River of rubbish that shames UK
SNAKING its way across a swathe of land, this river of rubbish exposes the shocking extent of our throwaway culture.
Piles of broken furniture, splintered wood and window frames have blighted the area in Edmonton, North London, for more than three months.
Toy cars, mattresses and even a bathtub can be found at the fly-tipping free-for-all. Despite the council’s pledge to act on reports of illegal dumping within five days, the waste is yet to be cleared. This prompted resident Dom Teagle to contact Kate Osamor, MP for Edmonton, on Twitter. Alongside a picture, he wrote: ‘This vast river of rubbish is in your constituency. Near Angel Road station. What is being done about it?’
The council’s website says dumped rubbish that obstructs the street will be removed within four hours on working days. It claims other waste will be cleaned up within five days of receiving a report. However, residents have yet to see anything done about the dump, which is near homes and a park. An Enfield Council spokesman said it was told about the rubbish just after Christmas but clearing it had been delayed because specialist contractors were needed ‘to remove such a substantial amount of rubbish’. Earlier this year, the Government announced plans to allow councils to fine fly-tippers up to £400. Officials say ‘waste crime’ cost the English economy more than £600million in 2015.