A Blackburn resident said he was ‘frustrated’ at cleaning the streets of Blackburn himself after major fly-tipping and called for urgent action to address what he called a ‘neglect and utter failures’.

The resident shared images of fly-tipping and littering around his home in Boland Street, Bastwell, and said he had made numerous complaints to have the rubbish picked up.

Hamza Ukadia said there is ‘overgrown grass in alleyways’ and ‘settees dumped on the side of the roads’.

Local councillors have responded and said they had been told of ongoing issues, and urged residents in particular to help keep their communities clean.

A council response to Hamza’s concerns said the authority was not able to ‘maintain overgrown vegetation’ on areas not in its control, and fly-tipping on private land had to be removed by the landowner.

The council said it would investigate the issues and had acted within days of the report being logged.

Speaking of the Boland Street alleyway, Hamza said: “The overgrowth of grass and trees in this alleyway has rendered it nearly impassable.

"For years, the council has dismissed this as unadopted land. However, to my knowledge, no residents requested for this alleyway to be unadopted. 

“The situation is out of control, and it is unreasonable to expect residents to manage this.

"The same condition applies to the alleyways on Maple Street and Pine Street.

"This ongoing neglect is an utter failure in addressing the needs of the Bastwell ward.”

He said an alleyway between Boland Street and Juniper Street had not been properly cleaned for several years.

The alleyway runs parallel with Whalley New Road and has two entrances in Boland Street and one from Pine Street.

Hamza also called for action on the bridge next to the Sajedeen mosque in Plane Tree Road, Little Harwood, where the ‘pigeon netting on this bridge has fallen apart, and the pavement beneath was ‘covered in bird droppings’. 

The resident said people were just dumping rubbish in alleywaysHe also called for CCTV cameras to be installed at the spots to deter repeat offenders.

He added: “Frankly, I am beyond fed up. I’m exhausted trying to be the lone voice in keeping Bastwell clean.

"Most of the residents are elderly and physically incapable of handling this themselves. 

“This is a basic responsibility the council has utterly and completely failed to address. 

“I’ve personally cleaned up litter in red bags, but this does not replace the council’s obligation to do their job.

"I demand a reply from all parties involved with a detailed plan on how the council will tackle these issues, especially in cleaning the alleyways. 

“Simply stating that it’s 'unadopted land' is not an acceptable response.”

Bastwell and Daisyfield Councillor Rana Gulistan Khan said he ‘sympathised’ with the concerns raised and was working alongside his fellow councillors to address the issues.

He said: “This is the first time this particular issue has been brought to my attention.

"Since becoming a 4BWD Councillor, I have held regular ward meetings to discuss concerns from residents, but this topic has not been raised during those meetings.

“For your convenience, we also have a ward WhatsApp group where residents share, discuss, and raise awareness of issues and initiatives affecting our community. 

“This is a great way for residents to stay informed about both council actions and their own roles in improving our ward.

“The Bastwell and Daisyfield ward has several ongoing issues we are working to address.

"As councillors we rely heavily on the support and participation of residents to make meaningful improvements. 

“Recently, we organised a successful community cleanup at Calder Street Children’s Park, which was well-attended.

"We are planning future cleanups in other areas and would love for more residents to join these efforts.

“If you or any resident is interested in participating in these cleanups or has suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me via email, phone, or, most effectively, through the ward’s WhatsApp group.”

Head of Environment, Tony Watson said: “We have recently been made aware of the ongoing issues with the illegal deposit of waste on these alleyways, and are investigating the reports.

"The land opposite Boland Street is unadopted, with households adjacent to the land responsible for its upkeep.

"However, our enforcement officers may be able to take action against the person(s) who has dumped the waste, if they are identified.

“Juniper Street is an adopted road which is maintained by the Council, and I can confirm that a fly tipping report was logged on our system in the last three days, for removal of the black bags and these will be investigated and removed as soon as possible.  

“We want to find the people responsible for this and see them prosecuted. Anyone who fly-tips faces a £50,000 fine, six months imprisonment or both and where we can, we will prosecute the culprits and bring those responsible to justice.”

"Anyone with information can contact the Council on: 01254 585921 or go to: https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/street-cleansing/fly-tipping."