A cluster of Ipswich streets within a few feet of each other have been named among the worst in the entire town for fly-tipping – with 21 incidents recorded there.
Rubbish was illegally dumped seven times each in Ashley Street, Shelley Street and Hartley Street – all off Wherstead Road – between February 2016 and February 17, 2017, according to new council figures released to the Star.
Top of the list of worst-hit streets in Ipswich was Upper Orwell Street with ten fly-tipping offences recorded.
Norwich Road came second with nine, while Devonshire Road came third with eight.
The latest figures, released via a Freedom of Information request, come just months after we revealed reports of fly-tipping had soared by almost 200% over the past four years.
A total of 739 incidents were reported in streets and fields in the Ipswich area from 2015 to 2016.
An Ipswich Borough Council spokesman said: “Any fly-tipping is anti-social and not to be tolerated, although each case varies in severity from a bag of rubbish to dumped furniture and bulky household goods.
“For example, the three streets in Bridge Ward listed suffer more from residents leaving rubbish during house moves rather than people from outside dumping rubbish there.
“Following representations from a local resident, a working group will be examining the problem of improper disposal of refuse, particularly in areas such as this, and how best to use limited resources to tackle the problem.
They added: “Like all councils, we find it hard to gather enough evidence to find out who is responsible but when we do we will take action through the courts.”
Earlier this week a 36-year-old man from Ipswich was prosecuted for fly-tipping and waste offences committed in both Babergh and mid Suffolk during 2016.
Tommy Gorham, formerly of Kingfisher Avenue, Ipswich, now lives in Upper Orwell Street.
He appeared before magistrates in Ipswich on Tuesday charged with four waste offences committed last year, including illegally fly-tipping rubbish in Bullen Lane, Bramford and Church Lane, Sproughton.
He pleaded guilty to all four charges and was ordered to pay a £400 fine, £590.44 clearance costs and £1,150 in legal costs.
Do you live in the areas worst hit by fly-tipping? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below or email us at newsroom@archant.co.uk
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