Fly-tippers 60ft waste mountain turning street into 'toxic warzone'

A 60-foot mountain of rubbish has turned a residential street into a 'public tip' leaving homeowners furious at the 'shameless' fly-tippers.

Residents say the huge pile of waste in Birchills, Walsall, has been allowed to fester and grow for several years.

They now say their neighbourhood is infested with rats and they are unable to open their windows due to 'toxic' rubbish being burned day and night. 

Shocking photographs show household waste dumped on the pavements with the entire corner of the street now filled with trash stretching for 20 metres.

Locals have complained to Walsall Council multiple times over a three year period as the eyesore pile has continued to grow.

But they say as soon as some rubbish is taken away - a new pile appears in its place the very next day.

The mess has appeared outside a derelict property on Dalkieth Street, which was formerly home to A1 Furniture, a textile and furniture workshop.

But after the building was allowed to lie neglected for many years, residents say they now feel like they are 'living in the middle of a public dump.'    

Grandmother-of-two Lynne Perkins, 51, who lives nearby, said: 'You just can't comprehend how bad it is around here.

'My neighbour living directly next to it has children and it cannot be safe for them. It's a health hazard.

'The furniture place has been closed for years but a couple of people have rented out the building since.

'The problems started with the previous tenant who had this massive dog too which was dangerous enough and nearly bit me.

'But it just became a fly-tipping hotspot and now it's pretty much used as a public tip in the middle of the street.'

She continued: 'Rubbish was being burned on a daily basis too. Some of it was toxic and you couldn't open your windows.

'I am embarrassed to have my children and grandkids around because you can barely step foot out in the street.

The 51-year-old said court action is being taken after nearly a year of constant complaints.

She added: 'It should not have taken this long. It's like living in a war-torn country. Its making me physically and mentally ill - I'm absolutely shot, its been hell.

'The new tenant seems to be trying to sort it out - but as soon as a bit of rubbish gets cleared, another tip van comes along and dumps more.

'You just cannot believe the mindset of some people. It's disgusting. You can't walk on the footpath for rubbish, litter and oil.

'We've got neighbours who work on cars in the middle of street, others who shoot air guns from their window, youths and druggies everywhere - it's just chaos living around here.

'I want to be proud of my country and my street where I've brought up three children and lived for 27 years - but I'm utterly ashamed.'

Another local Russell Dale, 44, added: 'It feels like you're living in the middle of a public dump - it's absolutely rank and it stinks.

'The council have issued the owners with this enforcement notice but it just seems to be getting bigger instead.

'People don't give a damn and just carry on as they know nothing will happen to them.

'We've had squatters in there too. It's been on-and-off a dumping ground for about three years when they put clothes bins there but the last 12 months have been the worst.

'It's just lawless around here now. The police and council don't really want to know. You cannot believe this is 21st Century Britain.'

Another resident, who would only give her name as Linda, 61, added: 'It's affecting the environment, it's not a good, it's an eyesore for everyone to walk past.

'People are very annoyed about this and upset that they've let this area go downhill so much.

'The council should come and clear it all, for everybody. There's no access to the pavement. It's time it all stopped.'

Abdul Majeed, 53, said: 'It affects the whole street, in the morning its full of kids and it's no good for them.

'There's rats running about and you can't walk on the pavement. It needs cleaning up.'

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: 'I've watched as this dump gets bigger, workers remove the rubbish and then hours later it is replaced.

'The people who own the factory have left it derelict for years and the courtyard became full of rubbish.

'Now it stretches all down the street and is disgusting, there are rats, fridges, you name it.

'I bet this would not be allowed to happen in a nicer area. But in Birchills it is just ignored.

'As soon as the rubbish is taken away, it is back again. I spoke to the council workers and they said they had never seen anything like it.

'It is smelly, dangerous and attracts rats from all over Walsall.'

Walsall Council issued one enforcement notice relating to the site addressed to AL11 Properties Ltd and two others addressed to individuals both registered as directors for the company.

The order demands the removal of all accumulations of controlled waste, including white goods and waste that could harbour or attract vermin, waste which is potentially dangerous, and any waste having a 'detrimental' effect on the visual appearance of the area.

The actions must be carried out before 11.59pm this Friday.

If the notice is ignored and the mess remains, AL11 Properties Ltd could be prosecuted and convicted of a criminal offence.

Earlier this year, the company had been granted permission by Walsall Council's planning officers to build a two-storey extension at the site.

The extension was to form a wider project of redeveloping the derelict factory building which has fallen victim to vandalism over time.

A caravan is nestled in the waste at the rear of the factory, where the extension is due to be built.

Its current owner, who would only give his name as Ali, 35, said: 'We're getting penalised for something we've not done.

'We've cleared the site earlier this year as there was dumping.

'We're waiting for the council to allow us to do something with the property, it's been three years.

'We were getting it cleared up about three months ago, but someone has turned it into a dump again.

'And it's costing us £18,000 to get it cleared. We're having to pay all of this out of our own pockets.

'This is the third time it's been severely fly-tipped. We've secured it to make sure the council knows it's secured, but someone has opened it all up and fly-tipped.

'It's household rubbish, all sorts of rubbish. We're the dumping ground for Walsall, it's ridiculous.

'We asked the council if we can use the local tip and their trucks, if they can help us and we can pay for the labour and petrol, but the council rejected it.

'We've owned it for the past three years. It's taken us three years to get planning permission.

'We have no room to remove anything. They want us to remove this which is really unfair.

'It's local people doing it, I don't live in the area. It takes us an hour and a half to get here, but it's happened three times this year. There's no support from the council.

'It's not my rubbish, it's on the road. I shouldn't be responsible for something that's been fly-tipped on the road. It's been bad for our company.

'The council won't do anything about it but we've cleared the mess out each time.' 

Leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Garry Perry, said: 'Over the last 12 months, the council has spent considerable resource working with residents of Dalkeith Street to resolve fly tipping issues.

'It's very disappointing that despite this work, the issue has resurfaced to the levels it has, harming our community and environment.

'We've taken steps to require a local landlord to clear their own site, and once complete, the council will review what more can be done as regards any other accumulations.

'This includes installing CCTV to ensure the area stays clean and searching waste for information which may indicate who tipped it.

'When people rightly question budget decisions, know that every £1 spent on tackling this issue, whether its removal costs, surveillance or issuing fines, is £1 we have not got to other support services that people value.

'Residents, please remember to report fly tipping. Whether it's one bag or several tonnes, we can all solve this together.'