Residents have blasted "disgusting" fly-tipping in an alleyway that's now full of rubbish bags, dangerous furniture, maggots, flies and cat faeces.
A mum from Hyde, Greater Manchester, said a gated alleyway near her house has become a target for fly-tipping and fears the alleyway is now unsafe for children.
Others have said they can't even take their bins out as they struggle to climb over the dirty mattresses and dumped furniture.
The mum, who lives on Nelson Street but wished to remain anonymous, says she is distressed by the current mess and is even considering moving home because of the stench.
She can't help but heave as she walks past the gated area that's now become a haven for dog and cat poo, as well as attracting rats.
"This has been an ongoing battle for months now. It started off as just a wardrobe, and now there’s loads of stuff," she told the MEN.
"There’s big wooden wardrobes that could fall, glass tables and chairs that are balancing, there’s sanitary waste, dirty nappies, black bags full of food waste. There are cats and dogs pooing on the mattresses and quilt covers.
"It’s absolutely disgusting. It looks like a litter tray that has been emptied."
The area has become so rancid that some residents describe it as "the slum", and the mum now wants to move house because of it.
"It’s unpleasant to walk past the alleyway. It's horrible to smell," she added.
"There’s flies and maggots. I can't even take my bins out. I'm heaving as I walk past.
"We don't know who is dumping the rubbish and when. There's new rubbish coming every day.
"It could be anybody - the alleyway gate has been left open sometimes.
"On the other end of the street, we have a lovely communal area with flowers and plants and we sweep it up and keep it clean. But the alleyway is awful and dangerous- we call it the slum."
The mum says the alleyway is a danger for her children and she won't let them go near it.
"I don’t allow my kids to play near there and they are never left alone there," she went on.
"But I am having to go there to take my bins out.
"There was a cat and a dog trying to rip open a mattress because it had a food bag under it. It was like something you see in a slum- it was disgusting.
"My kids and my neighbours' kids and grandchildren should be able to play on the street, but they can't do that. You can imagine a child jumping up and down on those dirty mattresses- a wardrobe could easily fall on them."
Putting the bins out every week has become a mammoth task for the residents, as piles of rubbish are now blocking the entrance of the alleyway. The alleyway has a second entrance which some residents use, but it has a stiff lock which is hard to open.
The residents are now forced to take their bins to the entrance where all the rubbish has been dumped, which the residents labelled a "nightmare".
The mum continued: "You can’t get your bins out now, that’s how bad it’s actually gotten. The fly-tipping and waste is blocking the pathway, we are having to kick dirty bags out of the way.
"The residents on this street have been so angry, we've all been emailing the Council. We are getting absolutely nowhere.
"Because residents have got a key to the alleyway, the Council are saying it is our responsibility to clean it up, or we might have to pay for a clean-up. I understand the Council's point of view that they might not have the money, but it's a health and safety issue now.
"There are rats there and furniture that could fall on people. I have mental health issues and my neighbour, who is a pensioner, has got problems with her leg.
"There’s no way we can clean up all that cr*p. It’s not fair and it's not realistic.
"The Council can’t expect us to clean up all that, because it's not our rubbish."
The constant anxiety about the dirty alleyway is impacting on the mum's mental health, she added, and she is now looking at moving house to try and ease her stress.
She said: "My mental health is really suffering. I am getting down with it all.
"My anxiety is through the roof - I don’t want to live here any more. I can’t cope with it.
"It’s disgusting. I can't take my bins out... it makes me anxious every time.
"I am scared my kids will get bitten by a rat or that something awful will happen.
"It’s not fair that the Council are suggesting we have to do a community clean-up or pay for it ourselves. It's not my rubbish to clean, and I am not prepared to pay for someone to clean this rubbish."
Nelson Street resident Jeanie Sidebottom, 77, called the alleyway "an absolute disgrace" and is sick and tired of living near the mess.
She said: "Sometimes, the bottom gate sticks, so I have to go up to the other end with my bins. My grandchildren come over often and we are petrified that there are rats.
"The cats come from all over the place and you can’t stop them. When you’re going up Nelson Street, it’s like a slum.
"It’s so dirty. You see all this rubbish being dumped and you think, my God, it’s becoming worse - it’s not nice.
"People walk past and they think everyone dumps rubbish there, but we actually clean up after our kids. I'm sick of it.
"When you walk past the alleyway to go down to the other houses, you walk on the other side, because you don't want to be associated with it, even though it's not your rubbish being dumped there.
"The Council said we could all help clean it up or we could all pay to clean it up. We shouldn’t have to pay for it- why should we have to pay when we didn't dump the rubbish? It’s totally unfair."
A Tameside Council spokesperson said: "Fly-tipping like this is totally unacceptable and we will take enforcement action if we find out who is responsible. The alleyway to the rear of Nelson Street is a gated, privately owned area and the responsibility for maintaining and cleaning it rests with those residents who have access to their properties via the alleyway.
"However we’re working with residents to help resolve what appears to be an ongoing issue and we’re supporting a resident-led community clear up planned for next week. This is the third incidence of fly-tipping we have investigated and cleared up in this alleyway in the last six months and it is believed the waste originates from a minority of local residents that do not seem to have any concern or respect for their neighbours or for the environment.
"Whenever we receive a fly-tipping complaint/request, the waste is inspected to look for evidence of who is responsible. When evidence is found we take appropriate enforcement action against the offender."
