Eastbourne guest house owners' anger at rubbish dumped in alley

The owners say waste is often dumped in the alley off Compton Street and spread across the road by seagulls. They fear the problem will put off visitors and affect business if it isn’t dealt with. Bo Thunsterom, owner of the Sherwood Guest House, says it has been happening for a long time. He said, “It’s just horrible. It gets spread over the street. When the first bin is full rubbish is piled on the top, then the seagulls spread it out. “It’s right next to the theatre. The tourists can’t walk on a pedestrian road. “It’s not healthy, rubbish is supposed to be in the bin not on the street. It looks terrible. “The rest of us get a problem with rubbish and increased number of seagulls and the problems that can follow that – it’s a health risk!” He added, “We have reported this several times and the neighbour team has been there but nothing changes. “Our business rates have increased 600 per cent last year. The council seems to misunderstand who they work for.” Joy Hartley of the Berkerly Guest House said she recently spent £200 to have the entire alleyway cleared, but it was back to a mess a few days later. She said, “This is the last thing all of us need right now, it’s horrible. We try to do the best we can. “But we’ve got people leaving things or people walking past and dumping stuff. “That’s a problem for everybody. I can clean my bins but I cannot clean the whole alleyway, It’s an ongoing problem it needs to be resolved.” A spokesperson for Eastbourne council said, “Although the bins are council bins, they shouldn’t have been in this unadopted alleyway, which is not the council’s responsibility. On this occasion, we’ve cleared and removed the bins and cleared the alleyway.” Read more: Polegate couple’s rat fears as uncollected bins overflow