‘Rodents’ in the streets claims after fly-tipping
CONCERNS have been raised about health and safety and claims of “rodents” running the streets after more outbreaks of fly-tipping in a Valley town.
Last week we revealed Rossendale council are considering introducing targeted CCTV in a bid to crack down on some of the worst affected parts of Haslingden.
It came after a mattress and numerous bags of rubbish piled up against a wall were among items dumped in incidents on Princess Street and Greenfield Street.
One resident said: “During these forlorn times on my rare ventures out I have become totally frustrated and angry at the state of our streets.”
More filthy grot spots have been photographed and shared on local social media groups this week, which have been passed on to the council to investigate. They include Clegg Street and Charles Lane.
Kate Kenny, who lives on Heys Street, said: “We believe that this is a serious health and safety hazard and breach of the council to keep the roads cleansed.
“We have suggested locked gates for residents and free large item recycling collection as is done in Hyndburn. Haslingden is seriously neglected and there have been rodents seen running streets.”
In a new statement, Rossendale council said they would be visiting the areas affected this week to assess the evidence.
A spokesperson said: “The council are aware that this has been a reoccurring issue in these areas. Last year we undertook a targeted clean-up of the area which included an education and enforcement action plan.
“It’s important that residents are provided with information and are made aware of what types of waste goes in which bins so they can more effectively manage their household waste.
“Letters were sent to properties with this information, and we made our presence known to residents at that time. We advised residents that we would be monitoring waste accumulation and any further fly tipping would be acted upon where evidence was found.
“We are aware of most of the areas in the photos and are currently dealing with the owner of the land on Charles Lane to resolve the waste that has accumulated behind the Biffa trade bin and have planned to further target the area to try and resolve the matter as soon as possible.”
ASTUDENT who discovered a love for books during lockdown is now reading to raise money for charity in memory of her gran.
Converted bookworm Aisha Aliouane, 14, has set herself a personal challenge – to read ‘15 by 15’.
The Year 10 Haslingden student’s birthday is in May and she is determined to reach her goal.
Aisha’s grandmother Susan Kirkham played a very big role in her life, taking her and her two sisters to school and going on family holidays, and they would enjoy weekly family meals together.
Susan was diagnosed with muscle invasive bladder cancer in February last year and she had a radical cystectomy, which left her with a stoma.
Aisha, who attends Haslingden High School, said: “In October we found out it had spread to her liver and lungs and they said she had five years to live – and she was due to start immunotherapy on November 9.
“She became poorly on November 4, was admitted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and died from sepsis in the early hours of the morning on November 5.”
Since setting the challenge, Aisha has read two Amy Bartol books, ‘Under Different Stars’ and ‘Inescapable’, and will be reading the rest of her series as part of the fundraiser. She is currently reading Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.
Aisha added: “Before lockdown reading books didn’t really matter to me, I had homework and school work to do. Since then, I have not stopped.”
Aisha’s mum Karen, an assistant headteacher at Intack Primary School, said: “It has cost me a fortune as she has been reading a book every couple of days. However, she now has a Kindle so it is cheaper.
“She has also been given a very special book that belonged to her grandmother and had been given to my cousin. It is called ‘Song of the Waterfall’ by Elisabeth Kyle.”
That will be the last of the 15 books Aisha, who has two younger sisters Zahra and Miriam, will be reading to complete her challenge.
Instead of flowers at Susan’s funeral, the family asked for donations in her memory for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, to which the family have close ties.
Karen added: “My third daughter Miriam was born at Burnley General Hospital 11 years ago with Group B strep and was transferred to Royal Manchester; they didn’t think she would make it but against the odds, and thanks to medication, she survived.
“Aisha was born with sepsis and also was transferred to Royal Manchester, and my nephew has severe anaphylaxis and is being treated by the team at Royal Manchester to try to develop resilience.
“We owe the hospital such a lot for all the support we have had.”
Currently
Aisha has raised £437.50 through an online donation page https:// susankirkham. muchloved.com/.