A NEW case of fly-tipping in Hattersley has led to renewed calls for barriers to be erected to prevent access to Chain Bar Lane which has become a frequent dumping ground for illegal waste.
Dylan Longmate, chairman of Hattersley Community Group, has been leading the campaign to block the road for vehicle access.
He had also lobbied for CCTV cameras to be installed to catch the offenders, something which is unlikely on the grounds of expense.
Dylan, who collected an earlier petition demanding Tameside Council take action, said: “When publicised the problem some time ago it seemed to scare off the fly-tippers.
“There hadn’t been any fly-tipping for quite some time until another load was dumped on Chain Bar Lane.”
Residents were worried that fly-tipping – they found correspondence proving it is being done by outsiders – was contributing towards the recent issue when the estate was plagued by an infestation of rats.
But Dylan, who organises litter picks by resident who take pride in the estate, praised Tameside Council for speedily removing the waste.
Councillor Jacqueline Owen has also been supporting the residents in their battle against fly-tipping.
She said: “It is an ongoing issue and a problem the council are aware of and looking at ways of tackling.
“It has been suggested blocking the road and also erecting CCTV cameras, though that is very expensive and doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.
“I will support any measure that deals with fly-tipping on the estate and hopefully will lead to the prosecution of the perpetrators.”
Cllr Owen is concerned about potentially dangerous items being dumped.
“What if it were a fridge and a child got inside it and became trapped,” she explained.
Cllr Owen added council officers Emma Varnan and Nick Sayers are aware of the issues and trying to find a solution.