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Fly-tipped waste pile 'blocking route to homes'

Kevin Reidein Erdington
News imageBBC A man with black hair and a beard who is wearing a jacket and hoodie. He has his hands in his pockets and is looking at the camera. Behind him is a large pile of rubbish which includes mattresses and furniture. BBC
Arslan Riaz, who lives next to the fly-tipped pile in Stockland Green, says he has seen rats and foxes among the rubbish

Residents in Birmingham say a 9ft (3m) fly-tipped pile of rubbish has left them in misery after it partially blocked access to their homes.

From the front, Slade Road in Stockland Green looks like a typical high street, but at the rear, what appears to be out-of-control fly-tipping is blighting the area.

Arslan Riaz, whose flat is next to the pile, said: "There's a lot of rats out there, sometimes I see foxes in the night. All in all, it's really hard to live here."

Birmingham City Council said its crews cleared hundreds of fly-tipping sites each week and it was committed to prosecuting people who were responsible.

On Wednesday, BBC Midlands Today highlighted how councils in the West Midlands have had to tackle more than 100,000 fly-tipping incidents in the last 12 months.

News imageA man in a grey coat is standing in an alleyway and behind him is a large pile of rubbish which includes mattresses, wood and other furniture.
Khalid Mahmood, chairman of trustees of the Jam-E-Masjid Mosque
News imageA large pile of rubbish which is surrounding a rectangle shaped bin. There is an upturned arm chair and other furniture. A plastic Lidl bag, other bags, materials and other waste.
The pile includes clothing and household and industrial items

The pile of rubbish at the back of Slade Road includes fridges, cupboards, clothing and many other household and industrial items.

Residents say that at one time they and cars could pass through the back route to gain access to their properties, but the mountain of rubbish is now blocking the passageway.

Patricia Burton, who lives on the other side of the pile from Riaz, told the BBC she could remember playing in the alleyway as a child.

News imageThe back of some premises which have railings and metal steps. At the bottom of one are children's swings. In front of these is a pile of rubbish which includes furniture. In front of the swings, near to the camera, is a smaller pile of dirt and rubbish and some puddles and mud.
The rubbish is near stairs and residential areas at the site

The problem is also affecting a local mosque, its leaders say.

"It's been over a year now since this rubbish has been piling up," said Khalid Mahmood, chairman of trustees of the Jam-E-Masjid Mosque. "And it's not getting any less at all."

He added that nothing was being done about it.

"Fly-tipping harms where we all have to live and work and is carried out by environmental criminals that have no regard for our neighbourhoods or their well-being," said Majid Mahmood, the city council's cabinet member for environment and transport.

"When fly-tipping occurs, we act as quickly as possible. Our crews clear hundreds of fly-tipping reports each week.

"This is in addition to the work our neighbourhood crews undertake to clean up across the city."

Mahmood added there were plenty of lawful options to dispose of waste or unwanted items.

"We are committed to prosecuting fly-tippers whenever possible, and we encourage residents to provide reports and evidence for us to do so."

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