Anger grows over rubbish
FURIOUS residents from an Ipswich street have today blasted the dumpers who created a health risk by repeatedly blocking an alleyway with rubbish.The problem in Cemetery Road has become so bad that a group of residents have taken it upon themselves to clear up the unsightly collection of waste.
FURIOUS residents from an Ipswich street have today blasted the dumpers who created a health risk by repeatedly blocking an alleyway with rubbish.
The problem in Cemetery Road has become so bad that a group of residents have taken it upon themselves to clear up the unsightly collection of waste.
As well as causing a fire hazard, the rubbish attracts vermin and is a dangerous obstacle to anyone using the alleyway.
Cemetery Road resident Roy Whitman, 62, said the problem was not recent.
He said: "It has been the same down here for a number of years. Anybody can get access to the alleyway since the council took down a fence and gates there.
"There's all sorts of stuff down there – cardboard boxes, washing machines, furniture and cement blocks.
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"Some people are worried that if kids get round there and start a fire the whole lot could go up and it could spread to the houses."
He claimed Ipswich Borough Council would not clear the waste as it was on private land. However, Mr Whitman said the council should bear some responsibility as it was they who removed the gates blocking the alleyway in the first place.
Resident Mark Trewartha, 33, who lives in Cemetery Road with his wife and two young sons, claimed he had been forced to clear the area twice.
He said: "It could be an obstacle to the emergency services if they wanted to get down there for any reason. We're not talking about little bits and pieces here – there's a broken up TV and a Christmas tree still in a pot.
"I want people to stop chucking their stuff out there and start taking some responsibility. I'm tired of shifting other people's rubbish.
"I've cleared an old sofa and arm chair and even a mattress to the dump for somebody else."
A spokeswoman for the council said they were unable to collect the waste as it was on private land.
She said: "If we took it from private land, it would effectively be stealing.
"These people do have ways of getting the furniture removed, but they will have to pay for it. The rubbish would also have to be left outside their property."
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