Infested with 500 rats, illegal tip in town with monthly bin rounds
HUNDREDS of rats descended on a street with monthly bin collections after two brothers spotted a gap in the market and turned their back garden into an illegal tip.
Neighbours complained an overpowering stench from 123 tons of rubbish made it impossible to enjoy their gardens – while one family had to fend off giant rodents that invaded as they were having a barbecue.
overflowing bin bags piled on top of mouldy furniture and festering fridges turned parts of the street into ‘something out of a horror film’, they said.
it cost the council £59,000 to clear up – with up to 500 rats trapped, a court heard yesterday, after ian Murray, 53, and brother Raymond, 43, admitted dumping waste illegally in Kinmel Bay, North wales.
The eyesore built up after the seaside resort town became a pilot area for a controversial scheme by conwy council to collect general refuse just once every four weeks.
Yesterday the Mail revealed how residents of the borough are resorting to standing in their wheelie bins to squash rubbish or storing it in garages after it was rolled out to all 50,000 households in September.
The Murray brothers had been taxi drivers for 20 years before losing their licences in 2016, Llandudno magistrates’ court heard.
when a council official visited their home in May, he found hundreds of bin bags throughout the garden along with domestic waste unrelated to bin collections – including mattresses, furniture and sections from cars. The council described it as a ‘very extreme case of prolonged and systematic disregard for the law’.
The Murrays’ Facebook advert read: ‘Rubbish removals, cheaper than a skip. we are fully licensed waste carriers and we charge just £50/van load.’ Dafydd Roberts, prosecuting for Natural Resources wales, told the court: ‘Both defendants were basically running an illegal waste facility at their address. There was clear evidence of a huge rat infestation, with bags of rubbish ripped open and burrows.’
when holidaymakers arrived at an adjoining caravan park they found dead rats in awnings and the creatures running around a children’s play area that had to be disinfected. The men were given 21 days to clear it up but failed to do so, meaning the council had to employ contractors to remove more than 123 tons of waste.
Teams used 160 bait traps – equivalent to a month’s normal use in the entire county – to kill between 400 and 500 rats, with the total cost reaching just under £59,000. Mr Roberts said the illegal operation had been run ‘for financial gain’.
craig Hutchinson, representing the brothers, argued it had been a reckless act that ‘got out of hand’ after they fell into debt.
They would charge £50 to collect a van-load of rubbish, then pay £36 to have it taken away. Both pleaded guilty to acting without an environment permit in July.
They were yesterday given unconditional bail to appear at caernarfon crown court after magistrates said their sentencing powers were insufficient.
conwy council is the first in England and wales to adopt fourweekly collections of non-food, garden and recycling waste – although other authorities are taking a close interest.
it says this will save it almost £400,000 a year, as well as increase recycling rates.
But yesterday residents living in the shadow of Edward i’s conwy castle complained that overflowing bins were spoiling the tourist hotspot. Former hairdresser Angela Field, 53, said: ‘The rubbish is smelly and will harm the image of conwy.’