Community garden to spruce up 'crime hotspot' land

Work has started on a special new community garden as part of a project to tackle serious and organised crime in part of Merseyside.

The garden is being created in Netherton as part of a multi-agency project dedicated to improving areas worst affected by crime.

Merseyside Police Inspector Doug Chadwick said teams were starting to clear the land to pave the way for plants and walkways.

The project will also build an "aesthetic area" intended to guard against being used by those engaging in drug-related activity and other criminality.

"We will continue to work hard to ensure the area is safer for generations to come," Insp Chadwick said.

The garden is being built on a disused piece of land between Chester Avenue and Atlantic Park, which had been a hotspot for fly-tipping and drug-related activity.

The project, called Evolve, said its work had prompted a decrease in crime including 56% decrease in burglaries in the area, 40% decrease in personal robberies and 40% decrease in criminal damage in 18 months.

Christine Holloway, community safety officer for The Sovini Group, which is helping with the garden's construction, said they were "excited to help facilitate this opportunity and look forward to seeing the community garden flourish for this close-knit and thriving community".

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