Flytipping in Preston "worst it's ever been" says councillor as he pleads with residents

Councillor Yakub Patel, who represents the Frenchwood and Fishwick ward in Preston, said: "I've never seen anything so bad in my life."

He claims that council charges for garden waste collection and for bulky household waste, such as carpets, mattresses and settees, are making people dump items.

He said: "There's financial strain at the council, so they've brought in bin charges and charges for recycling some items.

"It's something like £18.50, and people say they can't afford it. I say, if you can't afford it, don't just dump it!

"I've even said I'll pay from my pocket for goodness sake, if it means people don't put it in the back alley".

Coun Patel also claims there are a number of 'cowboy' outfits operating as waste disposal businesses, but who dump the rubbish illegally.

He said: "They offer their services much cheaper, and people are attracted by only having to pay something like £50.

"The problem is, that this man you're paying will come and pick up all your stuff in his van or estate car, wait until it's gone dark, then dump it all in an alley where the back gate has been left open.

"We have witnesses to say this is happening, but they don't want to come forward and be named.

"When these cowboys are doing this, it's not just the two or three items that a normal household might have, they're dumping whole house clearances and several people's things in one go."

He added: "I have pleaded with people who live in the Fishwick area to make sure their back alleys are locked before they go to sleep. Do yourself a favour, make sure it's locked."

Coun Patel said that meetings with the police have been arranged to discuss the problem, and Preston City Council has been issuing fines to those caught flytipping.

During 2020 the council issued 51 fixed penalty notices and served 58 statutory notices for waste related offences.

Councillor Robert Boswell, Cabinet member for environment and community safety at Preston Council, said: “Across Preston many areas have terraced housing and back alleys where residual waste and recycling is collected by our waste crews.

“We have had many compliments from residents about the work carried out by street cleansing teams in their efforts to keep the back alleys clear of debris.

"Unfortunately, some people think it’s acceptable to leave extra waste or fly-tip their rubbish in the back alley rather than dispose of it using our bulky waste collection service, taking it to the household waste and recycling centre if they’re able to, or contracting the services of a reputable company.

“During the ongoing pandemic our resources are stretched more than ever, so inevitably this service becomes more reactive than proactive.

"Our Waste Enforcement Team continue to monitor the waste placed out in the back alleys and will seek to education and enforce where necessary. During 2020 the team issued 51 fixed penalty notices and served 58 statutory notices for waste related offences.

“We would ask that residents who witness fly-tipping and can provide good quality evidence to report it to the Council via our online fly-tipping reporting page where we can determine what action could be taken.”