Richard Hughes who lives on the street says ‘it is depressing that this is what we are living in.’
Resident Richard Hughes(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A man claims gangs of rats ‘with tatoos and Nike 110s’ on are confidently wandering around his rubbish-infested road where bins are regularly overflowing.
Richard Hughes has lived in a flat in Abingdon Grove in Walton for the past 24 years. He owns his flat but the wider development is owned and operated by the Torus housing association, who Mr Hughes pays a service charge to.
Last year the Abingdon Estate saw the installation of new communal Eurobins for waste and recycling collections after what Torus said were needed to improve on years of historical waste collections with traditional wheelie bins. But Mr Hughes claims the move has not helped the situation and may have made things worse.
He told the ECHO: “The change just hasn’t worked at all. These Euro bins are only collected once a fortnight and it just isn’t enough. I have complained to Torus and the council about this because the bins are always overflowing. But they seem to be arguing about who would be responsible for sorting out another collection.”
Some of the overflowing bins in Abingdon Grove
He said the overflowing bins, which he has provided images of, have led to increased pest issues in and around the estate. He added: “The infestation of rats is horrendous.
“I am a taxi driver so I see them when I drive home in the morning. There are gangs of rats walking down the street in broad daylight, they are not bothered. Some of them may as well be wearing Nike 110s with tattoos around our place, they aren’t scared.”
He added: “When you come home and you see all this rubbish blowing around in the wind and rats everywhere it is depressing that this is what we are living in. I pay Council Tax and a service charge so I think I should be getting a better service than this.”
The ECHO attempted to contact both Torus and Liverpool City Council about Mr Hughes’ concerns. Torus responded to say they had been out to the area and the council had cleared the latest rubbish from the area.
Both organisations previously commented on the change in refuse services for Abingdon Grove ahead of the switch to Euro bins. Torus Neighbourhood Team Leader (Liverpool), Julie Smith, speaking in December 2023, said: “It is hoped, as in other areas, that the new bins will see an improvement in alleyways cleanliness, increase recycling and reduce fly-tipping.
Resident Richard Hughes and overflowing wheelie bins on Abingdon Grove.(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“We also hope the new bins will address issues around pests and smells that have been reported to us, while leaving footpaths free from bins, which also aids in the reduction of anti-social behaviour (ASB), increasing the sense of safety when walking along the pavements.”
Liverpool City Council Streetscene Manager, Adrian Devers, said at the time: “Abingdon Grove has had historical waste and recycling issues for several years which has been compounded by multiple collection points. The introduction of communal bins has corralled waste collections into one place making it easier for tenants and collection teams to access and safer/cleaner to manage.”