"Call for return to weekly bin collections in two areas blighted by fly-tipping"

[dutchman]

Fly-tipping is a big problem in St Michael's and Foleshill



Calls have been made for weekly bin collections to return in two areas of Coventry in a bid to curb the rising fly-tipping blighting local streets.

Weekly bin collections were controversially scrapped by the city council in 2017, with residents getting a fortnightly collection instead.

But campaigner Ian Rogers, leader of the Coventry Citizens Party, believes they should return as part of a trial in Foleshill and St Michael’s wards.

The two wards have been named by the council as the areas where fly-tipping is the greatest problem, with cameras installed to try and stem the issue.

Mr Rogers has argued there are not enough bins for residents at flat blocks in particular and believes a trial of weekly green-lid collections in the two areas over the summer could help, as well as deduce whether fortnightly bin collections has led to an increase in fly-tipping.

He said: “It just seems like a sensible solution. These two areas are the worst in the city for fly-tipping.

“With City of Culture happening the council needs to do something.

“Weekly collections as a trial is reasonable as then the council can review whether it has been successful in reducing fly-tipping.

“It can be paid for by reserves or the council can find another way of funding it.

“There also needs to be an information campaign in hotspot areas and in particular St Michael’s and Foleshill. People need to be told what the law is on fly-tipping.”

One St Michael’s resident, Sian Jones, said a return to weekly collections would be welcome after witnessing “constant” fly-tipping where she lives on Blythe Road.

She said: “The bins are emptied every two weeks, but I have three kids and the green bins are full every week. It is not enough - I have to ask my dad to put things in his.

“It would be nice to have the green lidded bins put back to weekly, even if it was just a trial.

“We have constant fly-tipping down this road and although the council remove it is just a matter of time before it is back again.

“It is horrible as this area is now full of rats and mice.

“Nobody seems to care about where they live. I have been in my house for six years and it has not been as bad as it is now.”

Coventry City Council did not respond to questions on calls for a weekly collection trial, but in response to concerns on Blythe Road a spokesman said: “We’re aware of these fly-tipping incidents and have increased patrols to target problem properties as part of targeting of hotspots."

[dutchman]

Action on fly-tipping in Coventry ‘not working’, says councillor, after incidents hit record-high



Action to stem fly-tipping in Coventry is “not working” after new figures showed the number of incidents hit an all-time high last year.

That's the view of former council leader Cllr John Mutton who said a “culture of fly-tipping” has developed across the city after 10,765 incidents were reported last year.

Bosses in charge of reducing fly-tipping have said Covid-19 played a part in the rise with many people dumping rubbish while they were at home more, especially while the tip was closed.

Head of environmental services Craig Hickin said a new ‘hot streets’ pilot to install overt cameras in problem areas was having a “promising” impact, with efforts largely focusing on Foleshill.

But Cllr Mutton argued the latest figures for fly-tipping – showing a 54 per cent rise from the 6,962 reports the previous year, with yearly annual rises – suggests methods are not working.

The Labour councillor was the finance chief when a £2.1 million cash injection was approved in February 2020 to clean up the city ahead of City of Culture.

That included cash to implement new collections for bulky waste to curb fly-tipping, but he said that hasn’t been implemented.

He told council officers: “It’s not working is it? Figures show the massive increase in fly-tipping over the last year.”

He added: “You haven’t done everything that was asked of you.

“What was asked and what was said at the full council meeting that approved that budget was that we would have a bulky lift across the city which meant people could put out on designated days bulky rubbish.

“I believe if we would have done that we wouldn’t have seen the massive increase in fly-tipping and the city would have looked so much better.

“Cleaning the pavements up looks good for four weeks or so, but it is spoiled when we get furniture, cardboard, black bags willy-nilly dumped across the city. We have seen the increase in the last year, surely you must agree with me now that the system put in place instead hasn’t had the desired effect.”

[dutchman]

Fly-tipping attracting 'rats the size of cats'



Residents in Coventry say fly-tipping is attracting "rats the size of cats" and have called on the city council to help put a stop to the problem.

Communal garages behind homes on Seymour Close have been used as a dumping ground for years and are filled with items including refrigerators, bin bags, broken glass and chairs.

Resident Paul Owen said: "I have found one [rat] in my cupboard... as it chewed a hole in a box of porridge."

Another resident, Brian Folan, said: "Some of them are the size of a domestic cat."

Seymour Close is largely maintained by the city council, but the end of the road is private and the access point to the garages is also thought to be private, but it is not known who owns it.

Ward councillor Roger Bailey said: "One of the biggest issues is trying to find out who owns the garages and the land and taking the responsibility to not only clear it but sort out its future."

Coventry City Council was contacted for comment on multiple occasions but has not replied.

[dutchman]

More fly-tipping in Coventry as residents question council's approach to waste



More fly-tipping in Coventry has led to residents questioning the council's general approach to refuse in the city.

