Furious families on an estate have slammed a neighbour who allegedly turned their garden into a rubbish tip.
The locals of Peach Avenue, Stafford, Staffordshire, are up in arms over an unsightly heap of rubbish dumped in a driveway. Shocking snaps put the spotlight on the towering trash outside the home, showing broken furniture, worn-out mattresses, wooden scraps, old fridges, and tatty carpets among the debris.
Fed-up residents are at their wits' end. With the rubbish pile left rotting for more than 12 months, it has led to a rat invasion and increasing health worries for the youngsters in the area. The angry tribe alleges that the perpetrator has been hoarding waste and torching it round the clock instead of dropping it off at the neighbourhood dump.
They're also pointing fingers at Stafford Borough Council, accusing them of shrugging off the issue even though the stench is horrendous and there's a school just a stone's throw away. A distraught mother of two lamented, "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." She added, heartbroken, "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.", reports Stoke on Trent Live. "There's rats everywhere, it towers so high I don't know how it hasn't fallen over yet and it absolutely stinks. There's metal spilling out into the street, its not just confined to the garden, I've lost count at how any cars have had their tyres punctured. We have fires every day through the summer and winter.
"The fire service come out and then they relight them as soon as they've gone. I've driven myself insane with this. I contacted the Environment Agency yesterday and they were amazed the council hadn't advised I contacted them a year ago. They should have been the first port of call but I've had to do all this research myself as the council have done nothing. Their customer service has been shocking. They've blamed everything from using agency staff to people having left the council.
"There's also antisocial behaviour and parties until late at night. We tried contacting police but they've said its a civil matter. We're at the end of our tether. 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. He'll come out and smash glass. I'm just so disheartened that we've been left to live next to this without anyone seemingly wanting to help."
A local who chose to remain anonymous due to fear of backlash shared: "It's been going on like this for about a year and nothing has changed. I have complained numerous times, as have many of us here, but all we're told is that they are looking into it."
The resident expressed their frustration, adding: "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."
They continued to describe the situation: "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. All this is in the front garden, so you've got smoke billowing into other properties."
Highlighting the community's unrest, the source said: "Just last week one neighbour staged a one woman sit down protest - everyone is angry nothing is being done. They say they will buy and dispose of your scrap yet it all seems to just end up in this garden."
Meanwhile, Jason Glover, owner of a rubbish removal company in Staffordshire, clarified his position amidst online confusion: "I'm based in Stone but people have been saying online this is to do with me and my business but I can say 100 per cent that is not the case. 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 local business owner has spoken out to clear his name after being targeted online over a fly-tipping issue. He stated: "He has been doing his own thing with about 10 other guys and is bringing the rubbish back and burning it. But it has attracted fly-tippers too so not all the rubbish there is his. I've been getting threats online as a result."
The business owner, who wishes to defend his reputation, added: "I'm just trying to protect my business. A lot of people have commented vouching for me but others have been quite nasty and I want to set the record straight."
He further clarified: "What he is doing is not linked to me or my company, I have five star reviews, I'm fully licenced and completely legit. I have tried to help him since he was a young lad but he just does his own thing. If you even tried to speak to him about this - he would just tell you to f**k off."
The local authorities have acknowledged the issue, with a Stafford Borough Council spokesman stating: "This is an unpleasant situation for those having to live with this on their doorstep."
The council is currently taking legal action to resolve the situation, with the spokesman adding: "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." Staffordshire Police also declined to comment due to the ongoing legal proceedings.