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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Caitlin O'Sullivan

The empty shop that's become a dumping ground for everyone's rubbish where even a caravan is left to rot

An abandoned shop on a housing estate has been causing residents grief as furniture, rubbish, and even a caravan have been left to rot there.

The shop has been empty for over a decade and fly-tippers have been using it to dispose of their unwanted goods.

The owner of the building on Tanycoed Road in Clydach is unknown but it is believed to be a private property and not council owned.

While the shop may have turned into the land of lost toys, residents are getting fed up of the mess it has become.

Barbara Atkins, 78, has lived on the estate for around 50 years.

Even a caravan has been dumped at the former shop on Tanycoed Road in Clydach (Jonathan Myers)
People have smashed the windows of the caravan with rubbish dumped inside (Jonathan Myers)

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Barbara and a number of other residents have been seeking answers as to how the abandoned shop could be cleaned up but haven't had any success.

Barbara said: "It's disgusting. At first when the caravan showed up a couple years ago things were still tidy, but now it's getting ridiculous.

"The windows have been smashed, the door ripped off, rubbish dumped and there's a mattress and an armchair now. It needs to be taken care of."

She added: "Everyone in the area complains because it's so embarrassing.

"We bring visitors over, and they all comment on how terrible it looks, it's just a mess.

"It's a blinking eyesore.

"This is a nice estate and it looks like we're living in the slums.

"I'm just embarrassed."

Rubble at the shop (Jonathan Myers)
Junk and rubble dumped at the front of the shop (Jonathan Myers)

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Barbara added: "I used to work in the shop before it closed, and it was a greengrocers."

She said the shop changed hands several times before closing and now nobody seems to know who owns the property.

Councillor Paulette Smith said she has been dealing with complaints about the property for years.

The caravan has become a dumping ground (Jonathan Myers)
The shop has remained empty for a number of years (Jonathan Myers)

She said: "Numerous residents have complained to me about the condition of the property and I've passed the complaints on.

"This problem has been ongoing for years and years. It's been derelict for 15 to 16 years I think."

 
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