Residents hear 'scurrying rats' and suffer stench as waste piles up

People living in an apartment block say they are fed up of a growing pile of waste outside their building that is attracting rats, seagulls and swarms of flies.

Residents at Cwrt Coles in Cardiff told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) about the problems they faced with litter, rubbish and other waste that has been left outside their flats.

One resident said the rubbish had not been collected for about 10 weeks, although others said it could be four weeks.

David Power, who lives in a flat next to the waste pile, said he had seen the waste attract cats, dogs, rats and seagulls to the estate.

"There's more flies than ever this summer than there's ever been. Maybe that's the hot weather but I think it's the bins," Power said.

They also said the issue has been going on for "a long time now" and that there aren't enough bins for the flat block so residents end up having to pile rubbish on top of them.

Marcy Webbe said: "We have more flies in the flat and I think it's because they're coming from the bins.

"They're able to get in through the windows and there's just so many more flies."

She said she can hear rats scurrying around the pile when she takes her bins out.

"I'll stay about a foot away when I'm throwing something because I need to get rid of the rubbish but I feel awful contributing to it," Webbe said.

Locals also said that seagulls attracted to the rubbish are picking it up and spreading it around the nearby streets.

Sudha Talluru said: "You can't approach the rubbish area because there are lots of seagulls surrounding it and they just distribute the rubbish everywhere.

"[The rubbish is] just literally on the streets and pathways and everywhere."

Webbe added: "[The seagulls left] a load of food on top of my car the other day, there was like a load of rotten tomatoes or something."

Talluru said that she had reported the issue to FirstPort, the management company for Cwrt Coles but nothing had been done.

She said: "You just feel like you're living next to a dump yard.

"I never imagined this would happen in Cardiff."

She said Cardiff council had collected glass and recycling waste but general waste had been left.

A spokesperson for FirstPort said: "We share residents' concerns regarding the build-up of rubbish at the bin stores at Cwrt Coles which is the result of non-residents disposing of their refuse at the site.

"The waste facilities are provided for the exclusive use of residents of the block and clear signage is in place to reflect this.

"However, additional waste is regularly deposited at the bin stores, placing increased pressure on the available facilities. We have repeatedly arranged for the excess waste to be removed from the site.

It said a pest control contractor attended the site every month and regular inspections were carried out.

A Cardiff council spokesperson said: "Recycling and glass collections at Cwrt Coles continue to be carried out as scheduled.

"However, the ongoing accumulation of general waste around the communal bins has created significant access issues, preventing crews from safely completing residual waste collections.

"Our crews have repeatedly encountered unacceptable conditions at the site, including human and dog faeces on bin handles, open nappies and loose waste deposited around the containers.

"These conditions present serious health and safety risks for operational staff."