Video Nation

Do you live in East London? Has there become a two tier Newham? Email david.faye@bbc.co.uk

graham vaines
born in newham moved away 10 yrs ago .This place has always been a hole

Ian
I have to agree somewhat with Graham Brown. There are a lot of people who have moved into the area who have much lower standards. Though this prob can't be changed-setting an example can be to avoid dumping rubbish in the streets and it not being removedAlso - in the park I overlook new litter bins were put last year...none near the most popular seats (and closest to the miriade of fast food places) so everything is just dropped and blows around as a result.As for the Olympic stuff - no effect here ( Church St area) at all -no info even - and also agree re the useless stuff from Newham-would much prefer a streetsweeper once a week (or more)after 20 years here I've had enough and moving out next year I hopebtw - has anyone directed this website to Newham Council ?

doug
i don't live anywhere near the mess, i am sure you have to look at it with some horror if a person of any bad intent shoud suddenly emerge and attack you, anyway, always put your untidy rubbish in the bin for the men to collect and i think this will resolve itself, and if it doesn't then you have to obviously take it up with someone, i mean a important person if they are anywhere to be had.

usa. freddie
Same over here. Thank you for tring..maybe someone else will listen A

Hugh Barnard
I live in Tower Hamlets, adjacent to Newham and another 'olympics' borough. The situation is the same, self-congratulation by the council in their 'newspaper' (nickname: East End Lies)and mess on the streets.The Olympics is a waste of space, we could have the whole East End cleaner for 1/100 of the cost.

Anne
Newham was recently voted 3rd worst place to live in the UK. Unfortunately, a catalogue of personal experience confirms this to be true for me. I previously lived on the Woodgrange estate which is lovely so bought nearby on the other side of Romford Rd. Since moving to my present address, I have had one car stolen, one car vandalised so often that I no longer keep a car, not that there would be anywhere to park as so many people have been given permission to build driveways. Residence parking was not granted in the area either. I have had neighbours make significant additions to their properties without planning permission, then given permission regardless of the detriment to my property. I have been burgled. In the past year, the council have rehoused an anti-social tenant in a flat in my building. My flat has been flooded, once significantly, because of the the negligence of this tenant and her boyfriend, leading to my insurance premium going up. Myself and my pets have been threatened by the tenants Boyfriend. I have had to call the police, antisocial behaviour line and temporary housing department on numerous occasions regarding rubbish strewn everwhere, loud music, shouting and banging in the middle of the night, the tenants boyfriend parking on my garden and the uncontrolled bull terrier type dogs in my garden. My calls and e-mails to the council are answered occasionally but nothing has been done and these tenants remain. My back fence which was knocked down by these anti social people in November remains unrepaired despite assurance that those administering the flat (its a mystery to me how this company got the contract) will organise to fix it. My front brick fence was knocked down by a group of hoodies who set up camp on it for a number of weeks. I had reported this and was told a community police officer would contact me. No one ever did. I have had to call the rubbish collection service 3 times in the last few months because only 2 of the 3 bins are being emptied. There is constant fly tipping at the end of my street. I have had problems with mail delivery which I have reported 6 times to the post office but my mail is still misdelivered. It is very unfortunate, but to spite the many positive features of the area such as good transport links and the coming olympics, I could not recommend the area to any home buying, law abiding, council tax paying citizen. As a home owner, I feel I get nothing for my council tax, and in fact, have had my life blighted and the peaceful enjoyment of my property compromised by the council itself's decision to continue to rehouse an anti-social tenant in my building.

chris conway
Hi, I lived in East Ham (Clements Road) with my parents and siblings from 1961 (aged 16) until 1967; my family continued to live there thru 2 generations until 15 years ago.I now live in Sydney Australia and visited the old family home in 2005.What a shock, what a ghetto E Ham has become, how broken down, dirty, and sad.It has the look and feel of a ville de mort seen in a middle European state that has been bombed or invaded.Of course Odetta should go to the Coast.....god luck, enjoy. Chris Conway

