Neighbours contacted the ECHO to report drug deals, rat infestations, and sex workers operating in the open
00:01, 14 Feb 2026Updated 07:59, 14 Feb 2026
David Byrne, 72, and an alleyway between Alton Road and Gloucester Road, Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
A rat-infested Liverpool neighbourhood is beset by drug users, drug dealers, and sex workers operating in the street according to people who spoke to the ECHO. One Tuebrook resident told the ECHO “this is the worst area in Liverpool”.
People contacted the ECHO to report drug deals and drug users congregating “every day” on Alton Road, Tuebrook. Neighbours shared photos and video with the ECHO they said showed this activity, while one shocking video appeared to show two people engaged in a sexual act in a car park on the street.
The person who captured the footage told the ECHO that his children were getting ready for school when he saw the incident out of the window of his home. They said: “I’ve lived in Old Swan and Kensington, and this is the worst area of Liverpool. It’s getting worse and worse and the problem doesn’t seem to be getting fixed by anyone.”
A dead rat on a Tuebrook pavement. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Neighbour Katie Wilding, 41, has lived on Alton Road for nine years. She confronts drug users who congregate around the alley gate close to her home. “Drug deals happen all day. Police don’t do anything, you don’t see them come down.”
Katie added that the area has a serious rat infestation, saying: “It’s disgusting. There are rats everywhere. They’re the size of cats. My own cats bring them back.”
The ECHO found three dead rats decomposing on pavements and in alleyways between Gloucester Road and Alton Road during its visit this week.
John Reid has to clean his engine to keep rats away after finding droppings on his gearbox. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
John Reid, 73, lives in the same house he was born in on Gloucester Road. A rat has chewed through his back door. He said: “You see rats of a night getting up into the wheel arches of cars. I’ve got a brand new car and I’ve got a rat under my bonnet.
“Every morning I clean out under the bonnet. There’s always droppings on the gearbox. They can ruin your car by chewing through the electrics. Seagulls attack the bin bags that are left out. That’s where the rats get all their food from.”
He showed the ECHO down the alleyway behind his home. The alley is pockmarked by fly-tipping, overgrown plants and leaning, crumbling walls. The decaying carcasses of two rats lie in the culvert running down the centre of the alley. A few yards from John’s home, another dead rat lies on the pavement, partially concealed by grass and discarded sweet wrappers.
A rat decomposing in an alleyway in Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
John said: “The council haven’t got a brush or a shovel between them. They’re spending millions on the Mersey barrier and cycle lanes, and we’re living in squalor with rats everywhere. I’m worried about Weil’s disease. People are paving over their gardens because rats are digging them up.”
“It’s down to the people, too. When I was a kid here, people used to clean their doorsteps. I used to play cricket and football in this entry. You never get kids playing out here or in the street anymore.
“I’ve reported all this to the council a few months ago. They took out the plants I complained about and left the rest further down.”
The alleyway between Gloucester Road and Alton Road, Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
David Byrne, 72, told the ECHO: “My son lives here and he has to spray his car engine with vinegar to keep the rats away. He had three rats caught in his house last year.”
Liverpool City Council said it is aware of the flytipping in the alleyway, and that a team was to be sent to clean the area up on Thursday. The council spokesperson added that rubbish should be placed in purple bins and that anyone with pest problems in their home can request a free domestic pest control visit.
A dead rat in an alleyway in Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
At another property, a resident showed the ECHO their wheelie bins, the bottoms of which have been eaten away by rats. Liverpool City Council has offered to replace the bins. A gatepost nearby has been gnawed by rats.
Inside their flat, mouse holes can be seen under a radiator in a bedroom and under the kitchen sink. The dad-of-two told the ECHO: “The actual flat itself is overrun with rats. They’re in the walls and in the floors; I’ve watched them come out from behind my kitchen cupboards underneath my washing machine. They’ve made a mess of the inside of the walls.”
