'No wonder we have rats everywhere' say residents on Milton Keynes estate where dumped rubbish is a problem

Fly-tipped bags of rubbish are adding to the persistent rat problem on a Milton Keynes estate.

Conniburrow is one of several areas of MK to be plagued with rats, which run along back gardens, digging holes underneath the fences in their quest for food.

Three years ago MK Council spent £140,000 on a special deep clean and pest control programme for Conniburrow, Fishermead, Oldbrook, Netherfield and Coffee Hall because the problem was so bad.

The operation focused on removing waste and rubbish and installing baiting stations in partnership with Luton Borough’s Pest Control Team.

But now the rubbish is back – and so are the rats.

One resident took photos of black sacks of household waste dumped right outside her back garden, on a public footpath running along the rear of properties in Conniburrow Boulevard.

“The sacks have been there so long now that the sacks have ripped open and the contents are now strewn across the pathway,” she said.

“As a home owner I am so fed-up with the condition that this once very nicely kept estate has been allowed to descend into. It’s a constant struggle to keep things tidy with the amount of rubbish left laying around. No wonder we are overrun with rats.”

The resident also worried that the dumped rubbish could cause problems for emergency services accessing the Boulevard’s homes in the event of a crisis.

She has reported the fly-tipping to Milton Keynes City Council but says so far they have taken no action – despite the fact that it would be easy to trace the culprit.

"The sack contents contain personal postal items and the address can be clearly seen,” she said.

It was in October 2020 that councillors announced the clean-up campaign. At the time they were concerned about how many rats were running around close to primary schools and children's play parks specifically on Conniburrow and Oldbrook.

Today a council spokesman told the Citizen: “We are investigating the matter and will clear the area as soon as possible. We take fly tipping extremely seriously and will take action as necessary. We encourage people to report incidents like this to us directly on our website.”