Sam
i've lived in londonn for the past 10 yrs in so many borough, but forest gate is the most dirtiest places i've in the whole of uk, and i think that the council is not doing enough to crack down on this isuues, i occupy a rented flat in lansdown road in forest gate, i'm so annoyed ever moved in to that area, i've to take up the responsibility to put notices in walls for any one braking the law, through fly tipping, if the council start prosecuting it will surely help, and i'm advising the council to put up more notices in every street as that might help, as it really help me and some decent people around, although i'm planning to move away from the borough, because i cannot live in the most dirty borough like newham, so please let help Odetta by sticking up notices on walls and fences as this might help, because it reduces a lot of fly tipping were i lived although they're still doing it, and let the newham borough start prosecuting offenders so thst this practices will stop. HOPE ACTIONS ARE DEALT WITH.

Phil Simpson
I couldn't agree more with Odetta. I have been complaining to my local councillor for 2 years about the repeated rubbish dumping in my area. The councillor has not ignored it but done her best to get 'Public Realm' to do something. They clear the rubbish but it keeps re-appearing, and this is in the normal streets of Stratford - it is just the same here despite the Olympic nonsense. In my view then, they are completely failing in their duty to find a solution to this situation.I spoke to one of their refuse enforcement officers who told me that Newham employ just 10 people to investigate this sort of thing where other councils in London have got anything up to 100 people on it. Newham was voted the 3rd worst place to live in England, a fact I wrote to Mr Wales about to ask what he was prepared to do about it. The result was that he didn't even bother to reply. This tells you everything about his attitude to the ratepayers of Newham and his care for the borough. His face is constantly in the Newham Mag and one wonders if he sees his role as a celebrity rather than one who works for his ratepayers and residents. To indicate in that self same magazine and on the Newham website that he is accesible through a published email address, in my experience does not work. Odetta is correct in saying the Magazine paints a rosy picture when in fact the area is a disgrace. I have live here for 58 years and never known such filth on the streets. You don't get this in some other parts of London, so why here?? One suspects that the Council are frightened to get tough just in case they upset someone. Well I have a message: You are already upsetting a large number of people with your inaction to get tough.Newham is a dump due to this and other problems mainly due to the inaction of a smug council who are still there due to the lack of opposition.After reading the many comments here I am gratified that there seems to be many people including myself who totally agree with Odetta. Perhaps we should get together and do a lot more?

Graham Brown.
I belive Newham Has been over run with people from all over the word who`s standards are well below that of Newham, This has been done with the knolage and agreement of Robin Wales, who even now is trying to take Green Street market away from us so he can make a name for himself, just as he has with the parking along Green Street, he made sure where he lives is resedents only with only a few shops but streets off Green Street with so many take aways open till midnight and beond the resedents have nowhere to park where they live, this also comes with a hell of a lot more noise and discarded rubbish, but he just dont care, Robin Wales only cares about getting his face in the Newham Mag. This is a fairy story mag if there ever was one.

Robin
Thank goodness for an opportunity to air concerns in this public manner. Do politicians never listen? I have read this entire list of responses and virtually everything written is what you hear on the streets day in day out. Not, as one contributor said, that the Councils glossy magazine would have us believe that we live anywhere other than utopia. It's a pity Boris can't ban Councils spending our money on self congratulatory propaganda such as we get rammed through the letter boxes in Newham. But returning to the state of our streets, there is a residents group called Monega Association, and I know that they have campaigned over many years about the rubbish problem. They even had an idea to replace all the vandalised litter bins down Katherine Road but the Mayor said it woudn't get 'environmental' funding as it wasn't imaginative enough. A Council spokesman even said that litter bins attract rubbish so maybe there should be fewer of them! The residents called in council officials and pleaded for a temporary blitz on the area with cctv cameras to catch, punish and send out strong messages that dumping was not going to be tollerated. Was any notice taken. Oh yea, of course. No doubt an infingement of human rights. Lets not forget the recycling. A triumph according to the Newham Magazine. Yet round here they took away the local bottle bank, stopped house to house bottle collection, but of course it's nothing to do with the Council that Newham 'could do better'. Why is it other councils happily collect bottles with all the other recycling but Newham wont. The Mayor has been to Monega meetings, the MP has been, and Chairpeople of council departments. Everyone listens but nothing ever changes. Yes, the Council workers do try to keep up with things, but peoples behaviour is so appauling that it must be like trying to stop the tide coming in. Please don't disparage Odetta for taking photographs of the filth which is Newham. A photgraph speaks a thousand words. Our MP is ok, but he is not responsible for local services. While we have to put up with disinterested Councillors in Green Street East, and an autoctratic Mayor who shouts loudly but does nothing, I am afraid ony a voting revolution will change things in Newham. London as a whole did it in electing Boris. Who will step up to the plate in Newham? I'd even vote for the Moster Looney Party cause it couln't get worse. Oh yes, forgot to mention a few years ago Newham were Council of the Year!! Self deluded council of the year maybe.

