Residents who say their street is plagued by fly tipping, overflowing bins, rats and dog mess are pleading with Thanet council to take action.
People living in Cornhill in Ramsgate say commercial and domestic fly-tipping at the council bins in the alley is a regular occurrence as well as many surrounding residents also using the bins because they do not get a waste collection at their properties.
Then there are hazards such as broken glass, gas bottles, toxic debris from refurb works and even human waste which families must make their way through to get to their homes.
Complaints to the council have been made since 2019 but residents say the problem has not been dealt with adequately.
Claire Thorpe has lived in Albert Street, with her property backing on to Cornhill, for the past eight years and says it is now the worst it’s ever been.
The mum-of-four said: “It’s never been great but it’s much worse now. I’m not impacted as badly as some because it is all out the back from me but there are families that have to go through it to get to their houses and flats and it is really bad.
“This year has been really grim with the stench in the summer. There are people who come in a car or van, empty all their stuff and then drive off. That happens all the time and it’s not just locals using it because they don’t have a bin – that’s another issue.
“There are people having to walk with their kids, or with pushchairs, and there are rats and it is really unhygienic and must be a health hazard.”
Claire says a lack of communication from the council is also frustrating. She added: “The council keeps saying they are doing something but never explain what. Even an official sign or CCTV would be something because at the moment it is just a dumping spot.”
Ward councillors Becky Wing and Tricia Austin say they have also been trying to get some action to clear the area and deal with the problems.
Cllr Wing said: “ When I was first elected in 2019, residents drew my attention to the situation on Cornhill with inadequate waste and recycling provision and chronic fly tipping.
“Since then, along with residents, I’ve reported these issues consistently, but sadly the situation is no better. I’ve talked with residents, knocked on doors and undertaken extensive research, and what is clear is that residents living in and around Cornhill have been exposed for some years to overflowing TDC bins and fly tipping, including waste which could have presented a health & safety risk: possible asbestos, extensive food waste, human waste, gas bottles, broken glass and all manner of other stuff creating trip and fall hazards on a route some residents have to use to get to their front doors.
“The two large TDC waste and recycling bins have no signage and so residents have no idea who these are for.
“A significant number of homes on Albert Street, Hertford around the Melrose Cottages and all at Ivy lane have never received a kerbside waste and recycling service, despite the TDC system stating they do. We were told by some of these residents that they have never been issued with the bins/boxes/bags necessary and so assumed the Cornhill bins were for their use. At least one short-term let property states in its visitor welcome pack that all visitors’ waste should be deposited in these bins.
“The overflowing bins attract fly-tipping: residents report cars and vans regularly pulling up to offload into and around the TDC bins. This is cleared daily and where addresses are visible on fly tipping, the Streetscene team have followed it up, with addresses indicating that fly tippers came not only from Ramsgate but Broadstairs and Margate too.
“We appreciate the situation is complex, involving two teams at TDC, KCC, residents, landlords, shop owners and commercial waste providers, but this situation has been going on since 2019 so surely there should have been time to resolve it by now?”
The ward councillors say site visits have taken place and there was an assurance at a council meeting in July that the matter would be addressed by mid-August.
Cllr Wing added: “Sadly we’re not yet seeing any progress and have received no updates.
“We are now in September and Cornhill is as bad as ever it was.”
Resident Jerome Ashworth attended a full council meeting in July to highlight the issue and asked Cllr Steve Albon, who is the member responsible for waste services, whether the council had an action plan to deal with the constant mess or could find funding to support local residents in their efforts to clean up.
In response Cllr Albon said: “We are aware of the issues and acknowledge the need for a solution in a timely manner.
“I have been to the site three times, once with ward councillors and twice with the head of service, to see what we can do and how to achieve it.
“A plan has now been made for providing residents in adjacent streets with the required refuse/recycling collections, agreeing a communal bin location for the flats overlooking Cornhill and agreeing an alternative solution with businesses so their bins can be removed.
“Actions are planned to be completed by mid August and following completion there will be monitoring and use of enforcement powers where appropriate.”
A Thanet council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the issues raised and the need for a timely solution. A plan was developed, which required working with a number of stakeholders and coordination of the proposed changes.
“It has taken longer than initially anticipated to finalise the details of the solutions which include removing communal bins and providing alternative collection mechanisms as well as ensuring local businesses are able to dispose of their waste correctly.
“The aim now is to have a solution in place by mid-October that addresses residents’ concerns and mitigates the issues that have arisen.
“Following completion of these changes we will continue to monitor and will use enforcement powers where appropriate, if for example the fly-tipping of waste occurs. Fly-tipping is illegal and can result in fines of up to £1,000. The council’s Streetscene enforcement officers work across the district every day to tackle it and there is CCTV in known hotspots.
“The Cleansing service continues to engage with local residents on this matter and representatives attend the Ramsgate Litter Forum to meet with key stakeholders in-person.”
