Calls for action on rubbish-plagued streets

Residents on two streets in Stoke-on-Trent said rubbish was being dumped on

Calls have been made for a council to take action against people dumping rubbish in part of Stoke-on-Trent.

Residents living on Portland Street and Rutland Street in Cobridge said they have been plagued by waste being left in alleyways.

Some claimed the continuing problem was attracting rats and making the area unsafe for their pets, according to the Local democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said it would take action and penalise people who “continue to blight the city”.

People living in the area have resorted to creating their own warning signs, one of which reads: “Stop, don’t litter, this is our home.”

Resident Mary Summers said the council was “normally quite good” at removing the rubbish but that people would just end up dumping more waste.

“I would say the main problem is that some of the waste blows everywhere,” she said.

“You get the situation where they come and pick it up and within a couple of days, more rubbish is dumped."

Residents have put up signs urging people not to litter

Another resident in the area, who did not wish to be named, said she and some of her neighbours had pet cats and that the piles of rubbish were "not really safe for them”.

“There are a few people around here who couldn’t care less but then there are people like myself who would like it to look good," she added.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council recently launched the Love Your Street campaign targeting the six most fly-tipped streets in the city.

In the past year, there have been 41 reports of illegal dumping in Portland Street, according to the authority’s records.

Councillor Amjid Wazir said: “It takes a few minutes out of your day to do the right thing and put rubbish in the appropriate bin, or arrange for a bulky waste collection.

“We are serious about penalising those who continue to blight the city and action will be taken.”

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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