jan russell
the area is now a slum area,filth,vermin,u name it its there.broken paving slabs on every inch of the pavements,spit,dogs mess,the area is a health end safety risk

Alex Thomson
As an ex-councillor and ex-resident of East Ham for over forty years --- I was disgusted to see the state of the Borough. What a tip --- The Mayor ought to resign after being in charge for so long -- He can not blame anyone else but himself. He should take the rest of his council with him. There was a time when one was proud of living in our town. When the Docks , Gas Works and miriade of companies spewed out the filth of industy the Borough itself was far cleaner. Even with pea-soup smog it was more hygenic than this cess-pit. Will it be cleaned up before the Olympics, or shall these photos of Newham be broadcasted round the Globe. Well done Sir Robin, the buck stops with you.

Josephine Phillips
yes, add Canning Town big time, Pretoria Road, the Lower Steps which welcome people to Newham & Excel(dispite many E Mails to Clrrs & officials) and also Stephenson Street where sadly the 276 bus is being re routed (whilst we have another DLR station built for those 2012 s that not many of us want) all dire, do we have Street Cleaners?

Yasmin
Odetta I am grateful for your efforts to raise the issue of how significantly parts of the Borough are in serious decline. We have effectively become more 'third world' than some of the poorest countries in the rest of the world. I have lived in East Ham for nearly 22 years, but when I first came the streets were swept & there wasn't fly tipping on the scale that we see today. This anti-social behaviour has been buiding up for some 6 years. This isn't necessarily a problem caused by newly arrived migrant workers. Local people & local businesses are equally responsible for the degradation within the Borough. Fly tipping in Newham is not just industrial/commercial/builders waste (although I accept this is a problem) & Odetta's video highlights what so many of us are now seeing daily; household/kitchen waste, dumped furniture, endless beer cans & fast food waste, car tyres etc. This stuff appears each & every day. In the short distance between Victoria Ave & Upton Park Station there are now at least 3 eyesore hotspots, one of them by the recycling facility in Grangewood St! I have seen people drive up in their cars & dump bags of rubbish/furniture. This in a Borough where the Council collect many large items of furniture for free, but not always within the time scales promised. Tell me why have the base of trees or areas near a post box becomes dumping hotspots? I know the Council collect such waste every so often, but there is no initiative to prevent the problem occurring. If you report people & send car registration numbers there is a degree of indifference from the Council. Local councillors must go aroung wearing blinkers & having an elected Mayor has proved to be ineffective & pointless. There is very little concern on behalf of council tax payers. The councils acceptance of this persistent problem means that it merely grows & has become socially acceptable. Depressingly this is a Newham problem, as you don't see this scale of fly tipping in neighbouring Boroughs. Friends of mine from other areas are shocked when they visit. Tolerance of low level anti-social behaviour also contributes to other social blight; graffitti, littering, offending, abuse of the few green spaces we have. The indifference of the Council & Mayor is a disgrace. I think The Newham Mag is a total joke - lots of glossy pictures & feel good stories that in no way reflect the lived experience of council tax payers; a Borough in terminal decline.

odetta graves
What does that mean Danny?

Danny McLaughlin
East Ham ain't the East End!!

