The two laneways link Bradman Avenue and McCabe Street and date back to when the housing commission subdivided the area in the 1960s.

They were designed to provide shortcuts for people to get from the west of the suburb to the Queen Street shops and Warilla North Public School.

However, the two laneways have become a magnet for antisocial behaviour, with a recent NSW Police audit finding the southern laneway had "a 90 per cent risk of crime" and was unsafe.

Police recommended closing the southern laneway altogether, but Shellharbour City Council staff have recommended upgrades for both laneways that would involve closing them at night.

Both laneways have damaged pavements, are overgrown with weeds and are littered with broken glass and empty alcohol bottles and cans. Some residents living by the laneways have complained about rocks being thrown through windows and people using the laneways to break into houses.

Denis Taafe lives next to the northern laneway and said one of the main issues was motorbikes using the lanes, especially in the early hours of the morning.

He had witnessed fights in the laneway, while the general state of the thoroughfare was a trip hazard for kids.

Mr Taafe said closing the laneways at night would be a good idea, but despite the problems said he wouldn't like to see permanent closures.

In a report to be tabled on Tuesday night, the council's community safety officer Meegan Martinez said night-time closure had been an effective measure in reducing safety issues in a laneway off Robyn Road in Albion Park Rail.

Upgrading the two laneways to allow for night closure is estimated to cost more than $11,000, but the council would be eligible for NSW Crime Prevention grants.

aarnold@fairfaxmedia.com.au