Student fly-tipping anger as summer exodus begins

Outrage has erupted after students left heaps of waste across various UK cities as they vacated their accommodations for the summer. Images reveal overflowing bins and mounds of rubbish including sofas, laptops, and even bongs littering alleyways in Manchester and Leeds.

But is the situation any better in Leicester and Loughborough? If you live in Leicestershire and your street has been affected by the tiny proportion of students who dump waste when they leave properties, let us know by emailing newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk or messaging us via our Facebook page, and including pictures.

Each year, fly-tipping becomes particularly prevalent around July 1, marking the date when most shared student accommodation leases come to an end.

Often residing in their rented properties for only a year, many students decide to abandon unwanted items before leaving.

Elderly residents of Fallowfield, Manchester, where over 50% of the population are students, expressed their frustration that the piles of rubbish have "ruined" the area and driven property prices down.

Nino Guglielmi, 83, a local hair salon owner for the past 60 years, noted that the streets near his home transform into a 'dumping ground' each year. Looking at the refuse lining an alleyway off Furness Road, he voiced his exasperation: "The students have left this weekend, and they've thrown all the rubbish all over the place. It's absolutely ridiculous."

He continued, "They've thrown divans, they've thrown settees, they've thrown duvets, they've thrown laptops you name it. They've thrown everything and then they go away."

He added, "It ruins the neighbourhood. Nobody wants to buy the properties around here if you want to sell them because it's full of rubbish."

He further explained, "The property prices have gone down. Nobody wants to live around here anymore. It's like a dumping ground, Fallowfield."

Nino, who settled in the Manchester suburb from Italy back in the 1960s, has expressed his frustration over the escalating rubbish issue, which he and other residents have attempted to tackle as it has worsened over the years.

However, after suffering two heart attacks, Nino found the heavy lifting involved increasingly difficult, and noted that other long-standing locals are now too frail to manage the mounting problem.

He remarked: "The area has got worse. It used to be bad, but now it's gone absolutely ridiculously bad. One time we did do a bit of cleaning, voluntary work around here."

"We've not done it lately because some people have died, and some are old age. But the students don't do any cleaning up. They just dump it on the floor and they go."

"It makes me angry because now they've blocked my entrance at the back. I can't even get my car inside my garage because they've blocked it with the bins."

Nino also highlighted the rodent issue exacerbated by the waste, which fortunately has been somewhat controlled by a group of feral cats in the area.

He continued, expressing disappointment in the local council's response to the situation and their failure to hold accountable the students who contribute to the littering.

He added: "The council doesn't care. We've got rats around here, mice."

"And we daren't put down poison as we've got three or four wild cats. Luckily, they keep the rats and mice at bay."

In a related development, Leeds Council issued a warning to its substantial student population about the consequences of illegal waste disposal during the 'change over weekend'.

A spokesperson for the local authority shared: "Leeds' universities and their students are an important part of our community and make a massive contribution to our economy and culture."

"However, we recognise that in some areas where there is a high population of students there can be issues with anti-social behaviour."

"We always work hard alongside the universities to encourage students to feel part of the local community and to show consideration for other residents. "No one should have to tolerate anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood and like every year, we will do everything we can along with our partners to tackle this throughout the transitional period.

"We want to reassure residents that any problems will be sorted promptly."

Manchester City Council has been approached for a comment.