A HUGE pile of rubbish dumped in a patch of private land is attracting clouds of flies and “rats as big as cats” to a city street.

It also forced a nearby pub to keep its beer garden closed for the summer.

The owner of the land in Corporation Road, Newport - already prosecuted twice and issued fines of £1,600 by Newport City Council - is facing a third prosecution if the land isn’t cleared by the end of October.

But despite the enforcement, residents are fed up at having to live near the rubbish pile, which regularly spills over onto the pavement of the street.

South Wales Argus:

Spilling on to the street on Thursday, the waste was cleared by the council by Friday. But for residents and the nearby Dodger pub, clearing the pavement isn’t enough, as the problem pile has been a blight on their lives for almost two years.

Alec Bowen’s ground floor flat in Chepstow Road backs onto the land.

Mr Bowen, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after a childhood spent hauling coal sacks, said: “It’s been going on for well over a year now.

“It’s so bad that around the corner it’s seeping over to the pavement.

“I spoke to a member of the environmental health team who came to look at it a couple of months ago.

“He said he had spoken to the landowner, and that the pile would be sorted within a few days.

“But it’s still there two and a half months later.

“Sometimes the council bin men come and take three bin bags worth from the pavement, which doesn’t really solve the problem.

“I’ve seen rats as big as cats, and I’ve come to the end of my tether at this point.”

Jon Evans, who works as the chef at the Dodger pub on Chepstow Road, said: “In the summer we get so many flies because of it too, we have to keep the door to the back beer garden shut and not use it, which cost us business when the weather was so nice.”

Newport City Council, who have prosecuted the owner of the land twice and regularly clean the pavement on Corporation Road when the pile spills on to it, said they have found no evidence of rats on the site though.

A council spokesperson added: “Officers have consistently pursued the owner of the site to take action to tidy up the site and issued Section 215 Notices (a tidy up order) in June 2016 and again in August this year.

“The owner failed to turn up to court on both occasions and was prosecuted in their absence when fines of £600 and £1,000 respectively were issued.

“Further action is again pending and the owner has until October 29 to clear up the site or be prosecuted again.”

Our War on Litter campaign aims to feature every litter picking hero and volunteer group that we can, as well as highlight problem areas. If you would like to be featured, or if you want to send us some pictures or video , get in touch by emailing sam.ferguson@gwent-wales.co.uk or joining our dedicated Facebook group – South Wales Argus: War on Litter.