IS THIS THE FILTHIEST STREET IN THE BOROUGH?

YEADING RESIDENT SAYS FLY-TIPPING IS A GROWING PROBLEM IN HER ROAD

A YEADING resident fed up with the amount of rubbish dumped in her street has said it is probably the “filthiest street in the borough”.

Gemma Wood, who lives in Maple Close, says there have been problems with fly-tipping on the road for years and the situation is “getting worse”. Bags of rubbish, as well as mattresses, furniture and garden waste have all been dumped on the Hillingdon street. What compounds the matter, Gemma says, is that cats and foxes often tear into the bags, which means rubbish is left strewn across the street.

“I have often called the council to come and pick it up, but once all the rubbish is cleared away people just start dumping here again,” said Gemma.

“I just don’t know what to do about it and I’m sick and tired of looking at all that rubbish in my street each and every day.”

She added that the people who dump the rubbish are often leaving it all in recycling bags, but that when the recycling vans come to pick up the rubbish, they don’t take it with them as the bags are often full of “random, mixed” waste. “What usually happens is these bags get left here for weeks and rubbish gets scattered all around our street,” she added.

Gemma fears that rogue gardeners and tradesmen have also been taking advantage of the street and dumping their trade waste there.

If found guilty of fly-tipping, culprits can face a prison sentence of up to 12 months, a potential fine of up to £50,000 or both.

In the 2016/17 financial year, the last full year for which statistics are available, there were 7,766 incidents of fly-tipping in Hillingdon, and 7,267 in the previous financial year. Prior to that, in the year 2014/15, there were just 1,817 cases. In 2016/17, Hillingdon Council issued 3,031 fixed penalty notices to people who dumped illegal waste, but issued no formal cautions and carried out no prosecutions according to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs data seen by Get West London.

I’m sick and tired of looking at all that rubbish in my street Maple Close resident Gemma Wood

IMAGE: GEMMA WOOD Rubbish, garden waste and larger items such as mattresses are being dumped in Maple Close in Yeading