Work is getting underway on refurbishing alleyways as part of a £6 million improvement programme in Liverpool.
The passageways were built in Victorian times and many are in a poor state of repair, with sunken areas and other problems with rodents and smells.
It follows condition surveys and test digs as well as a clearing out of 1.5 miles of sewers to get rid of blockages.
Work has begun this week in Walton on alleyways behind Makin Street and Olney Street (between Bedford Road and Breeze Hill) as well as Imrie Street.
Residents will place their waste in one of 13 communal bin areas with purple (general waste) and blue (recycling) bins placed in the area for around the next eight weeks.
Feedback will be gathered from residents during the work and a permanent waste storage and collection solution will be agreed with local residents. The solution will hopefully be implemented early next year as a permanent solution to the local problems and will keep the alleyways repaired free of waste and dumping.
It is part of a phased multi-million pound plan to tackle underlying issues with waste, litter and vermin in Liverpool’s alleyways over the next three years.
Cabinet member for streetscene and highways, Councillor James Noakes, said: “We are trying to tackle a multitude of different historical issues which cause significant challenges for people living in terraced streets.
“We are committed to spending a significant amount of money refurbishing the worst alleyways, prioritising those areas which are most in need to improve the conditions and prevent vermin from living off the dumped waste and being able to live in gaps below the ground.
“We know we need to do more to improve the storage facilities, so we will be putting in place temporary communal waste points with much larger bins in to stop black bags being left in the open for days at a time.
“We need residents to work with us to reduce the amount of waste left in alleyways between collections, by using the new system, recycling more of their waste and treating their neighbourhood with respect.”
Other areas which will be targeted early next year include parts of County, Kensington, Tuebrook and Anfield.
The cost of waste collections in terraced areas is around a third higher than non-terraced areas, and recycling rates are up to two thirds lower – only around 15 percent in some wards, compared with up to 50 percent elsewhere in the city.
The ultimate aim is to improve the local environment for all residents, reduce vermin, increase recycling and provide a safe working environment for staff.