Residents can report fly-tipping using our online form: thanet.gov.uk/fly-tipping/
Shocking behaviour, I note in some of the photos graffiti on the surrounding walls. To improve an area, all antisocial behaviour needs to be addressed. All the graffiti needs to be removed in the narrow roadway as well as an appropriate waste removal solution for all local users.
If only RTC hadn’t wasted money on trying to stop an airport, and had spent it on the town instead.
What an absurd comment Peter. If only TDC hadn’t spend upwards of hundreds and hundreds of thousands pursuing the dead duck airport or port then perhaps they wouldn’t be millions overspent. Or perhaps had TDC not overspent on exit packages for poor performance they would have more money. 10k democratically spent by RTC is a drop in the ocean. This issue is about the endless pointless merry go round of who does what. TDC, KCC or RTC. As ever this means endless explanations that help nobody and years of glacial progress.
Thank goodness for the ward councillors in harbour central.
The difference is, TDC & KCC are responsible for larger areas. RTC are solely responsible for Ramsgat, and have nothing to do with Margate or Herne Bay or Maidstone…
Way of target as usual RTC are not responsible for waste or the removal of graffiti.
Why can’t these ward councillors have the fallen leaf matter cleaned on the footpaths between Ramsgate Library and Clarendon House then? Saw several older people slip and tweak their ankles and nearly fall over, over the past six months due to inaction on keeping the pathways clear and safe for all residents.
Emma line – don’t forget millions paid out in compensation for live animal exports! TDC are a waste of space as is RTC fir being wasteful
It is atrocious and I walk the long way to avoid it
Ramsgate is filthy!
Most of Ramsgate certainly is not filthy.
Have you done anything to help clean up the many filthy bits? What is the solution?
Looks like your back passage Checkers.
Checksfield- Don’t pretend you were writing about alleys in town.(That goes for you too, Captain Gaga!)
ONLY THING THIS COUNCIL CARES ABOUT GETTING U HARD EARNED MONEY FOR COUNCIL TAX.
Which council is that? RTC, TDC or KCC?
All of them…
Typo- Da da, not Ga Ga
Now here we agree Peter. Ramsgate is filthy. And between RTC, TDC and KCC the residents are being failed. Other, equally financially poor councils, do far better on cleansing. What’s the issue? Bureaucracy? Poor performance? Poor planning? Poor prioritisation? Poor leadership? It can’t just be money, we see hyper investment in many services with little change in overall delivery, the NHS is a good example.
Let’s be quite clear, Emmeline: some bits of Ramdgate (like many other places) are dirty.
Many parts of the town are fine.
Ramsgate is dirtier than most, even by Thanet’s extremely low standards of hygiene.
Emmeline- Please do not exaggerate. Most of Ramsgate is not filthy.
Which parts are spotlessly clean in your opinion?
To be fair, the beach is generally clean. But that’s only because they seem to clean that every day – unlike the rest of the town which might see a street cleaner once in a lifetime. The rest is dirty.
King St has a daily street cleaner.
Whoopie-whoo.
I’m currently in Florence, where EVERY street is cleaned daily. You people who never get out of Thanet don’t realise what a much lovelier world it so often is outside.
If the councillors spent money cleaning up the mess instead of treating themselves to top notch lunches and claiming it back has expenses the same has members of parliament then surely we wouldn’t be in debt and could treat the issues that need sorting
To most people in Ramsgate, Wetherspoons serves top notch food.
Council house snob arrived “ in Birchington”
Well maybe if members of parliament and members of the councils didn’t have top notch lunches and claiming it back on expenses then maybe we could use that money to sort out what really needs fixing and sorting out we wouldn’t be in debt owing thousands and who ever else claims back has an expense for shopping etc then all these rundown that once was a beautiful areas would get back to being beautiful cause then we would save money
It starts with unswept roads.From the dirt created by not sweeping comes weeds.After the weeds follows the litter and then the graffiti. The bin at the end of my road is emptied at 11 am and completely full and overspilling at 4pm and littering the street for the next 19 hours.Every single day.All the side streets probably have 50 to 100 bits of litter blown into them never to be litter picked by our glorious council.So obvious the bin is inadequate and complaining doesnt get dealt with.This area is quite easily the filthiest place I have ever lived by a mile.
Dumpton Gap to Lousia Bay 3000 steps without a single litter bin.Rubbish everywhere.Thames Path Wandsworth to Battersea, litter bin every 100 yards.Beautifully clean.
TDC get your act together, your management of this constant complaint is partly your making.You are running a false economy.
They look a happy bunch … typical miserable old peolpe moaning about everything..
People shatting outside your house would make you smile?
At Frank, I’d say they’re a bunch of ‘Karen’s’
PS the world needs more Mambas
Be like the Spanish and make spaces on all the roads for large stret bins where people can put they’re rubbish and you might stop people fly tipping . The Spanish seaside towns that I visit are always spotless as are the beaches