Are rural fly-tipping incidents linked?

Fly-tipping in a rural part of Derbyshire has reached crisis levels - and residents and the council believe the same people are responsible.
Fly tipping on Morton Lane near Apperknowle.Fly tipping on Morton Lane near Apperknowle.
Fly tipping on Morton Lane near Apperknowle.

The latest incident took place on the evening of Monday, January 16 on Morton Lane near West Handley.

This means that three lorry loads have now been dumped in the space of a month on the lanes around West Handley, Apperknowle and Marsh Lane.

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A resident, who did not want to be named, said: “This is now getting a bit too frequent - they look like they are being done by the same people.

We dont want the countryside to be wrecked - we like it hereWe dont want the countryside to be wrecked - we like it here
We dont want the countryside to be wrecked - we like it here

“The one at West Handley looks like it had come from Sheffield and the last one at Morton Lane had stuff in it from Worksop.

“I don’t know if anything came of it but hopefully the council can find something in the latest lot as well.”

He said he had reported ‘around 15 to 20’ incidents in the last year alone but its normally just small bags.

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One person - who he thinks provides potted plants for office buildings - regularly dumps soil, clay pellets and food containers by throwing them out of his window.

We dont want the countryside to be wrecked - we like it hereWe dont want the countryside to be wrecked - we like it here
We dont want the countryside to be wrecked - we like it here

Most, he thinks, are down to ‘laziness’ but the recent spate is an indication of something more organised.

“It must be an organisation picking it up from peoples’s houses,” he says.

“But people need to know they can be held responsible for the waste they produce - even if they didn’t dump it.”

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The resident, who lives in New Whittington but often walks his dog in the area, says other lanes that have been targeted recently include Slag Lane and Ash Lane, both in West Handley.

He says his neighbours are becoming increasingly worried about the effect the tipping is having on a place they love.

“We just don’t want the countryside to be wrecked - we like it where we live,” he added.

A spokesman for North East Derbyshire District Council confirmed the area had seen three similar incidents in just four weeks.

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“Given the nature of the tips, we do believe they are linked,” he said.

“We have responded to them promptly to remove the waste and are working with our enforcement partners to identify the culprits.

“If local residents witness fly-tipping taking place or see anything suspicious, we would ask them to contact us on 01246 231111. All information received will be treated in the strictest confidence.”