Rubbish worse than Birmingham - residents
BBCPeople who live near a popular high street have described the build-up of rubbish as "worse than Birmingham", which is currently affected by a bin worker strike.
Residents in Walsgrave Road in Coventry and the surrounding area, known colloquially as Ball Hill, say fly-tipping and littering has been getting worse over the past few years.
Karen Pell, who has lived in the area for 30 years, said she was "embarrassed" by the problem.
Coventry City Council said it had served thirty fixed penalty notices on residents and businesses in the past six months, and that it was working with partners to "resolve the issue".
Ms Pell said: "Birmingham is terrible at the moment but that's due to a strike and that's going to get sorted, that's temporary, but the problem in Ball Hill isn't.
"All my friends are saying to me 'you should leave the area and move', but that's not possible... I don't actually walk up Ball Hill anymore because it's filthy."
The 66-year-old added that despite the best efforts of volunteers, clearing the rubbish seemed "impossible" because it would "come back the next day".
Another resident, Odette Lavelle, agreed that the situation was worse than Birmingham.
"As soon as somebody sees one thing out in the open, they all come and dump their stuff, with rats and everything," she said.
She added that Ball Hill had "really gone down" in recent years.
William Lambert is a volunteer for Destination Ball Hill, a group which was set up to improve the area.
He said he got involved because it was "not fair to sit and moan" about the problem without doing something himself to help.
Destination Ball Hill organises weekly litter picking sessions and lobbies local politicians for more action to be taken to clean the area.
"It's a situation that does need to be addressed... because, I mean, nobody wants to live in a refuse tip at the end of the day."
The 76-year-old said he was optimistic that the situation would improve in the coming months, as the group's meetings with the local council have been "constructive".
What is the council doing?
A spokesperson for Coventry City Council said they were "aware of issues" in Ball Hill, and that the authority was working to resolve them.
"We carry out regular checks and monitor hotspots in the area. CCTV has been installed at one known hotspot, and we are looking at possible locations for additional coverage.
"Footage from this is shared regularly on our 'Wall of Shame' on social media to highlight the issue and raise awareness."
The council added that it was also working with residents and businesses to ensure that waste is "dealt with correctly".
"We are trying to develop a sense of ownership of the area by local residents, businesses and their customers so that they can take pride in their neighbourhood and help to protect it from environmental crime."
"Anyone can report fly-tipping anonymously by going to our website or calling 08085 834333."
Meanwhile, West Midlands Police said it would advise anyone who has concerns regarding fly-tipping to visit their dedicated webpage for more information.
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