Keeping nettles out - for non-gardeners

Evening all.

Out the back of my mam's house, there is a small alley that connects 4 houses (one of which is my mam's) to the main alley. The council deny responsibility for the small alley, saying it is private land. This means the small alley, which is cobbled, gets neglected and full of weeds, mostly nettles.

Of the four households that share this nettle infested alley, one is an old lady. One is my mam (nearly an old lady), her neighbour of the same age, and a lazy young woman.

Is there anything they can do that isn't ongoing hard work to keep the nettles out?

I was thinking of residual herbicides, but I have no idea which one (if any) is both right for the job and available to 'ordinary' people.