A Dundee pensioner says she is living in fear of fire and vermin due to a pile of “stinking” rubbish dumped outside her home.
Sarah Valentine, 82, from Lochee, says the bags of waste and household items were left outside her house at Whorterbank earlier this summer.
She says she has asked Dundee City Council on several occasions in the past two months to clear the mess away but it has not yet been removed.
Sarah said: “I can’t cope with this any more. It’s a huge pile of rubbish and no one is doing anything to help me.
“After my neighbour died, a load of stuff was dumped in the area that runs along the back of the houses right outside my bedroom window.
“There are dozens of black bags, clothes, a fridge-freezer, a chair and loads of other household items.
“There’s even a battery for a mobility scooter.
Unable to open windows due to mess
“It’s now absolutely stinking and a complete mess.
“Most of all, though, I am really worried that it is a serious fire hazard.”
Sarah says she needs to keep her windows open for fresh air, to help with her COPD, but is unable to because of the smell.
She claims several teams from the council have come to look at the mess, but no one has taken responsibility for clearing it up.
She said: “They just pass the buck from one team to the other.
“Surely someone has to take responsibility and remove this dreadful mess from outside my house.
“This is not only really upsetting and distressing me but it’s beginning to affect my health.
“I desperately need help to get all this stuff taken away as soon as possible.”
Council ‘will remove rubbish at earliest opportunity’
After being contacted by The Courier, a spokesman for Dundee City Council confirmed the rubbish will be taken away – though no timescale has been given.
He said: “We are engaged in the matter. We have visited the rear of the property to remove items and will remove the remaining larger items at the earliest opportunity.”
It comes as all bins in Dundee are set to go unemptied for a week from Wednesday – as refuse workers across Tayside go on strike in a dispute over pay.
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