The disgusting piles of rubbish left at Gloucester fly-tipping hotspot

Pictures of the rubbish are being shared on social media in an attempt to embarrass those responsible Credit: Welcome to Gloucester

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A group of residents are trying to embarrass fly tippers by posting pictures of their mess on social media. 

The latest government figures show local authorities in England dealt with more than a million fly tipping incidents in 2020 -2021 0- an increase of 16% on the previous year. 

The issue costs local councils like Gloucester millions of pounds every year to clear up. 

But now a group of residents in the city say more has to be done to stop it.

Independent Gloucester councillor Alastair Chambers grew up in the Barton and Tredworth area of the city. 

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He said: "I do love our city and this is the reason that I’m doing this because I want the city to be the best it can be.  It’s one of the most deprived areas of our city, and has been forgotten about."

He added: "As soon as it's picked up, there's another pile on the floor. It's never ending. A few people ruin it, then it becomes contagious." 

"We found blatant examples of fly tipping".

On the edge of the council run Sinope Street car park, household rubbish bags, opposite a school, have been attracting flies and giving off an unpleasant smell. 

Flytipping outside Sinope Street car park with flies around it

Though Gloucester city council has installed CCTV cameras and made it a restricted alcohol zone, the verges have been festooned with empty drink cans.

Just a short distance away, off Barton street, an alleyway is being used as a makeshift tip, with a bed and mattress dumped in the area.

Jasper Tate-Williams, a Gloucester resident who has had enough said: "Basically it focuses on dirty areas where there’s going to be drugs, anything that we don’t really want in the city. 

"We want everybody to post more videos and photos so we can get them noticed. We can get them cleaned up because we don’t want this in our city".

He wants people to identify the mess and to make sure it gets cleaned up. He has a Facebook page called Welcome to Gloucester where people post pictures of fly tipping.

This mattress was found on an alley off Barton Street

One Gloucester resident is so fed up with fly tipping that he goes out on late night litter picks. Alan Platt said: "You’ve got to get people to have pride in their place, my street is spotless and I often scrape the curbs and get rid of all the weeds".

The real shame about fly tipping - say these campaigners - is that it's done by the few who spoil an area for the many.

In a statement, leader of Gloucester City Council Cllr Richard Cook said: “We take flytipping very seriously and this anti-social behaviour is simply not tolerated in Gloucester.

"Since its introduction in April, our enviro-crime team has investigated over 220 incidents in Barton and Tredworth alone, gathering evidence which is leading to the successful prosecution of offenders.

"We have installed CCTV at fly tipping hotspots and are working closely with housing associations, businesses and the local community to prevent future incidents.

“Fly tipping is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court.

"Residents can report flytipping by emailing heretohelp@gloucester.gov.uk.”

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