'Apocalyptic' fly-tip to stay until fix found

Fly-tipped waste dumped and described as "almost apocalyptic" will not be fully cleared until a long-term solution is found to stop rubbish repeatedly returning.

Builders' rubble, garden waste, kitchen appliances and office furniture line Offerton Lane, just outside Worcester, where rubbish has built up over several years.

Councillor Sarah Murray, who represents the St. Nicholas ward on Worcester City Council, said previous clean-ups had proved ineffective because the site continued to attract fly-tipping.

The city council said it was discussing preventative measures with Worcestershire County Council ahead of a planned "deep clean" of the site early next year.

"It's almost apocalyptic. It's a mess and it's ongoing," Murray said.

"It's been going on for too long. You can see that this is builders' rubble, garden waste, there's a fridge freezer, there's an office chair, trees have been burnt.

"It's just awful."

Murray said the delay was down to the "cost and repetition" of clearing the site.

"Every time it is done it comes back," she said.

"We're now working towards a long-term solution that will prevent the return of the rubbish once it next gets cleared and there is a plan to clear it within the next few months."

She said previous attempts to tackle the problem had included installing CCTV cameras, but these had been vandalised.

"I think there's many ideas and it's finding out which is going to be the best solution and I don't think they're there yet and that's why they're not clearing it tomorrow," she said.

A Worcester City Council spokesperson said officers had recently been sent to clear pathways through the site and ensure they remained accessible.

"We are planning a deep clean of the whole site, which we expect to be completed early in the new year," they said.

Murray also suggested the suspension of fridge and freezer collections at Worcestershire's household recycling centres had contributed to fly-tipping.

"The recycling centre have stopped taking fridge freezers and so people are going to dump them," she said.

"We said that this is going to lead to fly-tipping of fridge freezers and lo and behold it has."

Worcestershire County Council said it was working with its waste contractor to find a solution.

"Whilst our household recycling centres are currently unable to accept fridges and freezers, we are working closely with our waste contractor to identify a solution and are monitoring the situation closely," a spokesperson said.

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