Stop The Rubbish Rat

Residents of Gartocher Terrace in Glasgow are running a direct action campaign to stop William ‘Rubbish Rat’ Combe moving his waste disposal business into the quiet street. Residents, including children, and supporters staged a sit in at freemason Combe’s chief allies HQ - the local police station. More recently, Combe’s skip lorries were stopped from entering the street for 2 days by an ingenious blockade which included a pallet loaded with bricks suspended above the road, and a community caravan which has been bought by the residents.

At the end of March, the ‘Rubbish - Rat’ brought a skip lorry smelling like the sewers down the street. A resident went out to video as Glasgow City Council had said this was the only evidence they’d accept. Police grabbed and confiscated the camera, arrested the resident for ‘taking unwanted photographs,’ and then held him for 24 hours, escorting the skip through. Later that day, 7 children in the street contracted gastroenteritis and one was hospitalised. On April 6th, two supporters from Faslane Peace Camp were arrested after one tried to defend himself from being hit by Combe. Local police have proved again to be the best police money can buy. Since this incident, Combe has brought no more full skips through, but may do so at any time.

Help is needed and there is plenty to do, from blockading, to demos, to researching links between Combe and the council, Tel: 07979 836 223.