Cleadon beauty spot being used as dumping ground

Anthony Brew says once again Cleadon Hills is being turned into a dumping ground by those who fail to deal with their waste legally.

It is the second time within months the 54-year-old has come across items of furniture on the hills.

He said: “Why do people have to drive up to Cleadon Hills to dump their rubbish when they can just go to the tip? Is it because they are getting charged for having a van? They can get permits easy enough from the council’s website.

“Do people who pay to have their rubbish removed know it is going to be disposed of correctly? I really can’t fault the council, as they removed the rubbish quickly and are investigating it, but more needs to be done to stop this.”

Coun Moira Smith, Lead Member for Area Management and Community Safety, said: “Together we can stamp out flytipping is South Tyneside. We take instances of flytipping extremely seriously and will take action against anyone we can identify as being responsible.

“Flytipping is not only illegal, it is a huge drain on our extremely stretched resources with the cost of cleaning up and investigating these offences placing an additional burden on taxpayers. However, under new powers introduced last year, councils can issue Fixed Penalty Notices’ for flytipping as a quicker, more cost effective alternative to prosecuting through the courts.”

People are asked to report any fltytipping and information they may have on those responsible to the council, by calling 427 7000 or email [email protected]

For information on disposing waste visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling