'Rotting food' and rubbish left by students 'worst I have ever seen' says resident

Rubbish dumped outside homes by students leaving part of Leicestershire for the summer was the “worst I have ever seen” this year, according to a nearby resident. “Rotting food”, recycling and “all sorts of stuff” were left on streets in the ‘golden triangle’ area of Loughborough after students departed for the summer holidays.

Pictures taken last Wednesday (July 3) showed rubbish in Hastings Street and Oxford Street which had been “sitting on the street for two weeks”, according to the resident, who did not want to be named. The resident eventually cleared up some of the mess herself because she was concerned about rats and the smell the rubbish was creating.

A spokesperson for Loughborough University told LeicestershireLive that in “several cases” this year, it had called back students to clear rubbish if the “issues can be linked to particular houses”. They also said the university had organised an end-of-year recycling initiative which had seen "substantial amounts of clothing and food items [...] collected and distributed to local charities" in a bid to address the annual issue.

READ MORE: Leicester Caribbean Carnival cancelled in 'heartbreaking decision'

The resident said: “It was warm, there was rotting food, there was all sorts of stuff on the floor. It’s not pleasant, I couldn’t leave it like that. [The waste] had been building up for over a week. There was rotting food and it was steadily getting worse."

A spokesperson for Charnwood Borough Council said the waste had been cleared and the streets cleaned following an "additional bin collection." But the resident said: "It shouldn’t be sitting on the street for two weeks.”

She said she stepped in to clear up rubbish that could not be taken by bin collectors. “They took as much as they could, but there was a lot of stuff that was strewn over the pavement which is why I went out to pick it up with my rubber gloves.

“The guys that collect refuse work really hard and they shouldn’t have to come and see such a mess. Normally if bins are overflowing they won’t empty the overflowing stuff.

“It’s the smell as well. My worst concern was rats; the bags were open or had spilled out.

“The pictures of the rubbish all along the wall is the worst that I have ever seen it. There was somebody rummaging through it to see if there was anything they could sell.”

She claimed she filled up four bins with rubbish that was left on the street. She said: “The other problem we have is that when the students go, the landlords gut the house. We have had fridge freezers on the street. The landlords think they can use it as a rubbish tip.

“Part of the problem is that this area is completely saturated with HMOs (houses in multiple occupancy) . They generate a lot of waste and so at the end of the year the rubbish is horrendous, and this year is the worst.”

“I’m not against students being in the town, they are important for the night economy," she added. "I have students next to me. I have no problem with them.

"There needs to be a bigger message around recycling properly. I would suggest that they think about giving more bins to the HMOs.

"We have a primary school in this area. Would you want just a lot of rubbish when you are taking your children to school? I don’t think I would.”

A spokesperson for Loughborough University said it worked with Charnwood Borough Council every year to “plan for the end of term”. They said: “This year, the university pro-actively organised an end-of-year recycling initiative and substantial amounts of clothing and food items were collected and distributed to local charities.

“Where issues can be linked to particular houses, we will call back students to clear the rubbish and this process has been followed in several cases this year. We work with Charnwood Borough Council every year to review the process and seek to make improvements where we can.

“Statutory responsibility rests with the local authority and landlords.”

A spokesperson for Charnwood Borough Council said: “Similarly to previous years, an additional bin collection took place on Monday, July 8, in student areas of Loughborough. The waste was cleared and the streets in the area have been cleaned.

“We are committed to keeping our borough clean and tidy and work closely with the university, letting agents and landlords to minimise the impact at the end of the academic year. A small number of residents in the local area have contacted us about this year’s clear-up and we will take their feedback on board for the next academic year.”

We are now bringing you the latest updates on WhatsApp first