Travellers have blocked plans to close roads prone to fly-tipping in the Black Country because they argue that their human rights have been infringed.
The group of travellers says consultation about the planned road closures was inadequate as many of them cannot read. The move to close off Holbeache Lane and parts of Oak Lane and Ham Lane, Kingswinford, has now been put on hold for a year to allow further consultation with the travelling community living nearby to be carried out.
For years the area has been blighted by flytippers and speeding drivers, and there have been dozens of complaints from fed-up residents and businesses.
Dudley Council proposed closing the three roads to try and stamp out the nuisance.
If the plan had gone ahead Holbeache Lane would have been blocked off at both ends and a blockade put up close to the junction of Ham Lane and Oak Lane.
But the travellers say a written advertisement notifying people about the proposal was useless because they are unable to read.
The Community Law Partnership, a firm of solicitors which specialises in advising travellers, and the Centre for Equality and Diversity (CfED) in Dudley has made representations to the council for the group.
Ward councillor for Kingswinford North and Wall Heath, Dave Tyler, said there was concern closure of the roads would leave the group further alienated.
He said: “They think it is going to alienate their community even more but this is not about alienating communities, it is about making the area in which they live safer, cleaner and more crime free.”
Work to block the roads costing £10,000 was due to start last month but has now been halted. Dudley Council has brought a string of prosecutions for fly tipping but the area is still a magnet for flytippers. Rubbish dumped includes furniture and car parts to piles of rotten food.
Earlier this year rubbish was set alight by arsonists and firefighters had to battle for more than four hours to put out the blaze.
17 Comments
So who is doing the fly tipping? Not people in white low loader tip up type vans by any chance?
It must be hell being a traveller because no matter where you live someone dumps rubbish near you.
Do these people pay Council Tax?, if not why should they have any say in what goes on where they are probably illegally parked
Sorry Guv, we can’t read
…..so how exactly did you pass your driving test if you can’t read? How do you complete your tax returns? Is it pure co-incidence that that load you’re carrying is the same material that’s been dumped in the lane?
Sorry Guv, you’re infringing my human rights asking that!
Could the reason why so many ‘travellers’ apparently cannot read have something to do with the fact that they are never in one place long enough for their children to be able to settle into a classroom and actually learn something?
perhaps they cannot get into a local school where they are pitched up
no doubt they can read well enough when there are benefits and other hand-outs to be had…
yes cant read now dudley coucil being ruled by a load of dossers why dont they check their vehicles for tax insurance and mots or is their another rule for them
Cant read - rather convenient. They know all the in’s and out’s of the benefit laws and how and why their human ‘rights’ have been infringed… Suits at certain times doesnt it?!
Unable to read? What an absolute joke. So who is it that prints all those odd-job leaflets, put through doors?
Sounds like someones having a laugh.
i cant read my rent and council tax bills wonder if i dont pay them and go to court can i claim my human rights are infringed
They cant read english, but they can wipe their own bottoms so they are not absolutley useless.
Anyone else sick of the words ‘Human Rights’, thanks Bliar and Co. the destruction of Britain through these two easily, readily used words are destroying us.
Another reason I moved to the USA, I do so miss the way in which social parasites play the system.
Buts its the people in local govenment that allow these people to feed off the state that really need to step forward .
this country needs to wake up and fast the far right are now making a lot of sence when they say our human rights are being used against us,locals from kinswinford should dig a big trench across the road then they just might understand our human rights,councils are cowards and lazy people power thats what works.
Absolutley ridiculous!! I had to read this story twice, as I couldn’t really believe what I was seeing the first time.
PC Britain strikes again….
So what about the Human Rights of the rest of the population that has to put up with the littering and the cost of cleaning it up?
i am off the site on oak lane and i think everyone who is so abusive towards us is more likely we dont send our children to schoolas we are discriminated agfaist we pay rent and council tax to have the plots on the site so people leaving comments should get their facts right 1 come into our trailers and the cleanliness would put your dirty gorger houses to shame so we aint the ones leaving all mess around the place , were clean and respectable not all drunkards and sluts