Selfish tippers create eyesore
Councillor‘at end of tether’
A Wishaw councillor has blasted fly-tippers who have turned a empty plot of land into a “dumping ground”.
Nicky Shevlin has written to the council’s Environmental Services team after several complaints from residents about the ground on the corner of Northmuir Drive and Thrashbush Road.
In a letter to the council, sent to the Wishaw Press, Councillor Shevlin said: “I am at the end of my tether with this.
“I have contacted Planning, Environmental and Land Services to intervene with this eyesore which is quickly becoming a dumping ground with all sorts of furniture and white goods along with other items discarded through the night creating a lot of concern to the local residents around this land.
“To be fair, the enforcement officers have tried on a couple of occasions to speak to the owner but I believe they haven’t had any joy contacting him and because their resources are limited it hasn’t been followed up, though I stand to be corrected if this is still being actively pursued.
“The risk to public health from contamination is pretty much negligible but I have seen kids rummaging about within the site and to date there hasn’t been any reported injuries so hopefully this will not be an issue in the future.”
Councillor Shevlin added that he hoped the council would treat the fly-tipping as “a matter of urgency”.
In response to the councillor’s letter, NLC Senior Environmental Health Officer Jamie Brannigan said the site was in private ownership and there was no legal requirement for the local authority to get involved.
In a letter to the councillor, Mr Brannigan added: “The area is unkempt and overgrown with deposits in the main comprising of tree cuttings and garden waste. The Protective Services section of North Lanarkshire Council are empowered to deal with matters that would constitute a risk to public health.
“There is no evidence that the site owner is responsible for the fly-tipping.
“The owners have been requested to address the condition of the site however there is no legal redress available from a public health perspective to enforce improvement.
“The owner has promised to fence the site, however has failed to do so and again he cannot be required to undertake these works.
“I realise this is not the desired outcome however the council cannot adopt responsibility for private land and has no power to improve the condition of sites that await further development.
“The site will be monitored by a local environmental protection officer and should the circumstances change where we consider legal action can be taken then a notice will be served on the proprietor.”
The owner has promised to fence the site, however has failed to do so and he cannot be required to undertake these works