'We have to climb over rubbish outside our homes'

A woman, who had to follow a trail of fish heads "chucked" in her yard to get into her house, has said she is often forced to climb over a mountain of rubbish piling up outside.

Those living in Kenyon Street and Madison Street in Abbey Hey in Gorton, Manchester, have told the BBC they have to keep rubbish in their gardens due to the amount of overflowing litter in alleyways behind the homes.

Local resident Siobhan Geogheghan fears the fly-tipping, which also includes fridges, mattresses and other old furniture, will attract rats and mice and affect her children's health.

Manchester City Council said the communal bins were emptied three times a week and there should be "sufficient capacity" for residents, but it had been told large items had been "dumped" in the area.

The mum-of-two said the issue had been continuing for years despite regular complaints to the council.

Two communal waste bins are shared between the residents but neighbours said they often get filled up well before the collection date, with refuse collectors declining to take the excess rubbish away.

Ms Geogheghan said: "They're there to empty a bin - they don't get paid enough to pick up everybody else's waste.

"I've got to climb over the rubbish to go and put my rubbish in the bin".

Ms Geogheghan said she once followed a trail of fish heads into the alley that were "chucked in her yard".

"There was a point where I've opened my back gate and you couldn't even step out for the amount of rubbish that's piled up," she said.

"I'm angry because if we do get rodents, they [Manchester City Council] are quick to blame the landlords.

"What's going on outside is now coming into our homes, that's not a landlord issue, it's a council issue and a community issue."

A council spokeswoman said: "Some properties in Manchester do not have adequate storage space for individual wheelie bins and therefore they share bins in the passageway behind their homes.

"In this street in Abbey Hey, the communal bins are emptied three times per week and the amount of capacity should be sufficient for the amount of household waste produced".

She urged residents to report anyone who did not dispose of items properly in the communal bins provided.

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