FURIOUS residents are dealing with rats and fly-tippers after seven years of inaction from the council over dilapidated garages in their road.

Residents in Lilac Close, Chingford, have watched council-owned garages in their road fall into disrepair over the years, leading to a recent rat infestation.

The garage closest to number 21, which houses a young family, has three trees growing through its now collapsed roof.

Standing at 16ft tall, one tree is towering over the house nearby and has collapsed one side of a garage completely, where fly-tippers regularly dump unwanted furniture and rubbish.

The roots of the three trees, left to grow without check for years, are now threatening to come up through the pavement in the road.

Jan Blunt, 71, who works in Tesco, said people are just walking by “dumping more and more” as there is “nothing to stop them”.

She added: “They will need a lorry to empty the rubbish dumped in there and now we have rats running around now.

The ladies of Lilac Close take it in turns every week to call the council but “every week they do nothing”.

Mrs Blunt added: “We’re getting fed up with it, it's been seven years of waiting.

"It makes the place look an absolute eyesore.

“We try and keep the cul-de-sac nice and clean and then we have this at the bottom.

“They don’t have to live there, they don’t have to deal with the rats, we do.

“We have to look at the five garages every day, they would be better to just knock them down, they don’t use them.”

Carol Canham, 66, has lived in the road for 37 years and has been “moaning to the council” about the garages’ poor state for more than a decade.

She added: “I was told they couldn’t bring them down because there was asbestos in there.

“Something just needs to be done.”

June Hardcastle, 78, fears for the children playing in the summer when “the ivy comes back”.

She said: “The children climb up there and it’s very dangerous.

“They can’t just cut it down, they need to dig it up. It’s getting out of hand.”

In a statement responding to the situation, the council confirmed “no decision has been taken” despite years of complaints from residents.

A spokesman added:  “The council is currently exploring options for regenerating this site.

“Residents nearby will be contacted directly to inform them of any proposals.

“The site will also be monitored for fly-tipping, and enforcement action will be taken as appropriate.”