NOT so long ago, the house-proud residents of Newport’s Commercial Road spent an hour every Monday scrubbing slate slabs outside their front doors until they were spotless.
“You could have eaten your dinner off them,” says 94-year-old Thelma Lloyd as she reflects on better times in the neighbourhood in south Wales.
Commercial Road sits at the heart of the city’s Pillgwenlly – or Pill, as it’s known locally. It is a melting pot of culture, arguably one of the most diverse communities in Wales.
But, in recent years, Pill has become a magnet for drug dealers and prostitutes, lured by the huge rise in the number of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).
The crumbling, once-grand properties are bordered by land supposedly ear-marked for development, which in reality have turned into patches of wasteland used to dump rubbish.
Locals complain the boarded-up sites are crawling with rats. Nearby, drug-dealers ply their trade in broad daylight and fly-tippers dump what they no longer need.
The sad sights come as Newport was revealed to be home to the most annoying neighbours in the UK.
Warring residents in the Welsh city, as well as Newham in London, topped the list after their complaints about loud music and parties as well as security lights, barbecues, bins and insects.
Lynn Campbell, 66, who has lived near Commercial Road all her life, is now campaigning for Newport council to crack down on the rubbish tippers and improve the area enough to drive the dealers away.
“Pill won’t stand for this any longer,” she said. “I’ve worked in the pub trade in Pill all of my working life and I’ve seen dramatic changes — it’s so sad.
