Take-away asks for mess to be cleaned-up

Mar 25 2009 by Douglas Dickie, Rutherglen Reformer

A CAMBUSLANG take-away has called on someone to clean up the mess behind their shop.

Mohammad Fiaz, manager of the Spices shop on Hamilton Road in Halfway, is furious that people are using the lane at the back of his unit as a rubbish tip.

And he wants the council to either clean it up, or tell those who are leaving it to get rid of their own mess.

According to Mohammad, the waste is coming from flats above his shop and from nearby houses, as well as local gangs of drunken neds.

The lane is littered with bags filled with household waste, as well as pieces of old carpet, broken booze bottles and even and old Christmas tree.

When the Reformer visited the site last week, there was an sickening odour, leading to fears that a hot summer could make the problem even worse.

Mohammad is fed-up of people passing the lane and assuming the mess comes from his shop, as well as the other units in the block, and is demanding something is done.

He said: “We have a bin and Shanks Waste take it away every week.

“The main problem is that people passing by think all this waste is ours, and that gives us a bad reputation, but I’m not cleaning it. Why should I? It doesn’t belong to us.

“You can see the kitchen in the shop, it’s spotless. I need to clean up my mess but I’m not clearing away someone elses.

“Something needs to be done.”

Mohammad has been in contact with the council who have told him they are aware of the problem and are addressing it.

However, the letter also states that the units have a duty to keep the back of their shops clear, but Mohammad said: “All the shops pay our rates so the council should do something.”

A South Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said that they will take action if nothing is done: “Letters have been sent to all business premises and flats which have communal responsibility for the area.

“As the area concerned is communal, responsibility for clearing it does not rest with the council. If the area is not cleared by the communal users, the council can serve a notice and bill the users.

“We will assess the area at the end of the week. If nothing has been done notices will be served.”