Leeds student rubbish leaves area feeling 'like a slum'

Student housing charity Unipol said rubbish tended to be left around the 30 June move-out date

Piles of rubbish left in the street by students moving house at the end of term have left residents feeling like they are "living in a slum".

Kate Wells, who lives in Hyde Park, Leeds, said the situation was repeated every summer.

Three students moving into one of the empty properties in Grosvenor Street said "the entire house was covered in the last tenants' rubbish".

Leeds City Council has been contacted for a response.

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Ms Wells said: "I noticed a lot of rubbish, furniture, bedding and food waste piled up outside almost every student house.

"It happens every single year, rubbish starts piling up, wheelie bins get full and rubbish is left on the street.

Kate Wells, who lives in a student area of Leeds, said the area was left looking a mess each summer

"It is only once a year and the council do move it, but it can take up to a week and it feels like living in a slum."

Unipol, a student housing charity, said "Unfortunately, Leeds does see a lot of litter and waste from the annual moving-out date which is 30th June."

As far as the charity was aware Leeds City Council had put on additional collections and would get the majority of the rubbish removed as quickly as possible, it added.

Students Elena, Tom Wright and Ben Mulrooney, all 20 and studying at the Leeds Conservatoire, have just moved into a new house in the city.

Elena, Tom and Ben have now moved into a new house

Elena said: "It is a shame because the new tenants of every house are left with the rubbish of the old tenants.

"They have left it because no one is able to take it and put it anywhere else, it becomes this massive cycle of rubbish."

Mr Mulrooney added: "It's quite annoying, but we know it is quite hard to get rid of all your stuff."

The house-sharers said they would welcome more guidance from the university on how to dispose of end-of-term rubbish.

Housing charity Unipol said it had worked with charities in the past to take away any re-usable items