We, the tenants or owner of occupiers of Bailie Fyfes Close & Paisley Close - 101 to 107 High Street, Edinburgh strongly object to the way that businesses, who store their rubbish in the privately owned courtyard at the rear of the closes, are disrespecting the entrances to our homes and the history of this Unesco World Heritage Site of the High St Disaster of 1861.
The bins are not kept clean and the area around the bins are also not being maintained. As a result rats are regularly seen in the courtyard which represents a risk to public health.
At busy times of the year the courtyard has been recorded in film and photographs as being in an unacceptable mess caused by these businesses and this general state of dilapidation encourages others to fly-tip and dump household rubbish in the courtyard.
These businesses keep their bins in the yard without permission or consent of the owners of this private area and do NOT contribute to the maintenance or cleanliness of the area.
I object to the bins being kept in the courtyard and petition for their removal from the courtyard.