Rubbish is being dumped in a side street off Cowley Road and left to attract vermin for weeks at a time, a woman has claimed.

Louise Visminas, who lives in Cowley Road, said bags of rubbish are building up in Collins Street, which links East Avenue and Chapel Street, and causing a health hazard.

She said: "It's a combination of fly-tipping and rubbish dumping from residents and businesses round here.

"I have contacted the council cleansing and environmental health departments every other day for the last four weeks and they have only just sent somebody out to look at it and perhaps clear it up.

"We're talking about a pile of rubbish bags coming up to four feet high and the bags are split open and there's vermin everywhere."

Wheelie bins are provided for businesses and homes, but she said because the collections had changed the bins were overflowing and bags were being left at the side of the bins - and were not being picked up as part of the normal refuse collections.

She said: "People just don't care. As soon as they see one person dumping it, everybody thinks it's okay to do it.

"It's been going on for about a year, but every four weeks it gets to be a real problem. Students are just putting their rubbish bags out because they don't know when collections are or where they are supposed to put their rubbish."

She added: "I've spoken to so many people at the council but I've just got fobbed off. Something needs to be done."

Oxford City Council spokesman Louisa Dean said: "This area is a known flytipping spot and we clear it every two to three weeks.

"Staff from City Works and Environmental Health were at the site yesterday and some addresses were found in the rubbish so we will be investigating these.

"The site will be cleared by the beginning of next week.

"Last year we dealt with over 3,000 cases of fly-tipping and we would encourage residents to use our free bulky waste collection service for up to three large items."

The city council's new waste collection arrangements, which mean non-recyclable rubbish is collected fortnightly rather than weekly, started in November and have attracted some criticism.

Residents who put out rubbish in bin bags rather than wheelie bins will face a £75 fine but the council has said it will give a three strikes policy before imposing the fine.

The new system involves different types of recyclable waste being collected on different weeks.

Not all homes have been deemed suitable for wheelie bins.

You can report cases of flytipping to 01865 252900 or email streetscene@oxford.gov.uk