'We can't carry on living next to this mess,' say fed up Walsall residents

Fed up residents are calling on for urgent action to clean up a growing mound of rubbish left behind by fly-tippers targeting a parcel of land site in Walsall.

Household goods including mattresses, settees and full black bin bags are among the waste being dumped on land formerly occupied by garages in Caledon Street in Pleck. Now residents living next to the parcel of land owned by social landlord Walsall Housing Group (WHG) are calling on the organisation to take action to remove it all.

But, the housing provider said it had previously installed a security fence following repeated dumping there and said arrangements were now being made for a specialist contractor to remove the mess as soon as possible.

Caledon Street house owner Arbor Ali said: “Some old garages used to be there until about 15-20 years ago. It’s been vacant ever since then. Over time people have been dumping all kinds of waste in there. There are piles and piles of it.

“It’s so bad the residents are complaining about seeing rats and mice in the street as a result of this.

“I have been complaining to whg and requesting that they clean it up for a long time. I have even offered to buy it as I own a property next door and I have tenants and they keep asking me when the mess is going to to be cleared up . I’ve phoned the call centre and spoken to the staff. The neighbourhood officer even came on a site visit, but they are not doing anything about it.

“It’s not nice for people who live here to have to put up with this situation. Four months ago they said it would be tidied up and it’s not happened yet. It’s very frustrating.”

Whg operations director Fay Shanahan said: “We understand residents’ concerns about fly-tipping on Caledon Street and the impact this is having on the local area.

“We secured this former garage area following repeated incidents of fly-tipping by installing security boarding to prevent further access. During a routine estate inspection our Neighbourhood Services Team found that sections of the boarding had been damaged and removed, allowing further waste to be dumped at the site.

“Because of the amount of waste involved, this is a significant clearance job and we are arranging for a specialist contractor to remove it safely as soon as possible. Once the waste has been removed, we will repair or replace the boarding to prevent further incidents. We will continue to monitor the site and work with residents to make sure any further issues are identified and dealt with quickly.

“Fly-tipping is a criminal offence. We are committed to keeping neighbourhoods clean, green and safe and we will take action where we can identify those responsible. We encourage anyone who sees fly-tipping on our land to report it directly to us with the exact location and details, so we can investigate and arrange the appropriate response.”

Last month Walsall Council seized a number of cars after catching drivers fly-tipping including incidents, in Brockhurst Crescent, in Delves; in Banfield Road, Moxley; and in Vernon Way, New Invention, where the culprit was issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice.

Working in partnership with West Midlands Police, councillors have vowed to crack down on fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping in the borough. Between April 2022 and January 2025 council crews cleared 74 different fly-tipping incidents from the streets at a cost of around £15,000 to the taxpayer.

Residents are being urged to make use of the area’s two household waste tips in Fryers Road, Beechdale, and in Aldridge.