A ROW of rat infested derelict garages in Calne, which have become a community dumping ground since they were vacated three weeks ago, are finally being cleared.

Firefighters have been called twice to tackle blazes at the garages in Ridgemead, owned by Westlea Housing Association.

Residents complain the heaps of rubbish have attracted vandals, underage drinkers, drug abusers and vermin, and they are also concerned about the safety of children using the garages as a playground.

James Frayne, 54, of Swaddon Street, said: "It's ridiculous that something like this has been allowed to happen in a town like Calne. You come home from work and you've got the smell, the rats and the mice.

"Now it's the summer holidays there are children all over the site, which is covered in glass and metal. There's kids smoking and drinking every night until 10pm and sometimes later."

Leading Firefighter Tom Burns, of Calne Fire Station, said: "It's untidy and with the amount of rubbish left in the garages it's a concern for the fire service."

Westlea Housing Association asked tenants to clear their garages and hand in their keys three works ago, so they could be demolished. Work was delayed because some tenants did not comply with their deadline.

But without tenants to maintain the garages, people began dumping their rubbish at the site and youngsters started smashing through the roofs to build dens, and drink and smoke inside the garages.

Westlea health and safety inspectors advised that doors should be removed from some of the garages to prevent injuries to children clambering on the roof, and to expose the activities of youngsters inside the buildings.

But the added space encouraged more people to stuff their rubbish inside the garages, turning them into firetraps.

Millie Clarke, of Baydon Grove, said: "We came back from holiday and when we came up the road from Dixon Way we couldn't believe our eyes. We could not go up the road past the garages. There was so much glass we thought we would get a puncture.

"Now school is finished the kids are all in there among the rubbish. You try to make the place look nice and this is what happens. It's a real eye sore."

Shirley McCafferty, of Baydon Grove, said: "They shouldn't have kept them up for so long. There's been nothing but kids jumping up and down on them, braking bottles and smashing glass. I'm just worried about my children.

"Part of the problem was when residents were told to clear out, they left their rubbish in their garages."

Westlea maintenance crews moved in on Monday morning to prepare the site for demolition.

Wearing protective suits and gloves they began clearing rubbish out of the garages. Three men filled two skips in three hours with carpets, rotting wood and domestic waste.

But removing the rubbish is only the first phase in the three-week operation. The workmen will also need to remove asbestos from the garage roofs.

Westlea has put up security fences around the site, which it has braced against the garages. A spokesman said: "Westlea is concerned about the condition of the garages and the hazards created by illegal dumping of rubbish there.

"In the interests of residents, we have been working to demolish the garages as soon as possible, remove rubbish from the area and fence the disused land. The work has been held up whilst the final few garages were vacated."

Deputy mayor Liz Watkins said the garages were very dangerous.

"They've been of great concern to residents and council members but I now believe Westlea has the matter in hand," she said.

There are no future plans for the site.