Kirkcaldy's Linktown plagued by fly-tippers as rubbish mounts up and pests move in

Several streets in the area have been victim to the thoughtless dumpers who have been scattering the area with rubbish, with reports of used sanitary towels, dirty nappies and dead rats littering the streets.

Lizzy Halstead, community volunteer, said: “The area is an absolute mess with all of the rubbish that has been dumped by fly-tippers.

"We have tidied up old mattresses, washing machines, couches, carpets, black bags, trolleys, and all sorts of other waste – you name it, we have cleared it up!

“All of this rubbish has now attracted rats and seagulls, and when they get to it and rip the bags open it just makes the mess worse.”

Lizzy adds that the support from Fife Council has been outstanding with employees going the extra mile to help tidy the area, and she also thanked Councillor Kathleen Leslie for her support.

"Our resident street orderly, Scott, has been going above and beyond to help us clear up the mess, and the guys who work on the bin lorries have also been a great help,” she added.

"The people who live in the area are really frustrated with the situation now – it is disgusting!"

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She added: "There needs to be a deterrent in place to stop this from happening - they need to be caught and fined. If this doesn’t happen they will just keep dumping rubbish.”

Kirstie Freeman, safer communities manager with Fife Council, said: "We are aware of the significant issues, and are working with our partners and local residents to try and improve the situation.

"The most significant issue here appears to be residents from out with the street disposing of their rubbish. We have the area on our Safer Communities Officers patrol matrix and will continue to work to try and have items cleared as quickly as possible and pursue action wherever we have the evidence to enable us to do so.

"I'd urge local residents to continue to report fly tipping, and where they know who is responsible to pass that specific information on.

"Residents can also report rubbish accumulations in gardens to us on 03451 550000."

If you would like to report illegal fly-tipping, please visit: Fife Council illegal dumping website

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