Fly-tipping Homestall Road near Thames Water site

[peleparso]

I'm sure that for anyone that (even infrequently) walks/cycles up past the Thames Water site on Homestall Road they will be getting very depressed and annoyed with the continual fly-tipping in that area.

This is a plea for ideas - I have had a long battle with both TW and LB Southwark to try and get one/both of them to take responsibility for keeping that part of the road clean but I have got precisely nowhere. That stretch is unadopted and therefore neither party wants to take on any committment for its upkeep. TW have said they will periodically deep-clean their external boundary walls to get rid of the grafitti (but only seemingly when I repeatedly ask them, I'm sure the Site Manager must just wear blinkers)and LBS have point blank refused to do anything (although randomly they do seem to remove bits of rubbish on occasion).

I've tried the Cllrs and MP but still no success. I've written directly to the CEO of Thames Water. Ignored.

Has anyone got any suggestions? I'm tempted to just lock the steel gates with a U-lock so that vans can't get up there and empty their rubbish but TW would probably go nuclear as I'd be preventing access to their site.

Matt

[fl0wer]

Good for you.

People are being charged to take certain things to landfill and this has led to a rise in illegal waste dumping.

Sorry not just for the people nearby who have their locale so little valued, also for the wildlife in these corners of the city having all kinds of hazards thoughtlessly dumped where they can cut themselves, entangle in wire, suffocate, get paint and battery acid seeped etc.

Possibly most effective tactic would be hidden cameras capable of recording vehicle number plates? With the aid of a prominent sign to tell potential offenders BEFORE they fly-tip that they will be recorded on CCTV.

They most definitely would be guilty of an offence, so the police should have an input, and be helpful in coaxing both the two landowners to be more pro-active at caring for the site. It will cost something for existing rubbish to be cleared, and for the camera and sign, and for following up on any offenders - someone's insurers are liable, most likely.

Thames Water and the Council must have a massive insurance policies, quite capable of finding the money.

However, they might try to go for just the padlocked gate policy, and then stuff could still be flytipped by throwing it over the fence, with no-one getting caught.

In many instances I believe customers pay extra on their bill for their builder or house clearance firm to go to the official dump, only the firm pockets it and empties the trash wherever they can.

[edhistory]

Interesting legal point about leaving waste on an unadopted road.

John K

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi I've been away a few days, but will report it.

Renata

[jb1000]

I live at the other end of Homestall Road and we've been looking into the ownership of the road. Having spent some time looking for the right person in Thames Water, we have been told by them that while the road is unadopted, it is wholly owned by Thames Water (not part owned by residents as some people had thought). If this is true, and we're assured it is, then you'd have to assume that Thames Water has some legal responsibility - and liability if someone where to, for example, fall and break their arm. We've only just found this out, so the last bit is supposition. We are, however, going to get some opinion on what this might mean and what we might be able to do. I'll keep you posted.

[tibby]

Thames water are meant to shut the gates they are broken

I live on Colyton road end the gates are Thames water responsibility

And it don't help that saltash have there poter cabins there

[edhistory]

jb1000,

I would not accept an oral assertion from a Thames Water employee without supporting evidence.

It is possible, but unlikely, that Thames Water own the land of the unadopted part of Homestall Road, as it is on the wrong side of the original hedgerow land boundary.

None of the various planning application documents seem to suggest that Thames Water has made a "claim" on the land. There's an example here:

http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=9530409

Further applications can be found using the search term "Thames Water". The official address is Cheltemham Road.

When I sold a house on Homstall Road the landowner was "unkown", but with the possiblity it was the legal sucessor of the Bowyer family. Not a can of worms to open.

John K

[peleparso]

Thanks for the messages and thanks Renata for reporting.

When we bought our house on Homestall 3 years back our solicitor noted the road is owned by TW and that's why we had to have a right of way clause inserted so that we could legally get to our house! What's weird about the bit by TW site/Athenlay FC is that the Council could so easily add that 10m stretch to their enviro services patch but refuse to do so - yet somehow it's OK for them to dump Housing Services equipment and containers there when they want!

I'm happy to clear the the overgrown path on a regular basis with some shears and do a tidy up of litter but the fly-tipping needs to be picked up by one of the main players - LBS or TW.

Matt

[giggirl]

Good luck with this. It is soul-destroying to come out of your house and see other people's rubbish dumped. I live in a street that had a serious fly-tipping problem for many years. After several phone calls to the council a sign was erected to say that the site was being recorded on CCTV. Problem disappeared. I know that your problem is more complicated because of the road's ownership, but CCTV is the way to go.

[peleparso]

Great to report that Thames Water have finally agreed to lock the entrance gates to their site approach which means that vans can no longer drive up to the dead end and chuck out all their rubbish. A really good result and have to say hats off to TW for finally listening. Also thnaks to Cllr Gavin Edwards (and Renata)for his ongoing support on this one.

I believe there is also talk of CCTV but not sure how that will pan out.

I'll be organising a clean-up in jan sometime.

Cheers

Matt

[James Barber]

Would it make sense for Southwark to officially adopt that seciton of road?

[brambles]

The gates have been locked by the chap running the football club he is a very nice chap and looking after the bit of road there