Khadija Dhorat recently moved into the house in Providence Street with her husband Adil, a nurse, and new-born baby.

A public footpath runs alongside it, without any barrier, from Providence Street to Wellington Street.

Mrs Dhorat, 26, said the front and back gardens were already covered in dumped rubbish and overgrown bushes when they moved in – and the situation is getting worse.

On Monday she had had enough and asked her neighbours to help clear up the mess – and they were shocked to discover a needle among the bushes.

She said: "My daughter Amani is two months old. She will be crawling around and walking eventually, but how can I let her in the garden? She might find one of these needles. If we carry on with this cleaning, who knows what we might find?"

She claimed people easily slip into her back garden and have taken things from the bike shed.

Neighbour Margaret Tolson said: "School kids use the path as a short cut to go into town or to go home. It's not very well lit and it's a bit secluded here. There should be a big fence or a gate.
"I don't use this path anymore – anyone could hide and grab you."

Neighbour Brenda Gibson, who has lived in the area 40 years, said: "The path's surface is all uneven. These trees need to come down and the bushes cut back."

A highways spokeswoman said community rangers would visit the footpath and assess the work needed.

She added: "The issues of the street lighting will need to be investigated. There is a council policy on gating paths and the residents will need to make a formal application in writing to the highways service."

The house was empty for 12 months before the Dhorat family moved in – enough time for Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing to sort it out, Mrs Dhorat claimed.

Mrs Dhorat's car has been attacked and its radio, satellite navigation system and a number of gifts inside were stolen.

She claimed about seven cars were damaged or broken into that night, but a police spokesman would only confirm two cars were affected.

The Dhorat family's electricity box inside has not been covered up – which they say is a hazard for their baby.

A KNH spokeswoman said Mrs Dhorat told a visiting housing officer she was happy with the condition of the property and garden area on March 20. She was given a council garage following the car break-in.

She said Mrs Dhorat asked for the removal of the shed but only asked for the garden to be cleared last week.

The clearance work was ordered as a result and a housing officer will visit to discuss the security concerns.