'˜Eyesore' rubble piles appear off Derby Road

Rubble dumped off Lincoln Street in Chesterfield.

A landowner has been criticised by residents who say work being carried out on his land has created an '˜eyesore' for people who live there.

A number of people who live on or near Lincoln Street off Derby Road have complained about waste being ‘dumped’ on land behind their houses owned by a local businessmen.

However, it is now understood that the businessman wants to create a ‘hardstanding’ area at the site and is in discussion with the council about whether planning permission is required.

One man, who did not want to be named, said: “It has been going on for about four months now - there are three piles of rubble and one pile of doors.

“Now, as a result we are getting rats turning up in our gardens - it is devaluing our houses.”

Councillor for the area, Mick Brady, agreed that the area did not look great and was an eyesore but stressed this did not mean a crime had been committed.

He said the Environment Agency had been out to the site to inspect it and had assured him that the work would not cause an increased flood risk by impacting on the course of the nearby River Rother.

A spokesman for Chesterfield Borough Council told the Derbyshire Times: “Our planning enforcement officers are currently carrying out an enquiry into the issue.

“There’s not much more we can say at this stage until the investigation has been concluded.”