Residents in a UK town have described their desperate situation, revealing that the area now feels like a “third-world country”. Problems in the town include rubbish dumping, rats, anti-social behaviour, and drug usage, some locals have said. A number of residents have now decided to take action, including the creation of a wall of dead rats in a stark bid to show the council how bad things have gotten.
Eastwood is an area of Rotherham in South Yorkshire and has become a “hell-hole” in the eyes of some residents. The council is well aware that the town has its issues, with a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) issued in 2019 and recently extended all the way to 2028. This order restricts things such as public drinking, loitering, and other forms of anti-social behaviour. While it remains in place, locals still say there is work to do as they describe the local conditions in which they find themselves living.
One local, 45-year-old Andrew Wilshaw, told The Sun: “This used to be a great area but in the past 10 years it has gone downhill before my eyes. I am doing my best to help it. We didn’t have much but we had standards. Now it’s more like a third world country.”
The father of two set up the Facebook group How Clean in Eastwood, which now has more than 800 members. “The idea is that we shame the council into action, because the PSPOs they have in place do nothing,” he said.
“A lot of people will get me to post their photos for them because they’re too scared of reprisals to do it themselves. All the people who used to care have had enough and moved out. Most of those left living in this mayhem are the elderly. It’s awful.
“I moved in with my ill parents a bit further up the road around 10 years ago and managed to sell my house in the thick of the problem area. I thank God that happened because I wouldn’t get anything for it now.”
Meanwhile, 74-year-old Dave Russell created a wall of rats to demonstrate to the council how bad things have got. He also topped his garden fence with barbed wire “to stop burglars” following an incident a few years ago.
He added: “You can’t have your back door open for fear you’ll get a rat in your house. You see them darting across your garden all the time. I catch three or four every day.”
Another resident, 34-year-old Mohammed Khan, told The Sun that he had to replace his Mitsubishi Outlander 4×4 a number of times because rats chewed through wires.
Rotherham Council said it has cracked down on flytipping with hundreds of warning letters, tickets and enforcement action. It also confirmed it investigated and took action over 325 noise complaints.
Sam Barstow, the council’s assistant director of regeneration and environment, told The Sun: “We are committed to keeping the borough clean and welcoming. The waste team visit Eastwood on weekdays to clear all the litter bins and general waste.
“Additionally, a weekend team carry out bin clearance and attend to any fly-tipping, making a total of six visits. If we have reports of flytipping of larger items like mattresses or fridge freezers, we make additional visits, which is currently averaging around four occasions per week.”