My neighbor turned his backyard into a junkyard – now it’s buzzing and my yard is full of mice

Disgusted locals are demanding action after their neighbors turned their home into a makeshift bin with tonnes of rubbish dumped on the street.

Residents living on Peach Avenue, in Stafford, say their lives are being made miserable by the horrific mountain of rubbish along the residential road.

Shocking pictures show piles of rubbish piled up in the streets – including rubble, sofas, mattresses, wood panels, fridges and carpets.

Homeowners say the pile of dirt has been left to fester for more than a year and is attracting rats and causing health problems for their children.

They claim that the owner of the house has been collecting rubbish and burning it day and night instead of throwing it in the local bin.

Angry residents have accused the local council of doing nothing to help, despite the ‘absolutely stinking’ health risk and being just yards from a primary school.

A mother-of-two, who did not want to be named, said: “I first complained to the council last August and it has just snowballed from there.

“In November they were able to confirm to me that they did not have a license to do this, but nothing has been done.

“My son was sick for five months and was out of school for eight weeks. He has asthma and could not breathe.

“But they don’t care, they just keep doing what they want.

“There are rats all over it, it goes up so high I don’t know how it hasn’t fallen over yet and it absolutely rings.

“There’s metal spilling onto the road, it’s not just confined to the garden, but I’ve lost count of how many cars have had their tires punctured.

“We have fires every day during summer and winter. The fire service comes out and then sets them on fire once they’re gone.

“I’ve driven myself crazy with this. I contacted the Environment Agency yesterday and they were surprised that the council had not advised me a year ago.

“They should have been the first port of call but I’ve had to do all this research myself as the council has done nothing.

“Their customer service has been shocking. They have blamed everything from the agency’s use of staff to people who have left the council.

“There is also anti-social behavior and parties until late at night. We tried to contact the police but they said it is a civil matter.

“We’re at the end of our tether. The kids have to go through it every day on the way to school.

“It is not safe. It is a major health hazard and has been allowed to rot for a year. There is garbage everywhere. He will come out and break the glass.

“I’m so disappointed that we’re left to live next to this without anyone seeming to want to help.”

Another resident of the area, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said: “This has been going on for about a year and nothing has changed.

“I have complained many times, as have many of us here, but all we are told is that they are looking into it.

“Many residents are not happy at all, I know their immediate neighbors have suffered from rat problems.

“There is a primary school nearby with young children and this is a health hazard.

“It’s just grown and grown. They try to burn part of it and then the fire service comes out and tells them off, and then burns it again once they’re gone.

“It’s all in the front garden, so you have the smoke blowing into other properties.

“Just last week a neighbor organized a protest with a woman sitting down – everyone is angry that nothing is being done.

“They say they’ll buy and dispose of your scrap, but it all seems to end up in this garden.”

Jason Glover, who runs a rubbish removal business in Staffordshire, said he had been mistakenly linked to the mess on social media and it was his brother who was responsible.

He said: “I’m based in Stone but people have been saying online that it’s about me and my business but I can say 100 per cent it’s not.

“The house in Stafford is nothing to do with me and it’s my brother who lives there and he has some problems.

“He’s done his thing with about 10 other guys and he’s taking the rubbish back and burning it.

“But he also attracted illegal dumpers, so not all the waste is his. As a result, I received threats online.

“I’m just trying to protect my business. Many people have commented vouching for me, but others have been quite nasty and I want to set the record straight.

“What he is doing has nothing to do with me or my company, I have five star ratings, I am fully licensed and fully legal.

“I’ve tried to help him since he was young, but he does his own thing. If you tried to talk to him about it – he’d just tell you to break up.”

A spokesman for Stafford Borough Council said: “This is an unpleasant situation for those who have to live with this on their doorstep.

“As we are taking legal action to resolve this situation and prevent them from continuing to make the lives of the residents of Peach Avenue a misery, we cannot say anything more at this time.”

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said they would not be able to comment as legal action was being taken.