Dumped fridges and flytipped rubbish were removed from the Hemmingwell estate in Wellingborough

More than 40 tonnes of rubbish has been removed from Wellingborough’s Hemmingwell estate after a day of action to clear four fly-tip hotspots.

The ‘Big Clean Up Day’ saw more than 40 people from different organisations remove rubbish, abandoned electrical goods and litter from the area.

Led by housing association Greatwell Homes, Fulmar Lane, Gannet Lane, Kestrel Lane and Nest Farm Crescent were cleared on Monday (April 3) with 30 tonnes of rubbish on the day.

An additional 10 tonnes was collected the day after due to the phenomenal amount of waste on the area.

John Ross, estates services manager at Greatwell Homes, said: “The overall aim of the day was to leave the area looking better than we found it.

“Fly-tipping is becoming a big issue for our estates and are health and safety risks for local residents.

"We have used this day to allow our customers to get rid of any rubbish or unwanted goods they have, with the hope this reduces fly-tipping in the area going forward.

“From now on, we will be working closely with North Northamptonshire Council to enforce action on anyone who fly-tips, not only in this area, but across all of our communities.”

On the day of action, 17 Greatwell Places operatives were deployed using eight caged collection vans – over the day each van was filled five times with garbage.

Supporting the efforts were organisations including North Northamptonshire Council, Wellingborough LIVE team, The Wellie Wombles and GXO Logistics, many of whom picked litter from the green spaces.

Cllr Graham Lawman, North Northamptonshire Council’s executive member for highways, travel and assets joined the litter picking.

He said: “I am delighted that we were able to team up with Greatwell Homes, partners and residents to help tidy up the estate.

"I attended the event and everyone coming together was great to see.

"Spending the day picking up all the rubbish that had collected gives you a real appreciation of the unpleasant work that the crews do, so my thanks to them all.

“Events like this really do make such a big difference, as the figures show - 30 tonnes of rubbish in one day is a phenomenal amount.

“North Northamptonshire Council are always keen to work with local residents and partners to make a difference to communities across the local area and I hope residents will notice how much tidier and cleaner the Hemingwell estate is looking.”

During the day of action, the waste management team at North Northamptonshire Council were present in order to reinforce the message to residents the impact fly-tipping can have.

Fly-tipping carries a fine of up to £50,000 (or unlimited if the case goes to the crown court) or an offender can even be sent to prison.

A spokesman for Greatwell Homes said: “This project supports Greatwell Homes’ Live proud strategy where they commit to working with customers, communities and partners to shape places that people are proud of.”

Greatwell Homes (formerly Wellingborough Homes) is one of the largest housing associations in Northamptonshire, owning and managing more than 5,000 homes in Wellingborough, Kettering, Raunds and Northampton.

As part of their Live Greatwell Corporate Plan, Greatwell Homes have four strategies; Live proud, Live green, Live happy and Live Safe.