What a stink! Fly-tippers dump foul-smelling waste near homes

They say piles of waste on Walsall’s Silverdale estate have reached another level with rats ‘the size of house cats’, endless black bin bags, and a smell so unbearable locals are walking around with scarves wrapped around their faces.

But Walsall Council said it was unable to help as the land was privately owned.

Jeanette Barnfield, aged 66, has lived in Pommel Close for 30 years and said during the last two the problem had become increasingly worse.

WATCH: The scale of the fly-tipping is revealed

Mrs Barnfield has written to the local authority and her MP in a bid to get something done.

She said: “At one point there were 13 or 14 fridge freezers dumped there. There are black sacks, garden rubbish.

“It’s a matter of health and safety now. There are rats as big as house cats, foxes too.

“It smells atrocious but no-one is prepared to deal with it. We just want something done.”

Rubbish is tipped on the estate overnight by garages off Stirrup Close, residents have claimed.

Maria Stanton, of Segundo Road, added: “It’s disgusting. Small children live around here yet we have seagulls, rats – we’ve reached our wits’ end.

“Nobody is taking any responsibility. The smell is actually so bad I wear a scarf round my face.”

Neighbour Mandy Greenhill, of Pommel Close, added: “It’s a disgrace, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Walsall Councillor Ian Shires said: “Fly-tipped waste on private land is the responsibility of the landowner.

“While the council takes this very seriously – and has every sympathy for the

residents who live near to this site – it simply does not have the resources to clean up after all the people who act in this selfish way.”

The landowner was unavailable for comment.