Who is The Shadwell Lane Fly-Tipper?

Smashed and abandoned sofas, mattresses and other large household debris can often be found littering the riverbank, or even in the river itself, where it runs parallel with Shadwell Lane. It's an eyesore and it spoils what would otherwise be a pretty little spot along the path where the river runs below Waterside Road.

So when I actually caught someone in the act of throwing their waste into the brambles in the same spot last night, I had to give vent to my outrage.

It was around 7.20pm on Wednesday evening (8th February) and I was walking along Shadwell Lane on my way to Wincanton Sports Centre. From about 70 or 80 yards away I spotted a man walk along the raised path from the Shadwell Court Lane flats opposite the river, his arms full of something - I wasn't sure what at the time. It turned out to be a smashed TV. He crossed the lane and casually threw it into the brambles.

As he turned and headed back towards the flats, he spotted me coming towards him. He gave a little start but, deciding to brazen it out, kept walking. It was dark and I was by myself but I couldn't let the situation pass without saying something.

I told him I couldn't believe he'd just done that - it was such an irresponsible thing to do. He shrugged. "I'm not going to pay the council £36 to take it away, am I?"

Apparently not.

I replied that now the taxpayer would have to pay instead. Thanks very much mate.

He glared at me but said nothing, and as I didn't want to risk being the next unwanted item thrown down the riverbank, I let him go and continued on my way. I wish now I'd lingered and watched which flat he went home to, but at the time I decided I might be pushing my luck.

The District Council has now been informed of the incident and will follow it up. I'm told they do regular sweeps of that area to take away fly-tipped items and I can well believe it.

The whole thing is infuriating and begs some questions: are some people so deprived of morals that they can casually dump on their own doorstep and not give a damn? I'm assuming this man has no transport but does he not know a single person in the whole world who could run him and his broken TV up to Dimmer? Is the Council's fee of £36.00 to collect large items unreasonable and is it contributing to the fly-tipping problem that blights our neighbourhoods?

Many of us are on low incomes. Many lack transport. But I'd like to bet the vast majority of people in that situation would rather chop their arm off than consider fly-tipping as a solution.

Who are you, Shadwell Lane Fly-Tipper? You're about 5' 10", dark hair and not particularly clean-shaven. You wore dark clothing (possibly a tracksuit) and a black woollen hat. You have a lousy attitude and you care nothing for your neighbours or your neighbourhood. I'd know you again if I saw you.

Does anyone else know him?

Comments

johnsmith
Posts: 1

Fly-Tipping
Reply #1 on : Sat February 11, 2012, 11:11:57

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I totally agree with you Mandy. This is a sad indictment of our society today. It seems that there is a minority in every community (growing like a cancer) that don't give a monkey's uncle for their community, their neighbours, or their surroundings. This bloke deserves to be totally embarrassed before the whole community. But sadly these days are gone.
At school in Scotland we were told of the olden days when a specific stool was one of the most feared items in daily life. It was called the "Jenny Meggy Stool". If you were found to have sinned/transgressed in the community you came to church on Sunday and had to sit on the "Jenny Meggy Stool" before your peers and take your punishment. Sadly in these days we have brought up generations who simply don't care, and think they can get away with anything.
That said Mandy you raised a good point regarding SSDC. In these difficult financial days when they are intent on raising revenue to fill their ailing coffers, is this an area where they could actually cut their spending. It may be possible to make sensible savings. If anyone from SSDC is reading this I mean……
1 – How much does SSDC spend on patrolling Wincanton and gathering up rubbing that is dumped unceremoniously by ignorant fly-tippers? Can someone from SSDC please reply?
2 – Would it be much more economical for SSDC to provide Wincanton with a small local site where large skips are placed so that we can dump all these unwanted items? WE don’t need a site where it is regulated in a costly way, staffed daily etc. We need a site with several skips clearly marked to show which rubbish should be put in them. Then leave it to the people dumping the rubbish.
This could save SSDC a tidy (excuse the pun) sum. They could possibly cut out most of the rubbish patrols. The public would do their work for them by dumping their unwanted good in the skips. All SSDC needs to do is collect the full skips and replace with empty skips on a regular basis.
I seem to remember that Wincanton was on the cards for a recycling Centre down Moor Lane. I’m even led to believe that SSDC had set money aside for this project, but that it was then subsequently diverted to a different project somewhere else (possibly Yeovil). Maybe at this stage we don’t need a full Recycling Centre. Maybe the first step is to put three/four skips on a small easily accessible bit of land, so that we can encourage people to use them and not our local rivers.
Come on Window readers; let’s see what you think of this one. How many of you out there care about this great town?
PS.
Have you had many applications for the body guard job yet Mandy?

Victor Meldrew
Posts: 1

Re: Who is The Shadwell Lane Fly-Tipper?
Reply #2 on : Mon February 13, 2012, 15:19:32

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No doubt the £36 for removing t TV would have to have come from his benefit cheque! As to the HWRC the last know response was from someone in SWP stating that THEY had no intention of puttting a recycling centre in Wincanton. Just why theat was said baffles me as I understood it was to be built by SSDC and run by SCC, possibly with SWP . Trouble is SWP is a partener with SCC. Are they just a partener, getting all the profits, or a wholely owned subsidury? Like Yarlington/ Soputh Somerset Homes, questions need to be asked!

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