The Hull Daily Mail is putting its weight behind a bid to recover a notorious run-down area of west Hull and turn the shattered community into a bustling area once again.

An amazing series of stories, pictures and interviews has revealed what residents in the area have gone through as their neighbourhood has disintegrated.

The Mail said that over the years it had taken no pleasure in charting the alarming decline of this once thriving area.

Terraces of unwanted houses in Woodcock Street stand empty and boarded up against vandalism. Others have recently been demolished as a safety measure. The paper has carried pictures of the area, showing house walls spray-painted with the word “Beirut”, which some would agree was a fair description.

In the past three years, one resident has seen a joyrider crash into a neighbour’s fence, heard an explosion at what used to be the local shop and seen a house stripped within hours of the occupants moving out.

Residents who remain complain of neglect by the authorities, whether it be the city council or the police. Yet councillors and police place the blame for the dilapidated state of vandalised property firmly on the shoulders of the owners.

Editor John Meehan said: “Woodcock Street has become synonymous with vandalism, crime, anti-social behaviour and derelict property.

“Its condition serves as a stark warning of what can happen to inner-city areas trapped in a cycle of decline.

“Residents feel abandoned to a miserable existence in what was once a thriving community.

“We want to help by putting the problems of Woodcock Street and surrounding neighbourhoods in west Hull firmly on the agenda.”

The Mail has identified a long-term hope for the area with continuing work on the west Hull masterplan, a blueprint for the future being drawn up by an urban regeneration company. But that would only become reality with substantial funding in place to back its aims, which have yet to be revealed.

The paper wants people who live there to speak up over what should be done, publish their views and trigger debate to help tackle the authorities.

John said: “For the people living there, the wait for something to happen has gone on for too long. Today we offer them the chance to tell us what they want for their neighbourhood. They can say what is wrong and how it should be put right.

“We realise there is no quick fix, no easy solution to the problems they face but their voices must be heard by those with the power to effect change for the better.

“Without that voice, the people of west Hull’s most run-down area are in danger of becoming forgotten.”

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