Refurbishment work has started to improve alleyways in Liverpool.

The work is part of a £6million scheme in the city.

The passageways were built in Victorian times and many are in a poor state of repair, with sunken areas and other problems with rodents and smells.

The work follows condition surveys and test digs as well as a clearing out of 1.5 miles of sewers to get rid of blockages.

Work started this week in Walton on alleyways behind Makin Street and Olney Street (between Bedford Road and Breeze Hill) as well as Imrie Street.

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It is part of a phased multi-million pound plan to tackle underlying issues with waste, litter and vermin in Liverpool's alleyways over the next three years.

Cabinet member for streetscene and highways, Councillor James Noakes, said: "We are trying to tackle a multitude of different historical issues which cause significant challenges for people living in terraced streets.

"We are committed to spending a significant amount of money refurbishing the worst alleyways, prioritising those areas which are most in need to improve the conditions and prevent vermin from living off the dumped waste and being able to live in gaps below the ground.

"We know we need to do more to improve the storage facilities, so we will be putting in place temporary communal waste points with much larger bins in to stop black bags being left in the open for days at a time.

"We need residents to work with us to reduce the amount of waste left in alleyways between collections, by using the new system, recycling more of their waste and treating their neighbourhood with respect."