An alleyway in Shirley which seems to be owned by "nobody" has turned into a hotspot for rubbish - much to the disgust of residents.

The path off Shirley Road has become a dumping ground for large bin bags full of food waste and household items.

This week, Shirley resident, Tony Weafer, 69, spotted the litter had advanced beyond the alley and onto the pavement and contacted Southampton City Council to get it removed.

Council staff cleared the rubbish on the public footpath but abandoned the remaining garbage in the alleyway, which is classed as private land.

Tony told the Echo: “The council has previously told me that the land is ‘unadopted’ and that nobody owns it, therefore it’s not their responsibility.

“So, nobody has been taking ownership of that section of the road and the rubbish has been allowed to build up.

“The council has always refused to take away the rubbish so I couldn’t believe it when it seemed like they were actually doing something about it – but then I despaired when I saw they’d only removed what had made its way onto the pavement and just left the bulk of the rubbish in the alleyway that contains food waste, that attracts rats to roam around in it.”

Daily Echo:

He added: “People live opposite there and pay their council tax, yet nothing seemingly gets done.

“If the council don’t act – and as they say, nobody owns the land – who does that make responsible?”

READ MORE: Shirley Road plagued by litter after Christmas

While the council acknowledged it didn’t manage the land, "in this instance" a spokesperson said they would send a team to clear the remaining waste.

The spokesperson said: “We’re aware of this issue in Shirley.

“This waste is on private land and so is not managed by the council.

“We previously cleared waste that spilled on to the road. In this instance, we will send a crew today to clear the remaining waste on the private land.”

Reacting to the news, Tony said: “It seems like you don’t get anywhere without a bit of pressure.

“It seems a waste of council time that they were only here a few days ago and could have cleared it them with the rubbish they did remove, instead they’re having to return to the area and sort something that could have been done before now.”