A frustrated resident in North Manchester has taken aim at Manchester Council after spending years cleaning the littered-filled pavements on his doorstep.
Philip Antony says it should be the responsibility of Manchester City Council to clean up pavements in front of houses, and that residents should not have to do the job themselves.
Philip, who lives on Wembury Street North, in Moston, has described the street to build up with constant litter and rubbish like "fighting a losing battle".
READ NEXT: ‘It’s embarrassing to live here’: Life on the street where rats have overrun the alleys
The council says it cleans the street every two weeks and has received no reports of littering on the road this year. But, for Philip the problems are only getting worse.
He said: “It’s right in front of my house and I’ve been cleaning it up for years, but I can only do so much. I feel helpless and like I'm fighting a losing battle to keep the street clean alone.”
The longstanding resident, who has lived in the area since 2009 and works two jobs, says he has complained to Manchester Council numerous times but says the last time the street was swept was two years ago.
“The council is treating this issue like it is our responsibility. I don’t want to sound over the top, but to live in a clean area is a basic need," he added. "You get takeaway packages, bags, wrappings, bottles - it’s unclean and filthy for residents.
“The wind definitely brings in litter from the two joining roads (Moston Lane and Batley Street), but it’s a problem that isn’t being acknowledged. I’m fed up with contacting the council through forms that can take a long time to fill and hearing no response.”
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods said: "Wembury Street is cleansed every two weeks with the next one due this week when one of our supervisors will also be visiting to inspect the road.
"Although we have not had any reports of littering on Wembury Street this year we do understand that a build up of rubbish and littering is unsightly on residential streets and is not pleasant for residents.
"Our neighbourhood officer will continue to work closely with residents and stakeholders to deal with this issue and we would encourage residents to help us, by not only reporting these issues, but also to help us keep their local environment clean and green for everyone."
