One in six students across the country
is living in disease-ridden and unsafe accommodation, according to a national
survey carried out by the National Union of Students.
The "Housing and Health Survey 2001" found that 16 per cent of
students live in squalor, with their homes infested with pests such as
rats, mice and cockroaches. The results also showed that landlords
are not abiding by tenancy laws, with almost half of the students
interviewed having never seen a gas certificate and 20 per cent stating
they had no smoke detectors in the house.
Students are also having to live in squalor with 40 per cent coping with
mould in their kitchen, bathroom or bedroom and 50 per cent had no locks
on doors or windows. In conjunction with the NUS survey, a recent
investigation published last week showed that student digs were more than
30 times dirtier than pubs.
One metre of carpet in a student house contained two and a half kilos of
dirt and soil whereas the average pub had only 72 grams despite regular
spillage of drink and food.
Last Wednesday, students across Britain went to Westminster, on an NUS
sponsored "Halloween House of Horrors" lobby, calling on
ministers to enforce a scheme of licensing for all housing with multiple
occupants. The protest was met with support from both sides of the
House of Commons.
The Roads in Sefton as we found
out, evenby walking down the street outside our offices, are
full of glass. It took us only two paces from our door to find
a smashed beer glass. We decided to walk around to find out
what type of glass is on our streets. When we were asked why
we where photographing the road by a few members of the public
ventured their comments. Jim from Southport. said
"Roads are in a
poor state of repair and glass is smashed all over them." One office staff member
in Southport said, "The state of Sefton's
roads is awful. With flooding due to the drains not being
cleaned regularly and glass on the roads because of bottles being smashed.
It is anyone's guess as to how we get away with driving to
work without an accident."
In our
walk, we took in most of the town centre, many of the main roads were free
of glass, but the back roads were covered with it. Most of it on
the pavements, where young children walk and could cut themselves very easily.
It is not just confined though to Southport's town centre, but also in the
residential streets in Formby. Glass litters the pavements and
roads. Most of the glass is from Beer Bottles and Drink Bottles, but
this one I pictured above is from a car windscreen. Interestingly it
has been by the college now for five days! Remember, if you
have glass bottles, put them in the BIN!
