Shame of city road dump for fly-tippers

Tyres, mattresses and rubble are among the mounds of rubbish which fly-tippers have dumped on land in the Black Country.

More than 30 tyres and skipfuls of waste have been deposited on the site in Bilston. Although city council bosses are aware of the eyesore at Bankfield Road, Bradley — adjacent to a five-a-side football pitch - they have been unable to take action because it is on private land, it emerged today.

Figures have shown 5,083 reported incidents of fly-tipping in Wolverhampton over the past year. Andy Hall, the council's public protection manager, said: "The city council is aware of the incident of fly-tipping at Bankfield Road, which was brought to our attention about a month ago. The site is privately owned and the land owner will be responsible for its clearance."

One employee, who works in the road, said today: "The amount of fly tipping has got out of control.

"There are several large piles of household rubbish, tyres and garden waste.

"The council has only just completed building a new five-a-side football pitch on the land adjacent to the garbage, which kids use daily. Surely, this cannot be healthy."

West Midlands Police spokeswoman Sarah Astbury said officers were called to remove a car which had been abandoned on the site earlier this month.

Fly-tippers in Wolverhampton cost city taxpayers £185,460 over the last 12 months. The council managed to claw back £7,765 from the culprits, or four per cent of the total.

Last week a woman in Parkfield Road was fined and conditionally discharged after her rubbish was dumped beside a road.