Brierley Hill residents express concerns over 'eyesore' waste

"It's an eyesore because when you look out of the window or walk past it, you can see it at all times," said Brett Robinson, 37, who lives opposite a towering pile of rubbish.

At a High Court hearing in Birmingham on Monday, Dudley-based RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) Ltd agreed to reduce the pile in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, to 6m (19ft) by 12 October.

In May the firm was given until 15 June to reduce the pile to no higher than 8m (26ft), which it adhered to.

Mr Robinson, who lives just off Moor Street, said he was "very angry".

He added: "We want it to go altogether... It's not good for kids to have a look at it when they walk past."

The Environment Agency has previously said the pile was about 13m (42.65ft) high.

Lisa Arnold, 36, from nearby Wells Road, said it "stinks" and is "disgusting".

She welcomed the size of the pile being reduced: "Brilliant - I hope they do. They can just take the lot."

The rubbish is more visible to Roy Stanley, 70, who lives in Lindsey Place opposite the site.

He said: "You think, well, it's a disgrace, but what can you do?"

"You're getting rats all over the place.

"You can't have the windows open, not when there's wind like this about."

A woman living on the opposite side of the site, Irene Ochumba, 39, echoed those comments, as she expressed concerns about the effects of dust on her six-year-old daughter.

She rents a flat on the top floor of a four-storey building close to North Street, where people in semi-detached homes can also see the pile.

The resident said: "My daughter has got breathing problems, so it's quite distressing.

"I just keep my windows closed."

The company said it had taken so long to reduce the height because it could not find enough plants prepared to turn its waste into fuel.

Resident Cynthia Jones, 69, who contacted the Environment Agency about two years ago, said: "Quite honestly there's not much room for the people running the tip to manoeuvre.

"I don't know what the solution is."