Tonnes of rubbish dumped after fly-tippers force fence down
Fly-tippers dumped tonnes of rubbish outside a closed Willenhall pub after security fencing was forced down.
Piles of the household trash was dropped next to the former site of the Brown Jug public house in Sandbeds Road.
The privately-owned building, which has been unoccupied for three to four years, was subject of a failed attempt to turn it into a mini-supermarket last year.
A planning application for the proposal was turned down. The site has since been described as a 'danger hazard'.
Councillor Ian Shires spotted the rubbish and believes it is not fair on people living nearby.
He said: "This is just one of a series of times this has happened, but this incident is by far the worst and most blatant.
"You can see it from the main road which is a busy link to local shops, as well as being close to a war memorial and residential houses. People have no respect for the local area.
"It costs a lot of money across the borough to deal with these problems, when we're trying to make every penny count - there are far more important things that the money should be used for.
"The council is paying to dispose of someone else's rubbish - legal action must be taken against should they be caught."
The incident has been reported to Walsall Council. Officers will look to get the damage to the fence fixed and start a search through the rubbish to help identify the culprits.
Meanwhile, councillors in Short Heath have demanded that the council consider investing in both the Brown Jug site and the site adjacent where a number of part-built homes have remained unfinished for several years.
Cllr Shires said: "The Brown Jug site is an eyesore – there's broken glass, sections of the building are boarded up.
"It's downright dangerous and a health and safety hazard to the community.
"The building is easily accessible and extremely dangerous – something needs to be done. It's an accident waiting to happen."
Last year, Walsall Friends of the Earth wrote to the council, raising fears over the impact of cuts to street cleaning.
The group feared it could lead to more fly-tipping in the area.
