Fly-tipping finally cleared from derelict Walsall house
A derelict Walsall house used as a dumping ground by fly-tippers has finally been cleared up after blighting the area for years.
The eyesore property in Oakland Road, Blakenall, had become a dumping ground for fly-tippers after word got around that it was unoccupied.
Tons of junk – including mattresses, furniture, tyres, piping, children’s toys, household and industrial waste – had been disposed of in the front garden over the last four years.
The property is one of 10 derelict houses in Walsall that council bosses agreed in March to fund via a £1.1 million pot using compulsory purchase order powers.
The move has been welcomed by residents who have watched in despair as the mountainous pile of rubbish has grown.
Resident and former Walsall mayor Pete Smith said the fly-tipping had been a blight on the community for at least four years.
He added that he and other residents had been pushing the authority to take action for a long time.
But their pleas were finally answered on June 17 when council contractors cleared tons of rubbish from the driveway, filling an industrial skip.
Mr Smith said: "I have been pressing for action on this property for a long time.
"Delays of various kinds, including the Corona virus restrictions, have delayed the much called for clean up of the site.
"I am concerned for the adjoining and nearby properties and residents in particular, should this property be attacked by arsonists.
"I thank the council for doing the work that the owner should have done some time ago.
"I am particularly grateful for the support given by the council’s housing leader, Adrian Andrew. The cost of this clean up must have run into or very near a 4 figure sum.
"I hope that the council is able to fence off the front of the property to deter further fly-tipping until something can be done with the property.
"Finally I call on local residents to take a no tolerance stand against further dumping on this property. My message is, “those who dump in our neighbourhood are dumping on all of us".
The council has said it is also considering taking similar CPO action on a further 55 houses in the borough.
They said the tactic of investing in revitalising old homes, had proved a success in 2016 when empty houses seized were brought back into use as affordable social accommodation.
