‘This is one of our town’s scruffiest streets’
IS this one of the messiest streets in Huddersfield?
One fed-up resident of Glenfield Avenue at Deighton contacted the Examiner to express his disgust at the state of gardens and wheeled bins left on pavements for days on end.
The householder, who has lived on Glenfield Avenue for almost a decade, said he had complained to Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing in the past but claimed nothing had been done.
He says one particular pile of discarded household waste, on a patch of land used by children, is now attracting rats.
“A number of people living on Glenfield Avenue just don’t seem to care,” said the resident, who asked not to be named.
“They don’t take their bins in, they don’t pick up their dog muck and they don’t look after their gardens.
“Gardens are full of general rubbish including broken-down cars, unwanted furniture, mattresses and other general waste.”
The resident claimed that the area is plagued by illegal quads and motorcycles which are being ridden by youths without helmets or number plates.
“It is about time the authorities enforced the tidy garden rules,” he added. “It is disgusting living around here – it has got to be one of the scruffiest streets in Huddersfield.
“Some people just can’t be bothered to bring their bins in.
“Can readers of the Examiner find a street worse than this? If there is one, I would like to know.”
However, other residents defended the street saying only a small minority of householders were responsible.
One man in his 60s, who did not want to be named, said the area had “gone downhill” since the 1980s but he said Glenfield Avenue wasn’t the worst-looking in the area.
“In the old days these gardens had nothing out of place,” he said. “Council rent collectors would go door-to-door and would be the eyes and ears of the council.
“The problem now is the ever-changing
tenants who don’t care about the property or the garden. Also, there is a problem with people who won’t report issues and problems to the council.”
He added: “This is not the scruffiest street in Huddersfield. I can think of others that are a lot worse.”
Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, which manages some of the homes on Glenfield Avenue, has been approached for comment along with Kirklees Council.
The council has powers to take tenants to court if they fail to keep gardens in order.
In January 2016 a Golcar woman was fined and ordered to pay almost £600 for failing to clear waste in the garden of her home in Longfield Avenue.
She had ignored a warning letter giving her 14 days to clear her garden.
In 2011 a Liversedge woman was told to pay more than £850 for failing to tidy her messy garden.