A popular historian has called on Birmingham City Council to act after large amounts of waste – including a caravan – was dumped along a busy road. Prof Carl Chinn said a slip road running along Yardley Wood Road in Billesley had become a magnet for fly-tippers, blighting the leafy area.
He said multiple mounds of festering rubbish were strewn along the lane and a rusting caravan was dumped around a month ago. The rubbish was finally cleared by crews on Monday, January 6 following complaints.
Birmingham City Council said it investigated incidents and took enforcement action and prosecuted offenders. It urged people to report cases when they happened.
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Speaking before the rubbish was cleared, Prof Chinn said: “Unfortunately the slip road parallel with the Yardley Wood Road in Billesley attracts fly tippers but in the past, the rubbish has been cleared fairly quickly after reporting the problem to the council. However, a large mound of rubbish was dumped about six weeks ago and not only is it still there but also it’s pulled in other fly tippers.
“There are now several large dumps of rubbish plus a psychedelic coloured caravan, which has been there for at least four weeks. The only politically involved people who are trying to do something to tackle this dire problem are the local Green Party activists, whose efforts are welcomed.”
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Coun Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “Those who dump waste on public or private land are environmental criminals, who are expecting people in our city to foot the bill for the disposal of their rubbish and unwanted items. There is no excuse for this anti-social behaviour, which shows no regard for the surroundings in which we all have to live and work.
“There are many legitimate ways to get rid of waste, including our household recycling centres which have plenty of capacity, and our mobile waste centres, so there is simply no excuse. We investigate incidents and do not hesitate to take enforcement action or prosecute offenders, as demonstrated in the past by many high-profile cases.
“If citizens wish to report fly tipping or other street related issues, we encourage them to use their Brum Account as this is linked to our internal systems so we can investigate issues and action accordingly.”