Elderly Margate couple in fear of ‘fire hazard’ due to fly-tipping behind their home

Flytip behind Milton Avenue homes

An elderly Margate couple are at their wits end due to continual flytipping in the alley behind their Milton Avenue home.

Granddaughter Kathryn says the couple, aged 73 and 76, have reported the issue on a number of occasions but the rubbish just keeps piling up.

They are now in fear that the pile, which includes an old sofa, is a fire hazard.

Kathryn said: “The state of the alleyway behind my elderly gran and grandad’s house in Milton Avenue is just disgusting. The council has been contacted but with no luck

“My grandparents are at their wits end and say the dumped sofa is a fire hazard waiting to happen.

“They are 73 and 76 and they say this is the worst it’s been in a long time. They have taken pictures and sent them in to the council many times with little to nothing being done about it. My grandmother has lived in the house for over 30 years and she regularly goes up and down the alley picking up other people’s rubbish.”

Thanet council’s enforcement team is appealing for witnesses regarding four household tips at the site in just two weeks.

In a social media message the team say: “Did you witness four household goods fly-tips in the last two weeks in alleyways around Milton Avenue in Margate? Evidence has been collected for investigation. Please help us identify those residents / landlords responsible.”

In the past 12 months Thanet council teams have cleared up 100 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish, 69 fines for £400 have been dished out and 25 people have been successfully  prosecuted for flytipping; another 67 prosecutions have been made against those who failed to pay fixed penalty fines; 190 enforcement notices have been handed out for waste and pest damage; 772 environmental protection notices have been served; 60 trade waste notices given out and 107 community protection warnings plus 20 community protection fines of £100 were served.

To pass on information in confidence e-mail [email protected]

Disposing of waste

Registered waste carriers can be checked on the Environment Agency website.

Thanet District Council offers residents a bulky waste collection service for a nominal sum.

Kent County Council operates a recycling centre at Manston Road which is open daily. Charges for the disposal of non-household waste materials (soil, rubble, hardcore and plasterboard) will begin on June 3.

The cost will be £4 per bag for soil, rubble and hardcore and £6 per bag of Plasterboard.

Report fly-tipping

Anyone who witnesses fly-tipping is encouraged to report it online or directly to [email protected]

3 Comments

  1. A nightmare . Over the years I have constantly reported Milton, Byron and Trinity plus others and officers promised CCTV. and alley gating. Photos sent almost weekly to TDC and I took Helen and Rob now the new councillors to Milton to see how bad it becomes. I know they will want to chase . A camera across the road is needed as well as in the alley as some may come from people who drive by and dump.

  2. If I get a fine of £80 for dropping a cigarette butt how much will these people get in the unlikely event they will be caught?

  3. Strange-the end of the alleyway at Poet’s Corner has what looks to be a council sign saying that CCTV is in operation. If so why aren’t these people’s images on film, or is it just a bluff?

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