Uncollected bins turns Southampton street into 'rat buffet'

Those living on Mandela Way, Southampton are crying out for ‘something to be done’ after uncollected rubbish attracted swarms of rats into the neighbourhood.

It started after waste bins were not emptied by council workers on August 17 - due to a small alleyway being blocked by cars, according to the council.

The rubbish was left on the roads causing an unpleasant smell with neighbours saying the area ‘stinks’. 

Residents have since been unable to open their windows during the hot weather.

READ MORE: Southampton: Video shows binmen mixing recycling and general waste

Michael Frost who lives with his 36-year-old brother, Clive, and his mother, said he has never seen the neighbourhood in this state.

The 38-year-old said: “The council said they were going to phone us but it never happened.

“Something needs to be done, this bin situation is unacceptable; we can’t live like this with the bins stinking.

"The council workers said that if someone in the neighbourhood has a car then we should chuck our bins in the tip but that’s not good enough.

“Some of the bins have maggots in them, we can’t put them in cars otherwise they will be over the car.

"You get rats coming out at night and you can hear them scratching out the bins.”

The bins on Mandela Way have not been collected since August 17 (Image: Newsquest)

Another resident, Jamie Stanley, 47, said: “With these bins left here, it’s like a 24-hour buffet for the rats to come and just eat. My niece sat in her car and watched as six rats came out from the bins at once.

“They’re bigger than guinea pigs, it’s disgusting.”

One person, who chose not to be named, said: “My son came home from a night out and saw a rat standing on the other side of the window.”

This is not the first time residents of Mandela Way have been up in arms about environmental issues.

In April, several residents told the Echo they were “fed up” after years of “disgusting” rubbish, faeces and drug needles littering their streets.

The current rodent issue has gotten worse since June, with Tina Rogers having walked into her back garden to find her paddling pool full of mice.

Tina Rogers found mice in the paddling pool in he back garden on Mandela Way (Image: Tina Rogers)

A spokesperson for Southampton City Council said: “General waste collections on Mandela Way were only partly completed on 17 August 2023.

“This was due to a small alleyway being blocked by cars which prevented access.

"We will endeavour to come back to clear the outstanding waste over the next few days, providing that the access routes are clear.”