'I have to take the law into my hands': Temple plagued by fly-tipping ‘denied help’ from authorities
A Sikh temple plagued by fly-tipping has threatened to take action into its own hands if it doesn’t receive support from authorities.
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The land opposite the Gurdwara Nanaksar in Walsall, formerly the site of the Four Horseshoes pub now owned by the temple, is a dumping ground for fly-tipping.
Ranjit Singh, speaking on behalf of the Gurdwara on Wellington Street, said the issue has been ongoing for more than three years.
From watching footage from CCTV cameras, he said the culprits are repeat offenders.
Footage of the incidents has been submitted to Walsall Council and West Midlands Police, but Mr Singh said no action has been taken.
The 69-year-old said he fears he’ll have to take ‘the law into his own hands’.
He said: “It’s piling up now. If we don’t move it, it’ll just get added to. Then the council will send us the bill of £400 to £500 to clean it up.
“Last time it cost us over £900 to clean it. It’s community money, congregation money. We can’t afford to have it moved every time. We have CCTV and we watch it every time. I’ve got car registrations and everything.
“The vans have no MOT, no road tax, no insurance, nothing on the vehicles. They do jobs around here, gardening, building, house clearance, then they dump everything.
"We proved this to the council and police, but nothing has been done.
“I have to take the law into my own hands. I will take the rubbish and I’ll dump it in front of their gate. They won’t arrest them, but they will arrest me. I’ll be happy to be arrested for this. Then it will highlight the situation.”
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We will work with our partners at Walsall Council and assist them with any investigation.”
Councillor Garry Perry, leader of Walsall Council, said: “We are aware of the site and the issues. This is an ongoing investigation, and it is not appropriate to comment at this time.
“Fly-tipping is a serious blight across the borough, not just on land the council looks after, but also on privately owned land such as this site.
"While any assistance we can give to private landowners is limited, officers would of course be more than happy to discuss how the owners might more effectively be able to protect their land from this criminal activity while they work towards a future use for the site.”
Report by Local Democracy Reporter Rachel Alexander
