Traders call for new fence to stop tipping

Businesses in Wednesbury are calling for a new steel fence to be erected at a fly-tipping hotspot – after rubbish including a garden shed was dumped there.

Potters Lane has been dogged by people illegally dumping waste for the past 12 months, including the wooden shed being thrown onto a stretch of the railway track. Meanwhile a West Bromwich beauty spot is also being dogged by fly-tippers. A kitchen cooker, a sofa and gas bottles are just a few of the items that have been dumped in Bowstoke Road near Newton Road.

At Potters Lane, an existing fence has been torn down by vandals within the past couple of months – prompting an angry response from traders.

Five steel bollards have also been installed in a bid to help curb the situation and to prevent people ramming into the fence with their cars.

Trader Bhupinder Nijjer, aged 53, from near-by firm Cornpoppers, said more needed to be done on the former railway line to stop fly-tipping.

"There needs to be a good 6ft high steel fence put in there to stop this from happening," he said. "Network Rail keep putting this little mesh fence up, but it needs a strong steel fence that is more than 6ft high.

"I cannot understand why they keep wasting money on doing this, when it clearly does not work."

Charlie Jolley, aged 71, runs near-by firm Coachcraft and said he was desperate for the fence to be repaired.

"I think the existing fence is ridiculous and there needs to be something much more sturdier in place," he said. "I have been broken into twice in the past couple of months by people walking through the gap in the fence.

"My property backs onto that stretch of line and it is proving such a nuisance to me. It needs a nice big high fence putting in there to stop people gaining access."

Councillor Bill Archer said: "I have total sympathy for the traders down there."

Network Rail was unavailable comment.