The residents of Shallcross Court have had enough
Some of the residents of Shallcross Court with their few remaining wheelie bins(Image: Liverpool Echo)
People living in a sheltered accommodation in Liverpool say they have been left in a rat and seagull-infested nightmare after thieves stole a large number of their purple bins. The bizarre theft took place last summer and more than a year later the residents of Shallcross Court are still without proper waste facilities after a large replacement bin was sent to the wrong address.
Sandra Massey is one of the residents of Shallcross Court, which is a sheltered accommodation facility for 29 people in Everton run by Torus. She recounted the moment she saw men stealing a large number of bins from the housing block’s communal waste storage area.
She told the ECHO: “I have lived here for eight years. It is a beautiful place and is really well-kept by the neighbours. We don’t have any anti-social behaviour and we all enjoy the communal gardens.
“There are some older residents here – including two who are over 100 – so we try to be a voice for them and do what we can to help them.”
“In August 2024 the gates to the property had been left open by some workmen.
“It was a Saturday morning and I was looking out of the kitchen window when I saw these men with a low-loader coming into the grounds and start taking our purple bins.”
Ms Massey said she tried to make her way outside to stop the theft but by the time she made it out of the building, the thieves were driving away.
The residents say at least 11 bins were stolen from Shallcross Court, leaving them with just seven purple waste bins for the 29 people living there.
Sandra added: “We told Torus about what had happened and they said Liverpool Council had told them it would cost £75 per bin to replace them, which they couldn’t pay for.”
Residents of Shallcross Court(Image: Liverpool Echo)
As the months went by without the situation being resolved, the impact of overflowing bins began to take its toll on the residents of Shallcross Court.
Sandra added: “We are overrun with rats, seagulls and even squirrels. We have worked hard to try and keep this place tidy but when the bins are always overflowing it is impossible. It is a real health and safety issue.
“We pay a lot of money to live here and the situation is just unacceptable.”
In the end, the tenants agreed with Torus that the housing association would pay for a large Euro Bin to be brought to the accommodation to make-up for the stolen bins.
This was agreed in April of this year, explained Sandra, but the bin still hasn’t arrived.
She added: “We got to July and found out that the council had delivered the bin somewhere else, unbeknownst to anyone. We still don’t know where it is.
“They said they would organise a replacement but it’s now October and we don’t have the bin. We have contacted them so many times and we are just not getting anywhere..
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “We understand that this has been a frustrating experience for the residents at Shallcross Court. We are working with Torus to resolve the situation.”
Torus was also approached for comment.