By Jessica Martin
Copyright expressandstar
Furious locals living in a rubbish-laden Birmingham suburb have hit out at shameless fly-tippers after 41 incidents were reported on one day.
Images show the streets in Lozells, to the west of the city, piled high with broken furniture, abandoned fridges and dirty mattresses.
Meanwhile swarms of flies hover over burst bin bags as rotting food spills out onto the pavements.
The stomach-churning scenes come after bin workers voted in favour of carrying on their strike until next spring.
Labour councillor Waseem Zaffar
Waseem Zaffar, a Labour councillor, who represents Lozells, revealed he reported 41 fly-tipping incidents on September 7 alone.
Posting on X, he said: “I’ve reported 41 fly-tipping incidents in Lozells to Birmingham City Council’s street cleaning teams, complete with photographic evidence and specific locations.
“I’ll be closely monitoring the situation to ensure these are cleared as soon as possible.
“Thank you to the residents for providing this crucial information.”
Some of the worst-hit areas include Roland Road, Naden Road, Wills Street, Nursery Street and Harrington Road.
Councillor Waseem said: “The vast majority of residents are absolutely amazing, doing everything possible to keep the area clean but the small minority or those that come to fly tip are disrupting the community.
“There’s a real effort from within the community to clean-up and to clean-up our neighbourhood but we are being let down by a few.
“But for me, a good start is by having a clean neighbourhood.
“If our neighbourhood is clean, you feel a stronger sense of belonging and connection to that neighbourhood.”
Despite the bin workers’ strike, councillor Waseem revealed waste was being collected from locals residents’ homes.
He said: “There should be no excuse to fly tip, our residual waste is being collected every week.
“They are the ones that are frustrated and angry like I am.”
Resident Mahmood
Fed-up residents say fly-tippers and illegal rubbish removal firms were travelling from outside of the area to dump their rubbish.
Mahmood, a resident, said: “The streets here are just covered in trash. It’s an easy place for fly-tippers to dump their stuff and leave.
“They know the council will clean it up eventually and it’s less risky than dumping it in a lane or elsewhere.
“It piles up daily and stinks the place out. I’ve seen packs of rats going from one pile of rubbish to the next. We need help.”
Another resident
One mum, who did not want to be named, said the area had been “left to rot” by the council.
She said: “I dread it when it’s sunny because I know the smell is going to be awful and I won’t be able to open the windows.
“My kids beg me to play outside but I can’t risk it.
“What if they get bitten by a rat or fall on broken glass or a needle or something just left on the path.
“This is a deprived area and the council don’t do anything to help us. We’ve been left to rot with the rubbish.”
Birmingham City Council spokesperson
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “When fly-tipping occurs, we act as quickly as possible.
“Our crews clear hundreds of fly-tipping reports each week; this is in addition to the work our neighbourhood crews undertake to clean up across the city.
“Everyone needs to play their part in maintaining a clean environment.
“We are committed to prosecuting fly-tippers whenever possible, and we encourage residents to provide reports and evidence for us to do so.”
