Heather Peacock, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Colne Valley and trees campaigner, has been working hard in the last week to save Milnsbridge from dumping of waste.
“Fly tipping is a never-ending problem in Milnsbridge”, says local resident Heather, “I am determined to see it stopped. It will need a mix of community resistance, prosecutions and seizure of vehicles used for dumping to tackle this.
Heather and local residents have reported several instances of rubbish being dumped on Bankhouse Road and George Street in Milnsbridge this week. Much of the dumping arises from people avoiding disposal charges and taxes on building and construction waste.
“We need to establish a zero tolerance of this practice to eradicate health hazards and reduce environmental damage. A lot of the waste is dumped near a site designated by Kirklees Wildlife Habitat Network.”
Heather says that people with waste to get rid of should use reputable waste disposal companies with Waste Carrier licences to help reduce instances of fly-tipping. Residents should record and report the vehicle registrations of fly-tippers.
These latest incidents are part of a pattern blighting this “forgotten” village, says Heather who also voiced concern about neglect by Network Rail. “Two of their walls that have needed rebuilding since last year. One by the Dale in Dale Street and another at the back of Armitage Road leading to Bank House Road. It’s been ongoing since last year and they still haven’t fixed the problem.”