A woman claims she is unable to rent out her property due to rubbish being dumped in the rear alleyway which smells so bad it "makes her feel sick".
Neeru Saxena, 50, who owns the property with her husband Mukund, said that she is "unable" to let out the property on Grosvenor Road in Wavertree due the “terrible” smell from the rear alleyway being caused by dumped rubbish. Neeru has owned the house since 2013 but claims she has found it tough to find a new tenant as a result of the mess that is being left in the alley.
Pictures shared with the ECHO show overflowing wheelie bins in the middle of the passageway. Some bin bags had been left on the floor and torn open, spreading debris across the alley.
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Neeru claims rats have since been found dead in the alleyway with flies and cockroaches also seen among the strewn mess. A Liverpool City Council spokesperson, sharing a response from Liverpool Streetscene Services Limited, said that “the alleyway between Grosvenor Road and Barrett Street is cleansed on a weekly basis and all purple bins presented at the designated collection points are collected.”
Bins will also be collected outside the front of properties on a weekly basis. The cleaning service however doesn’t offer a full sweep of alleyway.
A Council spokesperson added that bins will be collected from agreed collection points, unusually behind alley gates at the end of each alleyway and, where applicable, middle entry point. The service added that “bins not brought to the alleyway entrance for collection are not routinely collected - refuse crews do not visit the middle of alleyways to collect waste.”
As Neeru’s property is in the middle of the street, any bin bags or wheelie bins left out of the back of hers or neighbouring properties go uncollected. Waste not disposed of in the correct manner, according to the council, will remain in the alleyway.
The landlord claims that she is not physically able to drag her own wheelie bin and everyone else’s to the top of the alley on collection days, meaning discarded waste builds up for weeks on end. She described the situation as “unfair” despite her and other neighbour's efforts, but a council spokesperson said the authority "will continue to work with and educate residents to improve the situation."
As she doesn’t live at the property herself, she claims the situation cannot be managed and the build-up of waste in the alley is putting off prospective tenants. She described the situation as a "health hazard" with a smell that “makes you feel sick.”
Speaking about the home, she said “nobody wants to rent it”, noting how prospective tenants come into the back and see the mess and are then put off by the smell. She added that she does not want to put rubbish outside of the front of the house for cultural reasons and would prefer to leave it in the back, but issues arise from being in the middle of the terrace with other properties not taking their waste to the top or bottom of the alley.
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “The alleyway between Grosvenor Road and Barrett Street is cleansed on a weekly basis and all purple bins presented at the designated collection points are collected. We are aware of issues relating to waste presentation by some residents who back onto this alleyway and we will continue to work with and educate residents to improve the situation.”
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