Cost of clearing up fly-tipping in Sandwell doubles in one year

Sandwell Council has revealed it spent £666,710 picking up illegally dumped rubbish from roads and public land over the last financial year, up from £381,350 the year before.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the council has also unveiled the top five streets it spent the most money clearing up the waste.

Four of the roads are within a mile of each other in Smethwick, from the most expensive, Bearwood Road, to Beakes Road, New Hope Road and Shireland Road.

The other road, also the second most expensive for the council, is residential street Salisbury Road in West Bromwich.

Abbey ward Councillor Bob Piper has two of the roads within his patch. He said: "There has been a problem with fly-tipping in certain areas, Beakes Road and Bearwood Road are among the areas I'm aware of.

"Beakes Road is used as a cut through and there is an area along it where there are no houses, which is ideal for someone dumping rubbish."

He added: "It's not pleasant for anyone and should not happen. It can bring down an area and I know the council are keen to stop it.

"CCTV cameras can be put up, but then there needs to be a balance on how much to spend on them, when other services are in need."

Soho and Victoria ward Councillor Roger Norton also has two of the five hotspots in his ward, New Hope Road and Shireland Road.

He said: "We have had some problems with fly-tipping, but the council has been proactive in tackling it.

"While residents can easily report it, we have teams which inspect the rubbish to find out where they came from.

"People dumping rubbish risk being put before court."

He added: "Fly-tipping is disgraceful, the bulk of the waste is business rubbish. People need to take responsibility to clear up."

Among the waste items dumped are kitchen white goods. The council dealt with 1,708 dumped fridges from January to June this year, up from 306 the year before.

Other areas in Sandwell where fly-tipping has proved a problem this year include an alleyway between Kingsway and Walters Road in Old Warley.

A petition signed by 85 homeowners called for action over the issue, and the council responded by installing four gates to seal off the alley.

Tividale Road in Tividale and land off Kitchener Street in Smethwick have also been targets for fly-tippers in recent months.