A man who worked for Liverpool Council for 34 years said the state of the city today is an "absolute disgrace".
Robert Boyle, 68, was employed at Liverpool Council as a gardener for well-over three decades. Last weekend, Robert, who now lives in Prescot, got in touch with the ECHO after a trip into Liverpool to share his views.
Robert said he was "embarrassed" by the huge amounts of litter in the water by the docks, particularly as these areas are huge for the tourism industry and paint the city in a bad light for visitors.
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He also mentioned St John's Gardens, which he said were "immaculate" in the past when he worked on them but have since declined, with many flower beds empty or full of rubbish.
Robert, who started his 34 year career at Liverpool Council in 1972, told the ECHO: "I honestly hate pulling Liverpool down, but when you see what it used to be like it's an absolute disgrace."
Do you agree with Robert in thinking the state of Liverpool is an embarrassment? Tell us in the comments.
Robert visited town last Saturday, and said: "In town there was that ocean liner in and you heard all the accents of other countries visiting. It was embarrassing.
"We came out of the museum and we walked to the Albert Dock. The weeds everywhere were absolutely ridiculous. We're not even talking an hour's work with weed killer on a Saturday morning. It's the little things like that.
"This is not just the first time I've noticed [the state of] Liverpool declining. I do understand the way policy works and the money is spent, but Knowsley is no where near Liverpool [in terms of size] but at least we try.
"I worked on some of the nicest parts in the city going when I was at the council - places like the Calderstones - that's where I was based. You really do see the decline now.
"I only say St John's Gardens because I'm going back to when we did it because at the time every flower bed was immaculate.
"As for the worst place? Honestly, hand on heart, I have to say everywhere. But I do like the way they've done the Strand now, I really do.
"Once you go past the Strand you don't know what you're getting."
When talking about how the the "decline" of the city made him feel, Robert said: "I would use the word loss. You're not going to get it back.
"There's litter blowing about. In the dark days (of managed decline) at least we had pride in our city.
"It still is a beautiful city and when I go abroad I always want to come home. I just think we could be doing a lot better."
A spokesperson for Liverpool Council said: "The Council invests more than £9m a year in collecting and recycling litter and waste across the city, and a further £3m a year on looking after our parks and green spaces. This is a huge undertaking, requiring teams working around the clock 365 days a year.
"Given the scale and complexity of looking after the city, the teams who work to keep it clean are presented with multiple challenges on a daily basis. This can often impact on their work schedules and sometimes a site might be missed, but if it is it will be addressed within 24 hours.
The spokesperson also cited the council's work with Keep Britain Tidy to educate people on the impact of litter and its cost.
They added: "As everyone knows, funding in the public sector has been a critical issue for a number of years and given resources are finite the Council has to prioritise where that money is spent.
“In terms of maintaining our green spaces, the Council has changed its approach to be more wildlife-friendly which means less cutting of grass, particularly in our parks. This approach provides huge benefits to our environment and the bio-diversity of the city, but some people have complained as understandably long grass is traditionally viewed as being unkempt and unsightly.
“We always welcome feedback on where areas need improvement and we strive to respond and take action, but some places like the Royal Albert Dock, for example, are in private hands and the Council has no role in their upkeep.”
A spokesperson from the Canal & River Trust, who maintain the water in the docks, said: “Dealing with litter in the water at Albert Dock and the surrounding docks is a constant battle. Every day we send out litter patrols clearing rubbish from the water.
"We employ two volunteer team leaders, who lead groups of up to 20 volunteers to help in the never-ending task of keeping Liverpool’s beautiful waterfront clean."
They appealed to residents and visitors to 'please be extra careful and take your litter home or place it in a bin'. Adding 'We all have a role to play in protecting our wonderful waterfront.'
