'Disgusting' - Telford mother in five-year battle against fly-tippers
A Telford mother says she has been fighting a five-year battle with fly-tippers who leave rubbish on her doorstep.
Lisa Edwards said people started using a bin store close to her home as a dumping ground.
She said that people living in nearby flats throw rubbish from the top of their building into a caged area near her door, while others drive by at night to dump unwanted litter.
Ms Edwards, who lives in Meadowlea, Madeley in Telford, said the caged area was put in just over five years ago in a bid to solve the rubbish problem for the block of flats and create a space for recycling.
However, she said it has simply become a dumping ground which is not cleared regularly and in the summer can smell and attract vermin.
The building used to be owned by the Wrekin Housing Trust, but has since gone into the ownership of a private landlord.
Ms Edwards, 49, who lives in the flats with her young son, said since the change in ownership she finds it even harder to find someone to help her to get the area cleared.
She said: "People stand at the top of the block of flats and throw things like mattresses in because there is no roof.
"I don't blame the landlord, it is a problem he has inherited.
"In the summer it smells disgusting, people leave nappies and all sorts in there. We get rats and people don't put the tops on the bins and there are flies."
Ms Edwards, who works at a school, is a leaseholder of her home and said she has invested a lot of money into it but it is being devalued by the mess outside her front door.
Contractors have now cleaned up the area, but Ms Edwards wants to ensure that the mess is not left to build up again and that a permanent solution is found for the area.
Emily Knightley, a spokeswoman for Telford & Wrekin Council, "The council is aware of the fly tipping on the private land next to the Meadowlea flats.
"It is not the responsibility of the council to remove fly tipping on private land. The council has been in contact with the landlord of the property and will be meeting with them shortly to ensure a way forward.
"In the meantime, the area has been cleared to allow access for residents."
