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Anger after 'football pitches of waste' dumped

Richard BakerNorth West
News imageBBC Councillor Carubia stands in front of the rubbish tip from a nearby field. He is wearing a shirt and yellow tie under a fleece. His arm rests on a tree stump.BBC
Councillor Chris Carubia says the council have limited powers to deal with the rubbish

A councillor has expressed his anger after "football pitches of illegal waste" were dumped by the side of a motorway.

A criminal investigation has been launched by the Environment Agency (EA) into the site off New Chester Road in Eastham, Wirral, which has grown so large that it can now be seen by motorists travelling on the M53. Vehicle access has been blocked to prevent any more waste from being dumped.

The EA has told Wirral Council that it wishes to leave the tonnes of rubbish at the site, said Councillor Chris Carubia.

He said he was "livid" at the scale of the illegal dump, adding that residents had complained to him about rats and the worsening odours in the recent warm weather.

News imageZoomed in picture of the decaying matter seen in the rubbish tip. The ground is churned up, plastic bags can be seen in amongst it.
Old tyres and decaying household waste make up large parts of the mound

The Eastham councillor said an impasse had ensued, with the council only holding "limited" powers to deal with the illegal waste.

Instead, he said it was the responsibility of the EA.

Since the site, which is only accessible through a separate piece of land, was locked to vehicles - the amount of commercial waste has stemmed, but the amount of "household" waste dumping there had increased, said Carubia.

He added: "What [the EA] saying to us as a council is that they think it's better to leave it sitting there than to remove it, because that will give a bigger environmental impact. Well, that's great, except it doesn't help my residents.

"A bit of an eyesore is an understatement, we're not talking a couple of van loads here," he said.

News imagePicture of the waste, neighbouring the M53. Two large tiers of rubbish can be seen, in amongst trees and branches. Taken on a sunny day.
The waste is so high, it can be seen from the neighbouring M53 motorway

Amongst the rubbish found at the illegal dump are old tyres and mounds of seemingly decaying household waste.

Landowners have been urged to check any empty land and property regularly to make sure it is secure. They can be liable for illegal waste dumped on their land.

Justin Madders, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough, has also urged action on the fly-tipping, having visited the site last week.

A statement from the EA said it would take enforcement action if required.

"Waste crime scars communities and we urge anyone who has information about suspected illegal waste activity to contact us," it said.

Wirral Council confirmed the matter was being dealt with by the EA and did not comment.

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