Mum's worry over littering in 'rubbish dump' St John's

Laura Maloney grew up in St John’s and moved back to the area five years ago.

She regularly goes litter picking with her daughter Charlotte - but is concerned about the sheer amount of rubbish they find.

Laura and her daughter collected four bags of rubbish from just two streets (Image: Laura Maloney)

A recent clean-up of Nelson Road and Bromyard Terrace yielded four bags of rubbish.

“What has happened to St John’s?” she said.

“A once lovely thriving village in the city has become a rubbish dump - a disgusting and smelly area.

“The once popular Co-op area and car park has become a hotspot for drinking and anti-social behaviour and there is drugs paraphernalia everywhere.

'Disheartening'

“The area is laden with broken glass, cans and human/animal waste.

“It is time that something was done to bring the area back to the vibrant and busy place I grew up in.

“The new bins are bigger and there are more of them yet people still just throw rubbish, not just litter, anywhere they want with a total disregard to those who live here.

READ MORE: Perry Wood Nature Reserve blighted by flytippers' rubbish

“It’s all a bit disheartening. We can all do something to make this place a beautiful place to live.”

St John’s councillor Richard Udall said: “I reject the notion that St John’s is becoming a dump, in fact the streets are now cleansed more often and with greater detail than ever before.

Richard Udall says St John's residents do take pride in the area

“It is true that in some areas of private land, where the land owner is responsible, especially around the former Co-op store and to some extent near Sainsbury’s, a litter problem does exist, but the landlord is responsible for the upkeep of these areas and keeping them clear of litter.

“I have raised some recent concerns about the Co-op car park and have asked Environmental Health to inspect, but overall, St John’s is a tidy area, the residents are proud of the streets and do much to help to keep them clean.

“Littering and fly-tipping are both illegal and if caught people will be prosecuted.”