Demanding Answers: Long Island Residents Outraged Over Rodent-Infested Stretch Of MTA Property

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork)-- Residents are saying enough is enough while demanding that the Long Island Rail Road clean up a two-mile stretch of property.

Locals said the stretch is an overgrown mess crawling with rodents and garbage. The area runs from Levittown to Bethpage, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported. 

As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, after years of complaints residents are tired of waiting and want something done.

Vienna Kirkland said she has not been able to sit in her backyard for years. The summer brings an unbearable onslaught of insects and rodents.

"Because the mice. They seem to bite into the walls and get inside the house. There's numerous bees that are constantly inside my house. Me and my daughter we're both allergic. So we have to constantly get these exterminators to come in," she explained.

The town of Hempstead said they have repeatedly asked the LIRR to clean up the messy stretch and only periodically has the grass been cut and the garbage has been cleaned up.

The weeds were  nearly six feet tall as of mid August, Hall reported.

Traps that line a 6 foot high fence haven't stopped mice from getting through.

"We've seen rats," Kirkland said.

Neighbors described it as a jungle -- two miles through the heart of Levittown with weeds creating a breeding ground for rats, and a dumping ground for litter in a cradle of suburbia where a manicured lawn is required by code.

"I feel it makes our house look bad. We keep our house nice. It's overgrown, there is garbage in there," Theresa Brouillet said.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthoyn Santino blamed the LIRR which owns the swatch of land -- the site of its defunct Central Line.

"Welcome to the LIRR's 2 mile stretch of zombie property in Levittown," he said.

A century ago there were rails down the stretch. Trains transported passengers and the materials that built Levittown. The rail line is a distant memory, but generations later the bugs and vermin live on.

Residents are demanding a simple fix.

"We are calling upon the Long Island Railroad to get their act together," Town of Hempstead Councilman, Gary Hudes said, "This is not rocket science, this doesn't need a study, it doesn't need a plan, it needs a lawnmower."

The railroad said it, "must prioritize 700 miles of active track in need of constant attention for safety purposes, but trimmed the decommissioned stretch last month and will continue to do so."

Residents said it's not enough.

"I maintain my grass, there's no reason the MTA can't take care of the grass as well," a neighbor said.

The town can force a zombie home or business owner to mow, but has no jurisdiction on state owned property, so they said they've resorted to public shaming.

MTA officials said they will continue to stay in contact with local officials about maintaining the area.