A BAKERY owner is demanding action over a rubbish-strewn alleyway she says is plagued by rats.

Tracey Livesey, who co-owns Leavers Bakery in Bolton Road, Ewood, says the litter by her shop is now “worse than ever before”.

Mrs Livesey maintains that she has complained to Blackburn with Darwen Council on repeated occasions over several years “but nobody wants to know”.

Mrs Livesey co-owns the shop directly opposite Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park stadium with her business partner David Leaver.

The alleyway, which runs behind a terrace of houses, has had a lockable gate at either end for two years or so to deter flytipping but the rubbish problem persists.

Mrs Livesey said: “It’s worse now than it ever has been. It’s just a mixture of everything.

“People tell me it’s a dumping ground — I want it cleaning up.

“The environmental health people at the council would be quick to come on to me if I had a cleanliness problem but nobody wants to know when I complain.

“They say they will look into it but that’s all they say.”

Mrs Livesey claims people living in the row of terraced houses must be at fault over the rubbish.

She says the alleyway is also overgrown with weeds, with no council operatives having cleared it for a long time. The bakery scored five out of five for its hygiene standards after its last inspection.

Environment chief Cllr Jim Smith, executive member for environment at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “Staff have visited this alleyway to remove rubbish following complaints on three occasions over the last three months but unfortunately the council does not have limitless resources to tackle this type of anti-social behaviour.

“This is an ongoing problem that we are aware of and we are encouraging locals, residents and shop owners, to contact us with information, as to who they think may be responsible.”

“We would also invite anyone who is interested to join our Your Call volunteer campaign that has achieved some fantastic results in cleaning up problem areas.”