Asbestos dumped at South Cambridgeshire 'rubbish hotspot'
The district council is cracking down on flytippers.
Asbestos dumped at the side of a village road has been left open to the elements for more than a week at what is being called a fly-tipping hotspot.
Fen End in Willingham, which residents call a quiet road, has been the target of mass littering in the past. What appears to be a shed with an asbestos roof was dumped next to the road last week.
Villagers said the fly-tipping had been reported to the district council, which is having to fund a private contractor to remove the waste.
Resident Hannah Beckwith told the Cambridge Independent: “We go down there several times a week to walk the dogs and there’s always rubbish down there. If it’s not rubbish down the road, it’s in the ditches, so it’s invisible to people driving but walkers can see it all. There’s all sorts of rubbish – toys, building materials, a fence.
“It’s always a worry because the dogs will rush over and see what it is. They’ve had a few McDonald’s down there in the past that have been thrown in the ditch.”
South Cambridgeshire District Council is the authority responsible for the area. The council’s director of health and environmental services, Mike Hill, said: “Residents detest fly-tipping and we do too. Each case of fly-tipping costs us hundreds of pounds to clear. If it’s made up of hazardous materials like asbestos we must bring in specialist contractors to remove it.
“Money spent on this could be going towards frontline services our residents depend on. That’s why we need help from communities to prosecute fly-tippers.
“If you see someone illegally dumping rubbish, try to get as many details about them and the vehicle they’re using and report them to us online.”
It said a contractor had been organised a couple of days after the incident being reported and they are waiting for them to dispose of the shed now.
The district, in partnership with North Hertfordshire District Council, successfully prosecuted a “serial flytipper”, Robbie Frank Johnston of Barkway, Royston, who was givn a two year custodial sentence.
Johnston was operating as a waste carrier and, despite having a licence, was taking people’s waste and illegally dumping it - items including carpets, furniture, baths, beds, mattresses and garage doors. Environmental Crime Officers were able to trace the waste back to residents who identified Johnston and provided photographic evidence of the van he used, which was then traced via the DVLA to him.
You can report fly-tipping online at scambs.gov.uk/form-type/report-it.
