Hundreds of To Let boards have been taken down in a suburb of south Liverpool as a result of a voluntary initiative from local residents.

Wavertree home owners lobbied councillors to complain that a glut of To Let boards – predominantly on streets heavily dominated by shared student houses – was having a detrimental effect on the area, including on those homes which were on sale and looking for buyers.

Kris Cargill from the Dales Resident Associations told the Liverpool Echo newspaper: “We wanted action because the boards gave the impression that the area is a place where nobody wants to live, when in actual fact we are a strong and thriving community.”

Now the city council has written to all letting agents and landlords asking them to remove the boards and the vast majority have complied.

Councillor Frank Hont, the council’s cabinet member for housing, told the Echo: “I would like to thank the estate agents and landlords in the area for co-operating with the wishes of local residents. We’ve had some excellent feedback from residents who are pleased with the difference that it has made.”

Earlier this month we reported on a similar initiative in Reading which has now led to a selective mandatory ban on To Let boards.