Bristol City Council land 'a dump'

IT looks like the sort of eyesore that Bristol City Council has pledged to take action on.

But for years nothing was done about this rubbish-strewn plot of land, upon which items including a lorry, a car, a fridge freezer, furniture, garden refuse, and waste bins have been dumped.

This was despite numerous complaints from nearby residents and the local councillor ... and the fact that the site on St Andrew's Road, Montpelier, is actually owned by Bristol City Council.

Jon Rogers, who became Lib Dem councillor for Ashley ward in 2005, said: "This was already a problem when I took over, and over the last few years I've built up a file of correspondence with residents and the council.

"It has been a very frustrating situation in which the problem seems to have been falling between different departments."

Land Registry documents obtained by the Post show the land that has been used as a rubbish tip is part of a large Victorian property in Cromwell Road, St Andrew's, which is owned by Bristol City Council.

The property has a long back garden that extends to the street behind, St Andrews Road, where it has car hard-standing area.

It is here that fly-tipped rubbish has been allowed to build up over a number of years, according to neighbours.

One resident, who asked not to be identified, said: "I've lost count of the number of times I've phoned the council helpline.

"I've been calling for about seven years, and they're always perfectly pleasant but nothing gets done.

"I bet rubbish wouldn't be allowed to pile up near the Lord Mayor's house or the council offices.

"It's encouraged more people to dump stuff, and to spray graffiti on the garages nearby. We pay our council tax the same as anyone else, but we don't seem to get the same service."

Steve Moore, the council's head of environmental services, recently wrote to the Post setting out the council's position on householders allowing rubbish to build up in their gardens.

He said a waste enforcement officer would issue a notice requiring the householder to remove the rubbish.

If they failed to respond, the rubbish would be removed by the council and the householder would be liable for the removal costs, together with a fine for breaching the legal notice.

The Post contacted the council to ask why these policies had not been enacted to deal with long-standing fly-tipping problems on land owned by the council.

Councillor Gary Hopkins, who is responsible for the environment and community safety, said: "Preliminary investigations indicate there was a breakdown in communications between different teams within Bristol City Council after the rubbish dumping was reported, resulting in the rubbish behind the Cromwell Road property not being cleared.

"Bristol City Council usually responds to such reports within 48 hours, and we regret we were unable to do so on this occasion."

He added an internal review would be conducted to identify how the reporting and response procedure failed with regard to the Cromwell Road property.

The council has now removed the rubbish, and is going to make arrangements to remove the untaxed car and lorry on the site if the owners cannot be found.

Mr Hopkins added: "In order to make sure that the site is well managed in future, the council will be making regular checks.

"The council's enforcement team will also be examining the rubbish collected from the site to help establish who may have been responsible for the dumping and prosecution will be pursued if appropriate.

"Neglected gardens and fly-tipped waste create an eyesore in our neighbourhoods. The council's new administration fully supports strong action by the enforcement team against people who blight our streets in this way."

All reports of fly-tipped rubbish and abandoned vehicles should be made to Bristol City Council's customer services on 0117 922 2100 or by emailing customer.services@bristol.gov.uk.