12 people to be fined following alleyway clean up

Twelve people will be fined for illegally dumping their waste following a council clean up on an alleyway in Ashton

Tameside Council waste enforcement and street cleaning officers carried out a day of action at the alleyway off Springfield Street, and behind Kings Road and Kenworthy Avenue, on Tuesday 20 January following reports from concerned local residents.

More than eight tonnes of waste were removed from the alleyway and officers traced the waste back to 12 individuals, who will each receive a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for fly tipping. If the FPN is not paid, court prosecution proceedings will be started.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Environmental Services and Neighbourhoods Cllr Laura Boyle said: “This is a great result – the alleyway now so looks much better and cleaner for the local community and, equally importantly, those who are responsible for dumping the waste will be held accountable.

“Alleyways such as this are not owned, or adopted by, the council and it is the responsibility of the residents who have access to them, to maintain and keep free from rubbish. Unfortunately, this location had become a regular fly tipping hotspot, blighting the neighbourhood, and I’m grateful to our teams for their hard work and dedication in clearing and investigating the waste to find and take action against those responsible.

“There is no excuse for flytipping, is it disrespectful to other residents and the local environment. Already this year, in January alone, we have issued 49 Fixed Penalty Notices, for waste related offences. Most people don’t illegally dump their waste but, for those that do, we will always take action were we find evidence and our teams are proving themselves to be exceptionally proactive and diligent in tackling this on behalf of the community.”