Pitch back in use after flytipping mess

A well-known fly-tipping hotspot in Shelf has been brought back to life as a sports pitch.

The former Shelf Cricket Club pitch will now be used for Shelf Junior Football Club matches following clearance work led by Melanie and Ben Kearns of the Shoulder of Mutton pub on Carr House Lane.

The clean-up work was funded by donations from local residents and the sale of football cards in the pub.

Melanie said: “We're still looking for donations and are asking locals to help us keep the pitches clean and tidy.”

Chair of Shelf Juniors, Paul Kelly, said: ”We’ve initially got permission to play matches here until the end of the season but are hoping that in time this can be a long-term arrangement.”

Green Party councillors Martin Hey and Dan Wood are calling on Calderdale Council to get to grips with an increasing problem of fly-tipping, typified by the abandoned rubbish on the former Shelf Cricket Club pitch.

They have pointed to the lack of recycling facilities in the area accessible to Calderdale residents, with the nearest facility being run by Bradford Council and unavailable to people living outside that area due to the city’s permit system. Calderdale Council is proposing to move to a similar system in 2024.

The councillors believe these changes are likely to worsen the situation around the district.

Dan Wood said: “As the council move to a permitbased system, they need to be ready to address increased fly tipping near Calderdale’s borders.

"Don’t leave it to residents to pick up the pieces.”