A community have told of their misery living in Nottingham's "rubbish kingdom" where waste often blocks the pavement and rats invade their houses. Neighbours in Forster Street, in Radford, are now concerned for their health and children's wellbeing, having labelled the area as the "filthiest" street in the city.
Bags of waste, litter and rats can be found on the pavement and across the road which also features a playground that is covered in a layer of sunflower seeds. Chandinma Ndukwe, a mum of one and support worker who lives on this road described the area as a "nightmare".
She has lived on Forster Street for three years now and said: "It is horrendous. People are behaving like this is a public bin. They have a drink and then just throw their can or bottle on the street."
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Then she walked to the park on the road, pointed at the ground which was covered in a layer of sunflower seeds and said: "It is impossible to clean, because they are so tiny. People come here with bags of sunflower seeds, peel them off, eat them, and then throw the rest of it on the ground. I just do not understand - is it that hard to just have a bag where you can put them and throw it later in a bin?"
It is also understood that the area benefits from regular checks and frequent clean-up from the Nottingham City Council. The park on this street is cleaned three times a week. However, the situation has got out of hand, according to residents, because people are not taking responsibility for their own mess.
Ms Ndukwe, who was walking back home after picking her son up from school added: "This park is always packed with children, it is always full so it is a shame really. It is near a school and it is the filthiest park in Nottingham. A complete nightmare."
When the littering was at its worst on this road, she said that she had rats in her house. She added: "It is nasty. People leave food and rubbish on the street so it attracts rats, and then I found them in my house. It is awful."
Ursula Szpularz, who works at a nursery home and has lived on Forster Street for six years, said "I don't know what to do, it's getting worse and it is always on this corner. I can't control it and in summer the smell is horrible." She says people regularly dump rubbish right outside her house.
The area is not far from being a "rubbish kingdom", said Nawzad Moulud, a neighbour who moved to this street in temporary accommodation in December. He added: "Luckily it is just temporary accommodation. I would have refused it straight away if it was permanent. This area is very dirty, I would say the dirtiest in Nottingham. You could say it is a rubbish kingdom."
Mr Moulud who is an interpreter and father added: "I am concerned for my children's health. You often see rats on the street and rubbish all over the place. It is not good for anyone's health really."
The 41-year-old added: "Plastic bottles thrown on the pavement and litter everywhere - that is how it is 24/7. Some people just do not care about the place they live in."
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “We are regularly removing fly-tipped rubbish from Forster Street, particularly outside one property, and our Waste Management and Community Protection teams have worked proactively to deal with this issue.
"The road is checked weekly by officers for side-waste and dumped rubbish, while it is swept each week in line with other streets. The nearby park is cleaned three times a week. The most recent bin collection was a recycling round and it seems as though some were not collected because wrong items had been placed inside. Full details on what can and can’t be recycled is on our website.
“We’d ask residents to work with us to help keep the area clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy. At a time when our crews are flat-out, Forster Street is currently taking up a disproportionate amount of time.”
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