Broken fence exposes ‘filthy dirty’ health hazard in suburban backyard
A suburban backyard in causing a serious stink among the community. Piles of rubbish including shopping bags, toys, clothes and food have been left to rot outside a Department of Housing property in St James,. . .
A suburban backyard in causing a serious stink among the community. Piles of rubbish including shopping bags, toys, clothes and food have been left to rot outside a Department of Housing property in St James, inPerth’s southeast. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: State housing property becomes rubbish-filled health hazardA broken fence has exposed the mess, which can be seen from a pathway on Albany Hwy, and people living nearby say it is a health issue that must be cleaned up. “Just a filthy dirty mess and stench coming from it as well,” one local said. Another nearby resident said it was “horrific” and “like a rubbish tip”. “All the rats, the smell of it, you just can’t stand it,” he said. Camera IconLocals are up in arms of the state of a backyard in St James, Perth. Credit: 7NEWSNeighbours say the rubbish has been piling up for months at the state-owned social housing property, and they have complained to the department. St James locals have not seen the tenant for weeks, and there was no one home when 7NEWS visited. The distressing situation comes as thousands of West Australians sit on long social housing waitlists. In March, there was more than 23,000 applicants hoping to secure a roof over their head. “We’re in a housing crisis and each day it becomes evident that this is a housing minister who is not in control of his portfolio,” opposition housing spokesperson Sandra Brewer said. WA Housing Minister John Carey said in a statement the department manages 45,000 homes, most “without concern”. When asked about the property at a press conference, WA Premier Roger Cook said: “The department has acted and we’re securing that property to make sure we eliminate any public health risk with respect to the way the property is being managed by the tenant. ”Camera IconA broken fence has exposed the mess, which can be seen from a pathway on Albany Hwy. Credit: 7NEWSIt is not the only property that has caused Perth people to contact authorities over a build-up of rubbish. A specialist clean-up crew was called in to removedecades of wastefrom a home in Mount Pleasant in early 2024. Every room inside the house was covered in newspapers, books, cardboard, furniture and old electrical equipment — some of it stacked up waist-high. And teams were also called into to remove a sea ofrotting waste from a home in South Lakein September that was stopping fed-up neighbours from spending time outside. Teams wearing hazmat suits and masks, and armed with a Bobcat loader, spent several hours clearing the mammoth mess of food, clothes and furniture.