Rubbish, strewn in a heap by the roadside in Kampung Tok Sani in Butterworth, has made life difficult for nearby villages.
They complained that the illegal dump had been around for a few months, and had turned into a hunting ground for monkeys and dogs.
Villager Muhammad Azaie Rahim, 24, said most of the villagers were frightened to walk past the stretch of rubbish, measuring some 200sq feet, as there were many monkeys and dogs in the area.
“The rubbish is attracting the monkeys and dogs to the area.
“There are at least 10 monkeys at any time, and a couple of dogs, that can get a little aggressive. This rattles the villagers passing by the area,” he said.
Another villager, Nurul Lailana Mohd Helmi, 36, said the rubbish pile emitted a foul odour during the rainy season.
“You can smell it from my house, which is about 50 metres away.
“Sometimes, the animals will pick up some of the rubbish and carry it up to my doorstep. I do not dare let my children play outside the house because of the creatures roaming around,” she added.
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Seberang Prai Municipal Council president Datuk Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the council had immediately taken steps to clean the rubbish up for a second time after being alerted to it by the New Straits Times.
“We carried out thorough cleaning of the area and even covered it with red earth.
“We ask that the villagers in the area cooperate with us by not turning vacant land into garbage dumping areas but instead use the facilities provided to dump their rubbish,” she said.
Maimunah said the Village Security and Development Committee member would take the villagers on a site visit to the communal rubbish bin in Jalan Bayan Lalang 1, not to far from where they are staying.