Student fly-tipping leads to terrible smell and invasion of rats in suburb
Students fly-tipping furniture and other rubbish at the end of the university year has led to an invasion of rats in a Birmingham suburb, local residents say.
Selly Oak, in the south-west of the city, is a popular spot with students at the University of Birmingham, with hundreds staying in multi-occupancy terraced houses there.
People living in the area say there is a problem with litter all year round – but it gets particularly bad around graduation time, when mountains of stuff are moved out of homes and dumped on the roads.
The issue has grown so bad that parents are keeping their children indoors during the summer months, and fire bosses warn there is a ‘fire and health hazard’.
Photos taken this week show vast piles of bin bags, mattresses, chairs and tables gathering on local streets like Exeter Road and Hubert Road.
Dad-of-four Tariq Abdelhossein, 39, who lives in the area, said: ‘They leave it looking an absolute tip and it has turned into a yearly event.
‘At this time of the year I refuse to let my children play outside because it’s a health hazard and attracts rats.
‘You would think they would take some pride in the place they have called home for several years but they leave it looking like a slum.’
Another local, who wanted to remain anonymous, said empty booze bottles were regularly left in the street throughout the year.
They added: ‘It really smells as well on warm days, it’s disgraceful really. You can’t get a pushchair down the street without having to go around bins or piles of rubbish.
‘You would think the landlords or the university itself would try to intervene but it keeps on happening and it’s the people who live here who sometimes have to clean it up.
‘They don’t even pay council tax, so they aren’t even helping fund the bin men who do eventually come out to get it.’
Beyond the nasty pong, there are other serious concerns about the safety risk of leaving such large heaps of flammable rubbish in the street.
Dave Clark, watch commander of the local Bournbrook Fire Station, said: ‘It is a seasonal issue for us and there’s a big risk of an increase in secondary rubbish fires.
‘We talk to bodies like the Guild of Students at the University of Birmingham and they do try to take it seriously.
‘It’s why we tweet pictures out, because the students are more likely to see them that way.
‘The rubbish becomes a massive eyesore. The problem is the sheer amount of rubbish which can lead to rats.’
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: ‘Issues related to the street scene when the academic year ends have long been a concern for residents in areas near the city’s universities.
‘As a council we will continue to do all we can to address this issue but there is a responsibility upon everyone – from long-standing residents to students to landlords – to play their part.
‘Expecting someone else to be responsible is not the way to solve any issues we have in these areas. Where waste offences occur and we have credible evidence, we will not hesitate to prosecute.’
The University of Birmingham has been contacted for comment.
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