Nuisance lay-by in Humberston to be fenced off

A Humberston lay-by which is a magnet for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour is set to be permanently closed.

Vehicles will be banned from using the lay-by on Hewitt’s Avenue under a proposed traffic order, and gates will be installed across it.

Concerns were raised in the past about the amount of littering, fly-tipping and other nuisance behaviour on the road, near the Vauxhall car dealership.

The lay-by is concealed from the nearby road by trees, making it attractive to those who want to dump rubbish, particuarly at night.

A temporary ban has been in place since 2019, but is set to expire later this year.

To prevent a resurgence of problems, North East Lincolnshire Council officers want to introduce a Traffic Regulation Order which will stop vehicles using it for good.

Only authorised groups, such as emergency services, Engie and other contractors, will be able to access it.

The temporary fencing that is in place now would be removed and replaced with gated access.

The council has warned that failure to introduce the ban will mean “fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour will continue to cause a significant blight on the local environment, a source of pollution, a potential danger to public health, and a hazard to wildlife and a nuisance.”

Officers have also looked into whether cutting back the surrounding trees or installing lighting would reduce problems, but these would create ongoing work and costs for the council.

CCTV would also be ineffective as “most fly-tipping is likely to occur at night when offenders are more inconspicuous, which would make getting clear evidence of illegal activity difficult.

“This would also still require the clearing of any waste that is tipped and is not a solution that stops the issue at source.”

If the order goes ahead, the costs of installing the gates will be met by Engie.

A decision is set to be made at an Environment and Transport meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council on Monday, August 9.