JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – People in Jackson are pleading with city officials to help combat growing blight and illegal dumping.

Mounting piles of trash and debris cover Hilda Drive. Broken furniture, mattresses, old clothing and even decaying animal carcasses have been illegally dumped in the roadway.

“It’s just a scary situation to know that we have a publicly accessible road that’s not accessible because of the piles of trash people have left back here,” said Terrance Burns, who lives in Jackson.

Though the roadway is completely impassable, the road is still open, posing a large threat to drivers who may be unaware of what lies ahead.

“If I was driving and my GPS happened to take me through here, I would be wondering, what would I do if I got on this road and who could possibly save me back here?” said Burns.

Burns says he’s reported the illegal dumping to the city several times, but little has been done.

“If we’re going to pay our taxes for our roads, we need them to care about us,” said Burns.

Ward 2 City Councilwoman Angelique Lee had organized three separate clean-ups on Hilda Drive, but says more work needs to be done to stop the illegal dumping. 

“As soon as we clean, the street is back riddled with large debris and trash. We have asked repeatedly for this street to be blocked off to prevent illegal dumping. The city and I are working with Hinds County to get more lighting and blue lights in that area,” she said.

While the mayor’s “Stop Trashing Jackson” campaign officially kicked off last weekend, illegal dumping also remains a huge concern for people in the Verdin addition of Jackson.

“Each and every time I come, there’s a different set of tires out,” said Ernest Smith, who is the president of the Verdin Addition Home Association.

Neighbors say hundreds of tires have been dumped at the site of a burned-out home on Hume Street and Bailey Avenue.

The city removed some of the tires in January, but never returned to clean up the rest. Now, neighbors say even more tires are being dumped.

“I believe in my heart they won’t dump anymore if they clean it completely up.”

WJTV 12 News has reached out to the mayor’s office and is waiting to hear back about the issue.

Lee says she’s working to organize a clean-up effort on Hilda Drive later this week.