A city centre street in Edinburgh has been slammed as being 'ruined' after an image was posted of it covered in rubbish.
Montgomery Street near the top of Leith Walk was seen covered in waste and packaging this week, with communal bins also seen overflowing.
The Scottish Daily Express shared how journalist Merryn Somerset Webb had questioned how the city "got to this", with a post on social media seeing hundreds of furious reactions.
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Venting their frustrations on the state of the listed street, Webb said: "How did we get to this? #ruinedcities".
Mirroring the complaints, a wave of local residents said they too were unhappy with the state of the street, along with many others across the capital.
One local wrote: "I was brought up in Leith and remember Montgomery Street as being clean and well maintained. A dignified place. How sad to see it in this state. Plenty of money for inflated salaries and pretend embassies but not for the basics like street cleaning, it seems."
"There have been massive cuts to services, and the councils claim to need budget increases to cope. Those increases are suspiciously similar to the cuts. Holyrood vacuums up the cuts for their next chocolate fireguard project," agreed a second person.
Others noted that other thoroughfares in the city were also in need of spruce up.
"I took a few shots of Princes St yesterday morning and shared to my FB page - friends in England were beyond shocked, especially one lady whose mother is from Edinburgh and fondly remembers it in its heyday," another Scot commented.
While others commented how the shabby streets have put them off from visiting.
One said: "I seldom go to Edinburgh now but now the city looks so tired & tattered compared to years ago. It becomes more striking when visiting places such as York, Belfast or Bath."
Meanwhile, someone else blamed residents for flytipping, writing: "Manky lazy residents not disposing of their refuse properly and securely. Ensuring it wont be tossed all over the street if the weather is bad as it so often is up here in Scotland. That's how it got to that imo."
Another, who had left the city for pastures new, commented how their city had become like the "third world".
They wrote: "Former resident of that once fine city here. I was there last week for a few days and was appalled how far Edinburgh had fallen. What with the plethora of beggars, potholes and uncollected rubbish, it felt like a third world city."
It comes as the city readies itself to vote in the forthcoming local elections this week.
There are 63 members elected to the City of Edinburgh Council, throughout 17 wards put to the public vote on Thursday, May 5.
