A fed up Belfast resident hit out at council inaction over a dumped sofa that had been attracting drug takers to his street for almost three weeks.
The man, who asked not to be named, shared video footage with us of the two men responsible for leaving the shabby blue-green couch in an alley on Camden Street in the Holyland, saying "they are just idiotic".
He said he first reported the fly-tip to Belfast City Council on August 1, following up the report up with an email on August 4.
Read more: Holyland branded 'lawless ghetto' over fly tipping and dirty streets
But the 42-year-old, who runs @IdeaspaceNI on Twitter, says he has been left to clean up after the antisocial behaviour it has attracted every day since. And despite ongoing issues known even to police, the sofa had not been collected for disposal until August 18.
He told us: "I don't understand the reasons behind people dumping rubbish. There are dumps for this type of thing and it's free. They are just idiotic. I wish people would think more as to the consequences to local residents."
Speaking about council inaction which he feels has exacerbated the situation, he added: "I said to the council that if it was dumped outside City Council I think it would be removed pretty quickly. Why should this be any different?
"It's not about the drugs per se, just bad council services making it worse.
"I have cameras and tidy this alley nearly daily. I saw it being dumped on camera. Sent the emails to BCC but doubt they could ever prove it for prosecution but looks like a van dumped it."
Police said they were called to Camden Street on August 11 following a report of antisocial behaviour and from this picture can be seen investigating the area around the dumped sofa.
A PSNI spokesperson told us: "Following searches in the area, drug paraphernalia was located and removed. We are aware of ongoing issues in the area and will continue to work alongside our partner agencies, local representatives and the community to address local concerns.
"Anyone with any information relating to criminal or anti-social behaviour to contact police on 101, or alternatively information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime."
We asked Belfast City Council for a comment. They said they contacted @Ideaspace on Twitter to tell them they have now assessed the area and "a larger vehicle is needed to remove the sofa".
On Thursday morning, the council confirmed the sofa had been cleared.
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