AN Oakdale estate resident says he has had to clear rubbish in his neighbourhood despite paying nearly £200 a year to a maintenance company.

Daniel Stallard, who has lived on the Lydney estate for two years, claims in the last six months he has only seen grass cutting carried out for his fee.

He said: "The estate is in a mess. I've written to Base Estates, who have recently taken over the maintenance service from Kier Homes, and told them that after months of looking at 'broken drain pipes, dozens of pieces of rotting plywood and other miscellaneous items littered around the main play area', I decided enough was enough and that it needed to be sorted. I have cleared up the area – although the amounts of small litter still need addressing.

"The builders' tipping site is a scar on the landscape – I feel sorry for the houses that look out onto this. I cleared a relatively small amount compared to what was left by the builders; I didn't go any where near that pile. I've just made the playground tidier and a little bit safer.

"Quite what the people of Higher Lydney Park are paying for is beyond me. If anything, I feel like I should be paid for clearing up the mess."

Base Estates said they intend to clear the estate over the next two months.

In a letter to Mr Stallard, Base Estates said: "We have currently instructed a new company to take over the ground maintenance contract. This will commence this month with a large clear up of the site to take place over the remainder of June and July in order to bring the grounds back up to standard and, following this, there will be scheduled visits twice monthly to maintain this.

"I hope that over the next few weeks you begin to notice a difference on the appearance of the estate as services get underway with our new company."