Limited improvements have been seen at a Bradford city centre car park a week after concerns were raised, with human waste still present despite a professional deep clean.
The issue relates to Southgate Car Park on Thornton Road, where reports last week highlighted litter, nitrous oxide canisters, a strong smell of urine, abandoned food containers and human excrement inside the building.
The condition of the car park prompted criticism from Bradford Council leader Stephen Place, who described the situation as “simply unacceptable” and said the authority was taking urgent enforcement action to ensure the site was cleaned.
Earlier this week, operator Ocean Parking responded publicly to the concerns, attributing the problems to an increase in anti-social behaviour after the facility began operating 24 hours a day. The company said: “We are aware of the anti-social behaviour, substance misuse and the resulting issues.
“Last month, we extended the car park’s opening hours to 24 hours a day to better serve the local community, particularly those visiting nearby facilities such as Bradford Live, the theatre and local hotels. Unfortunately, this has also led to an increase in anti-social behaviour and misuse of the site.”
Ocean Parking said CCTV had been installed throughout the car park and that several professional deep cleans had been carried out in response to complaints. The operator also said it was working with its client to introduce a full-time on-site cleaning and staff presence to improve conditions and reassure customers.
However, a further visit to the car park this week found the stairwell remained in a largely unchanged condition.
While the payment area appeared cleaner and some litter had been removed, waste seen during the previous visit remained in place. The human excrement was still visible in the stairwell used by customers.
Following the latest concerns, Ocean Parking confirmed that cleaning work had been undertaken earlier this week. A spokesperson said: “A deep clean and litter pick of the car park was completed by professional cleaning services on Monday 29 June 2026.
“We are currently in talks with our client around when implementation of a full-time cleaning provision and presence will be placed on the site, which we aim to be five hours a day, five days a week.”
The company previously said it was disappointed that a facility intended to benefit the community was being abused by a small number of individuals.
The car park, located near Bradford Live, has faced growing scrutiny in recent weeks over cleanliness and anti-social behaviour concerns.
