Calls are growing for a slip road to be closed in a bid to stop fly-tipping. A lane which leads off Yardley Wood Road in Billesley has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour and is littered with rubbish thrown from parked vehicles, including a rusting caravan.
It was cleared last week but councillors Phil Davis and Katherine Iroh are seeking opinions on potentially closing the road. Homes would still be accessible under the proposal.
Billesley Labour said on Facebook: “We recently saw a bad outbreak of anti-social behaviour – large-scale dumping in the service road next to Billesley Common. It included an abandoned caravan!
READ MORE: Billesley fly-tippers dump waste mountain – including a caravan
“We got all this rubbish removed but, as this service road has attracted bad littering (from parked cars) over the years, we wonder if it should be closed to traffic? Access to the housing on Yardley Wood Road would still be possible. Let us know what you think !”
Prof Carl Chinn raised the issue after mounds of festering rubbish were dumped around a month ago. The waste was finally cleared by crews on Monday, January 6 following complaints.
General view of Yardley Wood Road
(Image: Google)
Coun Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “Those who dump waste on public or private land are environmental criminals, who are expecting people in our city to foot the bill for the disposal of their rubbish and unwanted items. There is no excuse for this anti-social behaviour, which shows no regard for the surroundings in which we all have to live and work.
“There are many legitimate ways to get rid of waste, including our household recycling centres which have plenty of capacity, and our mobile waste centres, so there is simply no excuse. We investigate incidents and do not hesitate to take enforcement action or prosecute offenders, as demonstrated in the past by many high-profile cases.
“If citizens wish to report fly tipping or other street related issues, we encourage them to use their Brum Account as this is linked to our internal systems so we can investigate issues and action accordingly.”