Nottinghamshire residents are thrilled that access will be restricted to a “nightmare” alleyway near their homes. Plans have been put in place by Ashfield District Council to restrict access to a number of alleyways across the district, which have been hotspots for litter and anti-social behaviour.
One of the seven alleys to either be closed or have access restricted is the controversial service road close to Outram Street, Sutton in Ashfield, which has been nicknamed ‘Mucky Alley’. Other alleyways include Bramley Court and Portland Close in the town, as well as Rockwood Walk in Hucknall, and three alleyways on the Coxmoor Estate in Kirkby in Ashfield
Craig Manning, 53, who lives near Mucky Alley, said: “It’s just the fact that when you go down there, there seems to be a lot of people hanging about and a lot of gangs and a lot of rubbish down there. So yeah, it just seems to be a lot of people hanging about and being in the alley.
“It is a concern. I suppose with the flats as well, there are a lot of places people can hide as its out of the way.
“There have been a lot of problems with people finding used needles and things like that.” When asked his thoughts on access being restricted to the former service road, he said: “I think it’s a great idea.”
A 34-year-old mum who did not wish to be named said: “We don’t have any issues, but around you can see people who are drinking down there. They’re walking with alcohol in their hands, and sometimes there are people sleeping on the street there.”
Support worker, Ashley Helliwell, 28, has also observed issues with the alley. When asked if he has had any issues, he said: “Not personally, but it is a shit tip.
“I’ve noticed lots of litter, no rats, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were any.” When asked if the alley has always been a problem, he explained: “I’ve not been here long enough to know, but there have been quite a few police cars that way.”
A 20-year-old who did not wish to be named said: “There are drug deals and there’s what I suspect to be domestic violence, a woman threw a pan at a man from the flats. It’s like the local escape way, that’s where all the young people hide from the police.
“It’s not nice, there’s police there all the time.” She said that she completely supports the council’s plan to restrict access, as it has been causing problems for the years she has lived nearby.
A 48-year-old supermarket worker who did not wish to be named said: “A lot of rubbish and rats have been spotted.” Another resident who did not wish to be named added: “There was something set on fire on there but I can’t think how long ago that was.”
The alley has also been causing issues for local businesses. Bayz Aras, manager of Sutton Tyre and Auto Centre, located next to the service road, said: “It’s a nightmare.
“The police have been here several times since last week. It’s really bad, but it’s normally in the evening.
“This is not good for the area and not good for the business as people park and see the police here and ask me why the police are here.” He agrees that restricted access to the alley “would be better” for the area.
Councillor David Hennigan, who represents Sutton Central and New Cross, said: “Since the publication of our plans to close these dodgy alleyways, I have received dozens of messages of support from local residents. These are the residents whose lives will be made immeasurably better by these closures.
