Mum-of-two keeps kids away from park covered in rubbish and overrun by rats

Residents horrified as fly-tippers turn historic city park into a rubbish dump that has locals complaining about the smell, rats and keeping their kids away from the playground

13:05, 10 Feb 2026Updated 13:05, 10 Feb 2026

[Rubbish bags dumped by fly-tippers pile up at the entrance to an historic city park]

Rubbish dumped by fly-tippers piles up at the entrance to an historic city park(Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)

An historic city park named after a 19th century property developer is now seen as a no-go zone for kids after being covered in rotting rubbish and overrun by rats.

Horrified residents have called for action to reclaim their green space which has been turned it into a dump by uncaring fly-tippers who were branded "environmental criminals".

The once inviting entrances to the Henry Barber Park in Bordesley Green, Birmingham have passers by holding their nose and shaking their heads in disgust at the huge mounds of waste that have piled up. Visitors are now welcomed by the sight of old furniture, food waste, dirty nappies and an insufferable smell.

[The entrance to Henry Barber Park in Bordesley Green, Birmingham showing the rubbish dumped by fly-tippers]

The entrance to Henry Barber Park in Bordesley Green, Birmingham that has become a fly-tipping hotspot(Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)

A mother-of two, who wished to remain anonymous, said the park was so bad she refuses to let her kids play on it. She said: "I don't like my children playing here anymore, it isn't safe.

"Who knows what's in these bags, it could be syringes or knives. You don't want your children finding this when they're supposed to be playing. The waste, some if it is locals. But it's drawing rats to the park and that isn't clean. You look at it and it looks almost like a wasteland, full of rubbish and bags."

[Local resident Sabir Hussain points to the dumped rubbish]

Sabir Hussain points to the mound of rubbish 'full of very bad things' (Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)

Sabir Hussain, who lives nearby, blasted Birmingham City Council for its lack of action. The 82-year-old said: "It makes me feel bad, you walk on the grass and you can see the rubbish. It smells bad, too, it's awful. It's the council, they must be doing their job, but they aren't.

"All of this road and Imperial Road, it's like it all over. Please do something. Great Britain, it's not so great anymore, think about it. I walk here every morning but it's full of very bad things. Fifty years ago when I came here, it was a very nice area. Now it's all rubbish."

The park was named after one of Birmingham's most famous sons' Sir William Henry Barber. He made his fortune expanding the city's suburbs which have sadly become rundown and rubbish strewn in recent years.

[A sea of bin bags, old furniture and kids toys have turned the park into an eyesore]

One mum refuses let her kids go in the park due to the bags of rubbish making it unsafe for the to play (Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)

Several locals blamed the cost of living crisis and ongoing bin workers' strike in Birmingham, which has been impacting the city since last January for the state of the park caused by the increase in fly-tipping. Birmingham City Council say they are cracking down on fly-tippers, who they branded.

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Councillor Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "Fly-tipping harms where we all have to live and work and is carried out by environmental criminals that have no regard for our neighbourhoods or their well-being.

"When fly-tipping occurs, we act as quickly as possible. Our crews clear hundreds of fly-tipping reports each week; this is in addition to the work our neighbourhood crews undertake to clean up across the city."

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