Residents have revealed their disgust at living on a street where mountains of illegally dumped waste have grown so large they can be seen from space.
The rat-infested scrap heap has been ruining the lives of UK homeowners along Deykin Ave, in Aston, Birmingham, since 2021.
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Locals say illegal shooters have repeatedly added to the piles of rubbish along the 100-meter stretch of the alley over the past two years, making them fear for their safety.
The stinking 2m tall pile now stretches almost as far as the eye can see and contains car parts, mattresses, fridges, beds, sofas and other household waste.
Residents say they are now concerned that the oozing mound, which can be seen on Google Maps satellites, could also catch fire and explode.
They say the problem has become so bad that they cannot access their houses from the back and rats can be seen regularly scurrying over the rubbish heaps.
John Scott, 83, has lived with his wife Wendy, 79, and their daughter and granddaughter in a house facing the trash-filled alley since 1996.
He says they have “given up” on cleaning up the rubbish as it just comes back overnight and Birmingham City Council has done nothing to solve the problem.
The grandfather of three said: “I have done my part and tried to clean up the rubbish but there are more and more piles of it.
“There are beds, chairs, food garbage and mattresses and you can no longer lower your car from the back of your house to park.
“There is currently no access to the back of our house because of all the debris.
“I personally have not seen rats in the garbage, but I know there are many. Last year we had some in our garden and had to buy rat poison to fix the problem.
“The council is not concerned about the issue and has not done anything.
“It’s a shame and something has to be done.”
Another resident, who did not want to be named, added that there were also serious fears about some of the items in the pile.
“It’s not safe. There are gas canisters there and if they went up, it could be really bad since the houses are so close.
“It’s a massive health hazard, there are a lot of families along this street, and we have rats running around. It’s just bleak.”
Parents in the area refuse to let their children play outside due to the rat infestation along the stretch known as the “Deykin Ave Grot Spot.”
Rafay Mhmed, 27, has lived with his wife Amt-ul Qaddous, 28, and their two young children in a nearby flat for the past three years.
The taxi driver said: “People always throw garbage in the alley. Whether glass bottles, paper, wood or mattresses, it is always full. All the rubbish dumping happens at night, so we never see who’s doing it.”
Amt-ul added: “We have also seen rats in the area.
“My kids are too young to be playing outside right now anyway, but if they were older I wouldn’t let them because I feel it’s not safe or sanitary.
“Instead, we would take them to the park since everything here is covered in garbage.
“Since we moved three years ago, the situation has not improved.
“We have cleaned our place in the alley where my husband parks his car so many times, but the garbage always comes back.”