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Is this east London area the messiest part of the capital?

Facundo Arrizabalaga / MyLondon Olivia is stood facing the camera, next to an overflowing street bin and litter strewn all over the payment. Facundo Arrizabalaga / MyLondon
Broken glass, cans, chip shop packaging and bottles are all a regular sight near Olivia's home in Becontree Heath

"I’ve lived all over London, on the south end and north London as well, but this is definitely the most messy," says a woman from east London.

Olivia Virag feels ashamed to live in her area because of years of rubbish and dirt littering the streets.

The 54-year-old says broken glass, cans, chip shop packaging and bottles are all still a regular sight around her home in Becontree Heath, near Dagenham, despite her complaints to the council in 2023.

The local authority says street cleaning is a key priority but it is facing tough financial challenges with reduced funding for services.

Olivia Virag A composite image of two different locations. One is a wooded area with litter all over the floor, including bottles, crisp packets, plastic bags and a cardboard box. The other is of an overflowing street bin with broken and ripped bags of litter around it and the contents all over the pavement. Olivia Virag
Despite reporting concerns to the council, Olivia says efforts to address street cleaning have not been sufficient

'I know it's not a posh borough'

Olivia says: "It’s very bad and the deterioration is worse and worse every year.

"It looks like Barking and Dagenham Council is just not interested any more.

"I feel literally ashamed if anybody comes to visit me."

She claims this was not an issue when she first moved to the area in 2020, but she noticed a decline around 2022, after the pandemic.

She resorted to buying cleaning equipment and carries out litter picks when and where she can to stop the build up.

She continued: "I know it’s not a posh borough so to be honest I did not expect a spotless street and environment anyway. The people are completely resistant and apathetic on this topic – they just kind of expect it."

She wants the council to take responsibility by providing more bins, more frequent litter collections and better monitoring and enforcement in problematic areas.

A Barking and Dagenham Council spokesperson said: "We’re aware of some residents' frustrations and our teams have been addressing the concerns raised throughout.

"Like councils across the country, we face tough financial challenges with reduced funding for services, but within the Becontree Heath area resources have been reviewed and reallocated.

"We continue to work hard to keep our streets as clean as possible."

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