Kettering dumped waste building '˜beyond repair'

Last month we reported that people living in the Stamford Road area were having sleepless nights after waste was dumped in the old United Footwear store.

The rubbish is now being cleared by Mick George Ltd after action was taken by owner Blunts Shoes, which United Footwear was a trading company of.

After closing the unit in August 2017 the company let it to two London-based businessmen – who have not responded to attempts to serve legal action.

Head of family business Blunts Shoes Robert Blunt said: “We tried to contact them and sent a letter by courier but they refused to take it, so we sent a car down there and left the letter with them.

“When I saw pictures of the mess I was horrified. It’s dreadful.

“They’ve wrecked internal walls, they removed two overhead gas heaters, they’ve destroyed the floors.

“It’s been very upsetting.”

The rubbish amounted to between 360 and 370 bales at an estimated weight of 300 tons.

Clearing the waste and repairing the damage has so far cost Blunts, which has history dating back to 1865, £50,000.

Mr Blunt estimated it would cost £200,000 in total.

He said: “The whole building is destroyed and the damage is untold.

“We think it’s beyond economic repair, it’s in such a state.”

The unbearable stench and infestation of flies was so bad that at one stage, Stamford Road’s Co-op store temporarily ran out of fly repellant spray.

Local businesses said the insects were crawling all over their shops and giving them the ‘heebie-jeebies’.

Mr Blunt acknowledged the impact the mess had on those nearby.

He added: “It wasn’t of our doing but we’re still legally responsible for it and it’s a horrible situation.

“We understand the effect it’s had on people and we’ve done everything we legally can to sort it.”

He added that he will soon be contacting police about the dumping of the waste.

Kamal Paul, whose Clarence Road home backs on to the site, said: “I am very much relieved that the matter is coming to an end.

“It’s had a detrimental effect on me and my family as we’ve not been able to open our doors or windows.

“I would urge other people in the borough to be vigilant in case this happens again elsewhere.”