People in Weoley Castle, Birmingham are at ‘the end of their tether’ over massive pile of rubbish

Furious neighbours are fed-up after a council flat garden that has been used as a dumping ground for rubbish for more than a decade is now starting to attract rats.

Hospital worker Darren Holden, 52, from Weoley Castle in Birmingham, said he and his fellow neighbours are ‘reaching the end of their tether’ after the pile of waste, which includes fridges, trollies and furniture, has been building for 10 years.

Video footage of his neighbour’s garden shows a sea of discarded household appliances, including what looks like a bathtub and mattress, as well broken bits of wood scattered across the garden.

Mr Holden said the garden belongs to an elderly tenant who lives in the council flat above his own and is understood to have a medical condition.

The frustrated resident said: ‘The other neighbours and myself are just getting sick of it. We’re getting rats in our gardens and it’s getting worse and worse every year.

‘I’ve lived in the property for 14 years and I’d say this has been going on for up to ten years now. Some of the neighbours have to look at all the rubbish from their windows.

‘I’ve seen rats in my garden – my dog chased one off the other day.’

Darren Holden, 52, from Weoley Castle, Birmingham, is ‘reaching the end of his tether’ after the garden next door to his home has been used a dumping ground for more than 10 years. The ever-growing rubbish pile, which includes a fridges, trollies and a mattress, is now attracting rats. 

Everyday Mr Holden has to walk through the rubbish-strewn garden to get from his home into his own garden.

Despite making a complaint to Birmingham City Council years ago, when the mound of waste first started to build, he heard nothing back.

He added: ‘It’s full of old fridge freezers with the doors taken off, air fryers, televisions, baby baths, old chairs, lots of wood, bed bases, chairs, glass – you name it, it’s in there.

‘I saw a shopping trolley from Asda in the road the other day then noticed the next day it was in the garden.

‘I have complained to the council before but nothing happened, I didn’t hear back. Then it just carried on getting worse.’

Broken bits of wood, household appliances and chairs are some of the items that have been chucked into the garden over the last decade. Mr Holden first made a complaint to Birmingham City Council years ago but he never got a response. The council has now said it has issued a warning to the tenant to clean the garden within the next 14 days. 

Mr Holden said he does not want to cause any issues for the elderly man who owns the garden but wants the council to provide him with help to clean it up.

He added: ‘I’m at the end of my tether now and don’t know what to do. Enough is enough, people are getting fed up and I’m not putting up with it anymore.

‘I don’t want to cause any issues for the guy who lives there – he’s elderly and lives alone so he probably just needs some help. But something has to be done.’

The council flat garden is believed to be owned by the elderly man who lives above Mr Holden. Mr Holden said he does not ‘want to cause any issues to the guy who lives there’ but added that something had to be done. 

Birmingham City Council said it has now contacted the tenant and issued a warning letter to clear the garden within the next 14 days.

A spokesperson for the council said: ‘We have been in contact with the tenant about the items left in their front garden and the impact this is having on the local community.

‘They have been issued with a warning letter to clear the garden in the next 14 days. We are working with the tenant to resolve this.’