IN PICTURES: Diggers move in on huge Brierley Hill rubbish mountain
It is an eyesore that has been left untouched for so long that people living nearby probably thought this day would never come.
But as diggers clawed away removing the first chunks, it was the first visual sign that the huge pile of rubbish that has blighted their lives was finally on the way out.
Preparation works started a couple of weeks ago but machinery has now moved onto the Refuse Derived Fuel site in Moor Street, Brierley Hill, to disturb the waste mountain which has been left for so long it has sprouted vegetation.
But it is not going to be a quick fix, with the job of removing the waste expected to take eight months.
But councillors and residents, who have campaigned for action for so long, have said they are pleased something is finally being done.
The breakthrough came after the owners of the former RDF site agreed to pay around £750,000 to clear the waste.
Rubbish once towered 40ft into the air and efforts to have it shifted resulted in a saga involving rat infestations, court action and even prison time. Company director Robert McNaughton was jailed for failing to remove it in 2013.
The long-awaited removal of the rubbish, which includes, wood, plastic, bricks and household waste, has raised hopes that plans to build flats on the site could be resurrected.
Proposals to build two modern housing blocks containing 94 flats were unveiled last year but stalled as a developer could not be attracted over fears they might be landed with the clean-up bill.
Brierley Hill councillor Rachel Harris, who has led the long campaign for action, said: "I am just absolutely thrilled. I am pleased for the local people - we are finally going to see the rubbish go down.
"It has been a long journey and it has been a difficult journey for all of us having to go through the court process and having to wait for all the different parties to come together. The owners of the site are clearly working with the Environment Agency on this and we can look forward to having the site cleared by late autumn."
Councillor Harris admitted there were times when she questioned if the rubbish would ever be moved.
She said: "I never gave up hope that we couldn't find a solution. There were times when I had to think hard about who we could continue to push to try and get things to happen. Everybody is over the moon this nuisance is finally going."
