A woman is enraged because she believes disease-carrying rodents killed her dog after fly-tippers stacked trash 4 feet high in front of her back gate.
The mountain of trash, which Louise from Cleethorpes claimed included mattresses, bricks, trees, and piles of trash, was so awful that vermin infected her pet with Weil’s disease.
The 59-year-old claimed that after being drawn to the passageway, the rats began to “breed” there and entered her downstairs bathroom, which she is now unable to use.
Then, after catching one of the rats, her dog contracted the “terrible” bacterial infection that may cause your kidneys to stop working and cause you to regularly throw up.
Disability advocate Louise claimed that after asking the authorities to remove the mountains of trash, she has been “passed from pillar to post” with no end in sight.
According to Louise, who spoke to Grimsby Live, “there was around two foot of debris in the alleyway and it was all pushing against my back gate” when we first moved in about three years ago.
“My garden is the final one in the alleyway, and I am the last person there.
“Anyone fly-tipping is throwing everything outside my gate. My gate’s lock was broken, and it was pushed open.
We replaced everything, but since then, the garbage has piled up to a height of around three to four feet.
The wall supporting the building adjacent to the alleyway has collapsed, leaving brick rubble in the alleyway.
There are trees there, there are mattresses there, everything is there. Additionally, the rats have begun breeding there and have leptospirosis.
“One of the rats was caught by my dog, which I had when I first moved in.
“She only caught it; she didn’t bite into it or eat it. She contracted leptospirosis, a disease that rats carry that causes you to constantly vomit and causes your kidneys to shut down, and we had to put her to sleep as a result. It’s an illness that is just awful.
Weil’s Disease is another name for leptospirosis. There are some cases that are fatal, and they are more serious to both animals and humans.
Vermin control was contacted by Louise, who was informed that the rats are probably entering her bathroom from the sewer.
I have rat droppings all over my towels, she continued. That probably has rat urine on it, and my dressing robe is still in there.
My floor is now covered in rat poison, so I can’t enter.
“I was passed from pillar to post for three days when I phoned North East Lincolnshire Council.
“They continued insisting that it wasn’t their problem, their property, their obligation, or their funding.
The 59-year-old woman, who suffers from spondylosis, fibromyalgia, and diabetes, is unable to use the bathroom since her son spent £300 for a vermin control company to travel from Grimsby.
I’ve had to force myself to go upstairs to use the restroom there, and it’s really hurting my knees, she continued.
Due to a number of impairments, I am unable to walk very far.
“I saved up money to purchase a mobility scooter, but I was unable to fit it in the rear.
“Absolutely no one can enter the back. It’s so crowded that no one can get from the alleyway to my gate.
“I’ve been knocked down every hole in the wall, and every time they claim they can’t do anything.
“They claim that it is not their problem, but it is an issue with environmental health.
A illness that can kill people is carried by the rats. Put something there for people to throw their trash in if you don’t want them to fly-tip.
In North East Lincolnshire, tenants whose residences back onto an alleyway are responsible for it.
“Alleyways are private property, and the Council is not responsible for clearing them,” stated Cllr. Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities.
They are the property of the homes that back onto them, and maintenance is their responsibility.
“We feel sorry for the families whose homes are next to fly-tipped alleys.
We introduced a new program earlier this year where anyone can ask for our assistance while clearing an alleyway.
“This program is now closed, but it’s something we might think about resuming in the future.”
“Councils from other regions of the country have told us they suffer similar problems with privately owned alleyways.
It is a national problem and not exclusive to our area,” he continued.
Fly-tipping is forbidden. If people properly disposed of their waste, it could be prevented.
To look into fly-tipping offenses, we need solid proof that will hold up in court.
“We will look into it if someone sees trash being placed in the alley or has CCTV footage and is willing to provide us with a witness statement.”
We take environmental enforcement seriously, and in April and May of this year, after conducting enforcement investigations, we issued 18 fixed penalty letters for fly-tipping.