FED up residents in Greenock’s Dempster Street have demanded that an ‘eyesore’ neighbourhood recycling point be scrapped - as it is being abused by filthy flytippers.

The frustrated group say they’ve renamed the road ‘Dumpster Street’ as people are ramming the bins full of domestic waste such as soiled nappies, while sofas and fridges are being discarded on the pavement.

They say the rubbish ends up strewn across the street and road, attracting rats and foxes.

The seven recycling bins have also become a target for anti-social behaviour, with reports of youths setting them on fire, while glass bottles are smashed all over the street.

Angry resident John Swan, who lives with his wife Rose said: “The problem’s so bad that I found a dead rat next to the rubbish.

“Recycling material is getting contaminated by domestic waste and the council should take the bins away because they are not being managed properly – it is a dump.

“We’ve complained to them but they just keep paying us lip service.”
Barbara Watson, who also lives in Dempster Street, added: “People are coming from all over the town to dump domestic waste.

“I’ve seen them dumping sofas and fridges, there is rubbish all over the street and road and when there is a wind it ends up all over the place.”

Fellow Dempster Street resident Brian Murphy told the Tele: “I end up having to drive one and a half miles to get to Pottery Street as the bins are constantly overflowing with rubbish.

“The bins are emptied once a week but as soon as they are emptied that morning they are full again by night time.

“They’ve been set on fire on numerous occasions and people have taken the glass bottles out of the bins and smashed them over the pavement and roads.”

The residents want the bins to be removed and for householders to get blue and brown wheelie bins for paper and garden waste.

A spokesman at Inverclyde Council says they are aware of the issue and are dealing with it.

He said: “It is an area of ongoing concern. 

“Our cleansing team do regularly clean up the location. 

“Flytipping is illegal and it is anti-social. 

“Pottery Street is only a few minutes away and if any resident or business needs to get rid of any larger waste, they can very easily take it there rather than dumping it at a recycling point.  

“There is no excuse if you decide to flytip.”

He added: “If any residents see someone flytipping at this or any other location, it should be reported right away. 

“If you know who is doing it, or you can get, for example, a vehicle licence number, we would urge residents to let us know and we will take action if they are caught.  

“You can contact our customer services on 01475 717171 or the national dumb dumpers line on 0845 2304090.”