The “disgraceful” site of a closed Plaistow pub needs urgent attention to stop it blighting the lives of its neighbours, according to a former resident.

The remains of the Duke of Cumberland, which was bulldozed in December, have been left on the site in Cumberland Road and have been joined by rubbish from flytippers.

The former resident, who did not want to be named due to fear of reprisals but has family who continue to live on the road, said: “Newham has got its problems but Cumberland has always been a nice road so to have a complete eyesore in the middle of the community is a great shame.

“It’s not secure and it is horrible to look at. It is the school holidays now and there are always kids mucking about down there.”

The woman said that although she understands that new owners are applying for planning permission and this can sometimes take a long time, enough is enough and Newham Council planning enforcement should be taking action.

“I know that planning can be a very long process but this is affecting the community,” she said. “It is a horrible thing to look at and a constant reminder of the much loved community facility which has now gone forever.

“Although I haven’t been on the site myself, you can see that there are trip hazards but no one is willing to take ownership of it when it has been going on long enough.”

A council spokeswoman said: “This is private land and we’ve contacted the owners asking them to get rid of the flytipping and secure the site. If they don’t, we’ll serve a legal notice asking them to do so.

“Failure to comply with this notice will result in the council taking direct action to remedy the issue and then seek compensation from those responsible for the site. We take reports of flytipping very seriously and will take whatever action is necessary to remove eyesores that blight our neighbourhoods.”