Two north London councils have been slammed for failing to clear up a “dangerous” street amid claims that fly-tipping and rats are now common.
The pavement and road in Holmdale Terrace have reportedly been blocked by rubble from a collapsed shop and the bins from Cambridge Court since August.
But residents say the fact that part of the street is in Haringey and part in Hackney has hampered efforts to clear it.
The Gazette first reported on the problems outside Cambridge Court in Stamford Hill in January, with one local, Michelle Blue, claiming that the area had been “left like a crime scene”.
Three months later, residents say that their concerns have still not been addressed.
Another neighbour, Keith, who did not want his full name published, claimed neither council has been willing to “take responsibility”.
He said: “The main problem is the bins, which are being pushed out into the pavement, and the road, which is getting quite dangerous.
“It’s a bit crazy because nothing seems to really be moving. Most people are saying it’s amazing that an accident hasn’t happened with a pavement like that.”
A construction site is currently in place behind the flats at 1b Holmdale Terrace while a block containing a shop and four homes is built.
The bins serving Cambridge Court, which is in Hackney, have been moved into Holmdale Terrace to accommodate the construction work.
Keith said the bins had attracted fly-tipping and rats, a problem exacerbated by uncleared rubble from a nearby collapsed shop.
He added: “It just doesn’t seem that anybody’s making any effort to clear the collapsed building.
“There’s other people fly-tipping now, people throwing beds and toilets and all sorts of stuff and piling it up by the bins.”
A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “After receiving complaints from residents about the bins, we have been liaising with the owner of the building at Cambridge Court.
“After we met them last month, the owner has agreed to build a new area within the Cambridge Court boundary to house the bins so they can be removed from the street.
“They expect that it will take them a month to build this.
“In the meantime, the building owner has also agreed to fund twice weekly collections from Holmdale Terrace to minimise the amount of rubbish there.”
A Haringey Council spokesperson said: "The structure which had to be demolished was within Haringey borough, but not our ownership, and the adjacent construction site which caused the dangerous structure was within Hackney borough.
"Regarding the fly-tipping and waste bins, the issues reported were all found to be in Hackney after our officers went down to inspect the area on April 3, so we reported this to Hackney and will work with them to resolve any cross-border issues if required."
A spokesperson for the planning applicant at 1b Holmdale Terrace, Kotas Properties Ltd, told the Gazette in January that it was possible the construction site had caused the structural problems at the neighbouring shop, but that they believed the issues were reparable.
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