SHOCKING pictures show a once-attractive area of woodland has been ruined by fly-tippers dumping skipfuls of waste.
The images show what appear to be the waste from entire building jobs piled up in Viewpark Glen, North Lanarkshire.
One bizarre image shows a large pile of doors, another a massive heap of broken wood. Tyres, furniture and other rubbish have been left strewn about.
The images were taken by local resident Nicole Lavery who kept snapshots of the dumps as she found them over the last year.
Nicole uploaded the images with the caption: “This is only a fraction of what I’ve came across in the past year. Full kitchens, bathrooms, garden waste dumped. It’s a disgrace!”
Peter Maschinsky wrote online: “Disgusting something needs to be done here. Get more cctv or something down there.”
Clare Murphy wrote: “Awful but I don’t get it. Do people not know that large household items will be picked up from said address by council? People confuse me. Stupidity.”
Sandy Henderson commented: “No disrespect but you don’t have to go down the Glen area to see the fly tippers there doing it on our doorsteps.”
Some people suggested that the fly tippers are acting in this way because of council charges to pick up their rubbish.
Liz Melrose said: “Fly tipping was bad enough previously but we all knew once the charges were in place it would make things so much worse and this is proof.”
Margo Carroll wrote: “The home improvement guys that are fly tipping get charged to go to the skip to dump it that’s why they are dumping anywhere they can. Should be ashamed of themselves.”
Pete Leonard, Operations Director at Keep Scotland Beautiful said: “These images demonstrate all too clearly that flytipping is not a victimless crime.
“We all lose through the continuing and devastating impact on the environment, as well as increased costs of cleaning up.
“Sadly, it demonstrates how far we have yet to go before everyone realises that we need to take personal responsibility for our waste and dispose of it legally and carefully.
“Unfortunately, our nationwide research has indicated that local environmental quality is in decline more generally and that flytipping in particular is on the increase, impacting on our health and wellbeing, as well as destroying the environment.
“As with all areas of local environmental quality, the answer lies in ensuring that people use the waste disposal facilities that are available, educating those who do not dispose of their rubbish responsibly, and strictly enforcing the law when breaches occur.”
Jill Farrell, Chief Operating Officer, Zero Waste Scotland said: “Scotland is known for its picturesque landscapes, but if you go to our local parks or areas of outstanding beauty, it’s common to see fly-tipping and that’s a real shame.
“Fly-tipping is a completely preventable issue and it’s one that costs Scotland millions of pounds every year to clean up. That’s money that can be better spent on other services.”
Jamie Brannigan, Senior Environmental Health Officer for North Lanarkshire Council, said: “Our officers respond to all fly tipping complaints received and we’re actively targeting fly tipping as part of an ongoing campaign.
“We’ve been successfully installing and using evidence from CCTV cameras situated in areas where fly tipping is highlighted as an ongoing issue. We’re also placing concrete barriers at council sites to prevent vehicles gaining access to dump materials illegally.”
He added: “Rural areas are more challenging. One aspect of the campaign is encouraging residents to call us at any time of the day or night with information, such as date and time fly tipping occurred, registration number of vehicles involved etc, to help us track down people guilty of fly tipping.
“We’re continuing to tackle this blight on the landscape and doing everything in our power to ensure North Lanarkshire’s local environment is one we can all be proud of.”
