The UK’s most neglected street with potholes and burned-out cars compared to a scene from HBO’s The Last Of Us

The street, which is located in Birmingham, has been compared to a scene out of HBO’s hit series The Last Of Us starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
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A street in the UK has been compared to something out of HBO hit series The Last Of Us and is claimed to be the country’s “most neglected street”. The notorious road is littered with potholes, rubbish and burned-out cars.

Residents in and around Crawford Street in Saltley, Birmingham have pointed out that the area looks abandoned, not helped by the presence of rude graffiti and plenty of waste. Photos of the lane showcase its most poignant features such as the 10ft wide water-filled potholes.

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Wrecked shells of vehicles surround the area which locals say has become a hotspot for not just fly tipping, but drug-taking and criminal behaviour.

The crumbling street is home to just one solitary house but a number of businesses are based along the 0.2 mile stretch. One side of a building on the street can be seen adorned with a spray-painted knife symbol accompanied by the words: “kill a snake, enemies get shot up fool”.

Some claims have been made against the UK’s “most neglected street” as looking like a “third world slum” that is “disgusting” and “embarrassing”. To the point that some local residents have compared it to the popular post-apocalyptic video game franchise and HBO television series The Last Of Us.

Wahid Khan, a 33-year-old father-of-one who lives on the next street over, said: “Honestly, you would not believe this place. It reminds me of the post-apocalyptic scenes from The Last of Us.

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“I saw it described as the most neglected street in the city but I’d go one step further than that and say it’s the most neglected street anywhere in the country. All you have to do is walk down it and you’ll see why, it’s disgraceful really, the council has had years to act and it just gets repeatedly overlooked.”

Another local, who wished to not be named, explained: “The worst part is that next door they are working on the swanky new HS2 train line and road sweepers go along there but not here. he place is disgusting and I’m embarrassed to say it’s near my home, it’s a no go area at night, the police are nowhere to be seen either.”

A number of complaints about the street have been raised to Birmingham City Council since 2018 about the conditions of the street. People who live on the street and nearby believe no action has been taken and that the situation at Crawford Street is getting much worse.

Community activist Gerry Moynihan said that he first contacted the local authorities about the state of the road five years ago and has not noticed an improvement since. He believes that the council thinks “it will cost a lot of money to fix and so they are just ignoring the problem”.

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Tory councillor for Erdington Robert Alden said: ‘While Labour-run Birmingham is once again spending millions on resurfacing the city centre, suburban areas like this are left with burnout cars and pothole ridden streets. This is totally unacceptable - residents and businesses bear the cost of this and deserve better.”

Vile graffiti such as this can be found on the UK’s ‘most neglected street’ - Credit: SWNSVile graffiti such as this can be found on the UK’s ‘most neglected street’ - Credit: SWNS
Vile graffiti such as this can be found on the UK’s ‘most neglected street’ - Credit: SWNS

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "We are working hard to improve the condition of the city’s roads and carry our regular inspections. "We aim to clear fly-tipping within two working days but white goods can take up to 14 days. If we have evidence we will prosecute."

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