RESIDENTS living by a 170-year-old Premier League stadium say they are annoyed by its loud fans and the area has “turned into a dump”.
Bramall Lane, the home of Sheffield United, ranked top in a poll of Prem grounds based on cost of a pint, food quality and atmosphere.
But neighbours of the historic 32,000-seater stadium have revealed how the area is plagued by litter, parking issues and chaotic traffic.
Retired rig worker James Wilde, 73, said: “It’s turned into a bit of a s***hole. People go to the football once a week to chill out and most of them are well-behaved.
“The problem I’ve got is with the area. There used to be a proper community. It’s been knackered over the past 20 years.
“Most of the pubs have shut down and the houses around the stadium are all rented out to students. They buy takeaways and sling them everywhere. There’s cans of booze and bottles all over the place.
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“I just think they’ve just got no respect for the place. On match days, you’ll get the occasional idiot who’s had too much to drink and wants to start a fight.
“If I’ve got the windows open and they score, you can hear thousands of people enjoy themselves. It’s only annoying when I’m trying to watch the rugby on the telly.”
On match days, there is a traffic exclusion zone in force on several residential streets surrounding the stadium.
But James, a rugby league fan, said he has to battle for a space outside his terraced home – despite a residents’ permit scheme.
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He added: “The parking can be annoying but that’s something that happens even when the football isn’t on. You’ll get people parking up and walking into town because it’s cheaper.”
Another local, who asked not to be named, slammed the amount of litter in the area.
He said: “The litter can be terrible and it doesn’t get cleared up for days.
“For the money that Sheffield United pay their footballers, it baffles me that they can’t pay for someone to come out with a stick to pick it up.
“Now and again you’ll see a council guy in his high-vis but you’ll be lucky if he collects half of it.”
Sarah, 30, who lives opposite the stadium’s John Street stand, shared the litter annoyance.
She added: “I make a note when a game is on so I’m not caught up in it.
“I’ve had kids playing knock-a-door run and it can be noisy but the stewards do a good job of getting people in and out of the stadium quickly.
“The litter is annoying afterwards – the council is okay but they don’t come and clear it straight away.”
Bramall Lane ranked ahead of the 63,000-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in second, and Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium in third.
But Segun Adewusi, 40, loves living opposite the ground with daughter, Faith, six.
He said: “We love living around here. Sometimes it can be dirty with litter but most fans are respectful of the area and clean up after themselves.
“The place is buzzing on a matchday and everyone wants to have a good time.
“It’s a good club and they are part of our community.”
Also thankful for Sheffield United are Grace Li and husband Kevin He, 51, whose Man Friday chip shop does a roaring trade on game days.
They fried their way through 200kg of chips when Manchester United visited Bramall Lane last week.
Grace, 40, said: “We have fans queuing down the street for our fish and chips.
“There’s a huge economic benefit to Sheffield from having a team in the Premier League and we’re definitely very grateful for that.”
Bottom of the league in Betting.com’s poll was West Ham’s 80,000-capacity London Stadium.
fans bemoaned its £6.30 price for a pint and scored 2.4 for atmosphere — as fans are so far from the pitch.
Luton’s Kenilworth Road and Arsenal’s Emirates were also in the bottom three.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
