Residents in a Scottish town are considering standing guard over their streets to prevent a scourge of people dumping rubbish in their community.
Ferguslie Park residents have battled a long plague of fly-tipping in their Paisley suburb – with families so frustrated they are are weighing up whether to stand sentry.
The latest incident saw piles of timber, plumbing equipment, mattresses and a kitchen sink all dumped close to St Mirren’s SMiSA stadium last week.
Locals have had enough after months of negative headlines, rodent infestations and eyesore piles of waste.
It comes after nearby abandoned estate Tannahill, which fly-tippers used to use as their own dumping ground, began being demolished in recent weeks, leading to an increase in the amount of rubbish abandoned in the area.

Ferguslie Park residents have battled a long plague of fly-tipping in their Paisley surburb – with families so frustrated they are are weighing up whether to stand sentry

The piles of timber – and even a sink – were dumped outside the SMiSA stadium last week

Ferguslie Community Council chair Terry McTernan said Ferguslie Park has a ‘diligent and hardworking community’ and the fly-tipping gives the area a bad reputation
Ferguslie Community Council chair Terry McTernan said: ‘Community members are so outraged by this that there are now talks of public protests or potential overnight watch points manned by volunteers demonstrating the community’s determination to stamp this outrageous behaviour out.’
The community has done much in recent years to shed a negative image but incidents like these – which were witnessed by visitors to the area for Saints’ home match with Dundee United on Saturday – tarnish that hard work.
Mr McTernan said: ‘The impression this gives visitors to the community, particularly football fans, is a world away from the diligent and hard-working community that Ferguslie Park is.
‘Over recent years, local volunteers have worked tirelessly to improve their local environment with local groups including Pals of the Privies and Darkwood Crew reclaiming and regenerating our green spaces helping shift local attitudes to fly-tipping and littering more broadly.
‘It is truly insulting that commercial waste is being regularly dumped in our community. Ferguslie Park is our home and not anyone’s dumping ground.’
Previously, the Tannahill estate had been used as a waste disposal area by cowboy traders who took advantage of the empty buildings awaiting demolition to leave their waste in the area illegally.

The waste has since been cleared by the council, but the issue has plagued residents for months

Waste dumped included a mattress, large pipe and empty boxes, as well as household rubbish

Residents have complained of numerous rodent infestations, especially rats, around the old estate and rubbish dumped near their homes
However, with the demolition well underway and the estate fenced off, the fly-tippers appear to have simply dropped off their rubbish at the next closest opportunity – in this instance, Craigielea Drive and Duns Avenue.
Pictures have emerged which show mattresses, pipes, wooden furniture, empty boxes and large piles of wood just abandoned.
Previous incidents have seen entire sofas, roles of carpet and heaps of garden waste also left behind.
Residents have complained of numerous rodent infestations, especially rats, around the old estate and rubbish dumped near their homes.
Renfrewshire Council’s environmental taskforce has since removed the waste and says material found at the site has led to the identification of those responsible. A joint investigation with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is currently underway.

JUNE: Once a thriving community, Tannahill Road in Paisley, Scotland, overwhelmed with waste, which has caused fury among residents and created a breeding ground for rats

JUNE: Fly-tipping at the deserted housing estate, located in the Ferguslie Park area
A spokesperson for the council said: ‘There is no excuse for fly-tipping. It is illegal, unsightly and damages the environment. Local council taxpayers and businesses also have to foot the bill for cleaning it up.
‘Our environmental taskforce are dedicated to catching fly-tippers in the act. They carry out daily proactive visits to hot spot areas and respond to reports from councillors and the public.
‘Our team has removed the fly-tipping outside SMiSA and identified the offender through evidence provided by our Team Up to Clean Up volunteers. An investigation is underway with the support of colleagues in SEPA.
‘Offenders should be aware that much of the evidence now collated by our environmental taskforce is volunteered from the public through eye-witness statements, dash-cam or personal CCTV footage.
‘We encourage residents to report fly-tipping to us and provide us with any evidence they have about who is responsible. We will then do everything we can to make sure they are held to account. We are working hard to improve our local environment in Renfrewshire so let’s work together to stop fly-tipping.’