Litter 'Womble' calls for city council to address fly-tip 'dumping ground' in Peterborough

A member of Peterborough Litter Wombles is calling on the city council to do more to address fly-tipping in a local hotspot area.

Alan Gasparutti, a former parish councillor for Bretton, says a long stretch of footpath in the Bretton area has become a ‘dumping ground’ for rubbish and household waste.

The footpath in question runs through a wooded area behind houses in Middleton, Greenham, Artindale, Tirrington and Manton – parallel to Soke Parkway.

Mr Gasparutti says he regularly spots large household items, such as broken beds and dirty mattresses, left there along with alcohol bottles and cans.

"I would like Peterborough City Council (PCC) to make greater efforts to combat and/or deter fly-tipping in this city,” he said. “I previously requested that mobile CCTVs be used at certain spots in Bretton, but this has not happened.

"The council should at the very least put up a warning sign there to deter fly-tipping. It’s a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, but this is a footpath which used to be used by dog walkers years ago. Now it’s just a dumping ground.

"I’ve been walking here for the last 5 or 6 years, and it’s become much worse in that time. It used to have dog bins back then, but there’s nothing now. “

Mr Gasparutti and the other member of the Wombles are now planning a clear-up of the area on Sunday, March 16, from 10am, and have invited a number of city councillors to take part. For details, visit their Facebook event page.

“Peterborough Litter Wombles (PLW) consists of many people, local to various districts, who clear their area,” he explains. “Three colleagues regularly help me each Saturday morning, around South Bretton. We often work with larger PLW groups, who help clear waste elsewhere in Bretton, from time to time.

“Members of the public can join us on March 16,” he adds. “Some of the items are very large so we are hoping to get a van along so we can remove them.”

Mr Gasprutti says he believes the culprits could be residents in the Bretton area, adding that it’s unlikely to be motorists using the Soke Parkway as they would have to carry the items up a steep slope before dumping them.

"The council could do more to address the fly-tipping by bringing this issue to the attention of residents, and reminding them of the possible fines they face for treating this area as a dump,” he added.

We approached Peterborough City Council for a comment. Cllr Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We actively work with community groups including the Peterborough Litter Wombles and local ward councillors as part of our work to tackle littering and fly-tipping in Peterborough and encourage residents to get involved in organised litter picks.

“Later this month we are organising a series of litter picks as part of the Great British Spring Clean, following on from successful events last year and will be announcing full details shortly.

“We are always keen to work with communities and groups to tackle fly-tipping in specific areas and in this instance, we will continue to monitor the situation and consider whether measures such as signage or cameras to assist with enforcement could be introduced.

"We would also remind people to report fly-tipping to us at www.peterborough.gov.uk”