Rubbish pile-up in Coventry neighbourhood ‘worse than Birmingham’, residents say

Coventry residents are reporting an all-time high rubbish build up ‘worse than Birmingham’ around Walsgrave Road and Ball Hill.

Fly-tipping has become normalised in the area, residents told the BBC.

Karen Pell, who has resided in Ball Hill for three decades, said she was “embarrassed” at the issues regarding littering.

Coventry City Council reported that Ball Hill residents and business owners have received 30 penalty notices related to littering within the past six months.

The Council declared it aims to “resolve the issue” by collaborating with its partners to clean up the area.

The situation in Ball Hill reached such a point that 12 landowners were served notices to clear up the street

A spokesperson for Coventry City Council elaborated on how it aims to do this, saying: “We carry out regular checks and monitor hotspots in the area. CCTV has been installed at one known hotspot, and we are looking at possible locations for additional coverage.

“Footage from this is shared regularly on our ‘Wall of Shame’ on social media to highlight the issue and raise awareness.”

The situation in Ball Hill reached such a point that 12 landowners were served notices to clear up the street.

However, the trash remained on the streets, leaving many Coventry residents concerned about the issue.

66-year-old Ms. Pell said: “Birmingham is terrible at the moment but that’s due to a strike and that’s going to get sorted, that’s temporary, but the problem in Ball Hill isn’t.

“All my friends are saying to me ‘you should leave the area and move’, but that’s not possible… I don’t actually walk up Ball Hill anymore because it’s filthy.”

It’s a situation that does need to be addressed […] because, I mean, nobody wants to live in a refuse tip at the end of the day

William Lambert, Destination Ball Hill volunteer

Ms. Pell was not the only resident in the area who has reported that the problem ‘is worse than Birmingham’.

Odette Lavelle added: “As soon as somebody sees one thing out in the open, they all come and dump their stuff, with rats and everything.”

Destination Ball Hill, a non-profit organisation aiming to fix the ongoing problems, has organised weekly litter cleaning sessions and encouraged local politicians to draw more attention to Ball Hill.

William Lambert, a 76-year-old man who is a volunteer for Destination Ball Hill, said: “It’s a situation that does need to be addressed […] because, I mean, nobody wants to live in a refuse tip at the end of the day.”

The council further instructed residents on how to prevent the issue from becoming worse.

“Anyone can report fly-tipping anonymously by going to our website, external or calling 08085 834333.”