Residents and visitors say Liverpool city centre needs a thorough cleaning as pavements and gutters are filled with litter, dog mess, and grime. Locals expressed disappointment over the lack of cleanliness, especially around Bold Street and Seel Street, and urged everyone to 'do their bit'.
Streets covered in litter and grime
A walk from the ECHO's Old Hall Street offices to Bold Street revealed four piles of dog muck, mostly trodden into the pavement, broken glass and crushed cans in gutters, food wrappers blowing in the breeze, and cigarette butts almost everywhere.
Veronica Graham, 70, who lives on Hope Street, said: "The city centre absolutely needs a good wash. I walk into town and think it’s disgusting. Back in the day the pubs would clean the pavements outside in the mornings, and they need to do that again, especially behind Bold Street. I’ve lived in town for 14 years and it’s changed a lot, especially in terms of footfall. I don’t come into town at the weekend. It scares me away. It’s so busy with people coming in and having a good time, but they need to clean up after themselves. There’s graffiti everywhere, and it’s not nice graffiti, it’s tags and scrawl. It’s like anarchy."
Council investment and response
Liverpool City Council said it is investing £7.5 million over the next two years in parks, green spaces and streetscene services. Additional street cleansing staff have been employed, and the council will expand its current Monday to Friday cleansing provision to a seven-day operation covering the city centre and surrounding areas.
On Seel Street, opposite St Peter’s Tavern, a grassy knoll festers under discarded food wrappers, cider bottles, and a discarded washing-up bowl. Viewing the scene, Mehdi Lavasani, 60, from Birkenhead, said: "It needs a good cleaning. It’s disappointing to see it like this." Jan Fleming, 64, said: "If everybody did their bit it would make a massive impact. There’s wrappers and bags everywhere, and I think food vendors need to take the initiative. But we all have to take responsibility. You see things like coffee cups in the gutter, and you think, ‘Why would you put that there?"
Mixed views from visitors
Many visiting from other cities told the ECHO that Liverpool is doing well when it comes to litter and cleanliness. Ciarán Jones, 35, visiting from Dublin, said: "It’s grand. You should see the state of Dublin. Some cities you go to it’s wall-to-wall chewing gum on the pavements, but around here it looks grand." Katie Kearns, 35, visiting from Sligo, said: "If you go around looking for mess, you’ll find it. I think it looks nice."
Becca Barrett, from Cumbria, was celebrating her 30th birthday in Liverpool. She said: "Liverpool is cleaner than Manchester, and compared to most cities, I don’t think it’s doing badly. But it would be nice to have the pavements cleaned." However, Carol Anderson, 62, from Devon, grew up in Orrell Park and was visiting the city. She said: "I’ve been surprised how much litter there is. I’ve lived in quite a few cities and this is one of the worst litter situations I’ve seen." Jeanette Flynn, 57, said: "Town is doing well. It looks good, and I feel like we’re on top of the litter." Derek Willcox, 63, from Widnes, said he visits the city every couple of months. He said: "I’ve seen it worse, but it’s not a good advert for the city."
Council statement on cleaning plans
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: "We are investing more than £7.5 million over the next two years in frontline environmental services across the city, including parks, green spaces and streetscene services. As part of this investment, we have recruited an additional 26 barrow walkers across the city and we are currently recruiting a further 12 staff to strengthen our street washing team, increasing both the frequency of cleansing and the number of locations covered. This will expand the service from its current Monday to Friday provision to a seven-day operation covering the city centre and surrounding areas."
"Our street cleansing teams operate across the city centre every day between 4.15am and 8pm, carrying out both mechanical and manual cleansing. Dedicated teams also collect litter in high-footfall locations, including the pedestrianised areas of Church Street and Lord Street. We have also recently expanded our infrastructure team, which is delivering a planned programme of improvements across the city centre. This includes a litter bin replacement scheme, supported by condition surveys of existing bins. Any defects identified are assessed and scheduled for repair based on their condition, location and priority. We are also reviewing bin types and capacities to ensure they meet demand. We are also engaging with stakeholders across the city centre to ensure that they are actively maintaining their own premises and land to an appropriate standard."
"People have a responsibility to look after their rubbish. It should never be dropped on our streets. All rubbish should be placed in a public bin or taken home with you."
