A DAD-of-two has spoken out over a ‘dreadful’ rubbish tip in the back yard of a next-door house which has attracted rats.

Joe Mawdesley, 50, of Bold Street, Accrington, has complained about the state of the area after seeing several rats emerge from a huge pile of waste that has included a dilapidated shed, bags of rotting food, plastic, metal, carpets and furniture.

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The house was vacant until this week when new tenants moved in and some of the rubbish has now been moved by the letting agents Time to Move, but more than half of it is still there.

The self-employed plasterer, who has lived in the town for 15 years, said: “The job needs to be finished quickly because it is still in an awful state despite the fact that the letting agents have tried to make a start on it.

“There are still so many metal parts and a dilapidated shed. I certainly wouldn’t move into a property that was in that mess.

“They really should have spent more money on making sure they removed it all in one go.

“It is ruining the area and I have seen a rat chasing my pet cat.

“I know some of it has been removed but it was all there for at least a couple of months and it's horrible to live next to.”

Time to Move has said that there are plans in place to remove the rest of the rubbish but this will take some time.

A spokeswoman for the Oswaldtwistle company said: “We need to make sure all the rubbish is recycled in the proper way so this will mean we have to remove it in a few separate tips.

“We don’t just want this rubbish to be dumped anywhere we want to make sure we do the job correctly.”

Hyndburn Borough Council gave the landlord seven days' notice to clean up the mess a month ago, but it is only in the last few days that any rubbish has been removed.

Cllr Paddy Short, who represents the area, said: “I know that my colleague, Joyce Plummer, is fully aware of this issue and is dealing with it.

“Fly tipping and rubbish left lying around is something we deal with every day. It's a big problem, not just in our ward but in Accrington.

“I would urge for action to be taken at this property as soon as possible.”