Monegal
Newham council are working hard to keep the rubbish under control and one of the few boroughs to offer a free rubbish collection service, but that is where it ends. Here, in Forest Gate / Manor Park, a new kind of resident sees dumping rubbish and spitting on the street as socially acceptable behaviour, and Newham Council needs to come down hard on these individuals if this squalid decline is to cease. I have lived in the Forest Gate / Manor Park area for over 50 years and share Odetta's concerns, as does our local residents association. We can't boast a shiny new olympics in Stratford if, a short distance away, there is filth and squalour of this nature. Newham has to act now!

The Watcher
I was born and bred in Newham and lived there until a few years ago, I still work in Newham and travel in everyday and see the mess around the borough. I would say that all of the employees who work for Newham Council on the front line have their work cut out.The council have been runnig down the refuse and cleansing service in order to privitise it by saying the direct labour people are no good and lazy, there is not enough to do a proper job, they are fighting a loosing battle. It is no wonder that the place is a mess lions led by donkeys. They used to have an Environment Department with people who cared about the borough, there is no enforcement of builders works skips they are left all over the place overflowing, piles of rubbish get attracted to them, pulled about by people looking for scrap, foxes everywhere rip bags open and down the road it goes! Bring back fox hunting! The department that is supposed to watch over this is now called Public Realm, public dump more like! Agaun lions led by donkeys!

Rachelle
Whenever I am in the East End (which is quite often as I work nearby) I see more people dropping litter than anywhere else I go in the Capital. It completely disgusts me as there are frequent bins along the pavement.

WF Resident
I have to agree with the state of Newham. I moved out 6 years ago because of the state of the borough (not just the cleaning).I now live in Waltham Forest, although it has it's faluts as many London boroughs do the streets get cleaned every day. It doesn't stop people dumping rubbish on the streets but fortunately there are plenty of streetwatch residents who report the dumping of rubbish.Newham has a very high concentration of fast food chicken outlets, as it is mainly chicken carcasses and boxes maybe Newham should crack down on the amount of chicken shops that there are and make sure that all takeaway outlets have their own recognisable containers so that the council can see what shops are not dealing with their rubbish properly?Where have all the bins gone?Or do we have to get Newham residents to take a 1 day course on how to use a bin?

Joan Hammond
Odetta is absolutely spot on! This olympics malarky has overshadowed the severe problems of rubbish / fly tipping and general decline in Newham. In fact, I would go as far to say that Newham is little more than just one big dustbin. Don't believe me? Take a walk along Shrewsbury Road E7, High St. North, E6/E12 and Green Street, E7 /E13. Furthermore, Newham Council are great at putting out the rhetoric about Newham, but in fact are doing little to resolve the problems that will overshadow any olympic gravy train.

matt
oh, and just one more thing in addition to my earlier comment: if people are not being educated not to throw rubbish wherever they go but either take it home and dispose of it in their own rubbish bins or put it in public bins the streets will never be cleaner since no street sweep in the world will be able to keep up with the masses of waste that are being disposed of in our streets (that includes fly-tipping) people who drop litter in the streets and/or fly-tip should face hefty fines given they are caught disposing of rubbish where inappropriate.

matt
don't know about newham but hackney is equally dirty. there is rubbish in the gutters all the way up and down most streets, the bin men only collect rubbish that has been bagged up, otherwise they won't remove it even though that means it attracts vermin and rodent, you hardly see a street cleaner on the roads and when the strrets are being 'cleaned' with one of those big machines they are just driving down the road with no one actually getting the rubbish out of the gutter so the machine could sweep it up. and complaining to jules pipe, the mayor of hackney, does not make a difference, the only reply you get if at all is how much effort there is being put in to make the streets cleaner (that also applies to making the streets of hackney safer) which also don't bear substance. and makes you think why do we have to pay so much council tax for all the scum we have to put up with every day, whether that is dirty streets, vile people with no common sense or consideration for others, ferral kids, robberies, burglaries, murders etc.

dave tanner
you think stratford is bad try living in leytonstone it has become an advert for lager with cans and bottles for all kinds of lager from around the world especially poland

Char
I have to say that I agree. I used to live on Cable St in E1, and people treated the environment with contempt. I was forever reporting fly tipping to the local council, and despaired of seeing people casually drop all kinds of litter and rubbish on the floor. If the people who have a vested interest in living somewhere nice don't care then what hope is there? This was why I moved!

