Northampton: Street fly-tipping leaves resident 'ashamed'

A resident has described Charles Street as "the hell street of Northampton"

So-called "broken window syndrome" has created a fly-tipping hotspot in a town and left residents "ashamed" of where they live, it has been claimed.

Labour councillor Danielle Stone said the high turnover of people living in multiple occupancy rented homes in Charles Street, Northampton, had created a cycle of dumped waste.

An anonymous resident said the mess had badly affected his mental health.

Conservative-run Northampton Borough Council has been contacted for comment.

As first reported by the Northampton Chronicle and Echo, the anonymous resident claims that rubbish has been dumped on his street for at least two years.

He said rotting tubs of meat, hypodermic needles and household waste were regularly strewn along the road and attracted rats.

The man said that while council and environmental health officers had investigated, their action had been limited to verbal warnings and leaflets.

Ms Stone said street wardens were hardworking and not to blame, but irresponsible landlords were making the situation worse.

"We have lots of HMOs, [homes of multiple occupancy] and their transient nature is eroding a sense of place for other residents," she said.

"It's broken window syndrome - once one landlord has dumped the detritus of a former tenant outside on the street, others do the same.

"The council needs a formal contract and service in place for landlords looking to dispose of rubbish they have been left with."

The resident said flytipping was "appalling and depressing"

Following a meeting on Monday, councillors proposed forming a "multi-agency team" to tackle Northampton's fly-tipping.

The anonymous resident said: "It's not just Charles Street, it's everywhere in this area. It's like a third world country. I'm ashamed for people to know I live here."

He said concrete islands on the road which housed plants and trees were now "dumping grounds".