THIS dangerous dumping ground full of broken glass, used syringes and rotting food is just yards from a children's play area.

Concerned social worker Charles Payne fears a child will be seriously hurt unless the dump, on land owned by Rossendale Council, is cleaned up.

He says he is sick of complaining to the council about the eyesore in Piccadilly Street, Haslingden, which is regularly used as a dump ground for everything from cars and household waste to sheet glass and syringes.

Charles, 42, who has lived in Piccadilly Street for 31 years, says Rossendale Council have ignored the problem for the last five years and allowed the dumping to get worse.

During that time, he tried many times, unsuccessfully, to get the council to clean it up but he turned to Grimewatch for help after his pleas were ignored. "It is an absolute disgrace," said Charles. "The council will have no excuse if a child is hurt because they have known about the problem for long enough. I have lived in this house most of my life and there was never a problem when the land was privately owned."

Charles, who believes the council have encouraged people to dump on the land by putting skips there, added: "Every now and then they put a skip on the site but the problem is when they take them away people still dump their rubbish. It blows all around the streets and gets in the trees.

"I complained and they said they wouldn't put any more skips on the site but they did.

"They haven't cleaned it up properly for at least five years.

"Not only is it an eyesore but it is also a health hazard - I once got a rat in my house because of it."

But Charles is also worried about the risk to children using the nearby play area.

He said: "The dumping area is right next to houses and to a children's playground I fear it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident.

Rossendale Council's Borough Housing and Environmental Health officer David Taylor said the problem would be investigated immediately.

He said: "A representative from our neighbourhood housing office is visiting the site to assess the problem and see what needs to be done."

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