Party students blamed for leaving Dunedin street 'like the Third World'

Glass and rubbish remained strewn over Hyde St yesterday. Photo / Hamish McNeilly

A contractor has reportedly refused to clean up a notorious party street in Dunedin that was left looking ''like the Third World" at the weekend.

More than 1000 revellers were in Hyde St in Dunedin's north end on Saturday night, and police reported the partying was good natured. No arrests or couch fires were reported.

But a resident of a neighbouring flat contacted the Otago Daily Times yesterday to express her disgust over the partying.

The postgraduate student, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had lived in the area for two years and the amount of rubbish was the worst she had seen.

''I try to pick up the broken glass every Sunday morning, but it was just too bad.''

She said that was the same decision reached by a council contractor who ''took one look at [the street] and said: 'I'm not doing that'.''

Last night, a Dunedin City Council spokeswoman said the council had received no information about the incident.

The resident praised the actions of the contractor and said it was an appropriate response rather than cleaning up after people who took no responsibility for their actions.

The worker said the excessive drinking was ''worse than anything I have seen overseas''.

She had made previous complaints to the University of Otago proctor, police and Dunedin City Council noise control officers.

Asked why she chose to live in an area renowned for student parties she replied: ''Why should I move?'' Campus Watch staff were understood to have swept much of the glass into large piles in the street yesterday.

• Firefighters last night extinguished a couch fire in Howe St, North Dunedin, near the intersection with Castle St North, after being alerted at 9.36pm.