Media centre

Friday 10 Jun 2005

‘SPRING CLEAN’ FOR ASHINGTON RAILWAY LINE

Region & Route:

Tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish are to be cleared from a local railway line as Network Rail undertakes a massive ‘spring clean’. The Ashington clean up will last 11 days and starts on Monday 13 June.  The ‘spring clean’ will tackle overgrown vegetation, remove litter and illegally dumped rubbish, and repair and replace fencing to help prevent re-occurrence. Dyan Crowther, Route Director, said: “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 such as beds and other household goods dumped at Ashington pose a real safety risk to the railway as they have the potential to derail a train if placed on the track. “We continue to work closely with Wansbeck District Council and the British Transport Police to tackle the problem of flytipping in and around the railway.” Councillor Alex Wallace, Cabinet Member with responsibility for the environment added:” In addition to the work being carried out by Network Rail we will be despatching a crew to clear any flytipping and litter from the public side of the railway line fencing and we trust residents will see a big improvement as a result of our joint actions.”