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‘We live in the Black Country town dubbed the UK’s worst-flytipping hotspot - our neighbourhood has been turned into a makeshift tip

Residents of a Black Country town hit by fly-tipping tell of their anger claiming their neighbourhood has been turned into a makeshift tip

By Adam Dutton
Published

Fed-up residents of a Black Country town say their streets have been turned into the "UK's worst fly-tipping hotspot" with mountains of rubbish dumped on "almost every corner". 

Homeowners say shameless louts have been turning the roads in Willenhall, West Midlands, into a "makeshift tip" for 30 years but the problem has now become "unbearable". 

Shocking photographs show household waste dumped on the pavements with almost entire street corners filled with discarded trash - and even abandoned caravans. 

Locals have complained to Walsall Council multiple times as the eyesore piles have continued to grow on the rat-infested streets - but claim nothing is ever done.

As a result, people say they feel like they are living "in a slum" as their area is turned into a dumping ground for mounds of rubbish - such as sofas, washing machines, mattresses, trolleys and rubble.

Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.

The worst affected areas include Springvale Street and Ann Street where smashed up cars, skips and huge shipping containers full of waste have also been left.

Locals say the brazen fly-tippers return on almost a daily basis to dump their unwanted goods on the streets and living there has become a nightmare.

Jamie Tombs, 49, who lives on a housing estate nearby, said: "It's getting beyond a joke, it's the worst fly-tipping hotspot in the borough and I imagine there's not really anything like it elsewhere in the UK this bad. 

"In terms of how long this has been going on for, I can't imagine many places can beat Willenhall for having the streets as a makeshift tip with this frequency. 

"Morons are just constantly adding to it, but they get away with it, so of course they carry on doing it. It feels sometimes like there's fly-tipped rubbish on every corner. 

"It's one thing to dump a mattress but there have been caravans and car parts there too - it's like living in a slum. The council sometimes collects it but for long periods nothing is ever done."

Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.

Another resident, who works near Springvale Street, but wished to remain anonymous, said: "It's shocking.

"They don't care about anyone in the area, we have to put up with fly-tipping here everyday.

"It's just part of life these days, there's the bin strikes in Birmingham too. People just think it's easier to dump stuff.

"Some days we come along here and there's just a trail of dumped stuff. they tip a lorry up and dump it there.

"It's probably got worse here than the last six years." 

Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Stree
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Stree
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.

One local mum, who did not want to be named, added:  "It's obviously causing a problem with the rats as that's where they're hiding.

"I've got children so you don't really want them near it."

Another local worker said: "It’s been bad for 30 years but more recently it’s gotten worse.

"There were hundreds of tyres dumped near me and there was a group of women living in the caravan.

“People dump everything all the time here. We have CCTV but they’re clever, they cover their reg plates.

“The weirdest thing we’ve had was last year there was a massive mound of car and truck tyres which blocked the street. 

"No one could get through the street, there were that many.

“I’m assuming it’s going to be local people doing this, it has to be. How else would they know about it?

“The caravans were there for a couple of months, some people moved in but they were moved on."

Rubbish on Ward Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish on Ward Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.

Councillor Simran Cheema, who represents Willenhall South, has been raising the issue with Walsall Council since October last year.

She said: “In the meantime, there’s just further dumping there every single day.

“I’ve never seen fly tipping like this before. I think it’s the worst I’ve seen across the borough. 

"Tat-men who go around collecting people’s rubbish from house clearances are using Springvale Street and Ann Street as a dumping ground.

“When there’s fly-tipping on private land, the council would rightly point out to landlords and push them to get it cleared as soon as possible. 

"But now, when a lot of it is on council-owned land, the public highway, it just seems like they’re really slow. That’s my biggest frustration.”

Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish on Springvale Street in Willenhall, West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.
Rubbish, including sofa, mattresses, skip, caravan and rubble has been dumped on Springvale Street , Ann Street and Ward Street in Willenhall in West Midlands.

In July, Walsall Council approved spending £4.7m on ramping up their enforcement efforts to tackle fly-tipping.

The authority this month also opened a £32 million "super-tip" in Aldridge - dubbed the biggest in Europe - in a bid to tackle the fly-tipping problem.  

Council leader Mike Bird, vowed he would "put the force back into enforcement" and said fly-tippers would face the full force of the law.

'Meaningless'

But Cheema described the words as "meaningless".

She added: "They need to put their money where their mouth is and do what they promised.

"It's all well saying they'll put the force back into enforcement but we actually need to see it happen. 

"These hot spot areas are where we really need to see action, sooner rather than later.

"I've never seen anything like this before and I just find it absolutely appalling that it's been left to get into this condition."

A Walsall Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of longstanding issues in this area. 

"Plans to secure the site are being considered ahead of clearance to ensure issues are alleviated long-term.”