Stuart Barber
Its exactly the same in Tower Hamlets. People dumping beds, mattresses households rubbish on the street that remains uncollected for weeks.Also, when the bin collection made the streets are strewn with rubbish

N. Farooqui
I live in Newham too and I have seen for age’s governments, policy and mayor’s change but the neglects Newham especially East Ham, Upton Park, Forest Gate gets is a shame to all Londoners. With the influx of migrants they have brought bad habits with them from urinating on the walls, spitting, fly tipping plus not to mention our household is very conscience on recycling out rubbish therefore out green bins are usually half empty and we find someone has filled our bins with their rubbish. I agree with Odetta when are we going to get some work done Boris!!

Yunus
I totally agree with Odetta. I live in forest gate since 1977 and its going down hill.Although street sweepers trying to keep it they can't beat fly tippers.People throwing food stuff on the road for birds.Broken TVs,mattresses etc are dumped in the street.Its all due to people living in temp.accomodation.

Brian Reynolds
I have lived in Kent all my life and commute to central London by coach every day. I must agree that Newham seems to be very dirty and littered compared to the south side of the river. It is about time the Mayor of London coordinated the street cleaning of the London Borough's by setting up a dedicated street cleaning team where the standards are all the same, cleaning frequencies are the same with a central monitoring group of inspector to check on cleaning standards. Also, keep all cleaning with direct labour groups employed by the Mayor's office and not by private contractors. Private contractors generally provide a poor service and have no pride; it is profit before community. Finally, as I said before I was born and bred in Kent 'The Garden of England'. The county is rapidly becoming a huge dumping ground and litter hot spot. The motorways are simply linear dustbins. So even outside of London litter has become a problem. It will remain like this for London and Britain until the Government starts a national campaign, a dedicated environmental enforcement team, hefty fines, naming and shaming, introducing a Bottle Bill for sale and return on drink bottles and making companies such as MacDonald's pay an environment tax for creating litter and not educating their customers. How many anti-litter notices have you seen in a MacDonald's? It is going to get a lot worse before it gets better in Britain. I'm learning German in readiness to move there in the future. Germany is by no means perfect but it is organised and everybody is passionate about keeping their environment clean. Where as the British see it as a challenge to litter where they can!!

Medha waters
Ilive in newham i agree with you . our rubish bin hardley get empty .silver is a tip.

East Ham makes one become a racist
Please ban spitting in public in Newham. Or give the culprits free kleenex.

Dave
This is a valuable discussion.I am also interested in rubbish.I am particularly interested in the recycling angle.In particular dissemination of information on recycling to tenants, and the minimisation of land usage for landfill.The discussion deals with a broader range of issues such as quality of life issues and fly tipping. It is important to air views on these issues in a public forum as this will increase the chances of appropriate solutions to the rubbish problem and the wider issues such as landfill being found in the local communities where they arise.

catherine
we used to live in london,but escaped last year. now live in essex. such a different life here. ppl say hello and smile at you.and lots of open spaces near where we are. p[lus a short ride away to the coast :)best thing we ever did.mind u we are originally from essex. so was like coming home.i feel for those who are sick of their living enviroment. just keep hassling the counciol. or the local papers.good luck all.

rose geaney
Odetta is 100% right in what she says. I have lived for 30 years in South Newham (Docklands). I travel around throughout Newham on a regular basis and the whole borough has become a huge rubbish tip.In all fairness, the Council do clear the rubbish away, but they are fighting a losing battle against temporary residents in buy to let properties who have no interest in the area other than what happens inside their own four walls. Oh how I miss the old Newham and the sense of community that has now sadly died.

Rajesh
Fly-tipping has become a serious issue in Upton Park. People don't seem to care about the area which seems silly considering they live in that area.

eileen
How wonderful to see someone is prepared to stand up for what they think is right - good on you Odette.BUT how sad that you spend your spare time taking photos of rubbish - why not try socializing, e.g. go around to friends for dinner!

