LARGE rats have started invading homes next to a fly-tipping hotspot.

Now locals are calling for a persistent fly-tipper plaguing their neighbourhood to be stopped.

Piles of black bin bags filled with food and takeaway packaging are being dumped on a regular basis in a backstreet behind Wensleydale Road, Thornbury, neighbours say.

Abdul Jabbar, a resident of nearby Petrie Grove, said the bags had been appearing for about six months, and he sometimes got rid of them himself and sometimes involved the Council’s fly-tipping team.

He said: “I have had it removed two times before by the Council but I’m sick of it now. This has been going on for six months.

“It’s all takeaway stuff and there are foxes, cats and rats going through the stuff.

“Now rats are getting into the houses.”

Mr Jabbar, a father-of-three who grew up in Wensleydale Road, said he could no longer let his children play out in the back street because of the state of the area.

His brother, Mohammed Ibrar, also of Petrie Grove, said: “We have got to the point where we just think, what do we do now?

“What if somebody sets it alight? What happens then?”

Fellow Petrie Grove resident Shane West described the scale of the fly-tipping as “scandalous”.

He said rats had been coming into his house for four to five months, and while he was trying various pest control methods, they were not having much effect.

He said the rats were so big, when they ran around in the roof void it sounded like they had boots on. He even managed to photograph a rat caught by his dog around a week ago to show how big they were.

He said: “I have seen three in one go, coming into my house.”

Mr Jabbar said he’d like the Council to fit CCTV to catch the culprit in the act.

They have also contacted ward councillor Mohammed Shafiq (Lab, Bradford Moor).

Cllr Shafiq warned that the Council and the residents would work together to gather evidence and ensure that those responsible were prosecuted.

He said: “Our residents are not happy with some individuals having no regard to the law as fly tipping is an offence and the Bradford Council will prosecute individuals who do not abide by the law.”

A Council spokesman added: “If fly-tipping has been reported to us we will take appropriate action.

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and incidents are investigated by our Environmental Enforcement Team to identify those responsible.”

To report fly-tipping, call the Environment Enforcement Team on 01274 434366 or visit www.bradford.gov.uk.