Bootle's Millers Bridge has been nicknamed 'Spiller's Bridge' by frustrated residents after repeated oil spills closed the key dual carriageway, leaving elderly neighbours stranded and streets smelling like a 'sweaty cafe'.
The road was closed for eight days following a spill on Sunday, July 19. Buses were diverted, and residents complained of a stench so strong they could smell it inside their homes. The area has been a hotspot for oil spills, with multiple incidents over recent years, including 2000 gallons of vegetable oil soaking the road in 2022.
Another spill on Derby Road
Another spillage, of palm oil, occurred on nearby Derby Road on Friday, July 24, closing a lane of the dual carriageway for four days. The road was cleared after sand, described by neighbours as being 'like cat litter', was spread on the road before being swept away. Sefton Council said those responsible for the spill paid for specialist cleaning contractors to carry out the clean-up operation.
Previous clean-up operations, such as one in April 2024, cost Sefton Council as much as £12,430, according to a Freedom of Information request response seen by the ECHO. The council said it is exploring new measures, including potential prosecutions, in an attempt to prevent future spills.
'Horrendous' smell and transport woes
People living alongside the road said the area began to smell 'like a sweaty cafe' as the oil spill coincided with hot weather. Two cul-de-sacs run close to Millers Bridge, between the canal and Derby Road. The ECHO spoke to residents of Douglas Place and William Henry Street about the spills.
Trisha Phillips, 49, said: "It's horrendous. It blocks up all the traffic on Derby Road and we get cars coming up here thinking they can get through, but it's a cul-de-sac, so they all get stuck. You can smell the oil. I couldn't hang washing out on the line because my daughter could smell it on the clothes."
Donna Sullivan, 67, said: "It has happened so often that people call it 'Spiller's Bridge'. When the road is closed, the buses don't come, and that causes real issues for older people. We've all been breathing those fumes from the oil all week."
Residents speak out
Millers Bridge is a major route for traffic heading to the docks. HGVs rattle along Bootle's Balliol Road and Derby Road day and night, and the road is also a key route linking Bootle to Liverpool city centre. Drivers hit a steep incline as they reach Millers Bridge from the docks.
Avril Corrigan, 73, told the ECHO: "It has happened a lot, and when it does it leaves us stuck down here. All the buses get diverted, so people have to pay out for taxis. And you can smell it. It's really bad."
David Nicholson, 54, of Douglas Place, said: "It was really hot, and I didn't know there had been an oil spill. I was looking around for what the smell was: I thought someone was cooking burgers, but it was the road being fried all the way along."
"All the old ones get the bus from here up to the Strand, and the buses were all stopped. Taxis have to go all the way to Bank Hall to double back to Bootle since they changed the road layout, so they cost more. These houses shouldn't really be here, in the middle of an industrial estate, but it was built around them."
A William Henry Street resident, who declined to be named, said: "It smelt like chippy oil, and when it was hot, the whole place started to smell like a sweaty cafe. I could smell it in the house. The stuff they put down to clear it looked like cat litter, and they had it down all the way to Breeze Hill. I wonder if it's the incline that causes the spills. There were no buses at all."
Taxi firms and council respond
Charles Oakes runs the Hackney and Private Hire Drivers Association, based on Goodison Road. He said: "The road is getting contaminated, and businesses bear the brunt of that because they can't get to their destinations. It's costing passengers more because taxi drivers are having to take longer routes."
"It's about time this was looked into, and we find out why this was happening. Besides the inconvenience, it must be costing a fortune to clean up."
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: "The changes to junction layouts in the area, which took place six years ago, were part of a scheme delivered jointly with Liverpool City Council as part of the North Liverpool Key Corridor Scheme. The scheme aimed to improve the journey between Liverpool and Bootle, both in journey times, traffic flow, and safety."
"Many junction turns, including the potentially dangerous right-turn manoeuvre from Douglas Place, were removed as part of the safety improvements."
"We are aware of recent spillages in the area and have been working with partners to develop a multi-agency approach with relevant partners to help address these incidents and identify measures that may reduce the likelihood of future occurrences."
"We are currently exploring options available to us in relation to enforcement and potential prosecutions for future spills."
"After the incident on Millers Bridge on Sunday 19th July, those responsible employed and paid for specialist cleaning contractors to carry out the clean-up operation. As a result, the road was safe to reopen by Monday 27th July."
"Another spillage, thought to be palm oil, occurred nearby on Derby Road on Friday 24th July, which resulted in a lane closure that lasted until Tuesday 28th July. We are currently investigating those responsible with a view to recovering the costs for the clean-up and traffic management."
