‘Mount Unpleasant’ would be a more fitting named for a busy street blighted by littering and fly tipping.

The area near Cockfosters station, taking in Cockfosters Road and Mount Pleasant, has recently seen an increase in footfall as a number of restaurants and high street shops have set up there.

However, one resident living nearby said this has led to an increase in litter being dropped which in turn has seen a rat infestation development.

The resident, who lives near the area and refused to be named, has complained about the mess on Cockfosters Parade to Enfield Council repeatedly and said they only reacted to specific complaints rather than fixing the wider problem.

She said: “It really would be lovely for Cockfosters to remain the pleasant area that it once was, despite the new additions to the high street.

“This can only be done by raising awareness of the problems of littering and fly-tipping and the council must do much more to patrol this area and make sure local businesses to do their bit too.

“I for one am not visiting any of the restaurants on Cockfosters Road as those rats are just a little bit too close to home.”

The resident also said the grassy plane nearby had become an informal fly-tipping ground for people to dump household items like fridges, sofas and printers while people working at offices in Mount Pleasant were dropping cigarettes on the path outside during smoking breaks.

Jason Charalambous, Conservative councillor for Cockfosters, has long complained to the Labour-controlled Enfield Council about the area, who told him the area was in satisfactory condition.

He said: “This has been going on for about six months with the council constantly coming in to fix isolated problems then leaving the area be.

“There’s no real indication what has caused this, whether it is businesses, visitors or residents, but the council should be working to figure out the root of this problem as the mess is unacceptable.

“We need a stronger litter collection system and greater council involvement to make Cockfosters as appealing for the people who come here and the people who live here as it can be.”

Enfield Council have been contacted for comment.