Warrington Borough Council Leader, Cllr Russ Bowden, has urged local people to help in the fight against fly-tipping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cllr Bowden hit the streets with the council’s environment team on Saturday 18 April to help clean up areas worst affected by fly-tipping in the town.
The team – which was joined in the afternoon by Cabinet Member for environment and public protection, Cllr Judith Guthrie – carried out a huge amount of work, clearing a range of fly-tipped waste, from sofas to beds and white goods, as well as a total of 68 shopping trolleys.
While Cllr Bowden was full of praise for ‘a good day’s work’ by the team, he had a warning for people whose irresponsible actions are blighting the streets of Warrington during this extremely difficult time.
Cllr Bowden said: “I’m very proud of our environment team for their fantastic work in tackling some of the areas worst-hit by fly-tipping. A huge amount of illegally dumped waste was removed from our streets, filling a number of bays at our School Lane Depot. I’d like to thank the team for their incredible efforts, not only during this clean-up, but in the heroic work they are doing on a day-to-day basis.
“However, my day working with the team left me appalled by the amount of fly-tipping that has been dumped. This is a time when we should all be standing together and supporting our frontline staff, so they in turn can support those people in our communities who need it most. That’s why this criminal action, carried out by a selfish minority, is now more damaging than ever.
“Dealing with fly-tipping costs us around £600,000 a year – money that could be spent on services for us all at an absolute crucial time.
“There is simply no excuse. While we had to shut our community recycling centres due to people using them irresponsibly, we have managed to keep all three kerbside collections going, with all 28 wagons going out every day as planned.
“None of our residents should have to put up with this kind of antisocial behaviour from the minority. We need everybody’s help to identify those responsible and we will take the strongest possible action.
“Coronavirus, lockdown and closed recycling centres are no excuse for this criminal behaviour. We need residents to stand with us against this scourge in our community.”
If you have any information about illegally dumped waste, you can report this directly to the council by calling 01925 443322 or online at warrington.gov.uk/flytipping
For the latest information on coronavirus in Warrington, please visit warrington.gov.uk/coronavirus
