People lived close together, making it easy for diseases to spread
Clean water was in short supply as people put their waste in the same streams and rivers they drank from
Butchers killed animals in the towns and cities and did not know how to clean the waste
There were no bins or rubbish collectors to remove the waste from the streets
Cesspits were built next to wells, allowing one to contaminate the other
Cesspits were emptied infrequently
Animals created waste on the streets
There were no sewers
Household waste was chucked into the streets and left to rot
Shopkeepers tried to sell rotten food
People were always unclean due to the lack of clean water