A derelict housing estate in Liverpool has gone viral after Google Maps street view images were shared on TikTok and it was dubbed a 'f***ing state'. Have a look below:
The TikTok clip virtually exploring Primrose Court in Huyton, Knowsley has already received a whopping 6.9 million views.
Posted by Josh Hawley, it shows derelict homes with their windows boarded up, which has been the case since September 2019.
Some locals are feeling 'unsafe' due to a gang torching houses while setting fires in the street.
One man, who did not want to be named for safety reasons, said: "I feel unsafe. There's a gang - they don't want to see this area getting better.
"All the time people are bringing their rubbish and they make fires. I can't describe it to be honest with you, it's looks like Beirut.
"I'm looking for a safe life, I'm not looking for trouble. Every day I'm going to work, I pay my bills.
"I remember one man moved in and he left after a couple of months because he wasn't safe here."
Earlier this month, owner of A1 Properties Colin Bell, who owns 10 properties on Primrose Court, said he spends around one and a half to two days a week on the estate attending to issues and clearing up rubbish that has been left there.
Colin revealed: "All around Primrose Court there's nice properties going up and being sold immediately.
"The area is ripe for investment but we're stuck with Primrose Court simply because of the council really, I don't know how many times I've rung up asking what's happening or sent emails. They come back with the same thing 'they're hoping to get funding'."
The issues with Primrose Court apparently began when the two private companies behind the development went bust before the work was completed, meaning things like street lighting and proper kerbs were never installed.
Colin claims the council promised in 2018 to install street lighting on the road, on the grounds that property owners would contribute to the costs of the work and the council would 'repossess' properties if owners didn't pay. However, the council disputes this claim.
A Knowsley Council spokesperson said: “Knowsley Council did not build the properties at Primrose Court and has never owned them.
"It is therefore not the case that we are able to 'repossess' them and we have never agreed to do so.
“In fact, many of the issues at Primrose Court arise because the development was built by two separate privately owned companies – both of which went into liquidation without completing the work on site and without meeting the planning conditions for the developments.
"This meant that the usual processes for adopting the highway, installing street lighting etc could not be followed and the same problem prevents the installation of other measures such as CCTV.
"The current property owners expect the Council to use a considerable amount of public money to complete a privately owned development.
“The Council has been in regular dialogue with the homeowners and landlords of properties in Primrose Court since the initial issues arose in the area."
Featured Image Credit: Liverpool EchoTopics: UK News
Anish Vij