"I've had my house valued. We are thinking of moving. It's horrendous," says Graham Wright, shaking his head, arms crossed, in the doorway of his Partridge Street home.
He shares an honest insight into the realities of living in the shadow of Manchester United's famous home. The stadium is a giant and is steeped in history dating back 112 years. Every matchday, as many as 74,000 supporters become the envy of millions around the world, as they take to their seats at Old Trafford.
But the relationship between the ground and those living in its mighty shadow isn't always harmonious - with residents complaining of bitter parking rows, alleyways used as urinals and litter dumped in front gardens.
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Graham has lived on Partridge Street since 1989. The alleyway behind his house is also connected to the rear of homes on Sir Matt Busby Way. He says he's regularly unable to park outside his home, despite paying for a permit. Peering outside of his back window, he says he is all too often met with the sight of litter or drunken fans urinating against the walls.
"How long have you got?" he quips after agreeing to answer some questions. "These problems have been going on for donkeys years. The fly-tipping and dumping rubbish in the alleyways is just horrendous."
The alley between Partridge Street and Sir Matt Busby Way previously had gates installed in a bid to block supporters from accessing it. But Graham claims the locks have been intentionally filled up with superglue numerous times to prevent them being closed. When Graham took it upon himself to put his own chain and padlock around the gate to try and keep people out, it was quickly cut open with pliers.
"Wetherspoons gets absolutely jam packed so people end up peeing up the walls," he added.
'I've actually had my house valued'
But the main issue, he says, is the parking. People living in the area closest to the stadium, classed as 'Gorse Hill A' currently need a permit for their own vehicle and a visitors' permit for anyone stopping by, enforced 24 hours a day. But, despite numerous signs warning drivers about the restrictions, some people visiting Old Trafford still dump their cars - and foot the bill if caught.
"People just park on the street and are fined. That fine is reduced to around £30 if they pay within a week, which, if you have a car of four people, is only £7.50 each. So, really, it's just the same as parking in a normal car park isn't it?
"You learn to put up with these things. When I moved in, 40,000 fans would come to the stadium - but now that's over 70,000. You can imagine what that's like.
"The parking is a nightmare. You really want to see what we have to put up with on a match day or event day. We pay for a permit but it still doesn't guarantee we will get a space anywhere near our house, so what are we paying for? You could go out to the shop and by the time you get back, there is no space and we have to park all the way down Railway Road.
"We are thinking of moving and I've actually had my house valued. They are forcing us away."
Ali Mirage has lived in his terraced home on Sir Matt Busby Way since 2014. Like Graham he is having to contend with the sight of men urinating in his back alley, but more frustratingly, the impossibility of parking outside his own home on match days.
During sporting events, Sir Matt Busby Way, the road leading into the entrance of the stadium, is blocked off by police to manage the tens of thousands of fans pouring into the ground, leaving Ali and his family forced to park elsewhere. That presents problems of its own, as parking on nearby streets robs other residents of a space outside their own houses.
'Men pull their pants down and urinate in our alleyway'
"I've actually written to our MP because anyone that lives along here or on the street behind us needs a permit. But that doesn't mean you have a reserved space. It's a joke," he says.
"We can't park our cars here at all on match days, so when we then try and park on the street behind us, they all kick up a big fuss even though it isn't reserved for them either. We have to try and sneak our cars in at night.
"The back gates to the alleyway usually stay open, so people sneak in there, take their pants down and urinate. It's a nightmare to be honest, we need the police patrolling the area and the backstreets.
"On match days it's just a chain of events. You can't park outside your own home which is a scam when we pay the council and our taxes every year. I was considering starting a petition to make the space in front of houses private because otherwise, what are we paying for?"
In January, Trafford Council announced they were opening an online consultation, urging residents and local business owners to have their say on how they are impacted by sporting and concert events at the football ground. The scrutiny committee launched the consultation after numerous complaints were made, particularly about the behaviour of fans.
The council admitted that they recognised various issues, including illegal and obstructive parking, supporters urinating in alleys and gardens and littering. The consultation was launched to 'understand the current situation' and work with residents, the police and Manchester United to 'ensure events are run as effectively as possible', the council said.
Sunday Aderibigbe has lived on Railway Road for five years. You can see the metallic structure of the stadium towering over his back garden. "The main issue I have is the parking," he tells the Manchester Evening News.
