Birmingham residents have slammed students who are turning their city suburb into a ‘tip’ each year after dumping piles of rubbish once they’ve finished university.
Locals of Selly Oak have expressed their anger at graduates who are leaving festering mountains of waste once they’ve moved out of the area after the end of their studies.
The suburb is a student heartland for those attending the University of Birmingham and hundreds of young people live in multi-occupancy terraced houses in the area.
However locals claim that students along both Exeter Road and Hubert Road are treating the area more as a dumping ground, leading to an invasion of rats and uncomfortable stenches.
Fire bosses have previously had to warn the youths of the ‘fire and health hazard’ of failing to dispose of litter properly.
Litter and construction scatter the streets of Selly Oak, Birmingham
Locals claim that students along both Exeter Road and Hubert Road are treating the area more as a dumping ground
Locals of Selly Oak have expressed their anger at graduates who are leaving festering mountains of waste once they’ve moved out of the area after the end of their studies
Bournbrook Fire Station tweeted: ‘Students please dispose of rubbish properly when you move out, its a fire and health hazard, please also park responsibly, luckily not responding at time.’
Watch commander Dave Clark said previously: ‘It is a seasonal issue for us and there’s a big risk of an increase in secondary rubbish fires.
‘We talk to bodies like the Guild of Students at the University of Birmingham and they do try to take it seriously.
‘It’s why we tweet pictures out, because the students are more likely to see them that way.
‘The rubbish becomes a massive eyesore. The problem is the sheer amount of rubbish which can lead to rats.’
Shocking photos taken this week show how the piles of rubbish bags on the street have built up to include items of furniture such as mattresses, tables and doors.
Wheelie bins can also be seen overflowing while other waste is simply discarded on doorsteps, on the pavement or down alleyways.
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: ‘Issues related to the street scene when the academic year ends have long been a concern for residents in areas near the city’s universities.
‘As a council we will continue to do all we can to address this issue but there is a responsibility upon everyone – from long-standing residents to students to landlords – to play their part.
‘Expecting someone else to be responsible is not the way to solve any issues we have in these areas. Where waste offences occur and we have credible evidence, we will not hesitate to prosecute.’
Families who reside nearby are resorting to keeping their children indoors during the summer months as a result of the mess left behind by students.
The suburb is a student heartland for those attending the University of Birmingham and hundreds of young people live in multi-occupancy terraced houses in the area
The mess attracts terrible stenches and invasions of rats
The suburban area (pictured) has been described as a ‘tip’ by residents
Dad-of-four Tariq Abdelhossein, 39, who lives nearby, said: ‘They leave it looking an absolute tip and it has turned into a yearly event.
‘At this time of the year I refuse to let my children play outside because it’s a health hazard and attracts rats.
‘You would think they would take some pride in the place they have called home for several years but they leave it looking like a slum.’
Another local, who wished to remain anonymous, said residents are often left to clear up the rubbish themselves.
They said: ‘To be honest, it’s bad all year round – there’s bottles of booze left in the streets most weeks and the parking is a nightmare too.
‘But it does get worse around this time of the year when they begin to move out. We’ll get a second wave of it in a few weeks when the rest move home.
‘It really smells as well on warm days, it’s disgraceful really. You can’t get a pushchair down the street without having to go around bins or piles of rubbish.
‘You would think the landlords or the university itself would try to intervene but it keeps on happening and it’s the people who live here who sometimes have to clean it up.
‘They don’t even pay council tax so they aren’t even helping fund the bin men who do eventually come out to get it.’
The University of Birmingham’s own guidance advises students about their responsibility to keeping the area tidy when moving into the properties.
In a ‘moving in’ guide, they say: ‘You should bear in mind that ‘your’ conduct whilst living in the community reflects on the University and students as a whole.
‘The University may take a robust approach to dealing with situations where students, either individually or as a group, are bringing the University and its reputation into disrepute’
One local said: ‘It really smells as well on warm days, it’s disgraceful really’
Some parents aren’t even letting their children out of the house in summer months to play over concerns of their safety
A mattress is pictured in a skip in the area
Under a list of things which would be deemed antisocial behaviour they include: ‘People dumping rubbish and abandoning cars.’
They add: ‘Don’t forget to put your rubbish out on the right day, keep the streets tidy.
‘Rubbish can attract vermin, insects, and other pests, and is also unsightly.
‘As a tenant you, and not the landlord, are responsible for making sure all your household waste is disposed of properly and legally.’
MailOnline has contacted the University of Birmingham for comment.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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