The most recent case of fly-tipping CoventryLive is aware of is a huge pile of waste, including what looks like a three-piece suite, dumped near Richard Lee Primary School in Wyken.

Local resident Ruth Taylor shared an image of the waste to social media, hitting out at those responsible. She had spotted the pile while out litter-picking.

She posted the image captioning it: "Found this today on my daily pick up litter walk. At the back of Richard Lee School. I've been litter picking since January and this is the worst find for me - even I can't get this in my bag."

Asked why she thought people were fly-tipping, Ruth responded: "Skips cost money and appointments are needed at the tip so I'm guessing it's easy for them to dump it - it's out of the way here too, can't be seen from the road."

The city recycling and refuse point on London Road is currently only available on appointment after the approach to the running of the tip was understandably changed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, with the majority of Coventry's services returning to some sort of normality, the tip has not.

Not only do you need an appointment, but larger vans are not permitted and you have to show proof of residence. Plus only two people are permitted per vehicle.

These restrictions could potentially raise plenty of issues for people looking to get ride of unwanted items, for instance people with mobility issues only being able to take one other person could make a trip to the tip more difficult. Not being able to take larger vans also means disposing of multiple bulky items legitimately is also more challenging.

However, Aden Biggs an environmental conscious Wyken resident, thinks others matters are causing a rise in fly-tipping too.

Asked if he thinks restrictions at the tip has an impact, he said: "Partly, as not as many can use it, but some would do this either way. Avoiding the charges is probably just as much a reason, if not more so. Laziness or greed."

He added: "The lack of resources to deal with problems is leading to increased cases of fly-tipping, along with longer response time in collecting rubbish.

"Seeing the city in such a mess have a very negative mental impact on those effected by it - they stop feeling good about Coventry and eventually just accept it.

"The people doing it don't care about anyone but themselves, doing it to save either time or money disposing of it legally.

"More cameras in the quieter areas and smaller roads are needed, as they are being used for this and other crimes, with the perpetrators knowing there's very little chance of them getting caught."

This instance is the second in the city in a matter of days.

Earlier in the week motorists had to swerve after someone dumped a huge pile of unwanted items in in the middle of a Wood End road.

One anonymous resident said: "It's shocking, isn't it? It's incredible - and it's in the middle of the road. Flytipping is bad enough anyway - to be like that is just mindless, mindless. Not only that - it's reckless and dangerous, too."

[dutchman]

Bollard designed to prevent fly-tipping ripped out of ground by vandals



A bollard installed to prevent fly-tipping in Court House Green has been ripped out of the ground and dumped on the side of the footpath.

The bollard was ripped out at the entrance of a footpath on Eden Street, which is a problem area for fly-tipping in the city.

The damage was first noticed last weekend and Coventry City Council have said a replacement bollard will be installed as quickly as possible.

Ian Rogers of Coventry Citizens Party, who spotted the damage said: "I believe it has been removed to make fly-tipping on the footpath easier.

"I think this is disgusting behaviour and I hope the new cameras in the area will help catch those responsible.

"The council should resurface the footpath or create a new boardwalk and install new barriers at the entrance.

"In addition, the council should remove the overgrowth along the footpath and plant new trees and wildflowers to make the area look more pleasant.

"This will improve the area as a nature walk and help stop persistent fly-tipping."

A Coventry City Council spokesman said: "It is unfortunate that the bollard has been vandalised and removed.

"We installed it in an attempt to help to tackle fly tipping in the area.

"We have inspected the site and we will fit a replacement bollard as quickly as we can."

[dutchman]

Coventry councillor wants an 'online portal' to report fly-tipping to stop people dumping trash



Labour councillor Ed Ruane has suggested local authorities launch an online portal for the public to report fly-tipping, insisting a community effort is needed to address the issue.

The city council must take more measures to keep the streets of Coventry clean, he said, but they need the support of residents.

Cllr Ed Ruane suggested an online portal where residents can report incidents of fly-tipping and upload dashcam footage, so members of the public can come together to identify the perpetrators.

He said locals need to work together to combat the "ongoing" issue of fly-tipping.

Cllr Ed Ruane told Coventry Live: "Every Coventry resident wants and deserves to live in a cleaner and greener street and neighbourhood.

"There clearly is an ongoing issue of fly-tipping and more measures need to be taken to address this ongoing problem.

"So for example, what the council could do is have local authorities launch an online portal where members of the public can upload videos including dashcam footage of perpetrators caught in the act.

"The council can't address this or prevent this on its own, it needs the support of residents and the local community.

"We need the community to be proactively coming together to combat this problem."

This comes after rubbish was spotted along Binton Street in Wood End, in the latest incident of fly-tipping in Coventry.

A dozen discarded tyres, bin bags and an old armchair were found.

