Resident claims Page Hall is still a ghetto - despite reports Sheffield suburb is on the up
Last month The Star reported that life in Page Hall had improved in the three years since David Blunkett, MP for the area at the time, said he feared there would be race riots.
Residents, shopkeepers and community groups said that there was less antisocial behaviour, litter and more community cohesion than in the past.
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Hide AdBut in the wake of the article, a storm of angry letters and emails descended on the newsdesk - insisting that life in the suburb is worse than ever.
One responder, resident Glen Williams, took The Star on a tour of Page Hall on Monday morning before council staff came to clean the area - and described what life was like.
Glen, aged 53, who has lived in the area since he was 15, said: "Page Hall is still a ghetto, it's just filthy. I don't think the area has changed at all in the last three years.
"It's still a ticking time bomb of racial tensions. Antisocial behaviour is as bad as it was and I don't think there is any more understanding.
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Hide Ad"And the litter is just terrible, it's disgraceful. The Page Hall I read about in that article is not the one I live in."
Glen claimed the issue of overcrowded houses was still prevalent in the area too.
Resident of 40 years, I Wallis, said in a letter: “Page Hall is a disgrace, and what is even more disgraceful is the council are not only doing nothing about things, they are actually condoning it.
"The streets are awash with filth, litter and old broken furniture, rats are everywhere, children play out on streets until 2-3am and cars race round like they’re on Brands Hatch.
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Hide Ad“Fighting and loud parties carry on until the small hours, sheds and outhouses have been set on fire too, and throughout it all we’re expected to keep smiling and show tolerance.
"Our lives are a misery, people go out during the day just to escape the constant noise, and just for a few hours live in an area that doesn’t resemble a landfill site.
“I have lived in Page Hall for almost 40 years and so did my family, most of whom have now passed away, sadly, it is almost a mercy they are no longer here, to see just what a dump the place is the fact that in the year 2016 people are having to live in conditions which should have died out in the early 1900s.
"What I would just like to inform you is that things are very far from ok. We the decent, law abiding residents of Page Hall are fed up to the back teeth and beyond of this situation, and even more disgusted by the indifferent attitude of our council and police.”
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Hide AdAnother resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Litter and dumping everywhere, toxic fires on a regular basis, unsupervised very young children out in the streets , often until the early hours shouting and singing. Broken glass everywhere cars and off-road motorbikes speeding around like the area is some sort of speed test facility.”