Edinburgh locals appalled at 'mountain of rubbish' left on Calton Road

Residents have complained to the Council, after a massive pile of rubbish was spotted on a street in the city centre of Edinburgh.

Pictures of the waste, which had piled up on Calton Road near Waverley Station, were posted on Twitter, prompting a flood of angry comments from locals.

Stuart Hay, who is the Director of Living Streets Scotland, took to the social media app on Thursday morning, to call on Edinburgh Council to remove the rubbish pile.

He alleged that the waste had been sitting on the street since Monday.

A local man replied to this post, and wrote that he reported the waste on Wednesday morning after “having walked past it every day this week”.

Another Edinburgh resident complained: “There are rats everywhere. You see them in broad daylight across the city centre. I have never seen this city in such a mess as it is now”.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh City Council confirmed that the rubbish was cleared away this morning.

Several Edinburgh residents were horrified by the large pile of rubbish on Calton Road.

They added: “Our street cleansing team will be visiting the site to give the area a clean”.

Mr Hay said: “It’s shocking and disappointing that an important pedestrian street has become a dumping ground and left to fester for a week.

Calton Rd is an important exit from Waverly Station and a link to the new St James Quarter, its squalor sets a very bad impression for anyone visiting the city.

If the council is to succeed in encouraging more people to walk it is vital that streets are clean and well maintained.

We encourage the public to report waste problems via social media so the council can respond quickly.”

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