Nicky
I totally agree with Odetta. Newham was voted 3rd worst place to live in the Uk and it deserves it. I live in East Ham. The amount of rubbish tipped on the street is discusting. Many residents take no pride in their home or surroundings and think nothing of throwing a dirty matelas in their front garden. I have actually renamed East Ham "Matelas Town". Coming out of the tube station feels like stepping into a 3rd World country. Dirty, smelly and poor.

Usmaan
i fully agree with Odette, i live in this area too, and iam sick of it, too much rubbish everywhere

forestgirl
I have lived in Forest Gate for 20 years. The area has definitly gone down hill. I think the Council does its best to clear away the rubbish and will take unwanted furniture away for free. We seem to have a breed of residents who just don't care about their environment and leave their rubbish everywhere. I live near Wanstead Flats but I don't feel that it's a nice place to walk with my children anymore because of the litter, fly tipping and dog mess. My road was really nice when I moved in but the buy to let brigade have taken over and could not care less what their property looks like as long as they get the money. Woodgrange Road is a dump - chicken and chips, betting shops and bric a brac shops all selling identical goods. Try walking down Upton Lane on a Sunday morning - it looks as if a riot has taken place rubbish strewn everywhere. I no longer shop in the area, nor East Ham. I prefer Romford. I only hope the Olympics will turn our part of London around.

Gerard Marks
Good on Odette. I live in, according to estate agents, "a highly desirable estate - Central Park". It is a dump and a dumping ground for flytippers and residents alike. I blame both the residents who dump their unwanted belongings on the streets, flytippers and the policy of LBN as they charge to take away bulky items. As a council tax payer I resent that I have to pay for a service that should be free. Also, it is endemic, part of the wider clutter culture of disposing of items, from fast food containers to TV, cars, beds and mattresses and in one instance an up right piano. But for their part LBN do, once put on notice, cart the debris off quickly. What I think is needed is zero tolerance on these matters and free collections by LBN

Ham Park resident
I agree with this lady, rubbish is a fact of life in Newham now. Yet catch a tube to west London and as soon as you step out of the carriage you can see it is spotless over there - why the big difference? I understand local political power in Newham is solely in the hands of our mayor Robin Whale, as Newham is in a fairly unique situation where the councillors abdicated power to the mayor. Whether he is responsible for the lack of collections I don't know but it's my perception that no sooner do the council pick up all the junk that is left on pavements and by recycling stations than another lot appears.One reason for all this extra junk may be the overpopulation of the area. Streets near where I live have had rows of terrace houses replaced by blocks of flats. So increasing the density of people five-fold or more. This puts a huge strain on infrastructure, doctors, schools and refuse collection. We live in a disposable consumerist society and don't repair things - just throw them away. Where do you put dead TVs? They won't fit in the bin so people dump them. It used to be the case that you called the council and they'd come and get your old washing machine or sofa for free. I recently called to get rid of some bags of soil we took from the garden when we dug out for a patio and the council quoted me £70 upwards to collect a few bags of it. It is all in the quest to be green. The tip in Jenkins lane is rightly recycling in a move to be green but trying to encourage people to lower their output of throwaway goods by charging them is futile in a place like Newham, where the average wage is below that of the rest of the country while our cost of living is high. We need to help people be aware of where they can get rid of stuff legally by say recycling old furniture or electronic goods or soil or hardcore. Fly-tipping fines don't appear to be being enforced or they aren't effective if they are enforced because it keeps happening. If the council can't solve the problem then they need to get advice from other cities or other countries where they've solved it. I'd love to see some police or community officers parading the roads in and around Ham Park. This would not only discourage fly-tipping but might have prevented the murder of a boy over a mobile phone in the park yesterday, in broad daylight. We heard talk of zero tolerance some years back from New Labour. This was the idea, borrowed from New York, that if you turn a blind eye to dropping rubbish then criminals know there is no enforcement and so prostitution and drug dealing come to the area. The answer - clean up the neighbourhood and the prossies and dealers go away. I never heard anything more about this after the initial spin. If it really works, let's have it now in Newham. Sir Robin Whale, are you listening?

