The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Fury after fly-tipper obstructs rural road
Tradesman paid £20 to lift takeaway rubbish skips out on duty
An unscrupulous tradesman who was paid to take rubbish away from Dundee businesses scattered his cargo in the Angus countryside.
Residents were horrified to find boxes and bags of rubbish strewn across a remote road between Auchterhouse and Newtyle, saying the mountain of waste posed a hazard to cars.
A takeaway boss, who said he paid the driver £20 to remove some of his rubbish, said he had reported the matter to police.
“He said he would take it to a proper skip or recycling centre,” the staff member at Mediterranean takeaway Cous Cous said.
Meanwhile, revellers left a mess at Dronley Wood following a get-together at the weekend.
A driver who was paid £20 to remove rubbish from a Dundee takeaway left it dumped at the side of a country road some 15 miles away.
The mess left strewn across Bonnyton Road, between Auchterhouse and Newtyle, has angered locals.
Some items among the debris clearly identify businesses in the Strathmartine and Glens areas of the city, including an orange sign for Mediterranean takeaway Cous Cous.
The manager of the Strathmartine Road establishment declined to give his name when approached by The Courier, but said he drove out to rural Angus to take back his rubbish when the problem was flagged up to him.
He said: “A man came into the shop maybe two or three times before asking if we have any rubbish and he could get rid of it, but I told him we were fine.
“However, last week the collection wasn’t done so we had a lot of rubbish, so I said to him: Okay. We paid him £20 to do it. He said he would take it to a proper skip or recycling centre.
“I have a picture of him from our cameras and we are going to give that to the police.
“We won’t do this again. With everything, we try to do it 100% right but this guy lied to us.
“A lot of people phoned on Saturday to tell us about it so I went up and took everything that was ours back.”
One man who lives in Auchterhouse rushed to the scene when he saw images on social media. With a friend, he moved the rubbish to the side of the road to make it safer for cars to pass.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous because of a suspicion the people behind the fly-tipping are “not right and potentially nasty”, said about 15 to 20 businesses were identifiable from the items.
He said: “It was strewn all over the road. It’s a fly-tipping issue but it is also a road safety issue.
“My suspicion is that someone has gone round businesses in the area saying they will get rid of their rubbish for them.
“But whatever the reason, there is no excuse. It’s really frustrating.”
The man contacted the police, but
We won’t do this again... we try to do it 100% right but this guy lied to us... I went up and took everything that was ours back.
DUNDEE BUSINESSMAN
said they “weren’t interested” unless someone was caught in the act. They did take more notice when the road safety element was highlighted.
A police spokeswoman confirmed they would only respond to reports of flytipping when it was actually happening rather than after the fact.
She added that fly-tipping is “predominantly” a local authority issue, but councils will sometimes report cases to the police.
It is unclear if there is a police investigation into the incident as the spokeswoman said it was “impossible” to check without knowing when it was reported.
Angus Council could not be reached over the weekend but Beth Whiteside, councillor for the area, said a council worker had been out to assess the mess.
She said: “It is really selfish behaviour. Some of these businesses are identifiable to the Dundee area, so it looks like someone has gone round and taken their rubbish and thinks it’s okay to dump it in rural Angus, but it’s not okay.”
A mess had also been left at Dronley Wood over the weekend.
Nicola Sturgeon’s decision last week to move to the second phase of her government’s roadmap out of lockdown was not taken lightly. One of the first minister’s prime concerns is that by moving too fast all of the good work that has been done over the past three months to combat Covid-19 could be lost.
Thursday’s changes were designed to ease the burden somewhat on the most vulnerable in society and to allow the wider population a little more breathing space in what has been an incredibly challenged and frustrating time.
They were not, however, a charter for individuals to do whatever they like, whenever the notion should take them.
But it is becoming increasingly evident that a small minority do not think the Covid lockdown restrictions apply to them. That was certainly the case in Angus at the weekend where one community was left to clean up after an illegal woodland party and one of the most egregious examples of fly-tipping the region has ever seen.
They are not alone in their suffering. Perthshire residents have also been forced into action after a string of antisocial problems at Loch Clunie during the lockdown period.
The vast majority are going out of their way to stick by the regulations and ensure the community at large is as protected as possible. Their actions are commendable.
But those who wilfully break the lockdown rules – whether through boredom or badness – should be prepared to answer for their actions in a court of law.