'Rodent issue' Residents call for action over piles of waste

MOUNDS of waste piling up in front of student houses near the University of the West of England's Frenchay campus are causing a never ending nightmare for residents.

- Angus MCINTYRE

Residents of Cheswick Village, Scholars Chase and Stoke Park near Filton say a lack of enforcement from South Gloucestershire Council has led to rodent infestations which they claim have driven some people to sell up and move away.

Speaking to the Post, Sejal Hampson, who lives in one of the affected areas, said: "A lack of enforcement by the council has meant that the estate, over time, has looked worse and worse from a litter and waste management issue (perspective). We've got a rodent issue as well. It has started to affect people's mental health and not be happy about the area that they live in."

Ms Hampson said she was under no illusion about there being the occasional issue when she purchased a home in a very student-heavy area 14 years ago.

However, she said as things had deteriorated over the past five years, and claims some residents had even been driven from the area by the ongoing issues, preferring to sell up and move on rather than continue to live with the mess.

"People are getting frustrated, getting very mentally down about the issues around the area, embarrassed when visitors turn up and (it's got) to the point where people feel there's no other option but to put their homes on the market and move away, which I find extremely sad," she added.