Rusholme is a bit of a mess. It's a state, in fact.

These shocking images show the sheer amount of waste dumped in the area. The streets and alleyways are littered with all sorts of rubbish.

Residents living on the Curry Mile - Wilmslow Road - say they have reached breaking point.

They're sick of it.

Some say rats and cockroaches are crawling the streets. Sometimes, the critters get into their homes, they claim.

Residents say they negotiate piles left-over food, overflowing bins and vermin every time they leave their houses.

Their lives are being made a misery, they say. Many residents claim some people aren't pulling their weight to help keep the area tidy.

The bustling stretch, famous for its many curry houses, is packed with businesses. The waste soon piles up and things get out of hand.

Natascha Fay works for a private landlord, who rents a number of properties in the area.

"Numerous tenants have made complaints to me about the lack of cleanliness along Wilmslow Road," she said.

"They have reported that rats and cockroaches are crawling the alleyways and their homes.

"I really worry for my tenants."

The M.E.N. previously revealed that Manchester now has one of the worst fly-tipping problems of any UK city.

In the last three-and-a-half-years, complaints have rocketed by 40 per cent.

(Image: Colin Horne - Manchester Evening News)

Manchester council receives more than 50 fly-tipping reports per 1,000 residents each year - compared to just five in Newcastle, 12 in Birmingham, 20 in Bristol and Leeds and around 18 nationally.

Natascha said she is locked in an on-going battle with Manchester council over the problem.

She says the town hall doesn't do enough to keep the area clean and tidy.

"I just don't understand how the council can allow this to continue," Natasha added.

"I have worked for this landlord for five-and-a-half-years. It has been an ongoing battle.

"We have to report any problems via the council website and I am currently requesting for the area to be cleaned every four weeks.

"As a tenant, I don't think you should have to request for your area to be cleaned every four weeks.

"There is just nothing being done."

Natascha has called for tougher penalties for those who dump rubbish.

(Image: Colin Horne - Manchester Evening News)

"Some money needs to be invested in cleaning the area or charging for proper waste disposal to ensure the area is kept clean," she added.

"I am sure if anyone walked around the alleyways of Rusholme they would be appalled."

Executive member for neighbourhoods, Coun Rabnawaz Akbar, said: "All businesses have a legal duty to store and dispose of their waste responsibly.

"Following up on residents' reports about problems with commercial waste in Rusholme, our team visited every business in this area earlier this year, to carry out a check on their waste contracts.

"This led to 19 formal notices being issued where proper disposal arrangements were not in place.

"The area is also visited on a regular basis by our fly-tipping enforcement team, so that any dumped waste can be cleared and evidence gathered to support potential prosecutions.

"We are monitoring this situation very closely and will not hesitate to prosecute any businesses who are failing to comply with their obligations.

"We urge residents to report any incidents to us, so that we can clear the waste and investigate to catch the culprits."