THE state of the open space and other amenities at the Cades Farm estate in Wellington has come under fire.

Andy Russell, who moved into his home on the estate just over four years ago, says many residents he has spoken to are appalled by the current condition of the open space.

He says a dog waste bin is supplied and serviced weekly by the town council but two other general waste bins are usually only emptied monthly during the winter months by a private company when it comes to cut the grass.

“The horrendous situation is that within less than a week these two bins are full to bursting with dog faeces,” Mr Russell said. Once the bins are full dog walkers put bags on top or underneath the bins, he added. “It’s surely an environmental health hazard with children playing nearby.”

Mr Russell said: “The increased development of Cades Farm means more and more people have decided to walk their dogs on this green space. I and others have complained to town, district and county councils in the past with no resolution to the dog faeces problem.”

Broken bottles and discarded beer cans are also a regular feature. Mr Russell also criticised the state of the play equipment, especially the soft fall surface which has been ripped up and thrown in the nearby pond, potentially creating a danger for children using the equipment.

He says all manner of rubbish is thrown into the wildlife pond, endangering the wildlife rather than preserving it. “A shopping trolley was thrown in there recently,” Mr Russell said. “The frogs will be moving in soon and the rubbish will be a hazard in the largest local spawning area.”

He also added that the grass footpaths around some parts of the estate were impractical in most situations and most are never cut unless a resident does so. Some residents had started to hard surface sections or use synthetic grass.

Mr Russell added that the roads had never been cleaned to his knowledge and that weeds and young shrubs such as buddleia and lavender were growing in the gutters, that several street lights were not working, making some areas potentially dangerous to pedestrians, and not enough general or dog waste bins were provided in this or other areas of the estate.

Taunton Deane Borough Council said: “The play areas and open spaces at Cades Farm have not yet been adopted by the council, therefore the responsibility remains with the developers.”

Mr Russell said Somerset County Council had told him it had not adopted the roads or street lighting.