Liverpool residents in an area dominated by students have been left desperate, as piles of mess take over their over-populated streets.
Ngunan Adamu who has lived in Wavertree, Liverpool for 34 years, said there used to be a great sense of community spirit until the students moved in.
A number of streets in the Wavertree area are now largely occupied by Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO), which are mainly student houses.
This week social media showcased the vast amount of HMOs in the area, housing up to eight people per household, wreaking havoc on local residents' communities.
Ngunan told the Liverpool Echo: “All people want is a bit of respect."
The situation becomes worse when students leave their homes at the end of term.
Images and videos showed students dumping items on the roads and hoards of overflowing bins, with Liverpool City Council struggling to clear all the mess up.
A huge cracked mirror lay discarded, and enormous piles of rubbish, pans, pots, mugs, clothing, and leftover food were left on the floor.
Ngunan said there were hardly any families left living in the area, and there was a real anger and grieving for the sense of community there used to be.
She added: "I have people crying to me all the time about the state of the area. It used to be a really vibrant area but it feels like we've lost that community feeling.”
Ngunan said while it was the students who are to blame, there are others at fault too.
"The parents don't help actually, you will see them coming to pick them up at the end of term and they will just leave things on the street as well.
“They don't set a good example."
Ngunan added that residents’ anger is also directed at out-of-town landlords who have gutted former family homes to turn them into HMOs, housing as many as possible for maximum profit.
She added: "90% of these developers don't live in this city, they live in London or abroad, so they just don't care what happens here."
George Evans, 79, who has lived in the area for 50 years, said: "I think the parents can be as bad as the students".
He said he saw a mother come to move her daughter out and they discarded what they couldn’t fit in the car onto the street.
George also directs his anger at the Council.
"Liverpool Council should never have allowed this, these were family homes, developers have ripped all the insides out, made little box rooms - thank you very much."
Similarly, Ashley Hargreaves is at breaking point.
He and his partner bought their first home in the area three years ago but have faced constant battles since.
Ashley said the litter and disorder is a year-round problem but becomes particularly bad at this time of year.
He added: "The level of rubbish this week is something I have never seen before.
“This has attracted rats and seagulls to the area, it sounds like the seaside here."
Ashley said he raised about 12 complaints with Liverpool city council and arranged community meetings but feels little has been done.
He has also taken matters into his own hands, personally sweeping the streets and attempting to speak to students.
Ashley said: "I've been verbally abused and had doors slammed in my face when raising these issues with students.
‘’They just don't care and there are no ramifications for them or the landlords involved.’’
The area's Member of Parliament, Paula Barker, says these issues take up a lot of her time.
In a statement, she said the situation is not good enough, and nowhere seems to be quite as bad as parts of Wavertree.
“I will not accept that my constituents should live in filth.”
She explained a large part is due to the proliferation of HMOs in the area, without the appropriate infrastructure and planning implemented.
She added: “There is a strong sense of community in the area and the people who live there should be able to have pride in where they live.”
Barker said there needs to be sustained, targeted action in these areas, and the council needed to urgently review its waste management strategy.
Liverpool Council leader Liam Robinson said he completely understands and appreciates the frustration these issues are causing within communities.
He said that it is landlords asking students to leave their houses empty when they are moving out that prompts this behaviour.
He added that he has worked collaboratively with the Leave Liverpool Tidy campaign to encourage students and landlords to leave streets clear of rubbish and to recycle or reuse items rather than throw them out.
His work includes communications through universities, students and landlord groups, door knocking and posts on social media.
Cllr Robinson explained that Liverpool Streetscene Services Limited is deploying increased resources in the affected areas, like waste collections and skips to help relieve residents.
