Fly-tipping haunt finally gated off

A notorious fly-tipping hotspot in the Black Country has finally been gated off after being used as a dumping ground for years.

Work to gate off Kitchener Street in Smethwick, which cost £10,000, has been completed. Problems of illegal dumping began after terraced housing was demolished along the route, which runs between Perrott Street and Wellington Street.

Piles of rubbish, including an old sofa, car tyres, TVs and even a kitchen sink, have been dumped and Sandwell Council has spent around £6,000 in the past three years just clearing up the area.

Sandwell's neighbourhoods chief Councillor Mahboob Hussain said: "It has taken a long time and cleaning up Kitchener Street has cost Sandwell Council thousands of pounds.

"I am really pleased to see the gates being installed and I think it will help stop some problems," he added.

"It was creating a lot of anti-social behaviour and was a place where people could dump rubbish in the area.

"One of the main problems was people flytipping rubbish at night, which was very frustrating.

"It does mean that instead of spending money picking dumped rubbish up, we can put these resources somewhere else to help to keep the rest of the borough clean.

"I am delighted to see this project finally being completed."

Police logs in the 12 months up to July 2008 also showed that there 18 recorded crime or anti-social behaviour incidents in the area, including fly-tipping, public order offences, vehicle crime and vehicle arson.

Now the gate is in place in Kitchener Street alternative routes for drivers through Wellington Street, Foundry Lane, Woodburn Road and Perrott Street will be put in place.

A shorter route is also available for pedestrians to avoid the closed street, which includes a shortcut through Black Patch Park.