Middlesbrough residents using 'barricades and golf clubs' to combat fly-tipping and rats
Middlesbrough residents say they have been forced to barricade their back gates due to fly-tipping and rat problems.
Tennyson Street residents have raised concerns about pests running around the street's alleyway with piles of litter, takeaway food rubbish, and electrical appliances dumped there.
A spokesperson for Middlesbrough Council said that the alley has "repeatedly been the subject of incidents of waste dumping" and is now "checked and cleansed weekly."
However, residents have found that the fly-tipping quickly returns.
Property developers Ste Leighton and Craig Patton have been renovating a property on the street for a number of months - but fear the "unbearable" smell will prevent them from finding an occupant for the home.
"We've had the house about two months now," Mr Patton said. "We are landlords doing it and we're struggling to get people to move in - the smell is unbearable, there was a decomposing rat at our back gate recently. But there have been four or five in total now.
"The pest control is out of control. You've got from fridges to food waste where bags have been left open. There are needles there, everything really, just general waste. It's horrendous. If we knew it had been this bad we wouldn't have committed to the area."
Residents have said they have been forced to drastic actions to deal with the problem, utilising golf clubs and barricades to protect their homes.
"They are in every garden," Mr Patton said. "One woman next door said she saw 14 in the space of 10 minutes while she was outside having a cigarette, they came from the alleyway into her shed."
"One lady around the corner, she stands in the front with a golf club as the rats are running around her. Lots of residents have actually barricaded their back gate to stop the rats from coming in."
Middlesbrough Council have confirmed that they are aware of the problem, increased cleaning checks and are making arrangements for pest control to visit the area.
A spokesman for the council said: “The alleyway between the homes on Tennyson Street and the business properties on Linthorpe Road has repeatedly been the subject of incidents of waste dumping. The alley is checked and cleansed weekly by the council’s Back Alley Cleansing Team.
“In addition, at the end of March this year, a number of teams from the council visited the alleyway for a day of action which involved waste removal, pest control and enforcement officers working together on the issue. It was left spotless.
“Since then we have had nine reports of fly-tipping in the alley, all of which have been responded to in a timely manner by the fly-tipping response team – the last of which was Tuesday, August 1 and which saw the alleyway cleared with evidence gathered.
“Those who fly tip, or in respect of businesses, fail to provide waste transfer notes can expect to be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £300 which if not paid can be followed by prosecution through the courts. We will not shy away from taking action.
“In the meantime, arrangements will be made for pest control services to visit the site once more as soon as is practicable.”
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