Burnley landlord threatens to tie dead rats to railings in protest over 'slum' back street and collapsing wall

A Burnley landlord has threatened to tie dead rats to railings on Todmorden Road if his concerns over a collapsed wall and culvert are not dealt with by the relevant authorities.
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Mr Graham Hill, who has contacted Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham and Burnley Council about the problem at Lyndhurst Road, told the Burnley Express he has been left exasperated by a lack of action.

The wall was part of the old Todmorden Road School.

He said: “At this moment in time we are over run once again with rats from an overdue culvert renewal, which goes back 20 years. We have a vision of slum life in Burnley thanks to a degenerating wall that no one with in this council or local councils are capable of solving.

The collapsed wall at the back of Lyndhurst RoadThe collapsed wall at the back of Lyndhurst Road
The collapsed wall at the back of Lyndhurst Road
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“Time is up for the residents who live here and pay their rates. I can trap enough rats and begin tying them to the railings on Todmorden Road for all to see and why not, I am actually doing something about the problem.

“I have lived on this terraced row for the first 40 years of my life. I know the history and all the time frames and I know which departments and names who are doing nothing.

“The back street has holes in the tarmac where the rats are emerging. Underneath is a culvert which was overdue 20 years ago, the fencing stated as temporary will have been there 20 years next year.

“The wall is collapsing into the culvert which is clear to see and like the rest of it, this wall is leaning and will collapse again.”

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Burnley landlord's concerns over 'danger' old school wall
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A Burnley Council spokesperson said: “An officer went out to visit the site yesterday and removed any loose stones from the wall into the site.

“The wall itself is structurally safe. Unfortunately, it is subject to repeated vandalism. We will contact the owner of the site again to remind him of his responsibilities to the general public.

“The Building Act does not allow the council to repair dangerous structures. It only allows us to remove any danger in default, carrying out the minimum works necessary to make safe and then only if the owner refuses to do so.

“We will continue to respond to reports of any immediate danger presented to the public within our agreed operational standards.”