Anger at Isle of Wight beauty spot fly tipping
Rubbish was found dumped on St George's Down
Dangerous asbestos, as well as other rubbish, has been dumped on one of the Isle of Wight's beauty spots.
Over the weekend, piles of rubbish were found on the byway that goes over St George’s Down, between Newport and Arreton.
Visiting the dumpsites, Isle of Wight Councillor for the area Suzie Ellis, described what she had seen, including a large pile of asbestos.
She said: “I am shocked and saddened by this and all instances of fly-tipping and littering; there really is no excuse for this behaviour.”
Isle of Wight Council confirmed asbestos had been among the items dumped, but on private land, so it will talk with the landowner and the Environment Agency to ensure it is safely removed.
Other rubbish included children’s toys, wood and general household waste.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said the tipping was reported to the authority by numerous people and they were ‘very grateful’ for the reports.
The council’s environmental health team investigated the waste left yesterday (Monday) with the vast majority of rubbish cleared by Amey already.
Some of the items, however, were thrown into difficult to reach places so will take some time to retrieve.
The spokesperson said a strategy to collect the remaining items is being ‘worked on to collect those hard to get items.
Reminding residents of their ‘duty of care to ensure waste is disposed of correctly’, the council spokesperson said waste produced in your home or business is your responsibility, even if you hire a private company to take the waste away.