Anger as more flytipping appears
Second pile of rubbish dumped in the same area
Drivers took matters into their own hands to move rubbish dumped in a road so they could get past.
The fly-tipped waste was left in New Cut, just off Stockett Lane in East Farleigh, Maidstone.
It is the second mound of rubbish to be found in the area within the last two weeks. Maidstone council launched an investigation after a large amount of building waste was fly-tipped in Butt Green Lane, Linton earlier this month, as reported in last week’s Messenger.
Several pallets, polystyrene, guttering and tarpaulin, as well as a vacuum cleaner and sink were among the discarded items.
Butt Green Lane is 3.3 miles from the new pile that was discovered last week.
Resident Martin Deacon regularly uses the road to cycle through and says he came across the rubbish at around 12.15pm last Thursday (March 14).
“I was shocked, angry, disappointed and disgusted by it,” he said.
“They regularly do it in that area – especially Loose, Tovil and East Farleigh.
“It’s causing the road to be blocked to traffic.
“A driver was struggling to get past the rubbish as it was a tight squeeze. She probably didn't want to kick anything in case it was hazardous.
“The lady was also frightened of getting a puncture, so I helped her as she passed it.” It is understood that the flytipping has been reported to the council.
Two days later, Martin noted someone had put tape around it which said “environmental crime scene – do not enter”.
He also posted a warning for other drivers in the area on a
local Facebook group.
Several people expressed the same reaction to the discovery. One person said: “How awful that people seem to think this is okay to dump.”
“People like this make me sick,” another added.
The maximum fine for fly-tipping recently increased from £400 to £1,000.
Local authorities can now choose to pursue offenders through the courts rather than issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.As a result, there will be no maximum fine imposed and the offender could also be jailed. Maidstone council was contacted for a comment.