Furious residents complain of rampant illegal fly tipping on road
- 3 months ago
This is the shocking scene on a road that has been used as a dumping ground by fly-tippers for 20 years.
The road in Erith, southeast London, is used by Kevin Richards who drives down it every day to work.
The 56-year-old, uses the dead-end road to get to an industrial estate and says driving through the sea of rubbish at night has even caused damage to his vehicle - setting him back £500.
But the father-of-one claims neither the local council, his local MP or the Environment Agency want to know about it as the road, which leads to Darent Industrial Park, is 'out of sight, out of mind'.
Lorry driver Mr Richards says the unlit road has been a hotspot for fly-tippers since he moved to the area at the turn of the millennium, but the problem has significantly worsened in recent years.
Piles of furniture, fridges, tyres and household and industrial waste litter the road, making the area a haven for rodents and foxes.
"During the night there's fly-tipping in the middle of the road," Mr Richards explained.
"I damaged the front bumper of my minibus one night, which is costing me £500 to repair.
"I've contacted Bexley Council, my local MP and the Environment Agency about it, but they are all passing the buck and saying it's nothing to do with them.
"In the summer of 2022, there was a huge fire down the road and it was closed off for three days.
"The fire got rid of most of the rubbish but now it's worse than it was before.
"Because it's down a dead-end road and not many people go down the estate, it's out of sight, out of mind.
"There are no streetlights at all. It's pitch black down there.
“People know that they can go down there and tip as they're not going to get fined or anything.
"No one's going to say anything to them. So basically, it's a free landfill.
“I've actually seen people dumping rubbish in full daylight – they just know there's no repercussions.
"Nobody wants to know."
Mr Richards believes many people dump their rubbish on the road as legally disposing of it is expensive.
He says responses from Bexley Council, his MP, Conservative Sir David Evennett, and the Environment Agency have all proven disappointing - saying there is even some confusion as to who is responsible for the filthy road.
“I've spoken to people who are in their 50s and 60s, and they tell me when they were a child, they used to go down that road to play," Mr Richards added.
"It was a lovely, beautiful area with the dike on the other side of the road - they used to go fishing.
“You'd be lucky if there's anything in there now.”
A spokesperson for Bexley Council insisted they took flytipping seriously and were working to add more CCTV cameras and deterrents to discourage would-be dumpers.
The spokesperson said: “We remove any waste which has been deposited onto the highway as quickly as possible.
“The ditches which run alongside the highway are privately owned and we are working on solutions with the landowner.
“We take fly-tipping very seriously and are continuing to engage with the landowners, the environment agency, and local businesses to combat this.
“We are working on plans to increase CCTV coverage, introduce new deterrents, and clear the accumulation of waste, which we hope to announce over the coming months.
“We regularly inspect waste deposits in Wallhouse Road and follow up on any evidence which is provided to us."
The council reported 83 Fixed Penalty Notices issued for illegal waste deposits on Wallhouse Road last year, along with 21 issued to non-compliant waste carriers and nine to residents lacking due diligence when arranging for a contractor to collect their waste.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency claims it collaborates with local authorities, police, and businesses to tackle fly-tipping and is reportedly seeking a long-term solution for the fly-tipping problem on Wallhouse Road.
A spokesperson for the government agency said: “The Environment Agency and London Borough of Bexley work with the Met Police, local businesses and landowners on the Darent Industrial Park Estate and Ray Lamb Way to address the concerns around fly-tipping and the impact on the environment and local businesses.
“We carry out targeted days of action with partners to disrupt those who are intent on breaking the law when carrying waste.
“We will continue to work with all partners to develop a long-term and robust solution to stop the complex fly-tipping issues on Ray Lamb Way and Wallhouse Road."
The road in Erith, southeast London, is used by Kevin Richards who drives down it every day to work.
The 56-year-old, uses the dead-end road to get to an industrial estate and says driving through the sea of rubbish at night has even caused damage to his vehicle - setting him back £500.
But the father-of-one claims neither the local council, his local MP or the Environment Agency want to know about it as the road, which leads to Darent Industrial Park, is 'out of sight, out of mind'.
Lorry driver Mr Richards says the unlit road has been a hotspot for fly-tippers since he moved to the area at the turn of the millennium, but the problem has significantly worsened in recent years.
Piles of furniture, fridges, tyres and household and industrial waste litter the road, making the area a haven for rodents and foxes.
"During the night there's fly-tipping in the middle of the road," Mr Richards explained.
"I damaged the front bumper of my minibus one night, which is costing me £500 to repair.
"I've contacted Bexley Council, my local MP and the Environment Agency about it, but they are all passing the buck and saying it's nothing to do with them.
"In the summer of 2022, there was a huge fire down the road and it was closed off for three days.
"The fire got rid of most of the rubbish but now it's worse than it was before.
"Because it's down a dead-end road and not many people go down the estate, it's out of sight, out of mind.
"There are no streetlights at all. It's pitch black down there.
“People know that they can go down there and tip as they're not going to get fined or anything.
"No one's going to say anything to them. So basically, it's a free landfill.
“I've actually seen people dumping rubbish in full daylight – they just know there's no repercussions.
"Nobody wants to know."
Mr Richards believes many people dump their rubbish on the road as legally disposing of it is expensive.
He says responses from Bexley Council, his MP, Conservative Sir David Evennett, and the Environment Agency have all proven disappointing - saying there is even some confusion as to who is responsible for the filthy road.
“I've spoken to people who are in their 50s and 60s, and they tell me when they were a child, they used to go down that road to play," Mr Richards added.
"It was a lovely, beautiful area with the dike on the other side of the road - they used to go fishing.
“You'd be lucky if there's anything in there now.”
A spokesperson for Bexley Council insisted they took flytipping seriously and were working to add more CCTV cameras and deterrents to discourage would-be dumpers.
The spokesperson said: “We remove any waste which has been deposited onto the highway as quickly as possible.
“The ditches which run alongside the highway are privately owned and we are working on solutions with the landowner.
“We take fly-tipping very seriously and are continuing to engage with the landowners, the environment agency, and local businesses to combat this.
“We are working on plans to increase CCTV coverage, introduce new deterrents, and clear the accumulation of waste, which we hope to announce over the coming months.
“We regularly inspect waste deposits in Wallhouse Road and follow up on any evidence which is provided to us."
The council reported 83 Fixed Penalty Notices issued for illegal waste deposits on Wallhouse Road last year, along with 21 issued to non-compliant waste carriers and nine to residents lacking due diligence when arranging for a contractor to collect their waste.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency claims it collaborates with local authorities, police, and businesses to tackle fly-tipping and is reportedly seeking a long-term solution for the fly-tipping problem on Wallhouse Road.
A spokesperson for the government agency said: “The Environment Agency and London Borough of Bexley work with the Met Police, local businesses and landowners on the Darent Industrial Park Estate and Ray Lamb Way to address the concerns around fly-tipping and the impact on the environment and local businesses.
“We carry out targeted days of action with partners to disrupt those who are intent on breaking the law when carrying waste.
“We will continue to work with all partners to develop a long-term and robust solution to stop the complex fly-tipping issues on Ray Lamb Way and Wallhouse Road."