Anger as 'dangerous' fly-tipping dumped in middle of unlit Peterborough road
A city councillor has spoken out after huge piles of ‘dangerous’ fly-tipping was dumped in the middle of an unlit rural road in Peterborough.
The large piles, made up of timber and other building waste, were left in Middle Road, Newborough, on Saturday evening, and have almost completely blocked the carriageway, making it difficult for cars to get past.
The road itself is a typical Peterborough country lane – very narrow, bumpy, with ditches lining the tarmac, and no street lights – making the fly-tipped waste very dangerous for motorists, particularly at night.
The countryside around Peterborough can often be a hotspot for fly-tipping, and now city councillors have spoken out following the latest incident.
Cllr Steve Allen and cllr Mark Ormston, who represent the Eye, Thorney & Newborough ward, said more work was needed to get to the root of the problem.
Both have previously raised the issue, describing ‘industrial levels of fly-tipping’ in their ward.
Cllr Allen said incidents like this one were ‘all too frequent.’ He said: “The practice is incredibly dangerous, particularly on unlit rural lanes such as those surrounding Newborough.
“To dump debris on a roadway, takes a specifically unthinking kind of person, and the action is unquestionably that of a criminal nature.
“To stamp down on this will require the full cooperation and involvement of all relevant agencies - Police, local authority officers and the environment agency, and importantly backed by government funding.”
Cllr Ormston said greater punishments were needed. He said: “It is hugely frustrating and incredibly dangerous.
“The problem we have is that our fly-tipping is rarely just a couple of tyres or a fridge. It is a whole garden or house clearance, completely blocking roads. Over 20 tyres were fly-tipped in a single event in Newborough last month.
“There is no silver bullet, BUT we need greater deterrents, education for courts and investments in resourcing and infrastructure. This is a point of national shame. Our countryside is being used as a dumping ground.”
Peterborough City Council has been contacted for comment about the incident.
To report fly-tipping, visit https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling/fly-tipping-litter-graffiti-street-cleaning/report-fly-tipping, or call 01733 747474