Northampton town centre councillors unhappy with new unitary council's 'failure' to address fly-tipping

Northampton town centre councillors have made fresh complaints about the new unitary council's apparent failure to address fly-tipping.

The Labour representatives for Castle ward at West Northamptonshire Council jointly believe more needs to be done to stop people from dumping their rubbish illegally.

Councillor Enam Haque said: “This has got to stop! Our residents deserve better. They pay their council tax, they are right to expect to live in clean and pleasant surroundings.

"Instead they are having to spend all their time reporting fly tipping, reporting litter and watching their environment become a tip.”

West Northamptonshire Council took over as the new local authority on April 1 but the three town centre councillors feel disappointed by the lack of progress on fly-tipping.

The issue may have existed for years but councillors Haque, Jamal Alwahabi and Danielle Stone fear the hot weather makes it even worse with flies, rats and cockroaches attracted to the rubbish.

They believe it is particularly bad in their ward with 'landlords seeming able to clear the contents of their houses on to the street with no penalty'.

Piles of fly-tipped items including a bed, other bits of furniture, black bin bags and more were seen on Hood Street on Tuesday (June 15).

Councillor Alwahabi, who was elected for the first time in May, added: “Since becoming a councillor, I have reported so much fly tipping - it is inexcusable.

"The council urgently needs to deal with the culprits. If the Landlords need a collection service, then that is what the council should do.”

Fellow Labour councillor Janice Duffy has complained about fly-tipping in her Thorplands ward, with similar grievances about the council's handling of the issue.

Phil Larratt, cabinet member for environment, transport, highways and waste, said: “This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and blights people’s lives right across the country.

“We do all we can to ensure fly-tipping is cleared up as quickly as possible, but it’s also extremely important that we try to catch those responsible.

"Our staff have the unenviable job of investigating every fly tip and any help we can get from communities to catch the culprits is always most welcome.

“I believe that by working together, we can tackle fly-tipping and littering, and I would urge everyone to follow our reporting procedures and let us know when things like this happen.

"Anyone with information about someone who has dumped rubbish can also, in confidence, provide us with any evidence they might have gathered, such as photographs or vehicle registrations, or even just a witness report.”

To make a report, visit westnorthants.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-street-cleaning/report-fly-tipping.