Health hazard rubbish tip is out of control
Old mattresses, furniture, rotting rubbish and dirty nappies have been left strewn across a Paisley street by “vile” fly-tippers.
Businesses in Paisley’s Brick Lane have slammed the metres high “health hazard” pile of rubbish, which they say has been out of control for months.
Dumb dumpers are using the street to illegally dispose of items, and bags from the overflowing bin are regularly being torn open by seagulls and rats which feast on the contents.
The mess and the smell has gotten so out of control that business owners are being forced to try and clean it up themselves.
The Express visited the street on Wednesday morning and took pictures of dozens of bags piled high next to an overflowing bin as well as a broken bed frame and mattress.
We returned later that afternoon to find even more garbage had been added, including another mattress, a broken up couch and dirty nappies, which were lying all over the street.
Business owners are now calling on Renfrewshire Council to tackle the issue once and for all.
They claim they make numerous calls every month in a bid to get the relentless fly-tipping dealt with - but irresponsible dumpers just keep adding to the already disgusting problem.
Elaine Muir, owns Emulate Hair
Studio on Brick Lane, which she opened in 2018.
The salon specialises in wigs, and supplies wigs to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Elaine says she is disgusted by the rubbish, and fears it could be a health hazard to some of her customers, who may be vulnerable.
She said: “It is absolutely vile and it is always there.
“I have called the council about it numerous times, but it just keeps building up.
“The problem is that there are not enough bins.
“There is one bin for too many properties and it just builds up.
“My hair salon clients have to walk past that to come to my shop and it’s so unsightly.
“Some of the people who visit my salon are going through cancer treatment as I supply wigs through the NHS.
“It’s a total health hazard and needs to be dealt with.”
Diane Mitchell runs Brick Lane Studios, which is near to Elaine’s salon.
She says she has contacted the council a number of times, but has gotten nowhere.
Diane, who regularly runs music classes for children as well as hires out recording space to professionals, fears it could affect her business.
She added: “It is ridiculous. “You can’t have people walking past that as they are coming into your business. It’s not professional.
“But we have tried to have it dealt with so many times and nothing.
“It’s regularly spread all over the road and people can’t even walk on the pavement.”
The issue of fly-tipping is one which blights Paisley’s town centre.
The Express reported earlier this year how other businesses in Silk Street - just 300 yards from Brick Lane - had also been blighted with fly-tipping for months.
Abandoned shopping trollies, armchairs and piles of rotting rubbish were dumped in a car park on the street, with locals calling for the “shameful” mess to be cleaned up.
The piles of rubbish caused a nightmare for local businesses for months, with many saying the rundown area was becoming a magnet for antisocial behaviour.
Renfrewshire Council said at the time it would make efforts to contact the landowner to ensure the mess was cleaned up.
And when the Express visited this week, the area was spotless, with new barriers installed and ‘no fly-tipping signs in place.
Referring to the rubbish on Brick Lane, a Renfrewshire Council spokesman said: “The fly-tipping at this location had already been spotted by our team and has now been removed, and we are investigating to try to identify whoever left it there.
“Fly tipping is illegal, unsightly and damaging to our environment and we would encourage everyone to report it to us if they see it taking place.”