Residents call for action on eyesore pub in Leicester estate

Disgusted residents are calling for action to be taken to clear up an area around a disused pub which they say has become an "eyesore."

The Invincible, in Eyres Monsell, Leicester, has been boarded up for three years, and the grass area and car park become overgrown and covered in rubbish.

People living nearby say they often see mice and rats on the land, off Sturdee Road.

Nearly 150 residents have signed a petition asking the council to force the owners of the site to replace broken boarding, remove fly-tipping and graffiti and cut grass and weeds.

There are plans to demolish the building, with the nearby Exchange shopping precinct, and replace it with a £2m shopping centre and housing.

Residents are fed up with waiting for the site to be cleared.

Former city councillor Joan Garrity, who lives near the pub and helped with the petition, said: "It's an eyesore, and it's the gateway to the estate.

"There is always fly-tipping and rubbish around. There's a mattress that seems to have been there for ever. It's very unpleasant for all the people living nearby. There's no reason for the site to be as it is.

"We know there are plans to pull it down. That might not happen for a while, but the area should be cleared up now."

The Invincible has been empty since 2006 when the previous owners, Enterprise Inns, decided to sell the building.

It has since become a focus for vandals, teenage drinkers, arsonists and flytippers.

Developers London Nottingham Estates, which owns the site, has said it wants to knock down the building and redevelop the area. It has been working alongside the city council on these proposals – but a planning application, which was expected to be submitted this spring, has never been put in.

Residents say they appreciate the redevelopment plans may have been affected by the recession, but say the site should still be cleared up.

Janet Aucott, 74, of Rye Close, said: "No one wants that on their doorstep. We have not heard anything about the pub for ages and all this rubbish is collecting. It needs sorting out."

Neighbour Elaine Edwards, 65, said: "It's disgusting. There are rats and mice because of the rubbish. It's time it was cleared."

Nathan Davis, 32, of Allenwood Road, said: "I walk past it everyday. It's grim. The council and people who own the pub have to clear it up."

The 138-signature petition was handed in to the city council on Wednesday and calls on it to ensure the developers take action.

It asks for the council to serve the owners with a "Tidy Site Notice" to legally force them to clear up the site.

Ward councillor Rory Palmer said the petition was a "political stunt" by former Lib Dem councillors. He said the recession had meant progress on the regeneration of the site had not been as quick as he hoped.

He added: "As the local councillor I am aware of, and understand, the concern of residents. I am confident there will be some progress very soon to improve the site."

Nobody from London Nottingham Estates was available for comment.