Fly tippers dump more than 20 bags of rubbish at car park in Sunderland

Bags of rubbish were left at The Golden Lion car park in South Hylton following bin collection delays across the city due to bad weather conditions.

Environmental Enforcement Support Officers cleared the area yesterday, Wednesday, February 17 after the abandoned waste was reported by residents.

Sunderland City Council is facing a backlog of bin collections following last week’s “challenging conditions” as additional bin collections have been scheduled to catch up with missed refuse.

The council said following the reports of fly tipping in the area, environmental enforcement officers removed the rubbish but no evidence was retrieved to determine where the waste had originated from.

Earlier this week Conservative councillor James Doyle, the deputy leader of the Tory group and shadow environment spokesman, had questioned the backlog and said “the council must act now to ensure this situation does not spiral out of control”.

Tory councillors also called on the council to “develop an adverse weather strategy so that bins are not missed in future when there is snow”.

Sunderland City Council said the area has now been cleared but is urging residents to report fly tipping incidents.

Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council said: “Fly-tipping is irresponsible, illegal, and a blight on Sunderland’s neighbourhoods. Anyone who finds or witnesses incidents of fly-tipping should report it immediately here or by calling 0191 520 5550.

“One of the main things to come out of our recent Let’s Talk consultations is that residents want to see more enforcement for this type of anti-social behaviour and the council has increased its resources on taking action against these offenders.”

The council is warning that those who book a van for waste removal can also be held liable by the courts if their rubbish is then fly-tipped.

Cllr Graeme Miller added: “It is cheaper, more convenient, and legal to use the council’s bulky items collection, available here.”

In a statement on Monday the council thanked residents for their “continued patience and understanding” and said missed bins would be collected by Saturday, February 20.

In December 2017, the Echo launched its Clean Streets campaign in response to readers’ concerns about the cleanliness of public spaces across the city.

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.

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