A man said joyriders are using a private road as a "personal playground" and fears it's only a matter of time before someone dies following a crash on Friday.
The man, who did not want to be named, told the ECHO joyriders have been using South Ferry Quay Road near Liverpool City Centre as a race track every night for over a year. He said the situation has "become more and more intolerable" and culminated in a crash on Friday night.
The man reported a "huge" police presence who closed the road after finding the car flipped over. The man, who has lived in the marina for over 20 years, said he has been calling for action to be taken to prevent the joyriders since last year.
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He has called for speed restrictions to be implemented on the road with speed bumps and bollards in place to deter the dangerous driving. But as a private road, the measures can't be put in place by Liverpool Council.
Instead the responsibility of the road is in the hands of the Canal & River Trust. The resident claimed the Trust has been "unhelpful and dismissive" when he has raised the concerns with senior representatives.
But a spokesperson for the Canal & River Trust said it is in the "process of reviewing possible solutions to address the problems" and conversations are ongoing with the council to adopt the road.
The concerned resident told the ECHO : "What happened on Friday is an example of what happens when nothing is put in place. Two trees were knocked over but it could have easily been a passer-by, cyclist or a child.
"Speed limits can't be enforced down here because it's private land. These people are obviously aware of this and are using the area as their own personal playground.
"We're having this every night and there doesn't seem to be much we can do. It was only a matter of time before a crash like the one on Friday happened."
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told the ECHO : "We were contacted at 10.10pm on Friday, June 24 to reports of a one vehicle collision involving a Seat Leon on South Ferry Quay in Liverpool. There are no reports of any serious injuries and no ambulance was required. The driver of the car, a male in his 20s, was spoken to by officers."
The resident, who wanted to remain anonymous over fears of retaliation, added: "The Trust have been aware of the incidents since August of last year but continue to fob us off - it's a critical road safety matter.
"Friday is an example of what happens when nothing is put in place. There's a strong possibility of a loss of life if we continue without necessary provisions."
A Canal & River Trust spokesperson said: “We have been in the process of reviewing possible solutions to address the problems relating to speeding vehicles at South Ferry Quay and have met with residents to listen to concerns. We have now installed new 15mph speed limit signage across Mariners Wharf, South Ferry Quay and Coburg Wharf to try and address the situation.
“Our local operations team have also met with representatives of Merseyside Police to discuss possible enforcement. As a charity, we don’t have the resources or powers to undertake enforcement against anti-social behaviour and rely on a partnership approach.
“We are in discussions with the local authority to discuss options on them adopting the road and we will continue to review the benefits of other physical measures such as signage and road calming solutions. The Trust remains committed to working towards a solution on what is a complicated issue.”
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