Residents of a Spalding street have vowed to renew their fight against an ‘eyesore’ corner of rubbish and fly-tipped items.
For more than 10 years, Ken Ward has been in contact with South Holland District Council about the rubbish piled up at a corner near his house.
The bulk of it comes from the estate of apartments and houses built at the end of the avenue, on the former Sunblest Bakery and he says some is driven in and dumped.
“The rubbish is collected on a Thursday and then it starts to pile up again straight away,” Ken said.
Betty Andrew, who has lived at Ayscough Avenue for nearly 70 years, said fly-tipped items are often taken away by council refuse collectors: “We have to pay £25 to have large items taken away, why should other people be able to dump things there and have their things taken away for free?”
When The Voice visited the street on Monday, a sofa, a mattress and a child’s bed were among the collection of bin bags and recycling sacks.
Coun Roger Gambba-Jones said: “Any fly-tipped items would not be collected by our refuse operatives, and will instead be taken away following an investigation by our Enforcement Officer who looks to prosecute where the evidence is available to do so.
“It is important that we know about dumped items to allow us to clear them and gather as much information as possible.
“Any fly-tips you see can be quickly reported to us 24/7 to via our website at www.sholland.gov.uk/reportit.”
Ken said the corner is also regularly used as an unsavoury playground. “Kids go through the bags and play out there at night. It’s not a good environment for children.”
He has also seen foxes, squirrels, cats and dogs ripping open bags.
The rubbish pile is below a SHDC notice warning of fines for fly-tippers. Ken says SHDC told him it couldn’t collect the rubbish from the estate itself as it is it is private property belonging to the landowner.
He has also been told the refuse trucks are too heavy to go onto the estate, but had been told the authority was looking to find funding for a lighter lorry.
SHDC did not respond when asked by The Voice for an update on this.
Ken, who has lived at Ayscough Avenue for more than 30 years, said he has spoken to local landlords who have had trouble letting their properties in the area because of the “eyesore”.
He said: “We would move if we could but we’re pensioners and can’t afford to move.”
Coun Gambba-Jones added: “As a council we are committed to providing reliable and efficient weekly refuse and recycling collections across the district, and know the importance of this service to our residents.
“It is important that black and green bags are only placed in the communal collection points by 6am on the day of collection, and that these points are not used for storage on other days.
“Such action can lead to the accumulation of bags and the dumping of other waste and very quickly turn the area into a fly-tipping hotspot.”
