An Edinburgh local has said that multiple examples of fly tipping, overflowing bins and general untidiness has prompted them to leave the city.
The area of Leith is one of the most historic and beautiful areas of the capital, but after years of unpleasantness, one woman has had enough and says that there are many more who feel the same way.
Annette, who has lived in the area for 20 years and is originally from the Netherlands, says that her and her partner are moving out of the city next year as the state of the city is "unacceptable" and "getting worse."
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As well as being a HR director and working in cities such as Aberdeen and London, Annette also volunteers for the Save Our Shore group in Leith, who task themselves with cleaning up the area and making it a more enjoyable place to live.
While on one of her recent morning walks , Annette said that the whole time she was out, almost every bin in the area was in need of emptying and she had to walk miles just to dispose of her dog poo bag.
Speaking about the area in general and other struggles she faces every day, Annette said enough was enough and that they were seeking to move out of Edinburgh.
"We'll be leaving Leith next year due to various reasons. Fly tipping, rats, the state of the pavements and even the fact that I have to fight for my own bin to be emptied, we're absolutely done with it all," she said.
"I can't even walk on the pavements with my suitcase because they're that bad. Leith needs a power wash and stripped down. There's so much building that is happening around us that the remaining beauty spots are getting smaller and smaller, it really is the pits.
"Everything that doesn't get picked up from the bins just ends up in the Water of Leith. I walked miles from Albert doc, to Victoria Park this morning and all of the bins were full and overflowing."
Annette, aged 46, continued to say that the responsibility can no longer lie with the individuals, and something more has to be done to include more frequent bin emptying and general improvements to the way of life.
After having her home country of the Netherlands to compare it to, she said you wouldn't see this anywhere else in Europe.
She continued: "I don't pay council and income tax for this.
"Don't get me wrong, Leith and Edinburgh are beautiful, but come on, it's the capital of Scotland and this is what we get. Everything is broken, vandalised or dirty. I've lived here for 20 years and this is by far the worst its ever been.
"The reality is, with the tram works and lack of trees, everything is trampled. The council really should make more of an effort as at the moment, everything not collected ends up in the water."
Annette also suggested that environmental wardens are deployed to look after certain areas and chase up issues such as overflowing bins or waste that has been left.
She added: "They need to invest in maintenance wardens or something like that, because at the moment, nobody seems to care.
"My mother in law visits every year and is constantly shocked by the state of the place. I'm worried it's turning into Blackpool. There's no environment wardens, it's just a dump and nobody seems to care."
The City of Edinburgh Council declined to comment.
