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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Sean McPolin

Living next to a top football club - bitter parking rows, urinating and piles of litter

Home owners and residents living outside one of the country's most famous stadiums have slammed football fans after problems with constant littering, bitter parking rows and alleyways being used as urinals.

People living near Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, have opened up on the realities of living in the shadow of the historic stadium.

Dating back more than a decade, every matchday around 74,000 supporters flock to the stadium to take their seats and watch the famous Red Devils, Manchester Evening News reports.

Graham Wright has lived on nearby Partridge Street since 1989 and is sick of the constant problem.

He said: "I've had my house valued. We are thinking of moving. It's horrendous.

"These problems have been going on for donkeys years. The fly-tipping and dumping rubbish in the alleyways is just horrendous."

One resident in Partridge Street admitted he has thought about moving away from the area because of problems (MEN Media)

Graham says the alleyway between his street and Sir Matt Busby Way previously had gates installed to block supporters from accessing it, but they have apparently had their locks filled with superglue to stop them from shutting.

He added: "Wetherspoons gets absolutely jam packed so people end up peeing up the walls.

"People just park on the street and are fined. That fine is reduced to around £30 if they pay within a week, which, if you have a car of four people, is only £7.50 each. So, really, it's just the same as parking in a normal car park isn't it?

"You learn to put up with these things. When I moved in, 40,000 fans would come to the stadium - but now that's over 70,000. You can imagine what that's like.

"The parking is a nightmare. You really want to see what we have to put up with on a match day or event day. We pay for a permit but it still doesn't guarantee we will get a space anywhere near our house, so what are we paying for?

People living near Old Trafford have had men urinating in nearby alleyways, constant littering and bitter rows about parking (AFP via Getty Images)

"You could go out to the shop and by the time you get back, there is no space and we have to park all the way down Railway Road.

"We are thinking of moving and I've actually had my house valued. They are forcing us away."

Ali Mirage has lived along Sir Matt Busby Way in a terraced house for 2014 and has also sick of seeing men urinating in his alleyway and struggling to park on match days.

He said: "I've actually written to our MP because anyone that lives along here or on the street behind us needs a permit. But that doesn't mean you have a reserved space. It's a joke.

"We can't park our cars here at all on match days, so when we then try and park on the street behind us, they all kick up a big fuss even though it isn't reserved for them either. We have to try and sneak our cars in at night.

Some families have reported being unable to park due to high amount of fans heading to the stadium (MEN Media)

"The back gates to the alleyway usually stay open, so people sneak in there, take their pants down and urinate. It's a nightmare to be honest, we need the police patrolling the area and the backstreets.

"On match days it's just a chain of events. You can't park outside your own home which is a scam when we pay the council and our taxes every year. I was considering starting a petition to make the space in front of houses private because otherwise, what are we paying for?"

In January, Trafford Council urged residents and local business owners to have their say on how they are impacted by sporting and concert events at the football ground.

Sunday Aderibigbe has lived on Railway Road for half a decade.

He added: "The main issue I have is the parking.

"People just park their cars anywhere, even though they aren't entitled to. I have been here for five years but have only seen the parking wardens once or twice in all that time. You could go out and then ten minutes later, your space has gone.

Every matchday home owners are putting up with thousands of fans flocking to the historic stadium (Getty Images)

"Sometimes, after they (the fans) have eaten, they throw the rubbish into our gardens. They have thrown wrappers into my garden and into the bushes.

"I actually don't mind the noise too much. When they win they get excited and you get used to it. It isn't too loud when you're inside. The council don't have much control over the way people behave, it's tolerable but annoying."

Andy Cavanagh, also of Railway Road since the historic 1999 season, says his neighbours often block the alleys with bins to prevent fans using them as toilets.

"The problem is with the communication between the club and the residents," he said.

"We aren't informed about certain events such as women's football, so you'll randomly see thousands turn up and we didn't know anything about it.

"Currently we pay for a permit to park our car on the street. On matchdays you do see a lot of people dropping people off and then sitting in their cars with the engine running so they don't need to pay the fine.

Manchester United declined to comment on the problems (UEFA via Getty Images)

"We've had issues with the noise. The extractor fan makes a lot of noise overnight.

"If you commute past the stadium on a matchday and need to cross Sir Matt Busby Way and you're wearing a backpack, even if you don't have a ticket, you'll be frisked and have your bag searched.

"You can't live here in a bubble and can't possibly not understand there's a match going on. There has to be an acceptance that you live close to a football ground."

Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said: “We know that the vast majority of matchday and event fans are well-behaved and a credit to Manchester United and visiting teams. However, there is a small minority of anti-social people so we want to find out the impact their behaviour has on the lives of people in our communities around Old Trafford football stadium.

“We want the views and ideas of our residents and business owners so we can work with police, Manchester United and other partners to make the matchday experience better for everyone. It is our priority that all our communities will be happy, healthy and safe and this is all about making sure the communities that live in and around the Old Trafford ground are exactly that."

Old Trafford attracts around 74,000 fans every matchday (ABNM Photography/ MEN Media)

A spokesperson for the council added: “The vast majority of people who come to Old Trafford stadium for sporting events and concerts are well-behaved and respectful. However, there is a small minority who sometimes cause disruption to residents and businesses through their anti-social behaviour.

“In recent times the Council, working with the police and the club, has taken action over anti-social behaviour by fans. This includes fines for illegal and obstructive parking, and for supporters urinating in alleyways and gardens. There has also been a concerted campaign over littering on matchdays.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to improve lives for residents and local businesses in the area, our Scrutiny Committee launched a review into the impact events at Old Trafford Football Stadium have on the local community, including how anti-social behaviour of some people attending events affects residents.

“As part of the review, a consultation was run to gather the views of residents from the area around Old Trafford. The consultation closed recently and we are now in the process of analysing the responses and we will be discussing the findings with Manchester United and other partners.”

Manchester United declined to comment, but explained it reintroduced a quarterly councillor forum where local constituents have the opportunity to raise any concerns with the club via councillors, and that through this they had worked on initiatives together.

These include 12 temporary matchday toilets paid for by the club and installed on Chester Road, and a £22,000 pledge to install alley-gating.

The club said it was supporting communication around illegal matchday parking to fans, and backing the Premier League ’s code of conduct for fans to tackle poor behaviour.

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