Life in a quiet village was shaken when a local resident was jailed for a litany of terror-related offences and owning a gun.
For those who don't know Port Sunlight, the sleepy and quiet town was built in the late 19th century by a wealthy industrialist to provide his workers with a decent quality of life. The town still resembles a perfect little model village which gives you the impression everyone knows each other, and Boundary Road which leads into New Ferry, is no different.
You can understand why some living there were shocked to find their street in the news. This week the village made headlines when Alan Madden, a 65-year-old resident, was jailed for seven years and six months.
READ MORE: Man shared terrorist material and gave a speech where he called the Holocaust a lie
Madden had pleaded guilty to a variety of offences, including dissemination of a terrorist publication which related to the sharing of material from far-right neo-Nazi group National Action. A court heard how he had shared material that showed speeches by Adolf Hitler - where Jewish people were called 'liars' and a 'satanic power'.
When Merseyside Police raided Madden's home where he lived with his partner in September they found a gun next to his bed, as well as almost 400 rounds of ammunition and books by Adolf Hitler.
However, the picture painted in the court as Madden's true nature unfolded was not that which was seen by his neighbours and friends in Port Sunlight. For those who knew him - and when the ECHO visited the village not many did - he was said to be a 'nice guy' who worked 'as a carer'.
One woman, 85, who called Madden her 'friend' said: "He was just a friend who was growing me some tomatoes. He was a nice guy."
"[After he was arrested] all these stories were going about.
Speaking about when Madden was arrested in September, she said: "They had forensics. They had all police cars and officers coming in and out.
"I'd never seen anything like that in all my life. We knew nothing for months and months. [His partner] said he'd gone to court.
"I couldn't believe it. I even sent a message [to his partner] saying he wouldn't have done this if he didn't want to send us any tomatoes this year."
She said, due to the large police response, people had thought he'd killed someone as no information had come out for months.
When the ECHO visited Port Sunlight following Madden's conviction not many people there knew the man.
One young mum-of-one who lived near Madden, and wished to stay anonymous, said she was 'scared for my life when I found out about him'.
She added: "I've got a little boy and it's scary isn't it. When I read it I thought wow, to be living so close to someone like that.
"I've got a little kid. Obviously you don't know who is living around you. Things like that don't really happen around here. It's pretty quiet."
Another neighbour, Doug, 81, said he didn't know Madden. He said: "I've never met the man. I was shocked that it was this area. When I read my road, Boundary Road, I was shocked - you don't expect it. It was a surprise for this area."
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