West Street offers more than twice as many bars, while Division Street seems to take the lead on the earlier scene, cafes and vintage shops.

“We might say that we are a little more subdued, and we celebrate that. West Street may get more drinks over the bar, and we will have more food involved in the early evening. There is no difference in terms of the way that people are looked after,” added Mr Simmonite.

The two streets have widely implemented the Ask Angela scheme, where anyone feeling unsafe can discreetly ask for fictional staff member ‘Angela’, alerting staff to their situation which will be dealt with accordingly.

Police and street pastors are also present on both streets.

“West Street leads on good practice in dealing with some of the horrible practices that hit the news,” Mr Simmonite adds.

“Spiking, anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls - they have some good practices in that respect in dealing with those issues that we like to learn from.

Alice Fletcher, 20, is a student at the University of Sheffield.

She agrees that Division Street, more recently established as a night out destination, has a less intense atmosphere.

"I'd rather go for drinks on Division Street because it feels cleaner, and I like that you don't have to avoid cars and trams. But going ‘out out’, I'd definitely go West Street. You have to be drunk to face it, but it's cheaper, and you go for that.”

The expansion of the city centre and emergence of more areas contributing to the night time economy will not stop any time soon, says Mr Simmonite.

“Our city centre already goes beyond just these two parallel roads. Great areas are opening up that didn't exist 10 years ago. There will come a point where we will come toe to toe with nights out in Leeds and Manchester. I'm sure of it.”

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