Croydon Central News 02 (Croydon Liberal Democrats)

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Croydon Central

Latest: Dump the dumpers

One complaint often heard across Croydon is about the amount of dumping, particularly in alleyways behind houses.

We agree with residents that the Council's refusal to deal with this is inexcusable - especially when you can prove who is responsible! This attitude only encourages those who continue to blight the area.

Liberal Democrats have protested to Croydon Council to voice residents' opinion that all dumpers should be prosecuted, whether fly-tipping on private or public land.

"This is a long-standing problem that brings down the area and creates a health hazard. It's time we dealt with the root cause and got tough on the dumpers," says local campaigner Ejnar Sorensen.

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AN OPEN LETTER SENT TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR ENVIRONMENT AND HIGHWAYS

RE: Dumping on private property in the Borough

Dear Councillor Thomas,

I am sure you are aware of what a long-standing problem dumping and fly-tipping is within the borough. When someone dumps waste on private land it can bring down the character of the area as well as creating a vermin-riddled health hazard.

I am concerned about the current council policy on dealing with this issue. While there is a clear lack of eagerness to deal with anything dumped on public land, such items will eventually be removed, and the council would be willing to prosecute those responsible.

What I cannot understand is the lack of will to take action against those caught dumping on non-public land. Surely if people are willing to stand up and say who is responsible, given that the money for removal could be recouped through prosecution, it would make sense to extend the policy to include dumping on non-public land.

The council's long-standing approach, going back through several administrations, has been far too reactive, with the council just cleaning up after the event, if allowed. By not explicitly encouraging action against the minority responsible, and by turning a blind eye against anything on land the council does not acknowledge responsibility for, it encourages those who know they can get away with it.

I am sure you are aware that many areas of Croydon, including Addiscombe, have many areas of housing built with narrow alleyways behind them. It is a rarity to see any of these alleyways without something dumped in them. This includes those that have had gates put on them, which doesn't really solve the problem but only aids in hiding it.

The only way to deal with this issue is to get to the root cause and deal with those nuisance-makers in a way that makes clear that dumping will not be worth their while.

I hope you will support me in attempting to take steps to help improve the environment for people across Croydon.

Yours faithfully,

Ejnar Sorensen
Addiscombe Liberal Democrats

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