"People just park their cars anywhere, even though they aren't entitled to. I have been here for five years but have only seen the parking wardens once or twice in all that time. You could go out and then ten minutes later, your space has gone.
"Sometimes, after they (the fans) have eaten, they throw the rubbish into our gardens. They have thrown wrappers into my garden and into the bushes.
"I actually don't mind the noise too much. When they win they get excited and you get used to it. It isn't too loud when you're inside. The council don't have much control over the way people behave, it's tolerable but annoying."
'You can't live here in a bubble. There has to be an acceptance that you live close to a football ground'
Andy Cavanagh, who has lived along Railway Road since 1999, says his neighbours often block the alleys with bins to prevent fans using them as toilets. He says the problem stems from a lack of public toilets and portaloos in the area to meet the demand.
At the same time, he says residents 'can't live in a bubble' and must recognise there are downsides to living so close to a major football stadium.
He said: "The problem is with the communication between the club and the residents. We aren't informed about certain events such as women's football, so you'll randomly see thousands turn up and we didn't know anything about it.
"Currently we pay for a permit to park our car on the street. On matchdays you do see a lot of people dropping people off and then sitting in their cars with the engine running so they don't need to pay the fine."
Pointing towards the stadium, which is directly situated outside his back garden, he added: "We've had issues with the noise. The extractor fan makes a lot of noise overnight.
"If you commute past the stadium on a matchday and need to cross Sir Matt Busby Way and you're wearing a backpack, even if you don't have a ticket, you'll be frisked and have your bag searched.
"You can't live here in a bubble and can't possibly not understand there's a match going on. There has to be an acceptance that you live close to a football ground."
Coun Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said: “We know that the vast majority of matchday and event fans are well-behaved and a credit to Manchester United and visiting teams. However, there is a small minority of anti-social people so we want to find out the impact their behaviour has on the lives of people in our communities around Old Trafford football stadium.
“We want the views and ideas of our residents and business owners so we can work with police, Manchester United and other partners to make the matchday experience better for everyone. It is our priority that all our communities will be happy, healthy and safe and this is all about making sure the communities that live in and around the Old Trafford ground are exactly that.”
What Trafford Council says:
A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “The vast majority of people who come to Old Trafford stadium for sporting events and concerts are well-behaved and respectful. However, there is a small minority who sometimes cause disruption to residents and businesses through their anti-social behaviour.
“In recent times the Council, working with the police and the club, has taken action over anti-social behaviour by fans. This includes fines for illegal and obstructive parking, and for supporters urinating in alleyways and gardens. There has also been a concerted campaign over littering on matchdays.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to improve lives for residents and local businesses in the area, our Scrutiny Committee launched a review into the impact events at Old Trafford Football Stadium have on the local community, including how anti-social behaviour of some people attending events affects residents.
“As part of the review, a consultation was run to gather the views of residents from the area around Old Trafford. The consultation closed recently and we are now in the process of analysing the responses and we will be discussing the findings with Manchester United and other partners.”
What Manchester United says:
The club did not provide a comment. But they pointed out that they have have reintroduced a quarterly councillor forum where local constituents have the opportunity to raise any concerns with the club via councillors, and that through this they had worked on initiatives together.
These include 12 temporary matchday toilets paid for by the club and installed on Chester Road, and a £22,000 pledge to install alley-gating.
The club said it was supporting communication around illegal matchday parking to fans, and backing the Premier League’s code of conduct for fans to tackle poor behaviour.
Senior club representatives have also met with young people in Gorse Hill to explore employability and work experience options, and their views on matchdays, and met with local community groups. And the forum is inviting Transport for Greater Manchester into discussion about sustainable ways for fans to travel to the ground that reduce congestion, while reviewing bike routes around Old Trafford.
The club also highlights its community work. A winter charity campaign, United By Your Side, has been running a warm hub since December, helping 300 people, and donated 400 pies to charity to distribute to people in hostels on the streets; installed benches in the forecourt of Old Trafford in partnership with Manchester Mind so people affected by loneliness and anxiety can sit and chat, donated £2m in essential items to young people and families via the Manchester United Foundation, and collected and distributed warm clothes donated by fans.
The Manchester United Foundation has also invested £60,000 in slow cookers, hats, gloves and scarves to give to partner schools with recipes, as well as donating thousands of gifts and Adidas kit. Over 20,000 children across Greater Manchester are engaged through the Manchester United Foundation, through partnerships and programmes including healthy eating, reading attainment, business enterprise, and disability.
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