'We live on UK's dirtiest road with giant rats and waste you can see from space'
Sofas, freezers, mattresses and even human waste are amongst the mountains of stinking rubbish that stands 7ft tall in the alleyway on one of Britain's grimmest streets.
Residents living on Nineveh Road, in Handsworth, Birmingham, say their homes have been invaded by giant rats running riot due to huge mounds of fly-tipped trash, which can be seen from space. Worried parents are now refusing to let their children play outdoors over fears of health hazards around the festering piles of rubbish at the back of their homes.
Locals are calling on Birmingham City Council to act after years of 'doing nothing' and say the alleyway, which runs between their street and Bacchus Road, hasn't been cleared in 10 years.
Dad-of-one Tobias Brown, 39, a tree surgeon, said: "It's so rank and it's got really embarrassing to live around her in all honestly. My mates take the mickey and say I live on the grimmest street in the country and I don't have much of a comeback as it's probably true. The mess around there is disgraceful and I can't believe we're living like this in a cosmopolitan city like Birmingham that had been trying to improves its image."
Landlord Kulwinder Raindi has called on the council to take action after 10 years (Joseph Walshe / SWNS)Modupe Adejumo, 59, a resident support worker, who also lives nearby, said: "It's so bad, there's lot of rats around. The council or whoever are in charge should clear it and make it useful for residents. Our landlord has called on Birmingham Council to act - the street is just a mess, people just dropping rubbish everywhere. That alleyway is supposed to be a fire exit and we can't make use of the garden because we can smell it from outside. We also have a small baby so it really isn't ideal."
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Grandfather-of-six and local landlord Kulvinder Raindi, 63, has also called on the council to fine those responsible. Dad-of-four Mr Raindi, a clothing business owner from Handsworth, said: "It's absolutely disgusting. There's just mountains of garbage. My late brother's wife lives along this road and over the years it has just got progressively worse and we have asked many times for it to be sorted. When my brother was alive there was a yard around the back which acted as a play area for children but its a massive health hazard now.
Tobias Brown feels embarrassed to live on Nineveh Road and says it's disgraceful (Joseph Walshe / SWNS)"It stretches all the way around and there's every type of rubbish you could think of there - it's very dangerous and a breeding ground for vermin. We've asked many times for this to be cleared up but they say it is private land. Yet the council still have enforcement powers and ways to find out who the belongs to - they just haven't been bothered to. This has been here for so many years and all the council has to do is remove it and bill the owner. They should have CCTV here to find out who’s actually dumping this.
"There was a petition signed by loads of people a few years back and I even sent them photos -but nothing is being done and I'm really annoyed about it. I house tenants next to it and they complain about rats. We just want it cleared up. The problem is as soon as on person does it more follow suit and it just gets worse. The council does have a duty to help because it's a huge health and safety hazard. You can see it on Google Earth so you can see it from space."
The mountains of vile rubbish can actually be seen from space (Image is Google Maps view) (Google / SWNS)Birmingham City Council's environmental chief, Councillor Majid Mahmood, said: "Private alleyways are the responsibility of the owners and residents to keep tidy. Fly-tipping harms where we all have to live and work and is carried out by environmental criminals that have no regard for our neighbourhoods or their well-being. We have plenty of lawful options for people to responsibly dispose of waste or unwanted items.
"There are Household Recycling Centres around the city and for those who struggle to get to them we have our popular free-to-use Mobile Household Recycling Centres. We will always prosecute fly-tippers when we can but we need reports and evidence and the most effective way to do this is to contact our Waste Enforcement Team directly. Anyone with any information on any dumped waste in Birmingham should give details via www.birmingham.gov.uk/flytipping. Residents can also get in touch with our Love Your Streets teams to arrange a community clean up where we will assist with clearing private alleyways provided there is some support from residents."
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