After three years of complaints, Gateshead Council has pledged to keep a street in Leam Lane free from mud - but some are sceptical about the proposed solutions.
According to Dorothy Steel, 66, a resident of Evanlade, the street is often caked in mud as grass verges are mulched by HGVs and residents parking outside their homes.
Mrs Steel said: "It's not just our house it is all the houses, it goes all the way up the road. The reason is our street is very small and when lorries come down they have got to come onto the grass verges and that turns it into mud.
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"People are trailing it into their houses. It has been going on for three years and it's a damned disgrace, it is absolutely terrible.
"It is very depressing, it's just disgusting, even neighbours from across the road have sent photos to the council. People have got to plough through the mud to get into their homes, it's no way to live.
"We have asked them to tarmac it, if they did that it would get people's cars off the road and lorries could get passed.
Mrs Steel also said some residents have to enter their homes through backdoors to escape the mud. However, Gateshead Council has now finally agreed to explore how to solve the issue.
A Gateshead Council spokesperson said: “Green spaces across the borough are valued by our residents and communities. As per Council protocol, the hardening of verges and grassed areas should never be considered simply to improve residential parking amenity, to discourage dog fouling or to remove a perceived maintenance liability.
“A member of our Neighbourhood Housing team has contacted Mrs Steel to explain that the Council cannot remove the grass verges or replace them with tarmac due to our protocol.
“Alternative options are being discussed to prevent vehicles driving over and damaging the verge in this area, such as the installation of a ‘bird-mouth’ fence, which would allow the green space to remain while blocking access to vehicles. Once a solution has been agreed with Highways, we will consult with local residents.”
While Mrs Steel was happy the local authority had taken notice of the street's complaints, she is sceptical a fence will help.
"We wouldn't be able to get our car out if they put a fence up, and a big enough lorry would just knock it over, and the grass would just become muddied again. It needs to be tarmacked", she explained.
In correspondence seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Gateshead Council will assess the footways on the street on January 9 2023, "weather permitting".
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