Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
What a load of rubbish – students blamed for mess
Students are being blamed for turning a pretty Victorian street in Canterbury into a rubbish tip.
It follows junk being dumped in St Martin’s Terrace, which was cleared away by Serco – only for more to be dumped the following day.
The area is heavily populated with students, and many people commentating on the Canterbury Residents Group forum on Facebook believe they have been getting rid of their rubbish in preparation for vacating their digs for the summer holidays.
The city council asked Serco to clean up the street – even though it is a private road and not its responsibilty.
But neighbours were horrified to find another pile of rubbish had been dumped the following day. Now the council’s enforcement team are investigating.
Barry Phelan, a martial arts instructor who lives in nearby College Road, said: “It’s always a little messy but that’s the worst I have ever seen it. It looks like students have emptied their house and chucked it all in the bin.
“I was flabbergasted to see so much rubbish in the street the following day after it had been cleaned up. It’s not fair that other residents who keep their areas clean are let down by the messy ones, be it student or private.
“There should be someone at hand to help deal with these things as they have wardens catching people dropping litter.
“There should be a clear plan for change, it can’t go on year after year. Educate people who come to the area clearly what to do and how to manage their rubbish. By recycling you reduce the footfall of general waste and improve the environment.
“If someone is throwing everything out in the same bin, maybe the council could visit and work with them.”
City council spokesman Rob Davies said: “We became aware of piles of rubbish in St Martin’s Terrace on Sunday evening.
“This is a private road which the council is not responsible for, but given the condition it was in, we arranged for Serco to clean it up first thing on Monday.
“They did a great job, but it was extremely frustrating to see further piles of rubbish at the same location within less than 24 hours. Serco attended quickly once again to remove it.
“Our enforcement officers have been to the site to look through the rubbish and see where it came from, and investigations are continuing. Some of the properties in St Martin’s Terrace still have people living in them and we will be keeping a very close eye on the situation there over the next few weeks.”