Homeowners are calling for local authorities to step in and take action against a neighbour who they say has left tonnes of rubbish piled up on their front drive, akin to a makeshift tip.
Residents on Peach Avenue in Stafford say the piles of rubbish, including rubble, sofas, mattresses, wooden panels, fridges and carpets, is not only an eyesore but is caused health problems for their children.
Images show the mounds of rubbish stacked up on the driveway, which neighbours say the owner burns day and night rather than disposing of it at the local tip.
They say the local council has done nothing to help despite the health hazard ‘absolutely stinking’ and being just yards from a primary school.
One mum-of-two, who did not want to be named, said: “I first complained to the council last August and it has just snowballed from there.
“In November they were able to confirm to me they didn’t have a licence to do this, yet nothing has been done.
“My son was poorly for five months and off school for eight weeks. He has asthma and couldn’t breathe. But they don’t care, they just carry on doing what they want.
“There’s rats everywhere, it towers so high I don’t know how it hasn’t fallen over yet and it absolutely stinks.”
She said she had contacted the Environment Agency, who she claimed were surprised she hadn’t already been advised to contact them by the council. She said regular antisocial behaviour and parties until late at night are also a problem, but claimed they had been told by police that it was a civil matter.
“We’re at the end of our tether,” she added. “Children have to walk past it every day on the way to school. It’s not safe. Its a major health hazard and its been allowed to rot for a year. There’s debris everywhere.
“I’m just so disheartened that we’ve been left to live next to this without anyone seemingly wanting to help.”
Another local resident, who did not wish to be named for fear or reprisals, said the situation had been going on for a year and nothing had changed.
“I have complained numerous times, as have many of us here, but all we’re told is that they are looking into it.
“A lot of residents are not happy at all, I know their direct neighbours have suffered with rat problems. There’s a primary school nearby with little kids and this thing is a health hazard.
“It has just grown and grown. They try and burn some of it and then the fire service comes out and tell them off, and then then burn it again as soon as they’ve gone.”
Neighbours accused the perpetrators of offering a service to buy and dispose of scrap, but instead storing it in the garden.
‘Unpleasant situation’
Jason Glover, who runs a rubbish removal business in Staffordshire, blamed his brother for the situation, saying he himself had been wrongly linked to the mess. He said: “The house in Stafford is nothing to do with me and it’s my brother who lives there and he has a few issues.”
A Stafford Borough Council spokesperson said: “This is an unpleasant situation for those having to live with this on their doorstep.
“As we are currently taking legal action to get this situation resolved, and prevent those from continuing to make the lives of residents of Peach Avenue a misery, we cannot say anything more at this time.”
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said they are unable to comment as legal action is being taken.
What are the laws in the UK on disposing of large items from your house?
Most household waste can usually be taken to the tip for free, including things like garden waste, some scrap metal, DIY waste, household rubbish and unwanted or unusable items such as old mattresses, furniture or electrical items.
Most councils will also collect larger items like old sofas, fridges or washing machines for a fee. The government website has information on how to find out how to organise a special collection for large waste items.
You can also arrange for private companies to come and remove waste for a fee.
