People in Liscard town centre on the Wirral have reported seeing businesses targeted by criminals and a general lack of police presence in the area
A Merseyside town, set to receive a £12m funding boost from Wirral Council and the government, has been likened to “like the wild west at night.”
Locals told the ECHO that businesses in Liscard town centre on the Wirral have been targeted, with a noticeable absence of police presence.
One resident reported witnessing a pedestrian being struck by a speeding bike, while another saw a teenager cycling into oncoming traffic on Wallasey Road. Brian Walsh commented that the high street was peaceful during the day but transformed into a scene of chaos at night with “at night time, there’s hordes of kids causing trouble,” adding: “It’s like the wild west at night time.”
He told the ECHO: “I think there needs to be enforcement. If they got control of the place at night and it was a bit better, people would come down here.”
It comes after sick footage did the rounds last year, showing a man empty his bowels in broad daylight outside the former Lloyds TSB bank in Liscard town centre.
The man can be seen bending over to do his grim business, with a cigarette in one hand and his trousers round his knees. A voice over the clip can be heard saying: “That’s dirty behaviour that.”
As the footage was forwarded to many Whatsapp groups, one person commented: “That’s disgusting. In broad daylight too!”
Despite pledges to revitalise Liscard with millions in public investment, Mr Walsh remained sceptical: “All I see is shops closing down and hairdressers opening up. That seems to be the only progress around here,” reports the Liverpool Echo .
He believes that for Liscard to thrive, it needs to differentiate itself from Liverpool city centre, suggesting the council “should aim low and hit it.”
Nostalgia for Liscard’s better days was palpable among residents, with many reminiscing about Dominick House, once a bustling office block, now a derelict eyesore with its smashed or boarded windows.
Despite Wirral Council’s plans to sell its freehold of the building to Prospect Estates in 2022, the sale was delayed, and two years on, there’s still no word on the future of this towering structure. A bid to offload the leasehold in 2023 was also scrapped.
But there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Liscard is set to get a facelift with new planters, bins, and benches, thanks to a joint effort by Wirral Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and Wirral Council, promising some much-needed TLC over the next three weeks.
An impressive £12m has been earmarked to revitalise the town centre and demolish the old council offices on Egerton Grove.
Residents living near the derelict former council office and community centre buildings have welcomed the relief demolition will bring. One local expressed his long-standing frustration, remarking, “It’s about time,” and musing over what would replace it: “I would be happy to see it go. The thing is what are they going to put in its place. Be careful what you wish for.”
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