One of the poorest neighbourhoods in Kent is plagued by rats, mice and cockroaches - as fly-tippers routinely dump rotting waste in the area.

Official documents show almost a third of all the fines issued in Thanet were for offences committed along trouble-hit Athelstan Road in Margate.

Residents say the route is regularly targeted by illicit waste dumpers and that some homes are even being blighted by vermin.

In a bid to put a stop to the problem, district council enforcement officers have been given the power to dish out £1,000 fines to anyone fly-tipping or playing music loudly in the area.

Athelstan Road Tenants and Residents’ Association founder Matt Shoul told KentOnline: “There is an influx of rats, mice and cockroaches – people are increasingly reporting this.

“The flats' communal bin areas act as fly-tipping magnets.

“The vermin are attracted to the area by food waste and human faecal matter from nappies on the pavement on a daily basis, and then they move from the bins into properties.

“There are flats that have reported rats – not just mice and cockroaches – getting into buildings close to the bins.”

Mr Shoul started campaigning for the restrictions to be imposed after he and several neighbours were kept awake for several nights by a weekend-long party.

The new rules – which come under an authority public space protection order (PSPO) – also say anyone leaving bins outside the boundaries of their home, other than before a collection, could be ordered to cough up.

Council papers state those dumping rubbish in the area "are either residents wishing to dispose of old, broken or unwanted furniture, or waste collection companies that do not have a commercial licence".

Mr Shoul says mattresses and fridge-freezers have often been seen dumped nearby.

“I’ve had cockroaches in my house and this is very alarming,” he continued.

“If the bins were managed in an exemplary way there’d be no issue with them, but they overflow.

“They’re emptied twice a day and they still overflow and they still attract fly-tipping.”

There were previously two council bins at the other end of the route, at the junction with Northdown Road.

Mr Shoul says residents got them removed, “virtually stopping the fly-tipping” in that part of Athelstan.

The PSPO – which also applies to nearby Ethelbert Road – was voted through by councillors of all parties during a cabinet meeting on January 26.

Labour’s Heather Keen told colleagues: “A PSPO for Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads is good news.

“These areas have been a fly-tipping hotspot and a problem which previous efforts have not been able to resolve.

“To make this successful there needs to be strong and visible enforcement.”

Documents show 7% of all reported fly-tips across the district were in Athelstan Road.

"There is an influx of rats, mice and cockroaches – people are increasingly reporting this..."

The council will also close off the alleyway connecting it to Ethelbert Road.

In April last year, the local authority received £50,000 in government cash to combat fly-tipping in the area.

The money will be used to install security gates at all access points to the alley running between the routes.

Documents published by the district council say: “A number of targeted interventions have already been deployed, but have only achieved moderate success in these areas.

"These have included additional waste containers, increased visibility and targeted enforcement.

"In light of this, the council in consultation with Kent Police south the PSPO to provide additional enforcement capabilities to tackle these complex issues.

"Athelstan and Ethelbert Roads are in an area with the highest rates of fly tipping and dumped rubbish in the district."

The routes are both located in the Cliftonville West ward, which was previously ranked the fourth most deprived neighbourhood in the country.