Waste review to be carried out on Doncaster estate as residents report “rats as big as cats”

Now residents are reporting a serious overflow of rubbish in the area, claiming that the council are neglecting to take action in time.

A concerned resident said: “We have serious problem with the amount of rubbish, rats and drug needles on the estate town flats! It gets reported to the council office on St James Street and nothing gets done for days, we have rats as big as cats jumping in people’s car tyres and running in front of you, people have children and pets, the council need to take action.”

The majority of housing in the area is managed by St Leger Homes, who said that bin storage is currently under review.

They said: “The St Leger Homes Housing Team and the Council`s Waste & Recycling Team work in conjunction to try and ensure that the St James area is kept safe and clean for everyone to enjoy. We have been meeting with local residents affected by the current problems and take their concerns very seriously.

“Doncaster Council are aware that the St James area generates a large amount of household waste and litter and, as result of this, St Leger Homes Housing Team is reviewing the current bin storage areas and the provisions that are in place.

“Alongside this work, we are providing further information to local residents about the importance of recycling wherever possible, which would also reduce the amount of items being placed in the general bins.

“We are concerned about an increase of rats within the area and an action plan is being developed in conjunction with Environmental Health, including Pest Control and Yorkshire Water to tackle this issue.

“We are not aware of any needles being present in the area. We have only received one recent enquiry reporting needles – the Council’s Neighbourhood Response Team attended immediately, but found no needles to be present.

“We would ask residents to continue to report any issues to ourselves and Doncaster Council, so we can investigate and take action where it is needed.”

Last year, the estate was named the most deprived area in Yorkshire, ranking 55 out of 32,000 in the country.