OUTRAGED Hattersley residents are prepared to become vigilantes to prevent industrial scale fly-tipping on their estate.
They are considering mounting their own patrols in the early hours to prevent repeats, especially on Chain Bar Lane, a notorious hotspot and the location for the latest incident.
After calls to block off Chain Bar Lane, a road leading to no property, with bollards to prevent access, went unheeded, residents are prepared to act.
Dylan Longmate, founder of the Hattersley Community Facebook Group, said: “We have asked Tameside Council and Onwards Homes to block off the road and also put up CCTV cameras, but nothing has been done, even after a 250-name petition was collected.
“There are people who are willing to patrol the area in the early hours, something which should not be down to the residents.”
The latest illegal dump on Chain Bar Lane appears to be a lorry load of builders’ waste which has blocked the road.
Residents are angered by the blot on the landscape which they claim undermines their clean ups as they hold regular litter picks to keep the estate tidy.
Dylan continued: “This is fly-tipping on an industrial scale and is a lorry load which has blocked the road.
“We had a litter pick there recently and this is a kick in the teeth for those who took part in them. It is disgraceful.
“We have been arguing for some time that it would cost a pittance to put bollards across the road and solve the problem.
“There is no reason why this road should be open until development work begins.
“Fly-tipping is happening their time and time again and must be costing the council thousands of pounds to clear, money the council could be putting into the community.”
Dylan added Chain Bar Lane, which no longer has homes on it, has become a magnet for fly-tippers.
He continued: “I have no doubt this is being done by outsiders and not residents here.
“Chain Bar Lane has easy access from the motorway. Fly-tippers dump their waste and then make a quick getaway.”
Dylan added residents are so fed up they are even prepared to pay for bollards and CCTV cameras themselves.
And he said volunteers will help clear the latest fly-tipping if skips are provided.
He continued: “Residents take great pride in the estate as we see with the weekly litter picks.
“We have Hattersley in Bloom coming up and it is so frustrating when all the good work is being undone. The size of this mound of rubbish is unbelievable – it must be nine feet high.”
A spokesperson from Onward Homes said: “We are aware of the fly-tipping issue on Chain Bar Lane, and we have been clearing the rubbish when reported.
“We are working with our partners at Tameside Council to come to a long-term solution.
“Customers can report incidents of fly-tipping to ourselves or the council.”
A Tameside Council spokesman said: “We responded swiftly to this – removing the fly-tipping and sweeping the road – and investigations into the offenders are continuing.
“A site visit with engineers has been planned to see if it is viable to put any long-term solutions in place. However, this will be dependent on a number of factors so we can’t confirm anything further on this at this stage.
“Fly-tipping is unacceptable and criminal behaviour, which disrespects both the local community and the environment, and we won’t hesitate in taking action against offenders.
“For further information on reporting fly-tipping, or if you have information on those responsible, see www.tameside.gov.uk/flytipping”