Gerard Marks
I live in, according to estate agent, a desirable estate, however, I concur with Odette Graves. People fly tip all the time, from white goods, beds, mattresses to builders rubble, to TV sets. Once, I actually saw an upright piano dumped. I see the problem as two fold, people who don't give a damn for their environment and a council policy that charges us for collection of bulky household waste. Allied to this is that if people are confronted you are likely to get abused or worse. Good on Odette.

Kerry Wheeler
I live in Forest Gate and over the last year the fly tipping has got a lot worse.Within the last 2 weeks someone is also going round setting fire to it. Last night at the top of Wolseley road someone set fire to beds and the flames have burnt the wall of the property, if this is not sorted soon someone will get hurt.

Jo Verma
I must say that over the last few years eastham's reads and streets have become disgusting. i met odetta which taking pictures of one of the streets in eastham myself. My dad who has just recently recovered from a heart operation, had a very bad fall due to negligence by the coucil. he tripped over a raised man hole and broke his fingers and arm. something really needs to be done asap.

East Ham Resident - Boleyn Ward
Thank you Odetta for your passionate and truthful video.I have lived in Newham all my life and cannot wait to sell up and leave. My only concern is that whoever buys my property, does not but to let as I fear for my few decent and considerate neighbours.An average day/evening in my street: Fly tipping of televisions, beds you name it and it is dumped. Report this to Newhams Call Centre and 1 week later the dumped rubbish is still there plus a few more items, even though the road sweeper and bin men have passed this during their working week. Children walking to school, throwing their breakfast twix wrappers in the front gardens and on the pavement. School teachers having their cigarettes away from the school and throwing their dog ends outside your front door. Headmaster get some stubbies for your staff.Adults and children spitting.Evening arrives and the drug dealers/druggies arrive.Dealers doing their swift deal and then race off in their BMW's. Foolish druggies sitting in their cars smoking the stuff with their music playing and then they drive off like lunatics.Music coming from neighbours houses. Residents too scared to knock and ask them to turn it down in fear of abuse or worse still a knife!It's very hard to have a decent nights sleep here.

Richard
I've only lived in Stratford for two years, and I have to say the flytipping and rubbish situation is truly appalling. However, have any of you moaning lot actually tried contacting the council? Whenever I see and report flytipping the council to their credit remove it very swiftly.

Son in Law
My mother in law has lived in Upton Park for 20 years. Whilst the area has become wonderfully busy and cosmopolitan, the local authority has failed to keep pace. The local authority exists to ensure local services are well maintained: that means unglamorous rubbish collection is a priority. Get the basics right - and only then should the local authorities indulge in their social engineering fantasies.As for Newham being the Olympic center of the world in 2012 - it beggers belief.

paul
God help London!

Irene Harding
I have lived in East Ham for 22 Years and the area has really declined in the last 2 years - I cannot wait to move as the area is dirty, dangerous for teenagers and the community spirit has died. I feel thet the sudden influx of properties available to buy to let is the final nail in the coffin for the area and many of those people renting these properties do not care about the property as they do not own it but the area as well - these poeple should wake up and appreciate that they are lucky to live in a country where the extortionate rents are paid for by the benefits system and that they should have some self respect and keep the property and surrounding area clean. As for East Ham High Street - what a joke - I shopped there as a kid and travelled from Stepney on the Bus as it was a really good shopping centre but it has died and you now have to travel to Ilford to get any decent shopping done. I feel it is a shame that London as a whole is declining when so much of it is being regenerated but the majority of people that now live here do not care and London in the future will be the Capital of crime, dirt and an uncivilised population.

Becca Gee
I think that Odella has made a valid point. However, we should also be understanding of the fact that the rubbish is part of a bigger problem. I dont believe that any council wants to see rubbish on the streets but feel that they have a hard job to do and cannot please everyone by instantly solving all the problems in the borough.

weiwei
I live at whitechapel. The situation is the same as east ham. People should pay more attention to the environment where they live.

