'This estate is going downhill rapidly': Neighbourhood snaps a week's worth of mess to make the council take notice

Five Bouverie Estate residents became so fed up of flytipping in their area, they photographed a week's worth of mess to show to the council.

A group of five people living on the Bouverie Estate took snaps of the area throughout last week in the hope it would prompt Northampton Borough Council to increase the neighbourhood wardens employed in the area.

Their snaps, more than 50 in total, show a new item of dumped rubbish every day from trampolines to bedstands. Bins of local businesses on the Wellingborough Road are regularly seen overflowing and rats are increasingly becoming a problem.

Philip Hodson, who has lived on the Bouverie Estate for 39 years and currently has a flat in Elizabeth Walk, believes the council need a strategy to make the area better.

He said: "The residents on this estate are totally sick of untidiness.

"The estate is going downhill rapidly - it's getting a real eyesore, particularly in respect of wheelie bins outside of premises.

"It amazes me that people are allowed to get away with this."

Councillor Danielle Stone (Lab, Castle) said the residents of the Bouverie Estate are facing a daily battle against fly-tippers, litterbugs and detritus around commercial bins.

They also have a big issue with parking as workers from the Wellingborough Road shops utilise the free parking on the estate,

The poor state of the area is also attracting street drinkers, who are making many people feel uncomfortable leaving their homes.

Councillor Zoe Smith (Lab, Abington) has even launched a campaign of guerilla gardening, putting plants in areas previously blighted by tippers.

She said: "We have had huge issues in terms of rubbish and fly-tipping, and the dangerous parking.

"It just never seems to quite come to those in the council.

"The main reason for this is to try and get the borough and environmental services to realise what a difficult situation this is."

Northampton Borough Council, which is in the process of redrawing the terms of its environmental services contract currently held by the firm Enterprise, was contacted for comment.