Environment Agency intervenes as waste found at Walsall beauty spot - including clothes, glass and rubble
The Environment Agency has ordered Walsall Council to remove swathes of waste left at a Walsall beauty spot.
Walsall Council sprawled the material, which has clothes, polypipes, glass and building rubble within it, across a huge area at Walsall Arboretum.
The authority said the ‘works’ formed part of the council’s efforts to ‘re-profile’ the site, to mitigate flooding and prepare for tree planting.
But the council said it will now remove the material after the being notified by the Environment Agency that ‘it does not meet the required standard’.
Local resident, Karl Delmas, says the waste appeared at the beauty spot, often described as the jewel in Walsall’s crown, a number of weeks ago.
He alerted the Environment Agency about the issue earlier this week.
The government regulator attended the site, identified ‘those responsible’ and ordered the waste to be removed.
Mr Delmas, who works in construction, said: “This is unacceptable. Somebody is going to get hurt. Dogs are getting hurt.
“There’s 100 tonnes, easily, and it’s absolutely full of rubbish. It’s contaminated waste and it needs to be taken away and fenced off because people can just walk across it.
“It was raining last week and you could see the black trickling from it into the brook.”
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Following a report by the public our officers visited the site and identified those responsible.
“We are now making sure that they are removing all of the waste materials.”
A spokesperson for Walsall Council said: “Works are currently underway in the Arboretum to mitigate flooding and prepare an area of land for tree planting.
“It has recently been identified that the material used to re-profile part of the site does not meet the required standard.
“Arrangements are therefore being made for this material to be removed, dried within a designated on-site compound, and disposed of by a licensed waste management contractor.
“These works will be completed as soon as practicable, taking into account the prevailing weather and ground conditions.
“Suitable alternative material will be sourced so that the project can continue to progress.”
