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Thursday 1 Jul 2010

BANBURY RAILWAY CLEAN-UP NETS 25 TONNES OF FLY-TIPPED RUBBISH

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

More than twenty-five tonnes of rubbish have been removed from just one mile of railway in Banbury by Network Rail as part of a crackdown on fly-tipping hotspots.

The mammoth haul included shopping trolleys, mattresses, bicycles and televisions as well as huge amounts of scrap metal and black sacks of household waste. In total, local Network Rail staff collected:

• 25 one-tonne bags of fly tipping bagged for removal
• 15 tonnes of redundant railway materials including sleepers, old iron work, and scrap rail
• 80 black sacks filled with litter
• 100+ empty cans of spray paint

In addition, several tonnes of overgrown vegetation were removed in the area around Grimsbury Green bridge and graffiti underneath Hennef Way bridge was painted over.

The railway is a prime target for litter and flytipping by members of the public. Not only is this a nuisance for people living alongside the railway but it can also cause problems for the railway itself. Litter attracts rats to the railway and rats like to chew on signal cables, which can lead to signal failures, delays and even accidents.

Chris Rowley, Network Rail area general manager, said: "Fly-tipping is not only illegal, it blights the green corridor alongside rail lines and threatens the safe running of the railway. Our team has cleaned up a mile of track which has long been targeted by mindless fly-tippers. The difference is fantastic and will make a positive difference for local residents and people using the railway."

Chiltern Railways’ maintenance team have also been helping to improve Banbury station with the help of volunteers from across the company who picked up a paint brush to give fences and lampposts a fresh coat of paint.  

Chris Iles, customer service manager at Banbury station said: "Our passengers have really noticed the difference and the hard work that is being put in to making the station cleaner. We are hoping that commuters will help maintain the station environment by remembering to put their litter in a bin." 

Fly-tipping on the railway is illegal and carries a fine of up to £1000. Each year Network Rail spends large amounts of money removing fly-tipped rubbish from railway property – money that could otherwise be invested in improving the railway. Anyone who has a problem caused by litter or fly-tipping on the railway can contact Network Rail’s National Helpline on 08457 11 41 41.