Fury over rampant illegal fly-tipping on side of road used as dumping ground for 20 YEARS - with piles of furniture, fridges, tyres and household waste attracting rodents and foxes

Wallhouse Road in Erith, south-east London, has a severe fly-tipping problemA local lorry driver said that there were no consequences for rubbish dumpers Bexley Council spokesperson: 'We remove any waste as quickly as possible'Do YOU know what's going on? Email [email protected]

A fly-tipping hotspot in London has attracted fury from locals as a sea of rubbish, which includes unwanted furniture, old fridges and discarded tyres, continues to grow on the roadside.

The dead-end road in Erith, south-east London, has been used as a dumping ground for 20 years and is starting to become infested by rodents and foxes.

And, according to one lorry driver who uses the road every day to get to an industrial estate, the problem has worsened dramatically in the last few years.

Kevin Richards, 56, said: ‘During the night there’s fly-tipping in the middle of the road.

‘I damaged the front bumper of my minibus one night, which is costing me £500 to repair.

A London fly-tipping hotspot has attracted anger from locals as a sea of waste, which includes unwanted furniture, old fridges and discarded tyres, continues to grow on the roadside

Wallhouse Road, a dead-end road in Erith, south-east London, has been used as a dumping ground for two decades and is starting to attract rodents and foxes

Kevin Richards, 56, drives along the road every day to reach an industrial site and said that the mess had got worse in recent years

‘In the summer of 2022, there was a huge fire down the road and it was closed off for three days.

‘The fire got rid of most of the rubbish but now it’s worse than it was before.

‘Because it’s down a dead-end road and not many people go down the estate, it’s out of sight, out of mind.’

The father-of-one claimed that neither Bexley Council, the Environment Agency nor his local Tory MP, Sir David Evennett, have shown any interest in sorting out the roadside tip.

‘I’ve contacted Bexley Council, my local MP and the Environment Agency about it but they are all passing the buck and saying it’s nothing to do with them,’ Mr Richards said.

‘People know that they can go down there and tip as they’re not going to get fined or anything.

‘No one’s going to say anything to them so basically, it’s a free landfill.

The lorry driver said: ‘During the night there’s fly-tipping in the middle of the road. I damaged the front bumper of my minibus one night, which is costing me £500 to repair’

Mr Richards added: ‘Because it’s down a dead-end road and not many people go down the estate, it’s out of sight, out of mind’

The father-of-one has contacted Bexley Council, the Environment Agency and his local Tory MP, Sir David Evennett, but none have shown any enthusiasm about sorting out the dump

‘I’ve actually seen people dumping rubbish in full daylight – they just know there’s no repercussions.’

A total of 83 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for fly-tipping along Wallhouse Road by the council last year, along with 21 to non-compliant waste carriers and nine to residents lacking due diligence when arranging for a contractor to collect their waste.

But Mr Richards said there is even some confusion as to who is responsible for the grubby road.

The infuriated lorry driver said that people who had lived in the area for years had told him that it used to be ‘beautiful’ and a place to go fishing.

‘I’ve spoken to people who are in their 50s and 60s and they tell me when they were a child, they used to go down that road to play,’ he said.

A spokesperson for Bexley Council said: ‘We remove any waste which has been deposited onto the highway as quickly as possible.

‘The ditches which run alongside the highway are privately owned and we are working on solutions with the landowner.

‘We take fly-tipping very seriously and are continuing to engage with the landowners, the environment agency and local businesses to combat this.

A total of 83 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for fly-tipping along Wallhouse Road by the council last year, along with 21 to non-compliant waste carriers and nine to residents lacking due diligence when arranging for a contractor to collect their waste

A Bexley Council spokesperson said: ‘We remove any waste which has been deposited onto the highway as quickly as possible. The ditches which run alongside the highway are privately owned and we are working on solutions with the landowner’

‘We are working on plans to increase CCTV coverage, introduce new deterrents and clear the accumulation of waste, which we hope to announce over the coming months.’

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: ‘The Environment Agency and London Borough of Bexley work with the Met Police, local businesses and landowners on the Darent Industrial Park Estate and Ray Lamb Way to address the concerns around fly-tipping and the impact on the environment and local businesses.

‘We carry out targeted days of action with partners to disrupt those who are intent on breaking the law when carrying waste.’

Do YOU know what’s going on? Email [email protected]