ANGRY residents claim their Great Yarmouth neighbourhood is being blighted by irresponsible fly-tippers.

This week discarded building materials, furniture and tyres were among rubbish strewn around the York Road area.

It follows complaints earlier this year that the previously quiet street close to the town centre and seafront was being turned into a “ghetto” environment by teenage yobs.

Alleyways, courtyards and empty houses have become a regular dumping ground for fly-tippers, according to pensioner David Taylor.

Retired driver Mr Taylor, 71, has lived with wife Marlene on Lancaster Square for 23 years and used to run a Home Watch group. He said: “The problem is getting worse and nothing seems to get done about it. I must have called the council 50 or 60 times in the last few months, but no sooner is one lot of mess cleared up than another appears. I am not aware of any offenders being caught and punished.

“We found a settee last week, a freezer the other day and there are discarded sinks, pieces of wood and a TV set lying around at the moment. I have asked the police about installing gates to seal off the alleyways, but they say it is a fire hazard.”

Groups of drug users also regularly congregate on a grassed area off Fox’s Passageway, according to Mr Taylor.

Jo Bailey, who lives nearby in St James Walk, is demanding more is done to deal with fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

Caf� assistant Ms Bailey, 59, said: “I had to clear up some rubbish this week that had been left lying around in a passageway. One morning I got up and found a fridge freezer left near my house. Bins have been set alight in the early hours of the morning. And groups of drug users gather here, some of them are quite intimidating.”

In March, the Mercury reported that the lives of families on York Road were being made a misery by unruly teenagers.

One anonymous couple claimed the problem had escalated on the previously quiet street, with increasing incidents or anti-social behaviour and petty crime.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council senior environmental ranger Paul Shucksmith admitted the area has been targeted by flytippers. He said: “We have focused on the problem and it tends to be more isolated incidents with rubbish left in empty properties.”.