Lincolnshire farmer calls for action to be taken over fly-tipping in Crowland

A farmer has called for more action to be taken over the blight of fly-tipping after piles of waste materials were dumped on his land.

Andrew Branton found the rubbish (pictured) on land part-owned by himself and part under the control of local agencies at Cloot Drove, near Crowland, on Thursday last week.

In a Tweet he said: “Lincs Police say it’s not their job to investigate. The Environment Agency don’t want to know and give you the phone number of Lincs County Council, who don’t answer the phone. The tip in Spalding is only open at specific times for specific waste types.”

He told the Spalding Guardian and Lincolnshire Free Press: “It is frustrating the heck out of me because it happens routinely.

“It has obviously got massively worse through lockdown and I would never defend that action but I can kind of understand because I believe people are either being turned away because the tip isn’t open the hours it should be or the tip is not taking categories of waste on certain days.

“There is never any urgency to get it sorted so fly-tipping attracts more fly-tipping. The local authorities need to get their heads together because it is just not working.”

Last November Mr Branton had rubbish dumped on his land which he said took a month to get cleared, but plasterboard was left because it contained hazardous material.

In December he had to call out the police when a pile of the remnants of cannabis plants were found dumped nearby.

Councillor Gary Taylor, South Holland District Council’s portfolio holder for communities and facilities, said: “There is no excuse for fly-tipping and we stand firmly against it in all its forms, regardless of its size or contents.

“Our enforcement and environmental services team work with residents and partner organisations to get the mess cleared and to try to gather the evidence necessary to bring these offenders to justice, and a quick and accurate report is key to this process.

“Fly-tips are an environmental hazard and waste the resources of our council and the money of our taxpayers, and the sooner we are able to respond, the greater the chance of a successful investigation.

“If you are witnessing the tip take place, call 999. If not, please always report it directly to the council through our website at www.sholland.gov.uk/reportit, or by phone or email, to help us tackle these tippers as effectively as possible.”

Lincolnshire County Council is to expand the types of waste it can accept on more days from March 8, after restrictions were put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Coun Eddy Poll, executive member for waste at the county council, said: “Fly-tipping is a crime, and there is absolutely no excuse for blighting the countryside with your rubbish.

“Our Household Waste Recycling Centres are open. At our Spalding centre there are 300 slots available every day, and on average 175 residents use it per day, so there are plenty of timeslots available. It’s easy to book a slot, simply visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/clickandtip and find a time which is suitable.

“In the coming weeks, we’re also expanding what waste we can take on.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency added: “Fly-tipping blights communities and poses a risk to human health and the environment. It can have serious environmental impacts which puts communities at risk and undermines legitimate business and the investment and economic growth that go with it.

“Local authorities investigate smaller scale instances of fly-tipping and the Environment Agency investigates larger scale deposits. In regard to the fly-tipped material at Cloot Drive, the local authority are leading on this with the support of others when needed.”