A mountain of rubbish has been dumped on a Tolworth industrial estate at huge cost to a local landlord.
Vanloads of commercial waste were dumped overnight on 24th March in a car park in Argent Court by an organized group that reportedly use a Whatsapp group to dump rubbish illegally in the area.
The clear-up responsibility lay with the management company who paid a whopping £9240 to clean up the mess.
Seven businesses are based in Argent Court, and one anonymous business owner said: “People who do this are scum of the earth.
“It was absolutely incredible how much stuff they dumped here.”
According to the waste management company it took a day and a half, a grabloader and four industrial-sized 40 cubic yard skips to clear the flytip.
In household terms, one 40 cubic yard skip can hold around 440 full bin bags making the total cleared from the Tolworth site at least 1760 bin bags’ worth of waste.
Amongst the rubbish was piping, insulation, carpets, building waste, tyres, sofas, fridges, and even a gritting salt container, a baby carseat and a bathtub.
Cases of flytipping in Kingston have been rising, and a freedom of information request showed that in 2020/21 there were 2146 recorded flytips in the borough, a 25% increase from the previous year.
Local Lib Dem Councillor for Tolworth and Hook Rise Lorraine Dunstone added: “I think sadly that fly tipping has increased during lockdown.
“Residents have been taking the time to have a clear out at home, understandably, but the problem is where residents are going for a cheaper option and using the unlicensed waste carrier, possibly without even thinking about where it will end up.”
Flytippers and people who give them rubbish can face charges and a fine if the garbage is traced back to them.
A Kingston Council spokesperson said: “Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence and carries a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine or up to five years imprisonment.
“It is also an offence to permit fly-tipping on your land or land that you rent.
“A fixed penalty of up to £400 can be charged to any householder who fails to comply with a notice issued for failing to properly use the facilities available to them to legally dispose of their waste.”
It is advised to ensure the waste management company that you use is accredited, with proper documentation and able to take card payments.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “On the 25th March 2021 three suspects were arrested at Hook Rise South industrial estate by officers for multiple offences including the offence of fly tipping after a large amount of refuse was left at Lion Park Avenue, Chessington.
“All have now been released under investigation pending further enquiries by police.”
