Steven Gerrard's wife Alex Curran's own goal, as she says Liverpool is 'rough'

The 26-year-old WAG said she no longer goes out in Liverpool because the nightspots "attract the wrong type of people".

Her outburst, which has angered Liverpudlians, came just days after her husband was cleared of affray following allegations that he attacked a man in a Merseyside bar.

In an interview with new! magazine, Curran said: "It's not the same any more. To be honest, it's rough.

"Everywhere new that opens attracts the wrong type of people. It's not nice, so I haven't bothered to go out."

Liverpool captain Gerrard, 29, who married Curran in 2007, was cleared of affray following a five-day trial at the city's Crown court despite admitting punching a man in a drunken row over music.

It was alleged that Gerrard unleashed a volley of uppercut blows on businessman Marcus McGee, 34, "with the style and speed of a professional boxer".

But the footballer insisted that he had acted in self defence, which the jury accepted, during the incident at the Lounge Inn, in Southport, Merseyside, in the early hours of December 29 last year.

Curran's remarks have been met with fury from Liverpudlians.

Maria Eagle, Liverpool MP and junior justice minister, said: "It's unfortunate that Alex Curran has such a dim view of her home city and it is certainly not a view shared by anyone I know in Liverpool.

"Our city is enjoying a renaissance; we had 5.2 million visitors last year and I'm sure none of them would describe what they seen here as 'rough'.

"Currans remarks won't go down well here so perhaps she would actually be better off spending more of her time elsewhere."

Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley said: "It's obvious Alex hasn't been out in Liverpool city centre for a long while.

"Over a billion pounds has been spent on making it one of the top four UK city destinations, attracting tens of thousands of people every weekend.

"Following our amazingly successful Capital of Culture year, not only is Liverpool a really vibrant and welcoming place, we are one of the safest cities in the UK – with crime at an all-time low."

Liverpool FC declined to comment.

Other well-known figures have encountered the wrath of Liverpool after criticising the city.

In 2003, Scouse comedian Alexei Sayle poured scorn on the Liverpool's reaction to the Hillsborough disaster and mocked the city's Capital of Culture award.

The following year Boris Johnson, then shadow arts minister, was ordered by Conservative leader Michael Howard to apologise after claiming Liverpudlians "wallow" in "victim status".

©Telegraph.co.uk