An East Ham council Tax Payer
I have lived in East Ham for over 35 years and have watched this labour council run newham into the filth mire it has become,, thanks to the local labour council allowing runaway imigration dictate council policy because they need the votes Newham council allow them to filth up our streets, with spitting ,,rubish and turning east ham shopping area into a third world ghetto for immigrants that sell illegal cigerets/videos /drugs and prostitution,, keeping hard working english woman and children safe dont count to this council.. just getting votes matter and of course keeping local labour couselors well paid ???

Eileen Timson
I live in Tower Hamlets and agree wholeheartedly with Odetta. She forgot to mention the vile habit of spitting in our streets and dog dirt.

andy
Yes i have to agree, i have lived in Newham (eastham) all my life and i must say that it has gone down hill and does not look like stopping, I just cant belive whats happened. There is rubish on the streets and plenty of messy unkept houses and shops.. not to mention seeing people spitting in the streets, going loo in the park... and people wonder why we have health problems. Why dosn't anyone open there eyes to this and take some pride where they live and clean up after themselves and not abuse the area. im ashamed of where i live and if tell anyone my heart sinks knowing that its a dump.As for the olympics comming to town.... ooooh god. what are they thinking? how can it make the area better and what i nice place to host it. WAKE UP CITY BOYS AND GIRLS HAVE TO BEEN THERE and whats gona happen after its been and gone, we will be left with sports facilities that we cant afford to use and even maintain.Are you really telling me its going to cost the same to use olymic facilities as is it will be to use the newham leasure center, yah right. I think it would have been better to use the money to clean up the area. The time has come to sort out these problems, address the issues and stop trying to paper over the problems with quick fixes that only last 5mins Newham needs a good shake up.

Jasvinder Jassel
Yes it has. In Forest gate area, Dorset Rd Links to St Stephens Rd via an alley way. That alley way has got rubbish piled up to 2 ft in height. Reported to Newham council twice. After 3 months that rubbish is still there. when I rang and enquired, I was told in a rude and abrupt maner by a council official that I have got more important things to deal with rather than this problem. In fact he also advised me that we have not been able to establish yet whether this property belongs to the council or not. If its private property than we are nor responsible for it.I also contacted my local councillor who is aware of it and been unable to deal with this problem.I am going to give it up now as no one seems to be interested.

ian seal
i am ashamed and disgusted at how affairs in the area have gone terribly downhill in just the small time i can remember, i am ashamed of where i have been brought up,i am moving away purposely out of london (to leeds, as far as i could get for uni)as i cant see the area getting any better, and i dont have any plans of coming back either,its terrible, living conditions are atrocious, the taxpayers money is going towards the 2012 olympics (which has spiralling costs and how they think the people of newham can afford i dont no) and mayoral gloryfying events,i certainly no who i wont be voting for in the local elections

cissy smith
the council needs to open their eyes and actually see whats happening in the borough and help the rate payers,the rubbish is atrocious and has got worse in recent years, all the money is towards the 2012 olympics instead of addressing the rate payers concerns, they continue to plough our money into stratford whilst we are being deprived,i totally agree with odetta graves

Ian Argent
I live in Leyton another area of East London in close proximity to the Olympic development but a world away from all the proposed regeneration. Like Odetta Graves I believe this area is going downhill with litter and household waste strewn around the streets. I don't blame the Council however, I see Waltham Forest employees sweeping streets and clearing rubbish and fly-tipping on a regular basis but I do blame local residents who are dumping more and more rubbish onto the streets. Landlords should have a responsibility to ensure that their tenants keep the local area clean and tidy.

David Gotobe
I live in East Ham, I was born here 50 years ago. I agree with Odessa the area is now a mess. And repeated complaints to the council are a waste of time, they promise but do not deliver. East Ham is being neglected for the good of Stratford.

Sam
I think Odetta is right to feel the way she does. I live in East London, and the amount of rubbish you see in street corners are a disgrace. They smell and with the weather changing from bad to worse, it becomes more intolerable. The council send thier guys to collect the rubbish but they leave bits out! Don't we pay our council taxes for proper care of our streets? It's just a waste of our tax money then isn't it!