'We call it the nightmare street. It looks like a horror movie could be filmed there."
Take a walk down Ducie Street in Toxteth and you will realise that these words from local people are not an exaggeration. The state of the road really has to be seen to be believed. A street of yellow brick houses degraded and destroyed by a cruel combination of time and neglect, graffiti and sheets of metal cover the doorways and spaces where windows once were.
As is often the case with neglected spaces, Ducie Street has also become a dumping ground, often littered with mattresses, rubbish and other discarded items. Locals do their best to clean things up, but it's a battle they can't win on their own.
The ECHO has reported on the situation involving a number of damaged and vacant properties in Ducie Street, which falls in the Granby area of Toxteth, over the years. Ducie Street is one of the Granby Four Streets found in the heart of Toxteth, where numerous improvements have taken place in recent years thanks to the efforts of a community organisation.
But despite these improvements, Ducie Street has remained a depressing eyesore and a continual magnet for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.
In 2017, the ECHO revealed how Liverpool City Council leased the street to private developers West Tree Estates Limited for nil value under a delegated decision. The street was part of a portfolio of 50 properties and plots around the Granby area given to the developers for nil or close to nil value.
Planning permission for 80 apartments on Ducie Street was subsequently granted to West Tree Estates in 2020, in a move which drew plenty of local opposition. Despite regular community campaigning and attempts to wrestle control of the scheme for the good of local people - there has been no movement or improvements since the application was approved.
The state of Ducie Street is a profound concern for the people of this area, people who work tirelessly to keep the area looking nice - as the other streets around it do.
Ed Gommon is one of those residents; he says things in Toxteth have improved greatly in the 13 years he has lived here, but there is one road that continues to stick out.
"When I first moved here in 2008, lots of the houses were derelict, but the area has really improved," he said. "But now Ducie Street is clearly the biggest challenge."
"It is depressing and shameful," adds lifelong Toxteth resident Michelle Bennett. "People come to this area from elsewhere, especially when the (Granby) market is on and then they see Ducie Street. It gives a bad impression."
"How many social homes could you have on that street?" she adds. "People want to live in this area but Ducie Street really sticks out."
"The state of the road is attracting bad behaviour," adds Charlie Skyler. "When we do have clean-ups, we have seen needles, gas canisters and other nasty things.
"It feels like the state of the road is bringing people in who don't have the best of intentions."
With all this understandable concern about the state of Ducie Street, there was some serious optimism in May of this year when Liverpool Council announced that it had begun legal action against the West Tree over the properties in Ducie Street - as well some land in the adjacent Jermyn Street.
Notices were placed on the vacant properties, warning West Tree that it was in breach of a covenant on the leases it has for the houses in the area.
In the notices, the council said the company was now required to remedy the situation within a 'reasonable time' as part of a legal process.
In a statement the local authority at the time, a spokesperson said: "The council is committed to resolving the number of stalled development sites across the city and bringing them forward for much-needed new homes.
"Where sites are left undeveloped, too often they have become a blight on communities, attracting anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping. The council will do all it can within its own powers and pursue developers that are not fulfilling their obligations.
"As part of this commitment, the council has now officially begun a process to resolve a stalled scheme in Toxteth. The council has written to notify West Tree Estates Ltd that, under section 146 of the Property Act 1925, it is in breach of a covenant on the leases to a number of properties in Ducie Street and Jermyn Street."
The statement added: "The leases granted to West Tree Estates Ltd on 24 properties in total, which date back to 2019 and 2020, state that remediation works should have been completed within a maximum of 36 months. The promised development has not come forward in the required timescale."
For the locals of Toxteth, this felt like the first positive sign that something could be done with Ducie Street. But this has been followed by a frustrating lack of action and communication.
"We had actually just formed a local group at the time the notices went up," explains Ed Gommon. "We all felt this was a good step and we wanted to follow up on this. We wanted to know what would come next and asked for a meeting with council leaders."
Mr Gommon says this offer was initially accepted but never came to fruition. He adds: "We would like to know what the 'reasonable amount of time' that the developer has given is and what the next steps are before the council has to take these properties back."
Michelle Bennett is another person left feeling frustrated. She adds: "It did feel positive when they did that but nothing has happened since. What time period does that give them for doing something?
"You would think there is a timescale that they give to the developer to do something or the houses get taken back - but there doesn't appear to be a timescale that we have been told of." She adds: "We just want the council to get its act together. We want to know what the next steps are."
The reason there is such anxiety about the state of Ducie Street and what comes next is that the people in this community care deeply about it. You only have to look at the streets surrounding it to see that - from Cairns Street to Beaconsfield, these are clearly spaces that people take great pride in - and Ducie Street is the ugly one out.
Another resident, who only gave her name as Lydia, adds: "We have put a lot of effort into making the streets nice around here, the alleys, the houses, the fronts - we spend a lot of time and energy as a community making the place look nice; it doesn't just happen.
"So to see Ducie Street like that is just heartbreaking. That's why we call it the nightmare street."
The Echo understands that the council has been working to resolve the concerns of the community regarding Ducie Street but can't disclose the details due to confidentiality. A positive outcome which will benefit the community is expected in the next few days.
The ECHO has repeatedly attempted to contact West Tree Estates and has never received a response.