"It's a real issue...": The 'worst place to walk in the country' where people feel unsafe in the dark

Cracked pavements, no street lights and dingy underpasses. That's what makes this place the worst in the country for walking, according to a recent report.

According to the Liverpool ECHO, the report rated the parliamentary constituency of Liverpool Riverside the worst for walkways in England and Wales. What's more, as a city, Liverpool was among the bottom five authorities across the two nations, according to Ramblers, the walking association which conducted the study by looking at more than 140,000 miles of public rights of way.

Liverpool Riverside is an eclectic constituency. It covers the affluent southern suburbs of the city including Aigburth and Cressington, Liverpool's most notable landmarks like the Liver and Cunard buildings, the sprawling Albert Docks complete with a metropolis of bars and restaurants, but also the deprived wards just north of the city centre.

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The Ramblers' report, which highlighted an "imbalance between the number of paths available to the most and least deprived communities," suggested an area such as Vauxhall could most benefit from improved public pathways. The report added that "public rights of way" networks "not only provide the infrastructure for walking and a healthier life, but also create and foster the connection between people, nature and history".

Although the report focussed on accessibility to public rights of way footpaths, I decided to go and look for myself at how connected communities are if they would only travel on foot. Walking down Scotland Road on a Thursday