Newport fly-tipping ground dubbed 'Road to Nowhere' is finally cleared
A fly-tipping dumping ground dubbed “the road to nowhere” has finally been cleared following months of outraged campaigning.
The hotspot in the Coedkernew-Duffryn area on the outskirts of Newport had so much rubbish it could be seen from space.
Hundreds of car tyres, piles of clothes, suitcases and doors were dumped across the disused road off the M4, with the towering waste visible on Google Earth.
According to fly-tipping reporting app ClearWaste, there had been an 88% increase in rubbish dumping since the start of lockdown and cranes and lorries spent several days clearing through the eyesore.
The site was dubbed ‘The Road to Nowhere’ locally because of its dead-end, but campaigners hope it can now be renamed ‘The Road to Nature' following its clearance.
Campaign group Friends of the Road to Nature plan litter picks at the site to remove any additional rubbish missed by clearance teams and intend to plant trees and plants to encourage biodiversity.
The area will now be policed with CCTV in an effort to defer fly-tippers from returning to the area.
Newport council cabinet member Roger Jeavons said: "It is sad that we had to undertake this work because of the selfishness and irresponsibility of fly-tippers.
"However now that the road has been cleared we will continue to use CCTV to monitor it and will take measure to deal with anyone who deposits waste at this location.
"Previous enforcement action has included fixed penalty notices, prosecutions, and seizure of vehicles.
"We will support local groups who have ‘adopted’ the area and, together with partners, will support the development of a sustainable biodiversity project to bring back the natural beauty and wildlife habitats.
"I would remind residents that if they employ someone to dispose of their waste they have a legal responsibility to ensure that person or company are registered as a waste carrier.”
The Welsh Local Government Association said councils had been forced to close recycling centres during the pandemic because of the fear of spreading coronavirus, but the decision had been kept "under constant review"
A spokesman said: "We understand that this is a very challenging time for everyone. However, fly tipping remains entirely unacceptable and is a criminal offence."
A Newport City Council spokeswoman added: “The land in question is owned by a number of organisations and private owners.
“We’re currently working with partners including NRW, Fly-tipping Action Wales, police, fire and Welsh Government to establish all ownership details and develop an action plan so we can prosecute and prevent further dumping.”
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