Mattresses dumped on street as crowds gathered

Liverpool City Council has issued a statement after a resident said they were “embarrassed" by the state of a street during Lunar New Year celebrations. The council said it was “disappointed” to see fly-tipping had happened around Chinatown on the morning of Sunday, February 2, as hundreds gathered to ring in the Year of The Snake.

In photos shared with the ECHO, Raffles Street is covered with mattresses and household waste. The street is not far from Great George Square, where a host of performances occurred throughout the day as part of the annual festive.

The resident said they were “really disappointed” by the “heap of trash”. They also claimed the issue could have easily been spotted if a “10-minute observation” around the area was carried out by Liverpool City Council.

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A spokesperson for the council said its street cleansing teams work “incredibly hard” to respond to all reports of fly-tipping quickly and clear them within days. The spokesperson added: “We’re disappointed to see any instances of fly-tipping in Liverpool.

"The illegally dumped waste on Raffles Street has been investigated by our enforcement team and will now be cleared.

“Work is also ongoing to clear Raffles Street, including securing the location with new hoarding to prevent future instances of fly-tipping.

“Clearing illegally dumped waste costs the Council approximately an additional £1m each year and is entirely avoidable if people handle their waste correctly.

“Any waste that is too big to be recycled in household bins should be taken to a waste recycling centre, collected by our free bulky items service, or picked up by a licensed waste carrier.” People can report fly-tipping to the council online.