There have been around ten incidents of flytipping at Southfield Reservoir over the past year and as the charity that looks after the land, we have been responsible for spending thousands of pounds clearing it away. On many occasions the waste has been discarded on car parks and access roads causing difficulties for people wanting to enjoy the reservoir for fishing, sailing or an afternoon walk. The problem has become more serious recently with an increasing amount of hazardous waste being dumped.
Gavin Beat, environmental scientist for the Trust said: “It's got to the stage where enough is enough, this rubbish is someone else's legal responsibility but we have to pick up the bill for clearing it up and as a charity this has a real impact on the money that our staff and volunteers have to use elsewhere on important work to look after the waterways. The dumping of asbestos is especially reckless as it's hazardous material with the potential to affect people's health so we have to pay specialist removal teams to take it away.
Thousands of pounds
“The thousands of pounds that we have to spend clearing up other people's rubbish is money that could be much better spent upgrading facilities on the waterways, enhancing habitats for wildlife or helping the local community to improve their local waterway.
“Fly tippers are dodging their legal responsibility to dispose of this waste so we wouldn't encourage people to approach them directly but if they have any information then we would urge them to pass it on to the local authority so that it can be investigated. Hopefully, with help from the local community, we can put an end to this dangerous and irresponsible activity which damages the local environment, prevents people from being able to enjoy their local reservoir and wastes money which could otherwise be spent improving waterways in the area”.
Anyone with any information regarding fly tipping at Southfield Reservoir should contact East Riding of Yorkshire Council on 01482 396301.