Some of the discarded bags were covered in posters from the city council warning that whoever dumped the trash could be fined.

Earlier in September, huge piles of waste were discarded along Binton Road, blocking oncoming traffic from passing through.

In July, West Midlands Fire Service were called after people discarded trash on the streets and set fire to them.

The fires were spotted in Ashorne Close and on land between Wexford Road and Lillington Road.

A spokesman for Coventry City council said: “The city council will work with the landowner to identify the fly-tippers and if possible bring them to justice, but removing the fly-tipped material will be the responsibility of the landowner.

"We regularly advise private landowners as to how best they can protect their land from fly-tipping.

"Alternatively, if anybody has information relating to the identity of the fly-tippers then we would be pleased to hear from them”.

[dutchman]

Party leader blames Coventry residents who 'often dump rubbish outside their own homes' for fly-tipping problems



The leader of a political party in Coventry has blamed residents who "often dump rubbish outside their own homes" for fly-tipping problems plaguing the city.

Ian Rogers argues the city council are taking a "relaxed approach" towards fly-tipping and has urged the authorities to step up efforts in keeping the streets cleaner.

But the leader of the Coventry Citizens Party also suggested the council issue a public information campaign to alert Coventry residents on fly-tipping laws, claiming it was often residents who ditched unwanted items in their own neighbourhoods.

The council should conduct weekly bin collection trials and analyse the most notorious areas for fly-tipping, Mr Rogers added.

In addition, the council could also look at introducing bulky waste and recycling trucks to allow residents to dispose of unwanted items safely, he said.

Earlier this week, Labour Councillor Ed Ruane called for an online portal for residents to report fly-tipping in a bid to keep the streets cleaner.

However, Mr Rogers, who previously stood as a UKIP candidate locally before establishing the Coventry Citizens Party, said residents are likely the ones dumping trash outside their own properties.

Mr Rogers told Coventry Live: "Unfortunately, it is often residents who dump rubbish outside their own homes.

"Fly-tipping happens on the same streets in Foleshill week after week.

"The council should carry out a public information campaign to let residents know the law on fly-tipping and how to get rid of waste and unwanted items.

"What's more, the council could look at weekly bin collection trials in the worst offending areas. In addition, the council could look at introducing bulky waste and recycling trucks like those in Birmingham.

"The council can do more to tackle fly-tipping but they appear to be taking a relaxed approach."

Recent photos show mattresses, sofas and even a fridge dumped on the pavement in the latest incident of fly-tipping in Foleshill.

[rebbonk]

Our woefully inadequate and inept councillors can bleat on all they want about this; it is a mess of their own making. They need to admit they were wrong to stop weekly bin collections, to open up the tip properly, and to offer a much cheaper (or free) collection service for larger household items. We pay enough in council tax, it's about time we started getting fair value for our money.

[dutchman]

The worst part of the large item collection fee is that it discriminates against those on the lowest incomes who are also those least likely to own any means of transport or have relatives to help them move stuff.

[dutchman]

Furious Coventry resident blames HMOs for fly-tipping he says has led to rats congregating on residential street



A Coventry resident has hit out over the extent of fly-tipping on his street - which he says has led to rats and foul smells.

The resident, who asked to be known only as Mr Fox, has been embroiled in a row with Coventry City Council over the impact of HMO property developments on residents.

He lives on St. Georges Road in Coventry and believes issues of fly-tipping in the area have become unbearable for local residents.

Mr Fox explained: "Having lived here for 14 years, I believe that this impact is primarily being instigated by the council issuing endless licensing for HMO property developments in what are unsuitable residential areas."

Mr Fox claims that the waste that has arisen from these developments continues to grow exponentially each year, and the recent bin strikes are only thought to be exacerbating the issue further.

He said: "Binbags sit there, attracting rats and mice, and eventually break open and scatter the contents across the roads and into people gardens."

Residents believe the environment that is being created by the fly-tippers is not suitable for Coventry children and disabled and elderly residents to have to walk past.

Mr Fox believes that the rise in the number of HMO properties in the area has led to a significant increase in fly-tipping on the residential street.

"The people who are ultimately responsible for these regular piles of rubbish are the rental/HMO properties and I believe [Coventry City Council] must now start to take notable action against the owners of these properties.

He also claimed the owners of the properties live elsewhere in "nicer neighbourhoods" and sit back "creaming their profits" leaving residents to suffer in the disgusting surroundings.

Mr Fox has contacted Coventry City Council on several occasions regarding the issue he and other residents on the street have been facing, but it appears the fly-tipping is only getting worse.

He believes that the cause of the issue lies with Coventry City Council who he believes are granting licences to allow HMOs to move into residential streets.

"[Coventry City Council] are facilitating an overload on the infrastructure of the area which is unable to cope, with 75% more people dwelling in properties built for small families."

CoventryLive has contacted the city council to request a comment but we have not received a response.