LIVING IN FEAR NEXT TO ALLEY OF HORRORS
PASSAGE FULL OF DEAD RATS, PIANOS, SOFAS AND DIRTY NAPPIES HAS BEEN TARGETED AND SET ALIGHT
A GRIMSBY woman plagued by an alleyway filled with dead rats, pianos, sofas and dirty nappies at the back of her house can’t even get through the mess to visit her sister. Teresa Sorrell, 52, has also had to deal with a number of arson attacks directly outside her house.
In recent years, the alleyway on Jackson Street in Grimsby has been targeted and set alight, damaging her property and others nearby. She said she and her husband Steve feel they aren’t safe in their own home.
“We’ve had all sorts of problems with this alleyway. Since we’ve lived here we’ve dealt with a couple of fires and even had dead rats laid in our back garden. Frankly, it’s horrific,” she said.
“The fires have been incredibly bad. Both times the Fire Brigade have been called to stop it getting out of control.
“We were woken up in the middle of the night when the second fire was lit. Someone knocked on our door at three in the morning to tell us it looked as though the house was on fire.
“It was really scary seeing all those flames next to my property. “Due to the fires, we’ve had our gate destroyed and part of our surrounding wall has been badly burnt, it’s not something we should have to put up with.”
Aside from the aesthetical impact, the blockage in the alleyway has hindered Teresa’s health.
Her sister lives in the house oppo
site, but due to the amount of rubbish, she can’t gain easy access meaning she has to walk the long way round from the front, causing her arthritis to flare up.
“If the alley was clear I’d be able to just pop across and go in my sister’s back gate.
“However, because of the broken glass and sheer volume of litter, I’m having to walk all the way round, which is damaging my knees and aggravating my arthritis.
“The situation is just too much now, it’s becoming a joke.”
Originally, Teresa was hoping to clear the access path for her mum. “She lived in this house before us,” she explained.
But she was too frightened to live here on her own because of the fires and everything else in the alley. “I ended up ringing the council to try and get them to come and clear it, but that never happened. “Every time I’ve spoken to them, I’m told it’s private land so it’s our mess to sort.
“I’ve spoken to a number of people to come and get rid of it, but I was quoted over £1,000 by one company, I just can’t afford that. I feel like I can’t win now, I’ve been to the council, I’ve looked into clearing it myself and I’m not getting anywhere.”
Sadly, before the alleyway could be cleared, Teresa’s mum passed away at the age of 76.
She said: “I’ve put so much time and effort into trying to get this mess cleared. To be honest, I just want to see it empty for my mum, it would have meant a lot to her had we managed it when she was alive.”
A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “We sympathise with the people who live next to alleyways blighted by fly-tipping. “Alleyways are private property and it’s up to the people who own them to keep them clear, that’s usually anyone with a property that backs on to an alleyway.
“They are not public land and it’s not the council’s job to keep them clear.
“There are a number of options for people who find their alley is used as a dumping ground - these include getting together with your neighbours to clear it or using a licenced waste carrier.
“If someone has seen rubbish being dumped in the alley or has CCTV footage and are willing to give us a statement of this, then we will investigate.
“We cannot act where there is no evidence available, or where people are not prepared to provide a witness statement.
“If we have enough evidence linking the waste to a particular property or a landlord, then we will investigate and take appropriate action.”
Since we’ve lived here we’ve dealt with a couple of fires and even had dead rats laid in our back garden.
Teresa Sorrell