The dad told the ECHO he had been contacting Riverside Housing Association for 18 months on the issue and that six pest control visits had been made to the flat, with the entry points patched. The ECHO understands that pest controllers have so far found evidence of mice at the flat, but no rats.
David Byrne, 72, on Gloucester Road, Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
The dad added: “My kids have seen rats and heard the chewing in the walls, which gives them serious anxiety. Before they go into the kitchen they’ll bang on the door just in case something is in there so it runs away before they go in. It’s no way to be living, especially for children.”
Speaking of the street outside, he added: “I find needles on my doorstep, there are broken bottles and alcoholics everywhere. There are people lying on the floor at 9 o’clock in the morning. It’s disgusting.”
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of instances of fly-tipping in an alleyway behind properties on Alton Road.
A rat hole in a doorstep on Gloucester Road, Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
“All household rubbish must be placed into purple wheeled bins, which are collected on a fortnightly basis by collection crews. Leaving rubbish in bin bags on the ground can attract pests such as rats, which can cause issues for people living in properties nearby.
“As well as waste collection crews, the Council has an additional team who clean alleyways on a regular basis. This crew will be on Alton Road on Thursday to ensure that the alleyway is clear. Bags that have been fly-tipped in the alleyway will be searched for evidence. Where an offender is identified, appropriate action will be taken.
“Anyone with pest problems in their home can request a free domestic pest control visit on the Council website. People who are in shared accommodation or homes of multiple occupancy (HMOs) should contact their landlord in the first instance.”
Rats have chewed through bins on Alton Road. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
The ECHO approached Riverside Housing Association for comment. A spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for the ongoing issues with rodents that our customers in Alton Road have experienced.
“One of our customers raised this with us last year and since then, our appointed pest control contractors have visited his home on six occasions to carry out baiting and rodent proofing works and attend follow-up inspections. We continue to liaise with our customer on this and we will be attending the property again over the coming days to remove the access points for rodents. In addition, we are commencing baiting works in the communal areas of the building.
“We are also aware of the condition of the communal bins and gate posts. We are urgently looking into repair options for both following the recommendations from our appointed pest control contractors.
“We understand how distressing these incidents can be and we want to reassure our customers that we are doing all we can to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We will continue to check in with customers regularly to update on progress and find out if there is anything else they feel they need. Our customers can also contact our 24/7 Customer Service team if they have any additional concerns that they want to raise.”
Merseyside Police Inspector Kieron Hogan said: “We are committed to reducing the use of drugs on Clifton Road and the surrounding area.
“We have deployed an increased number of officers alongside other locations identified in the neighbourhood. The area has also been discussed several times in our threat and risk meetings where it is highlighted as a priority for our officers.
“In the past three months we have carried out 23 stop and searches in the area which has been extended to Lower Breck Road and Buckingham Road.
Bins overflow in Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
“There have also been two arrests in connection with drug supply during this period. One suspect (a 57-year old man from Tuebrook) was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs after officers found large amounts of cannabis and MDMA at a property in Liverpool.
“A 48-year old male from Walton was also arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs after officers searched him and found 20-30 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine. They have both been released under investigation.
“So far we have received no reports in relation to drug supply from the public but we know there is always more work to be done. I want our residents to feel reassured that we are committed to doing all we can to work with our partners to address and tackle this issue.
A rat entry hole at a flat on Alton Road in Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
“If anyone has information about anyone selling or distributing drugs we would ask them to contact us so that we can continue to take positive action.”
If you are concerned about your own use of drugs or alcohol, or you are concerned about somebody else, there are support services available.
For under 19s, contact the Young People’s Drug & Alcohol Team (YPDAAT) on 01744 675605.
Alton Road, Tuebrook. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
For adults aged 19 and over, contact Change, Grow, Live (CGL) on 01744 410752 or visit www.changegrowlive.org
If you believe drugs are being dealt in your area, you can contact contact Merseyside Police via the social media desk on X @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.
You can also pass information via Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org.
Do you have a information, a tip or a story? Contact jon.blackburn@liverpoolecho.co.uk
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