Shocking extent of fly-tipping
Fly-tippers are destroying picturesque parts of Calderdale with piles of rubbish and litter. These shocking pictures reveal the extent of the issue across Calderdale beauty spots and angry residents say more needs to be done to tackle the problem and clean the mess up.
It has been revealed that it costs around £140,000 to tackle the scourge of fly-tipping across the district and the council said it has received more than 2,000 reports of the issue in 2014/15.
But council officials have vowed to crack down on the perpetrators blighting the scenic Calderdale landscape by using new legislation to stop, search and seize vehicles suspected of fly-tipping.
Graham Peel, of Ovenden, regularly walks along Old Lane, Halifax, and slammed the mass of rubbish he faces on a daily basis as a “disgrace”.
From window frames, fridges and mattresses to piles of cans and bin bags, the road, which runs from Ovenden to Halifax, is a fly-tipping hot spot.
Mr Peel, 57, said: “It’s been going on really badly for about 12 months.
“I walk that road every day and it’s a disgrace. You look at pictures from yesteryear, they had nothing then but it was cleaner.
“We’re a nation of dumpers and I want it cleaned up. There’s a lot of wildlife down there and the birds I have seen are unbelievable, but we’re going to end up killing them.
“I want to see the council take a tougher stance on this.”
And the scourge has made its way down the Calder Valley, where land near Hebden Bridge beauty spot Hardcastle Crags has become an eyesore after fly-tippers struck there.
Stuart Andrews, of Greetland, says that the problem in Slater Bank Lane has been going on for months.
“I walk around there regularly, I like Hebden Bridge and it’s a very beautiful place. There’s rubbish and it’s becoming an eyesore,” Mr Andrews, 78, said.
“A lot of people have no pride in the country. It’s a blight in a beautiful village.”
In response to concerns, Ian Gray, Calderdale Council’s director of economy and environment, said: “Fly-tipping is a very serious crime and we won’t hesitate to prosecute offenders.
“Last year we successfully brought five prosecutions through the courts with fines of up to £1,000 each.
“New legislation introduced this month means we can now crack down even more on fly-tipping - we have the power to stop, search and seize vehicles suspected of waste crime, so we can take immediate action and hopefully this will result in more prosecutions.
“We are looking into reports of fly- tipping on Old Lane, removing items and revisiting each site in this area to see what can be done to prevent further incidents.
“We continue to take action to stop fly-tipping. For example, we put up fences on council-owned land to deter fly-tippers and we investigate suspect premises to check waste disposal arrangements.”
He urged Calderdale residents to make use of household waste recycling sites across the district.
For more information, visit www.calderdale.gov.uk, email customer.first@calderdale. gov.uk or call 01422 288002.