Residents' anger over 'minging' litter on streets

Residents in Grangetown say they regularly have to clean up litter left on the streets

A Cardiff resident has described the "absolutely minging" sight he is greeted with outside his shop each morning caused by litter.

Martyn Thomas can spend up to 40 minutes cleaning up items ranging from nappies to food waste that have been left strewn over the floor outside the DIY business based in Grangetown.

He said it was a far cry from the "spotless" area that it was when he started working there 40 years ago.

Other business owners have also reported an increase in litter, with seagulls tearing apart bin bags that have been left to pile up.

Cardiff Council said fly-tipping was "completely unnecessary", and that it had launched a number of campaigns to try and tackle litter in the city.

According to Mr Thomas, the rubbish builds up in and around the litter bin outside his Clarence Hardware & DIY Centre on Corporation Road.

"It's just dumped by the bin. A bit of broken furniture, the odd toilet pan. Anything and everything," he said.

Litter bins nearby have been affected in the same way, as part of a wider problem the city is facing with littering and fly-tipping, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Martyn Thomas says big pieces of furniture are also fly-tipped in the area

Mr Thomas said he had witnessed drivers throwing litter out of their cars and on to the street.

"It's got to be the same people because it's furniture, mattresses, sofas, chairs.

"In what world did that ever become acceptable?"

He commended the Keep Grangetown Tidy volunteers who organise monthly litter picks at locations across the ward.

"They're out and about literally every morning with a litter picker and a bag. They walk miles, just picking up bits. They haven't got to do it," he said.

Mr Thomas has found all sorts of items outside the shop including used nappies

Hassan Egeh, of Wanaag Trading Limited in Grangetown, said the littering had "got worse" in the last few months.

"You come in the morning and you find the whole place littered with all kinds of food waste," he said.

"The seagulls are all coming and ripping them off and spreading it all over the place."

Iqbal Ahmed, who has lived in the area for 20 years, has reported the issue in the past, but said the litter had blown across the street by the time council workers came to clean up the mess.

"You can walk up and down this road and you'll just see so much crap that they just leave everywhere," he said.

"My mum tries to keep the front of the house clean and tidy, but it's a losing battle. You can't win."

Hassan Egeh says litter has always been an issue in the area but it has "got worse"

New Grangetown councillor Matt Youde has called for tougher measures, like the installation of CCTV cameras, to catch out fly-tippers.

"I'll be finding out what has become of the fly-tipping and littering strategy worked on by Keep Grangetown Tidy to solve issues and make Grangetown a better place to live for everyone," he said.

He added litter and fly-tipping were "by far" the biggest issues residents had shared with him.

One resident called keeping the streets clean a "losing battle"

A spokesperson for Cardiff Council said: "CCTV can only be used effectively if the council can identify vehicle registrations linked to an offence.

"Images of individuals are of no use for enforcement, as we cannot determine their identity or place of residence."

The council added: "Fly-tipping is completely unnecessary — it harms the environment and costs taxpayers a significant amount of money each year.

"The council provides an extensive kerbside collection service, so residents should not be dumping waste next to or in litter bins."