An estate has been compared to the ‘Walking Dead’ zombie series. Residents are fed up with heaps of discarded rubbish which has led to a rat infestation with rodents as big as cats.
The Soho area of Birmingham has become a nightmare for locals who say the shameless fly-tipping and drug-addled ‘zombie’ addicts have turned their once-pleasant neighbourhood into an area to avoid at all costs.
Sofas, beds, and even tossed-away toilets now litter the strip of grass on Boulton Road, a sad sight where kids once happily played footie.
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Homeowners point fingers at a group of former tenants who they claim started the dumping spree around four years ago, which has since spiralled into a regular fly-tipping hotspot.
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The site has also reportedly become a magnet for prostitutes and drug users who leave behind their own waste, including needles and gas canisters, adding to the squalor.
Local business owner Pete Kumar has watched his beauty salon suffer as customers are driven away by the sight of enormous rats scuttling through the garbage piles.
Pete, 50, the proprietor of Riya’s Beautonic Lounge, lamented: “Every time we phone the council they refuse to clear it because it’s private property. There’s no borders on there, it’s an open area. From black bags, to general rubbish, sofas, fridges and car tyres. Big and small fridges, microwaves, we’ve seen it all.”
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“At the moment we’ve got two beds, sofas and kids prams. They all just throw it down.”
“Because we’re in the beauty trade and there’s a lot of women who come here, I’m losing business because they don’t want to come here as they say they see rats the size of cats.”
“It’s not just rats, it’s the alcoholics and the drug users. They sit on the sofas and beds. You’ll find all sorts really, gas canisters and needles.”
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“It’s horrible, the smell which comes off the rubbish there it’s really horrible. You’ve got the same people who come sit there, they urinate on it too.”
“I have to pick it up and move it around. The council always say they can’t do anything because it’s private property.”
Another local business owner, Muktar Singh, labelled the eyesore an “embarrassment” and called for police to deal with the drug users frequenting the spot.
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Father-of-four Muktar, 55, who runs Signature Supplies on Haseley Road, stated: “When you normally see mice and rats they run off, but not here. They stare you in the eyes. It’s ridiculous. There’s too much drugs going around here, too. They look like zombies, they p**s and s**t here. It’s like something from the Walking Dead.”
“There’s been cameras and that doesn’t stop them.”
“I can’t have customers come here, I have to take them elsewhere. It’s an embarrassment. There’s prostitutes that come here, too.”
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“They choose here because no one stops them. There’s guys literally on the floor.”
“The police come and wake them up, and just leave them. The other day an ambulance came as there was a guy shaking on the floor.”
Fly-tipping can hit offenders with fines up to £50,000 or even imprisonment while councils have powers to serve legal notices ordering rubbish clearance on private properties.
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Local Labour Councillor Majid Mahmood, representing Birmingham City Council, chimed in, commenting: “We are aware of the issue and have previously cleared the privately owned land to remove the antisocial activities going on at this location.”
“We have been taking steps to deal with the issue and have gone some way to tackle the landowners to be responsible for their land.”
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“The Waste Enforcement Unit have been monitoring the area and have engaged with previous and current land-owners.”
“Following initial contact, the current land-owners are in conversation with the waste enforcement unit and are working to arrange for clearance themselves and closer management of the site.”
“The land is under surveillance and there are multiple investigations into illegal waste deposits that have taken place at the site.”
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“Where we have sufficient evidence Birmingham City Council will not hesitate to prosecute fly-tippers.”
“We will continue to monitor and action any antisocial behaviour at the site, however the steps currently being taken we expect a full resolution to be completed in the very near future.”
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