Piles of rat-infested and rotting rubbish in Los Angeles spark fears of disease

Heaps of rat-infested and rotting rubbish are piling up in the streets of Los Angeles' Skid Row, sparking fears of another epidemic of flea-borne typhus.



Shocking photos show small mountains of waste - including abandoned furniture, old tyres and children's toys - blocking pavements and covering vacant lots alongside homeless camps in a huge embarrassment for the city.



There are urgent calls for the rubbish to be cleared and the camps to be cleaned up to prevent the spread of disease after a police officer was diagnosed with typhoid fever.



The latest diagnosis comes after at least nine reports of the disease in downtown LA last year, and it could be months before the waste is removed from local authorities.