Wellingborough A45 lay-bys should be closed to stop fly-tipping, says resident

The lay-bys have been used as a rubbish tip
A bed dumped in the lay byA bed dumped in the lay by
A bed dumped in the lay by

A Wellingborough resident, who lives on an estate near the A45 has voiced his dismay at the state of the lay-bys at the side of the carriageways.

Brian Slocombe, a retired motorcycle dealer, spotted piles of dumped tyres and stopped to investigate and take photos in order to report them to the authorities.

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The 78-year-old then witnessed another van with its rear doors open who he believes were ready to dump yet more rubbish at the site.

The tyresThe tyres
The tyres

Mr Slocombe said: "The only answer to the whole problem is to close the lay-bys. It's just an excuse to fly-tip.

"While I was there, a van drove up and they opened the back doors as if they were going to unload something. They saw me with a camera and stopped and drove off.

"They should close the lay-bys, the smell in the one along Wilby Way is not pleasant - both lay-bys are running with water - the smell hardly enhances the area."

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An intensive clean-up had been scheduled to take place last weekend, with the focus on cleaning the A45 lay-bys.

Dozens of tyres have been dumpedDozens of tyres have been dumped
Dozens of tyres have been dumped

This will be followed by a longer programme of cleaning the A45 verges and central reservation over 12 nights from Monday, April 19 to Friday, April 30.

Road closures at night will be needed to minimise disruption to traffic and to ensure the safety of workers and contractors.

Mr Slocombe added: "There were about a hundred tyres, a bed and some kids' toys. In my opinion the lay-bys should be closed. They are very hard to get out of and you take your life in your hands.

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"If the authorities end up cleaning up the mess and then getting rid of the rubbish they might as well just accept the rubbish in the first place - it doesn't stack up that we have to close the road. That's going to be paid for by us in the long run one way or another.

"There's no excuse. The people who dumped the tyres are being paid for something they don't do. It's laziness,

"Last time they cleaned the A45 about two to three years ago and it looked great. About a week later there were bits of plastic everywhere."

Wellingborough Council, in partnership with Northamptonshire Police, has accredited officers with the powers to issue fixed penalty notices in respect of litter, fly-tipping, dog fouling, graffiti and fly-posting.

The average fine for littering is around £75 but can be up to £2,500. Fly-tipping can carry a fine of up to £50,000 and/or six months imprisonment.