I want to move house because of nightmare potholes and revolting rubbish on my street

By Joe Coughlan, Lucinda Herbert

Published 6th Dec 2024, 10:36 GMT

Updated 6th Dec 2024, 11:29 GMT

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Frustrated residents have shared video of ‘nightmare’ potholes and rubbish, as a mum claims she wants to move away from the area entirely.

Footage (click to play above) shows how a residential street has become overrun with rubbish and ‘nightmare’ potholes, which locals say makes their cars ‘filthy when it rains’.

A mum claims she’s had enough of living in the area and wants to move house, as she regularly sees mattresses, furniture and bin bags strewn across the road. Abandoned shop baskets, dust bins and car parts were present when the LDRS visited Parkside Road - and filmed the above clip.

‘Potholes make my car filthy’

Serife Mehmet, 30, has lived off Parkside Road for 15 years and said fewer bin collections from the council has contributed to more littering in the area. She said she feels potholes on the street have gotten much worse in recent years and make cars filthy when it rains.

Serife Mehmet, 30, said she has often wished to move away from the area due to the extent of the rubbish — Serife Mehmet, 30, said she has often wished to move away from the area due to the extent of the rubbish | Joe Coughlan/LDRS

Serife Mehmet, 30, said she has often wished to move away from the area due to the extent of the rubbish — Serife Mehmet, 30, said she has often wished to move away from the area due to the extent of the rubbish | Joe Coughlan/LDRS

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The car at the moment looks like it’s been on a farm… I think we’re just so used to it but we get families that don’t want to come to our house because they don’t want to park up and ruin their car, which is totally understandable.”

I’m picking up people’s rubbish

She also claims that foxes regularly raid the bins, as they are overflowing. She added: “I have wanted to move many a time, I can’t be bothered anymore around here… I am out picking up people’s rubbish and I shouldn’t have to but I can’t live like that.”

Potholes on the street have been an issue for as long as residents can remember. — Potholes on the street have been an issue for as long as residents can remember. | Joe Coughlan/LDRS

Potholes on the street have been an issue for as long as residents can remember. — Potholes on the street have been an issue for as long as residents can remember. | Joe Coughlan/LDRS

Abandoned car set on fire

Paul Chandler, 54, said potholes and fly-tipping have been an issue on the road for as long as he can remember. He said that he and other neighbours take it upon themselves to fill in the deep holes on the road with rubble and bricks. He added that cars have been left abandoned on the road on several occasions, with one being set on fire four months ago.

Mr Chandler told the LDRS: “It’s a nightmare… We get fly-tips regularly along here. We had a car fire go up, that’s why the fence got burnt.” The local said he pays £250 as often as every three months to have discarded waste on the street collected. He said that when raising the issue with Bexley Council, he has been told the road is not the authority’s responsibility.

Residents said foxes and rodents have become attracted to the rubbish strewn across the street — Residents said foxes and rodents have become attracted to the rubbish strewn across the street | Joe Coughlan/LDRS

Residents said foxes and rodents have become attracted to the rubbish strewn across the street — Residents said foxes and rodents have become attracted to the rubbish strewn across the street | Joe Coughlan/LDRS

A Bexley Council spokesperson told the LDRS last month that 264 fines had been issued for fly-tipping in Belvedere so far this year. They added that the authority’s cleansing teams had conducted 32 visits to Parkside Road in the past 12 months.

Investigating residents’ concerns

They added that the authority was not aware of any missed bin collections on residential streets connected to Parkside Road but would investigate the residents’ concerns.

The spokesperson said: “Officers have also offered to arrange a site visit with residents in the first instance and discuss the option of improving the current fly-tipping signage. The council will be happy to investigate any potential CCTV evidence provided by residents or interview any witnesses which will help them identify and prosecute offenders.”

They added: “If vehicles are found to have been abandoned on this land, we will continue to work in partnership with the DVLA and Metropolitan Police to locate the owners or facilitate removal.”

The council spokesperson said that Parkside Road is an unadopted road, meaning it is not publicly owned or maintained by the highways authority. Adopting the road would reportedly require the authority to install road drainage, resurface the street, add signage and street lighting as well as maintaining such assets alongside regular street cleaning.

Rubbish Potholes Belvedere Bexley Council Local Democracy Reporting Service Fly-tipping

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