Merevale council flats described as 'dumping ground'

The furious resident shared photographs of mounds of rubbish overflowing from bins at Merevale in Hollingdean.

They claimed that there was also "foul sewage water" outside the property - although the council said this was just flooding.

After being contacted by The Argus, the council removed the rubbish and vowed to fix the flooding issue.

A resident said 'sewage water' had been present for months

The resident said: "The underprivileged are discriminated against and expected to live on a dumping ground."

Photographs show remains of takeaways and household waste scattered across the grass.

A large pile of rubbish can be seen dumped next to the communal bins.

A council spokesperson said: “Once we were made aware of the flytip we visited the site and have now cleared the rubbish.

"We’d like to apologise for the recent missed collections in this area which were due to Covid-19 related staff shortages, and, on one occasion, blocked access due to building work."

The rubbish left uncollected

The Argus understands there have been issues with flooding at the building since December last year.

The council spokesperson added: "We can also confirm, following an inspection, that the water is not raw sewage, but flooding water.

"This has been caused by a combination of factors: a build of weeds/roots growing between slabs that is affecting rainwater drainage which will now be cleared by our Cityparks colleagues, a leak coming from pipework under a slab, which has been reported to Southern Water for urgent repair, and a disconnected downpipe and blocked gulleys, which has been scheduled for urgent repair.”