Wellingborough lay-by fly-tippers return hours after 300 bags of rubbish removed
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Residents living close to a fly-tipping hot spot near Wellingborough who welcomed a much-needed clear-up have voiced their dismay at fresh rubbish being dumped.
Over a two-week period before the Easter break, teams from North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) worked with Community Payback to clear tonnes of trash from Hill Side at Little Harrowden.
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Hide AdThe green zone between the A509 Kettering to Wellingborough road – left when the main road was straightened – had become a notorious grot spot used by fly-tippers.
Cllr Martin Griffiths (Irchester, Ind) had been pleased with the clean-up but couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the new rubbish, mostly cardboard and wood.
He said: “I feel demoralised. This fly-tipping is irresponsible laziness. That could have been recycled. If you wanted to get rid of it, and you lived in a house, you could just cut it up and put it in your bin.
"I, and of course the residents, were extremely pleased that the long-awaited clean-up of this fly-tipping hot spot was completed. North Northants Council and the Community Payback team did a really good job but this is a real kick in the teeth.”
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Hide AdNNC removed more than 300 bags of rubbish and one truck-load of larger items including a discarded sofa. It is believed the council is now considering other ways to prevent anti-social behaviour in the lay-by.
Cllr Griffiths added: “Fly-tipping is not only a despicable crime, it is harmful to birds and wildlife, and is a blight on our countryside. North Northamptonshire Council need to step up enforcement and issue fines in cases where the evidence for fly-tipping is clear on both public and private land. They need to put in cameras and signs to stop people.”
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste – domestic items such as fridges, sofas and mattresses to garden waste, tyres and construction waste – and can carry a fine of up to £50,000 and six months in prison.
If someone is paid to remove and dispose of waste, the waste is still the responsibility of the original owner.
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Hide AdCheck the Environment Agency's register of licenced carriers by clicking https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers.
Report fly-tipping in north Northamptonshire here https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/street-cleansing/fly-tipping.