Leadenham farmer rants at ‘scum’ dumping waste in historic beauty spots and calls for government action

Andrew Ward and partner Rhonda Thompson came across the dumped rubbish on a stretch of path along the route of the old High Dyke Roman road and as well as sharing photos of the mess left, he vented his anger at the tippers on Twitter, calling on the authorities to deal with the problem.

Currently the county council’s tips are operating on a limited basis due to coronavirus restrictions, requiring people to book a slot and they must provide proof they are a local taxpayer before visiting the tip, with only certain types of waste permitted and only a few cars at a time to allow safe, social distancing for staff and visitors.

As a result, most tips are finding themselves fairly well booked up each day and there are concerns that residents may be becoming impatient and dumping.

Mr Ward ranted against flytippers, saying: “This is becoming a common sight we are getting at the moment along areas like this.

“They are spoiling a lovely part of my area of Lincolnshire and I make no apologies for what I call them. Please North Kesteven District Council can something be done about this?”

The worse thing was the latest episode of flytipping discovered was right in front of a Nature Reserve sign as the area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

He said: “What on earth is wrong with people? The tips are open and the nearest refuse tip to here is only seven miles away. Why do people think it is acceptable to carry on tipping waste into areas like this?

“This is an area area that people enjoy, but then you get dumping like this garden waste. This is probably someone who charged a householder to have this rubbish taken away. This is just getting out of hand.”

In another instance he found dumped sofas and broken glass endangering wildlife on the path often used by families and dog walkers.

“There is only one word for people who do this type of thing and its’s scum,” he said.

He called upon someting to be done about the issue higher up in Government.

According to NKDC, many people have reported fly-tipping while out on daily walks and exercise.

They said: “This increased level of vigilance is undoubtedly a major factor in the increase in the number of reports we have received. It’s not necessarily that there has been more fly-tipping, but that we know about more fly-tipping.

“In March of this year, reports were almost half the level as in March 2019 (down from 95 in 2019 to 56 in March 2020).

“But, in the two months of April and May they were up by 45 per cent (116 in 2019 to 168 in 2020).

“We take a very dim view on fly-tipping; working hard to remove it as soon as possible and to investigate and prosecute offenders with vigour and generally positive outcomes.

“In recent weeks there have been a significant amount of flytipping along a 0.8mile (1.28km) stretch of the High Dyke between Boothby Graffoe and Navenby.

“Responses to these are well in hand and as we are aware of these.”

If after their clearance more waste is dumped there, or anywhere else in the district, call 01529 414155 or report it at [email protected]

They also reminded all residents to exercise caution in their own disposal of any household or garden waste.

Where it cannot be taken within your kerbside collection – check at www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/recycle if you are unsure – you need to take it to a Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), pay for a skip or arrange for a licenced carrier to remove it for you.

Presently the county council-run HWRCs are all open for limited hours to take a restricted range of items and you must book a slot before going. This can be done at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/clickandtip or call on 01522 782070.

Otherwise you can arrange for someone to collect and dispose of your waste. It is essential that you use a responsible carrier who you trust and have confidence in, as you yourself share responsibility for ensuring it’s dealt with properly.

The easiest way to do this is to ask to see their paperwork – which should be authorised by the Environment Agency – and double check their authenticity by calling on 08708 506 506 or search https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

The council states: “In short, fly-tipping is an environmental crime. If you carry the cash, you also carry the can. You too can be prosecuted if something you’ve paid for goes wrong and your waste is found fly-tipped.”