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Friday 29 Apr 2011

RAIL TASK FORCE CRACKS DOWN ON LLANELLI FLYTIPPERS

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Network Rail’s clean-up squad will be blitzing the railway at Llanelli as part of a joint initiative with Fly-tipping Action Wales and partners to stamp out flytipping crimes in Wales.

Around 30 tonnes of rubbish are expected to be collected during a clean-up exercise near to Llanelli railway station, which is just a mile away from a local conservation area. Amongst the waste that has been found on the railway in this hotspot area are asbestos, bags of excrement, bicycles and electrical goods.

Extra efforts will also be taken by the Environment Agency to educate residents, through circulars, on removing their waste responsibly and the consequences of fly-tipping.

Jack Hitchcock, western route maintenance director for Network Rail said: "We have a duty to the community to remove this blight from their area but time and money could be better used on improving and expanding rail services. This is why we urge anyone who has information about fly-tipping or other forms of vandalism to call the British Transport police and help us fight this costly anti-social crime."

“Not only is fly tipping an illegal activity, but it is unsightly and poses a health and safety risk to rail passengers, employees and our lineside neighbours. Large items dumped close to the railway could pose a real safety risk especially in blocking access for our engineers when we improve the railway at Llanelli.”

Emma Davies, south west co-ordinator for Fly-tipping Action Wales, said: “We often see a rise in cases this time of year as people decide to de-clutter their homes and tidy up the garden ready for summer.

“People unknowingly give their goods to trade waste carriers believing that their waste will be disposed of legally, but this can often result in fly-tipping, which can be traced back to the householder, who is liable for that waste.

“Not only is it a crime but it’s an un-necessary blight on our communities and costs millions of pounds in clean up costs, which could be better spent on valuable public services such as education or health. Dumping green waste can attract vermin and be unsightly, which can have a negative impact on the environment.”

The clean-up exercise will be carried out overnight on 1 May when trains are not running, so that a road rail vehicle can be deployed to move the large amount of rubbish away.

Cases of illegally dumped green waste often rise during the spring clean period with almost 2,400 cases of green fly-tipping recorded in Wales** during March and May last year. The latest figures shows that Welsh tax payers carry a clean-up cost of over £2.8 million per year (2009/10).

And with an extra bank holiday in April this year, Fly-tipping Action Wales claims that Welsh communities could see a rise in fly-tipping, as more householders than ever carry out DIY and gardening over the long weekends.

Network Rail together with Fly-tipping Action Wales and partners will continue to monitor the area and across Wales to remove further litter and crack down on fly tippers with the help of relevant authorities following this effort.