'Fly-tipping on an industrial scale' - Huge pile of waste dumped on Staffordshire road
"It is fly-tipping on an industrial scale" - those are the words of a senior Lichfield District councillor who says he is "astonished" at a massive pile of waste dumped on a road which acts as a popular cut through.
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Councillor Phil Whitehouse was speaking after spending all day with officers from Lichfield, firefighters, police and members of the public to try and manage the closure of Watery Lane, which runs through Curborough from Eastern Avenue on the edge of the city centre to Wood End Lane.
The pile of waste which is two metres tall and measuring 15 metres in length was dumped at around 6am on Monday morning - blocking off access to and from Watery Lane for motorists and business owners all day.
Council contractors are expected to launch a clean up operation at around 7am today according to resident and community leader Elaine Hutchings, who took some dramatic video footage and pictures.
Councillor Whitehouse, who is cabinet member for operational services, parks and waste said he was amazed at the scale of the fly tipping and the audacity of those who did it.
He said: "It is beyond belief. We get plenty of instances of rubbish being dumped on this road and others in the district but this is fly-tipping on an industrial scale.
"It has impacted motorists on their daily commute and business owners in Curborough and Fradley because the road has had to be closed all day and it is not a quick fix - the sheer scale of the pile means it will take probably many, many hours to clear."
Mrs Hutchings, who lives on Watery Lane said: " I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve lived down the lane for over 20 years
" To be honest we haven’t had much down this lane at all but there have been around Lichfield and Burntwood and it seems like it is our turn but I think this must be one of the worst instances across the district in recent months."
In a post on her Facebook page she said contractors were set to move in to clean up the waste on Tuesday morning.
She posted a video and pictures of it and it attracted over 30 comments as well as offers of help with the clean up.
Bonita Prosser wrote: " Absolutely disgusting I hope they find the culprits and they get a huge fine and put in prison.
Mary Hackett commented: " OMG that's horrific!! Wish someone had heard or seen something. Hope someone nearby has cameras. Hopefully some evidence has been left,. xx"
Staffordshire Police attended the scene on Monday and are due to release a statement on Tuesday morning.
