Railway makes plea to stop fly-tippers

Volunteers at the Nene Valley Railway have had to clear bags of waste, sofas and carpet away from the tracks used by historic trains after becoming the latest target of fly-tipping yobs.

Along with clearing the rubbish away, the volunteers are having to do painstaking inspections of the tracks each time trains run, to ensure the routes are kept safe for passengers and staff.

The latest pile of fly-tipped waste was left on the tracks in Woodston, at the crossing near Belsize Avenue.

Jerry Thurston, from Nene Valley Railway, appealed for people to report any suspicious behaviour.

He said: “We have had a large amount of rubbish dumped on our tracks in Woodston this week.

“People are just throwing it onto the tracks over the fences.

“It causes big problems for us, because we need to clear it all away before a train runs down the tracks.

“There is not a danger of an accident at Nene Valley Railway, because we check the tracks before we run.

“But having to do the checks, and clear it all away is a massive drain on our resources.

“We have had everything from a three-piece-sofa to carpets and bags of rubbish left.

“It has been going on for a long time now It is a regular occurrence on our land.

“Because it is private property, we have to clean it ourselves.

“If you know who is behind it, please contact police.”

Last week the Peterborough Telegraph revealed the council was working with land owners on Oxney Road after burnt out cars and other rubbish had been left on the site, causing an etesoore.

The rubbish at Oxney Road had been built up over several months.

A police spokesman said anyone who witnesses fly-tipping taking place on private land should call 999 if the dumping is currently taking place.

If you have information about who is responsible for fly-tipping, call 101.

To report fly-tipping on public or council land, call Peterborough City Council on 01733 747474.