Decision to remove bins encourages rats says trader

A GARAGE owner has accused the council of abandoning residents and traders after failing to deal with a rat and litter problem.

Payman Panishahi, who runs a car repair garage in Jackman Mews, Neasden, said the double menace was scaring away and peoples’ health at risk.

Mr Panishahi said the problem was aggravated after Brent Council removed wheelie bins from the street.

He claims residents have since been forced to leave plastic bags out which the rats chew through in seconds.

Mr Panishahi said: “It’s like a rubbish tip here. It’s been going on for years. They have taken away the bins from the residents and the rats love it. You see them everyday and every evening. It’s like a road that the council has forgotten about.”

Brent Council acknowledged there had been a rat problem in the area previously but had been forced to remove the wheelie bins after traders filled them with rubbish.

A council spokesman said: “We carried out a lot of baiting in Jackman Mews last year and worked with Thames Water to tackle rats in their sewers, which seem to reduce the problem. We will visit again this week and will prioritise dealing with it if it has become a hotspot.

“It is possible that the rats could be chewing through black bin bags. However, we have had to introduce them as traders were illegally using wheelie bins to dispose of trade waste which costs a lot to deal with, which ultimately local people have to pay for through council tax.”