Living in the shadow of Man Utd as residents watch fans pee up walls and dump litter
Fuming locals living around Manchester United’s iconic Old Trafford ground are raging at the impact the club is having on their lives.
Stretford residents such as Graham Wright claim that it feels as if they’re being forced out of their homes by football fans.
“I’ve had my house valued and we are thinking of moving because it’s horrendous,” Wright says.
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Living in the shadow of the ground can see as many as 74,000 supporters come to watch a a game on a typical match day.
And for the local residents, the stadium’s human traffic is becoming a bit of a nuisance, the Manchester Evening News reports.
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Mr Wright has lived on Partridge Street for 34 years, which is connected to Sir Matt Busby Way via an alleyway at the rear of his house.
Sir Matt Busby Way leads directly to the front entrance of the ground, meaning that the road he lives on is used as a cut-through on game day.
The proximity of the stadium means Graham is regularly unable to park outside his home, despite paying for a permit:.
He explained: “”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?
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“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.
“People just park on the street and are fined, and 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?”
In the past, the alleyway had gates installed in an attempt to block supporters from accessing it and causing disruption to the locals, but the locks were intentionally filled up with superglue numerous times to prevent them from being closed.
However, he took it upon himself to put his own chain and padlock around the gate to try and keep people out, but it was quickly cut open with pliers.
“These problems have been going on for donkeys years and the fly-tipping and dumping rubbish in the alleyways is just horrendous,” he commented.
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He added that he also finds fans frequently litter and urinating against the area’s walls: “Wetherspoon gets absolutely jam packed so people end up peeing up the walls.”
Another resident, Andy Cavanagh, acknowledges that the issues, although irritating, are realistic: “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.”
In January, after numerous complaints about the behaviour of fans, Trafford Council announced a new online consultation. The organisation encouraged residents and business owners to speak on the impact of events at the football ground upon locals.
A spokesman 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.
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“However, there is a small minority who sometimes cause disruption to residents and businesses through their anti-social behaviour.
“A 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.”
Manchester United declined to comment.
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