Dumped waste
Huge pile of rubbish left on path and taxpayers pick up the bill
A MOUNTAIN of rubbish has been dumped on a secluded footpath in Hinckley.
The waste heap, described as 12ft tall and believed to weigh several tonnes, was found on Barwell Lane, just off the A47, on Sunday by walkers.
The clear-up and removal is expected to cost taxpayers thousands of pounds.
Environment officers from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council were at the scene on Monday morning investigating in attempt to identify the fly-tippers and trace where the waste originated.
The council has previously warned that homeowners could face fines of up to £5,000 if illegally dumped waste is traced back to their property.
Geoff Hibbitt discovered the pile while walking with his wife on Sunday afternoon and reported it to the council.
He said: “It’s absolutely unbelievable, I have never seen anything like it - it’s 12ft tall.
“I don’t know how long it’s been there, we hadn’t been down here for a week or two. We just stood back amazed at how much there is.
“[The smell] is getting bad. Leave it a bit longer and it won’t be nice. There’s bricks, household waste, all sorts of stuff.
“I reported it to the council they didn’t believe me that there was so much stuff. I told them that they’ll need a digger to put it on the back of a wagon.”
Resident John Trott added: “There are at least three large vehicle loads and plenty of room for more. I expect they [the fly- tippers] will be back.”
Councillor Mark Nickerson, executive member for neighbourhood services at the borough council, visited the site on Monday afternoon.
He said: “To me, it looks like two lorry loads but obviously the same people.
“This is commercial waste for sure – there are building materials, window frames, all sorts.
“Someone has taken a load of rubbish from a building site and has been going around the area collecting rubbish and topping it up. “It beggars belief really.” Heavy loading machinery was expected to be brought in either yesterday or today to clear the site.
Cllr Nickerson added: “Teams will be going down there to sort through the rubbish and remove it.
“I can assure you we will be looking very closely at what’s been dumped and looking to see if there is any evidence linking the fly-tipping to individuals or companies.
“We will be working very closely with the police to find those responsible and prosecute them.
“This is not acceptable and, rest assured, if we can identify those people responsible they are in deep trouble.”
It is not yet clear who owns the land, but the lane is in a disused piece of road made redundant when the A47 perimeter road was opened.
The council recently introduced Fixed Penalty Notices of up to £400 in a bid to clamp down on fly-tipping.
Anyone found guilty of fly-tipping on this scale could face a maximum fine of £50,000 and up to five years in prison.