Pictures show land in Sixfields remains hotspot for fly-tippers and dumping ground for piles rubbish just seconds from council run tip

The Chron went to visit the fly-tipping hotspot area in Sixfields at the weekend which was targeted three times by suspected arsonists during the summer with firefighters called to Walter Tull Way – opposite the tip – three times in just over a week.

When the Chron initially approached West Northants Council (WNC) about the land, it said fly-tipping is unacceptable and that it is top priority to tackle the blight on communities across the area.

It went on to say that although it is the duty of the landowner to clear the site, the local authority would contact them and press for ‘immediate removal, issuing written warnings if needed.’

This part of the statement was later withdrawn and responsibility left with the landowner to sort it out.

When the Chron visited the site some five weeks after the three fires, the site remains much as it was – full of rubbish and debris strewn across the area, some charred in parts.

A ‘no fly-tipping’ sign from the Environment Agency has been erected as a warning with a threat of a £50,000 or prison sentence – surrounded by grot.

An old caravan which has been sat at the site for years has been removed however.

Fire crews were first called to a huge blaze on scrubland on the evening of Sunday August 16 when a vast amount of fly-tipped rubbish sitting between bushes and hedgerows went up in flames.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS), who spent hours tackling the flames during one of the busiest ever summer’s on record, said the fire was believed to have been ignited deliberately.

Firefighters were then called to the same spot again – this time twice in just two days after fires broke out – both of which were started deliberately, according to investigators.

The first 999 call came in at 9.30pm on Sunday, August 23, with crews on arrival finding a large pile of tyres and wheels on fire.

The second fire started at around 4.10pm on Monday, August 24 – this time firefighters finding the buses and fly-tipped rubbish once again on fire.

A WNC spokesman said: “We take a multi-team approach to encourage residents to have pride in their local area and ensure they know how to dispose of their waste responsibly by taking it to a household waste recycling centre, via our bulky waste service or by using a licensed waste carrier.”