Angry residents slam reckless fly-tippers
Fears dumped rubbish will cause accident
Stonehouse residents fed up with fly-tippers dumping items on Candermill Road are urging them to take their rubbish elsewhere before someone is killed.
Despite South Lanarkshire Council erecting a warning sign in the area, some are still running the risk of a fine by littering the road with all manner of items including slabs, tyres and building debris.
One local, who wants to remain anonymous, told the Advertiser: “It’s a weekly occurrence. We have even had caravans left.
“One night we had to use our van to pull a huge pack full of bricks from the middle of the road.
“They had obviously tied a rope to the fence then to the handle of the ton bags used for sand which they had filled, then drove off allowing the gate to pull the bag from the van. I had to then tie it to my tow bar and drag it to side of road as it’s pitch black up here from 4pm, and someone will be seriously hurt.
“It’s not like it’s just normal rubbish, it’s bricks and slabs and monoblock - it’s ridiculous.
“One night a neighbour lit some glowlights on top of the rubble to allow vehicles to see it as we physically couldn’t move the items.
“I’m not looking forward to Boxing Day as we will have all the Christmas boxes and wrapping paper dumped as usual.
“Then the old Christmas trees appear.”
The issue was raised in a Facebook group, where another local fumed: “It won’t be long till someone is killed.
“They’re actually dumping in the middle of the road while they’re on the move.
“It’s not going to go away, so the local council must take action.
“Whether it be the provision of a site where debris can be taken and sorted for recycling at a small fee, or free of charge.
“Whatever the answer is, it must be addressed now.”
The Advertiser raised the issue with South Lanarkshire Council, and was told that its Environmental Services department issues fixed penalty fines of £200 and submits a report to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to fly-tipping.
It also stressed that it “monitors and investigates fly-tipping with the utmost importance” and encouraged local residents to continue to report incidents directly through its website.
Shirley Clelland, Head of Fleet and Environmental Services, said: “We are grateful to members of the public who bring fly-tipping to our attention.
“The council takes fly-tipping of any type seriously and I would urge members of the public to report such incidents to Environmental Services through the council’s website at www.southlanarkshire. gov.uk, where any information that may assist in the identification of individuals involved in flytipping can also be provided in confidence.”
It is pitch black up here from 4pm and someone will get seriously hurt