A MAN and his company have been charged after a 27 tonne mountain of rotting rubbish was dumped in a road.
The mound of industrial waste, which is longer than two double-decker buses combined, was dumped by fly-tippers back in January.
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Furious locals complained about being trapped inside their homes by the humongous 80ft mountain of waste.
Local businesses were also been left stranded due to the blockage on Watery Lane in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
Now, Lichfield District Council said a man from Uttoxeter now faces multiple charges.
These include depositing waste, endangering road users, dangerous driving, breaching HGV drivers’ hours regulations, and obstructing the highway.
A company, based near Stafford, has been charged with depositing the waste and obstructing the highway.
Resident Elaine Hutchings, who owns a livery yard, previously said that the festering pile could be smelled from a distance.
She explained that the rural road – which was already inaccessible on one end due to ongoing works – was now completely unusable.
She said: “It’s industrial rubbish, building waste, you can smell it.
“Watery Lane is used as a cut-through. The one end was already shut due to scheduled works and this being dumped this morning means residents and businesses will be left isolated.”
She added that nine or ten households had been cut off – with a small number, including Elaine’s, able to escape their properties via an alternative route set up by housing developer Redrow.
The local told how staff from Lichfield District Council had been on-site to move the build-up, adding: “I had a message from a farmer and they sent me a photograph.
“I drove up and called the council, councillors and the police were already there.
“They are trying to sort the logistics of trying to get it moved.”
Both the man and company who have been charged are due to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on July 1.
Councillor Doug Pullen, the leader of Lichfield District Council, said: “This was an appalling act of environmental crime.
“Local people woke up to find their only route to and from their homes completely blocked, and the cost to the taxpayer of removing and disposing of the waste was nearly £10,000.
“Thanks to the swift action of our environmental health officers, suspects were quickly identified, leading to these charges.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping, because that’s what our communities rightly expect.
“This case is about more than prosecution. It’s about protecting our environment, supporting law-abiding businesses, safeguarding local people—and sending a strong message that illegal dumping will not be tolerated.”
CRIMINAL OFFENCE
FLY-TIPPING means dumping waste illegally, instead of using the kerbside collection service or your local recycling centre.
From a bin bag left in front of your bin store or on the street to a mountain of tyres abandoned in a field, it’s all flytipping.
Flytipping is a criminal offence. If you’re caught you face a fixed penalty notice of £200.
But if you get taken to court, you could be fined up to £40,000 or sent to prison for a maximum of five years.
It’s up to you to store and dispose of your household waste legally, safely and responsibly.
This means using your bins correctly and taking them in again once emptied. Check your local Council website for the correct way to use your bins.
If you have any information relating to a flytipping incident you can report it anonymously on your local council website.
Credit: The Scottish Government / Glasgow City Council
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