A fridge too far....Fed up residents dump fly-tipped waste on Wakefield Council steps

Residents fed-up of fly-tipping decided to take action by clearing the mess themselves, and then dumping it on the steps of Wakefield Town Hall.
The rubbish on the steps of Wakefield Town HallThe rubbish on the steps of Wakefield Town Hall
The rubbish on the steps of Wakefield Town Hall

One of the pair, who did not want to be named, said he had been "fobbed off" for a year after persistently contacting the council to ask if the rubbish being dumped on the banks of the River Calder could be moved.

The rubbish included fridge freezer, old tyres and other general litter, all of which was then gathered up and dropped at Wood Street in the middle of the night.

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They also attached a sign to the dumped rubbish which read "Climate Emergency?' - mocking Wakefield Council who declared a climate emergency last year.

The rubbish on the steps of Wakefield Town HallThe rubbish on the steps of Wakefield Town Hall
The rubbish on the steps of Wakefield Town Hall

It was promptly removed by council workers.

In a letter to Wakefield Council he said: "I do not care who is responsible for this, I should be able to log it with WMDC and the issue be passed to the responsible parties and dealt with promptly.

"WMDC waste disposal site is a stone's throw from this location, how about being pragmatic and sending a van with two men to collect the items, then sort them out, it would take 10 minutes and save a lot of people's time.

"I am furious with your appalling attitude and performance."

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Glynn Humphries, Wakefield Council’s service director for environment and streetscene, said: “We do not have responsibility to clear rubbish on private land but understand the seriousness of this problem.

"We are working to identify which organisation is responsible for this particular area to see how we can support them to clear this up.

“We do encourage anyone who witnesses fly-tipping, whether on public or private land, to report it by calling 0345 8 506 506.”