Want a £51k salary and after a challenge? Council seeks expert to take down fly-tippers

Sandwell Council has stepped up its efforts in recent months to tackle the issue of traveller camps after revealing the clean-up was costing more than £400,000 a year.

Already this year, bosses have been granted new powers to allow them to move travellers from council-owned land within 24 hours.

Now the council is searching for a corporate action co-ordinator for unauthorised encampments and fly-tipping, offering a salary of up to £51,125 a year - the equivalent of £26.50 per hour.

The job briefing is to prevent and deter unauthorised encampments and fly-tipping.

The applicant must also be able to prove they can ensure the 'full range of legal and enforcement powers' available to protect the public and businesses, by moving on illegal camps.

A summary for the 'new and exciting' permanent role, posted this week, read: "To lead corporate, while council action planning to prevent or deter unauthorised encampments and fly-tipping in the borough.

"The objective is to put in place plans and actions that pro-actively prevent or deter unauthorised encampments and fly-tipping in advance of it occurring."

The council is after a candidate 'ready for a challenge' with a minimum of five years experience 'working within a complex environment'.

The role would involve working with the police, bailiffs and the Environment Agency.

Illegal traveller camps have long-plagued the borough.

Just this week, caravans moved on to the car park at the New Square Shopping Centre in West Bromwich.

And earlier in the month, travellers left 50 tons of rubbish at Black Patch Park in Smethwick.

The rubbish consisted of more than 300 tyres, rubble, black bags, furniture, beds and double glazed windows.

The council was left with a £16,000 bill to clean-up the site. Two diggers and eight containers were used to haul off the waste.

The group of travellers also set up camps at Blakeley Wood Road in Tipton, and then Ridgeacre Road Industrial Estate in West Bromwich, after leaving Black Patch, but were also evicted from those sites by bailiffs.

Car parks, parks and other council-owned sites around Sandwell had to be secured.

Councillor Steve Eling, council leader, said: "We are actively working to prevent unauthorised encampments and crack down on fly-tipping.

"This role will oversee and tackle these specific issues which are often related to each other. We're currently spending more than £400,000 a year cleaning up after unauthorised encampments and this has to stop."