Fridges, television and mattress among 'unsightly' mess dumped fly-tippers in Sunderland country lane

Seven fridges, four doors from other fridges, a television, a mattress, bedding and other unwanted items were illegally dumped on the land beside Foxcover Road, a country lane near Hastings Hill and the A19.

A resident who regularly walks through the area told the Echo that the rubbish had been there since around August 15.

Sunderland City Council are aware of the mess, but say they are unable to do anything as the waste has been dumped on private land.

Councillor Amy Wilson, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “Fly-tipping is a criminal offence as well as being unsightly and irresponsible and we would always encourage anyone with information to report it immediately at www.sunderland.gov.uk/report-flytipping or 0191 520 5550.

“In this case as the waste has been dumped on private land, it is the responsibility of the land owner to have it cleared.”

The council does remove bulky waste from private addresses, but charges for the service. The cost is £22.50 for up to six items with a surcharge of £5 for each fridge or freezer. The same charge applies for a settee, or up to six bags of building rubble.

In January 2019 around 250 tyres were dumped on Foxcover Road. In August 2018 motorists on the road had to turn back as they were unable to pass another pile of fly-tipped waste.

The Echo's Clean Streets campaign is in response to readers’ concerns about the cleanliness of public spaces across Sunderland.

Backed by Sunderland City Council, the campaign calls on the public to take pride in their community, and report any incidents of fly-tipping and littering.

The most recent data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) revealed that almost one million incidents were recorded in England in 2017-18.

In Sunderland, there were 9,055 fly-tipping incidents, 25 per day, in the 12 months to March 2018, one of the highest numbers of any local authority in England.

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment.