Upminster: Calls For A Crackdown On Fly-Tipping

A woman is calling on tougher measures to crackdown on fly-tipping after 80 tonnes of waste was dumped illegally on the farm where she works in Upminster.

Lynn Carr has been telling Heart she saw the rubbish on land at Manor Farm when she arrived to work on Friday (June 7th): "I just very slowly stopped my vehicle to see a huge mound of rubbish. I carried on into work and informed my employer what was on one of his fields where crops are grown."

Now she says her manager is having to pay around £10,000 to clear it, which she says isn't fair: "That £10,000 is a part time job for a year. Who says if they pay this sum of money to have it removed it isn't going to happen again?"

Lynn has continued to tell Heart that this is not the first time fly-tipping has happened at the farm and she wants CCTV to be installed and more policing in areas where fly-tipping is common.

Havering Council says it is working with the police and the Environment Agency to crackdown on fly-tippers after around 600 tonnes of waste was dumped at locations across the borough over the last week.

Councillor Barry Tebbutt tells Heart: "This is a disgusting and thoughtless crime that affects private land owners, the tax payer and the environment.

"It can leave landowners with bills running into thousands of pounds through no fault of their own, which can be very distressful, especially in these tough economic times.

"There are dedicated facilities to deal with waste and there's no excuse for dumping it and letting private land owners and tax payers bear the cost."

Councillor Tebbut says local authorities are unable to help with the clear up costs though: "Unfortunately on private land there's the resposibility of the owner to maintain the security of their own properties. But the people that do this are the people who should be held responsible."

The Council, police and the Environment Agency are appealing for information about waste being dumped in the following areas:

  • Sunnings Lane, Upminister on 7 June
  • Manor Farm, Pea Lane, Upminster, between 6 and 7 June
  • New extension for Upminster Cemetery, Ockendon Road, between 5 and 7 June
  • Berwick Pond Road, Rainham, between 30 and 31 May

Anyone with information is asked to come forward as soon as possible by calling any of the following quoting 'Upminster and Rainham fly-tipping':

  • Police on 101
  • Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60
  • Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
  • Havering Council on 01708 432563