A DISABLED Barrow pensioner says the council "needs to be shamed" over lack of action with the town's growing litter problem.

Edith Dutson, 77 has lived in Island Road on Barrow Island for five years and is one of a growing number of residents frustrated with the area becoming a hotbed for fly-tipping.

Bins in Steamer Street are overflowing and the street is filled with discarded items from sewing machines to prams, and even sofas.

Mrs Dutson said: "The rubbish is there 24/7. They come and empty the bins and the rubbish that falls on the ground is just left.

"There's been rats seen in the past and it's a real mess.

"We need to shame the town hall about this, I'm sick of calling them.

"They say they are going to come and sort it out but they don't and then the seagulls come and get into the bags and make it worse.

"People would rather buy a few bottles of cider than pay for their rubbish collection."

What happened when this nightmare back alley in Barrow was cleared up and left for a week?

The pensioner believes the issue is becoming a health and safety problem with many young children either forced to walk through the mess or walk on the road to avoid it.

"It's just awful, and it is a health problem – children are always walking through it and I've seen them picking it up and throwing it at each other.

"If I had the energy I would do it myself.

"I have been out and picked it up before but I'm disabled, I can't keep doing this."

It is not just Barrow Island which has seen a surge in fly-tipping.

Residents from a number of streets across town have issued complaints about the volume of rubbish being dumped.

Mrs Dutson said she believes the issue "needs addressing" as a matter of urgency, in order to restore cleanliness to the streets of Barrow.

She also thinks the issue is a matter of civic pride.

"We try to keep our area clean.

"The flats used to be lovely and people took care of them but now I see putting their rubbish on the floor and just walking away, it's terrible."

Rubbish starts to pile up in litter-blighted back alley of Barrow

Video shows the shameful state of Barrow's back alleys that can't be blamed on the binmen