ANGRY residents have blasted the council for letting a house lie empty for months to attract rats and rubbish.

The house in Totteridge Drive, High Wycombe, has been vacant since the end of last year after the occupant moved out.

But neighbours have grown concerned after bags of rubbish, a mattress, broken glass, and children's toys have been dumped at the property.

Residents say they have made regular calls to Wycombe District Council to do something about the waste which has attracted rats and have become frustrated that nothing is being done.

Neighbours said "undesirable" people have also been hanging around the house.

Veronica, a Totteridge Drive resident, has cleaned up food that was lying with the rubbish for fear of rats.

She said: "I am very upset about it. I'm embarrassed to invite my friends home."

Another resident, Margaret Oxlade, said it was "like living in a ghetto".

Mrs Oxlade was particularly annoyed about the wastefulness of leaving the house empty for more than five months.

She said: "I am so angry. We pay our council tax and yet this house is left empty, when apparently there are so many people on the waiting list."

Fazlullah Iqbal, who lives next door to the house, said: "It's an absolute mess really. I wanted to sell my property but I had to take it off the market because of this. It's really becoming a health hazard."

Another concerned resident said: "It's an eyesore, and it gives the road a bad name."

The council told the Free Press that the house is currently tenanted and that it is happy there is no health and safety risk.

A council spokesman said: "We are currently liaising with the police and the tenant, and hope that the issues surrounding this property will soon be resolved."