Fly-tippers turn estate into rubbish dump with skips overflowing

Fly-tippers turn estate into rubbish dump with skips overflowing, living rooms ‘ravaged by rats’ and a stench so disgusting residents are afraid to open their windows

  • Fly-tippers have dumped so much rubbish on the estate that rats are ‘ripping through the floorboards’ 
  • Skips are overflowing and bin bangs dumped across the streets in the Griffin area of Blackburn, Lancashire 
  • One resident said her children refuse to leave their bedrooms because their living room is ‘ravaged by rats’

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Fly-tippers have dumped so much rubbish on an estate that rats are ‘ripping through the floorboards’ in properties and homeowners are too scared to open their windows. 

Shocking pictures show the state of the neighbourhood which has been ‘swamped’ by mounds of rubbish, with skips overflowing and bin bangs dumped across the streets in the Griffin area of Blackburn, Lancashire.

Household rubbish, medication bottles, furniture and needles have been discarded and residents claim the ‘terrible’ smell has become unbearable.  

Pictures show the extent of the fly-tipping around Hardman Street in Blackburn, Lancashire

Shocking pictures show the state of the neighbourhood which has been 'swamped' by massive mounds of rubbish on every street

Shocking pictures show the state of the neighbourhood which has been ‘swamped’ by massive mounds of rubbish on every street

A number of residents claim people are driving in at night and dumping their rubbish in the neighbourhood

A number of residents claim people are driving in at night and dumping their rubbish in the neighbourhood

Skips have also been overflowing for months, with stench of faeces and rotten food permeating the air, according to locals

Skips have also been overflowing for months, with stench of faeces and rotten food permeating the air, according to locals

Blackburn and Darwen Council cleared out some of the rubbish last week but mountains have already been dumped again. 

Part of the area is due for demolition but is still occupied by householders. 

Resident Lubna Rashid, 47, said her six children refuse to leave their bedrooms because their living room has been ‘ravaged by rats’ due to the accumulation of rubbish on the street.

The single mother said the ‘shocking’ fly tipping has been going on for around six months. 

She said the situation has become so dire that residents claim their homes have rats in them and the stench of faeces is so strong they refuse to open their windows.

Ms Rashid, a student, said: ‘There is so much garbage in the street. It’s disgusting now and it’s full of rats.

‘It’s so terrible, it smells terrible in the street. It’s really unhygienic. It smells like poo, it’s so disgusting. It makes it so difficult to live. We can’t even open the windows.’

Discarded toys and furniture have been strewn across the neighbourhood in Lancashire

Discarded toys and furniture have been strewn across the neighbourhood in Lancashire 

Mattresses and sofas fill the alleyways behind homes - with locals claiming they are 'too scared' to open their windows

Mattresses and sofas fill the alleyways behind homes – with locals claiming they are ‘too scared’ to open their windows 

Blackburn and Darwen Council cleared out some of the rubbish last week, but mountains have already been dumped again

Blackburn and Darwen Council cleared out some of the rubbish last week, but mountains have already been dumped again

The area around Hardman Street is due for demolition but is still occupied by householders

The area around Hardman Street is due for demolition but is still occupied by householders

Ms Rashid said rats are ripping through her floorboards and claims she has contacted the council but has been told there is nothing they can do ‘due to Covid’.

She added: ‘I’m suffering from the rats problem but no one has come to help us despite the fact I’ve informed the council.’ 

A council spokesperson said: ‘Our household waste recycling centres are open and we currently offer residents of the borough over 3,400 booking slots each week.

‘Our officers will always do their best to respond to reports of rubbish dumping or fly-tipping and we have recently been in this area to remove previously reported fly-tipping. We will be investigating these latest incidents..’