Southampton man's fly tipping hell in alley behind his flat

Keith Adams, 76, of Testwood Road, has tried to get the alleyway cleared for more than a year - with bin bags, household waste, clothing, and even a freezer left there.

Confusion surrounding who is responsible for the thoroughfare has been exploited by the flytippers.

Another resident said she was forced to move due to the problem and claimed it was also being used as a toilet.

Keith told the Echo: “It’s gotten into quite a state, it’s like no man’s land.

“It can’t be healthy, animals must come in during the night and move it around, you’re worried about rats and having to walk through it."

In past years, Shirley Baptist Church volunteers kept the waste at bay with the help of the council - but now it has gotten out of control, Keith said.

He is now calling on Southampton City Council to rid him of this blight once and for all.

“I don’t know where to turn to anymore”, he said.

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“From what I seem to understand, the alleyway is considered a private road and there’s little the council can do – which is frustrating because somebody has to own it – everybody owns something!

“It just seems like nobody’s able to take ownership of it, I do as much as I can but there’s so much there, I can’t do it on my own.”

A Southampton City Council spokesperson said that a team would investigate the site and they could not comment until that had taken place.

Rosie Harrison, 32, lived in Testwood Road for seven years before moving to Shirley Warren – and said the constant fly-tipping was the last straw in her decision to move.

She told the Echo: “It had been an ongoing problem for the last year I lived there.

“It took us nine months to get a replacement bulb for a streetlamp that stopped working and I don’t think that helped as the surrounding area was pitch black at night and people could come in without being seen.

“It actually felt quite unsafe and sometimes I had to ask Keith to come out and see me into the flat.

“There’s little to no police presence in the area and the council have refused to chase it.”

She added: “My main concern is the environmental impact of it, people have defecated there, and you don’t really know what you’re touching.”