WALTHAMSTOW: Man slams rat-infested "slum"

12:20pm Monday 12th May 2008

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A WALTHAMSTOW resident has likened the rat-infested rubbish outside his home to the slums in India.

Joe Walters, 31, blames a lack of wheely bins outside the Victorian flats above shops in Tower Mews for causing a build-up of rubbish in bin bags, which are attracting vermin and creating repugnant smells.

Piles of black bin bags and loose waste are visible - as are many rat traps.

Mr Walters has been requesting a wheely bin from the local authority for two months, but has not received one and said he has been attacked by rats twice when climbing past uncontained refuse.

He said: "There are a lot of people living above the shops without bins and waste being thrown on top which exascerbates the problem.

"I have lived in India, and it smells like the bad parts of Calcutta.

"I have phoned the council so many times but I get the feeling we have been forgotten about because we are down a dead-end alleyway. We should all receive a decent refuse service. It is our right."

Mr Walters, an orchestral muscian who grew up in Upper Walthamstow, tried to request bins for his neighbours but was told each household must contact the council individually. He said he has tried asking neighbours to request bins, but some didn't understand because English is their second language.

He said: "Many don't understand me or know the procedure. But it should not be down to me to go and tell them. I lived in Calcutta for a year and have never lived in these conditions."

Recycling is also a problem for the residents because although the council will issue recycling boxes, the mews is not yet on the collection route.

This is creating more household waste being left in bin bags, and conflicts with the local authority's strict recycling policy, whereby households and businesses can be fined for not recycling.