Concerned residents of a Bradford street are appealing for help to remove waste “dumped” on a field backing onto their homes claiming it is attracting rats.

People living on Fenby Avenue, Dudley Hill, are urging Bradford Council to step in and track down the owner of the private land which they claim is “an utter disgrace” to arrange for it to be tidied up.

Some residents claim that the former sports field is being used as a “dumping ground” for building and general rubbish.

Albert Doyle, 75, said: “I have lived here for 30 years and it was never been like this before until about 18 months ago.

“It is an utter disgrace it is so unsightly, there is everything being dumped, mainly building waste and timber, but there are also dustbins and rocks.

“All of this rubbish is attracting rats which I have seen a number of times. This is a health hazard.

“There are children living around here who are playing outside and they don’t want to live where there is vermin.”

Another resident who wished to remain anonymous said she had problems with some of the horses that were tethered in the same field.

She said: “The horses had no access to food, it was in the winter time and one of them ate one of my conifer trees and basically killed it.

John Major, assistant director environment and regulatory services at Bradford Council, said: “After receiving a complaint about rubbish being dumped on land near Fenby Avenue, an environmental health officer investigated.

“We are now tracing the owner of the site so we can ensure that it gets cleaned up as soon as possible.”