A furious landlord is accusing a council of ignoring a public health hazard by “refusing” to clear rat-infested waste next to a health centre.

Chris Walsh says the rubbish, left by his former tenant, is piled up in a lean-to at the side of his property, directly next to Canterbury Health Centre in Old Dover Road.

He claims attempts to pay the Canterbury city council’s waste contractor Serco to take it away have been met with “reticence” and the waste is now causing a rat problem.

“This is an abject failure to deal with a straightforward problem causing a health hazard,” said the property manager, of Oaks Park in Rough Common.

“Two years ago they came to collect a large amount of rubbish left by a tenant from the same lean-to – it took them 20 minutes.

“I’m willing to pay whatever it is to have it taken away but they firstly refused on the basis they ‘weren’t allowed to come into the garden’ even though it is just one metre back from the narrow pavement, and now they’re claiming it is because of parking restrictions.

“I saw a really big rat in my garden and have had to put traps down to catch them.

“It’s particularly worrying as the house is right next to the health centre.”

Father-of-two Mr Walsh, who runs Hyperion Property Management, says he has been left with no choice but to commission the services of private waste collectors.

Spokesman for the city council, Rob Davies, confirmed the authority had been speaking with Mr Walsh and had offered to meet him at the property.

“We’ve been in discussion about how we could make this collection happen, given that it appeared difficult to see where Serco could park a vehicle for up to half an hour without blocking the road or pavement in what is a narrow part of Old Dover Road,” he said.

“Further information was requested from Mr Walsh about the parking situation, and we also offered to meet him on site, but we heard nothing more from him.

“We now understand from the Gazette that he has taken his business elsewhere - which, of course, he is perfectly entitled to do.

“Mr Walsh suggested in his emails to us that he was concerned about the possibility of illegal dumping, so we’d strongly advise him to use a licensed waste carrier and ensure he retains copies of the relevant documentation.”

Health centre bosses declined to comment.