08 June 2023 , 07:00
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A dad said rats are crawling over his son's toys in the garden after "40 bags of rotting food" was dumped in an alleyway and left for months.
Lee, 41, from Grimsby, said that he ended up paying £100 himself for the rubbish to be cleared after claiming that North East Lincolnshire Council did not act.
And he reportedly said he is refusing to pay his council tax because the "hazard to health" was not removed and he had to arrange for it to be done out of his own pocket.
The bags - which had been there for "around four months" and blocked the access from his property into the alleyway - contained food waste and attracted rats into his back garden.
Lee said the situation has got so bad that he has been forced to prevent his disabled son from playing in the back garden.
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Rubbish dumped in the alleyway
Lee said he had to pay for the rubbish to be removedThe issue was reported to North East Lincolnshire Council last month, he said, after a neighbour witnessed a woman dumping more bags on top of the waste - but Lee said he was forced to pay out to have the fly-tipping removed, reported GrimsbyLive.
The dad-of-one said: "The rats are all on my little boy's toys, he can't play in the garden at the minute because they're messing on my grass, so I had to take it into my own hands and it's cost me £100 for my brother-in-law to come and take [the waste].
"It's coming up to summer and my little boy loves playing in the garden. But until that rubbish was cleared and until we can get rid of the rats, he's not allowed.
"They've been all over his footballs. We had to clean all his toys and balls before we can go back in the garden. One of his favourite places to play is in the garden."
Lee's neighbour reported the issue to the council after witnessing someone dumping the waste in the alleyway, and an investigation was carried out to determine who was responsible.
But he claims the waste was still not removed.
"To begin with we didn't know who dumped them there, but then my neighbour caught them dumping more bags. She reported them to the Council and they did their own investigation," said Lee.
"The person who was doing it admitted to it, they were fined and prosecuted for it, but then the council hasn't made her take the rubbish away and they've not taken it away themselves."
Lee said the waste was piled so high that it blocked the exit from the alleyway.
"My son has a severe heart condition, he gets very out of breath at times and needs a wheelchair. If there was a fire that would be our only other exit and that was being blocked," he continued.
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"But the council still weren't willing to intervene and sort it, which is what has annoyed me the most."
According to the NELC website, council workers can only intervene in the clearance of alleyways "if the waste is a public health issue or if it restricts access for a disabled person".
Despite Lee claiming that the waste in the alleyway met this criteria, a council spokesperson told Grimsby Live that they are "not responsible for clearing them".
Lee said: "They're happy to fine the person but they've just left the rubbish there, so what is the council doing with the money from the fine? Because it's definitely not going on cleaning my alley.
"I know it's private property but it does say on the NELC website that if it's an environmental health issue - which it is because it's food and rats - or if it's blocking disabled access, then the Council would intervene and help.
"My son is disabled so if we were to have a fire and that was our only exit, before we cleared it, we wouldn't have been able to use that exit. I won't be paying my council tax next month."
A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesman reportedly said: "Alleyways are private property and the council is not responsible for clearing them. They belong to the houses that back onto them and the property owners share responsibility for keeping them clean.
"Whilst we sympathise with households who live next to alleyways that are blighted by fly-tipping, it's not the council's job to clear them."
The Mirror has contacted North East Lincolnshire Council for comment.