Leamore Street and Caithness Road targeted by gangs dumping waste

Fly-tip on Leamore Street Hammersmith. Picture: Josh Partridge

The Hammersmith area appears to have been targeted by flytippers with an increased number of incidents recently.

Concrete slabs, wooden boards and mountains of black bags were fly-tipped on Caithness Road overnight on 14 August .

It’s suspected the rubbish may have been driven across London to be randomly dumped after architects plans for a house in another borough were found buried in the rubble.

Bags of sand, metal furniture and long black pipes were also visible in the wreckage.

One local resident posted on Twitter, “Huge truck load of holding waste dumped at the end of Caithness Road, W14 overnight included some architectural plans…

“I wonder if that can help identify the people who dumped all this.”

The mound of rubbish was cleared by Hammersmith and Fulham Council on Monday but the incident follows a string of fly-tipping incidents in the borough.

Residents living on Leamore Street are suffering from what one describes as a “never-ending” cycle of fly-tipping. Leamore Street runs off King Street, Hammersmith’s main shopping road.

Heaps of waste are being repeatedly dumped along the road with four separate cases occurring in one month.

Josh Partridge said fly-tipping has been an issue in the area for years.

He is urging Hammersmith and Fulham Council to make full use of nearby CCTV cameras to catch whoever is leaving the waste there.

He said, “It’s a busy street with CCTV cameras so it does amaze me that people dumb their rubbish there, especially a fridge.

“The fly-tipping is there most of the time. If I report it then it normally gets cleared within a week but it’s normally back within the next week or two. It’s never ending.”

Rubbish dumped on Leamore Street included an old fridge. Picture: Josh Partridge

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence that can result in a fine of up to £50,000 and even five years in prison.

A spokesperson for the council said, “This fly-tipping is on private land (behind the shops in King Street) and we are investigating. We will also raise the issue with the local shop owners.”

Mr Partridge noticed four incidents of rubbish being left on the street between 22 July and 16 August. The items dumped there included a fridge, suitcase and plastic bags filled with waste.

Hammersmith and Fulham had the highest fly-tipping rate in England in 2017/18, with 18,652 incidents according to numbers from DEFRA. At the time, a spokesman said the authority had made it easier for people to report incidents via its app. In 2019, the council introduced a heavier fine of £400 (double the previous figure) for people caught fly-tipping as part of its bid to become ‘Britain’s greenest borough’.

Architect's plans found in waste dumped on Caithness Road

The Leader of the Conservative Group, Cllr Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler, said, “If in control of the Council, the Conservative Group would have a zero tolerance policy towards dirty streets and flytipping with increased numbers of council officers and resources, such as CCTV, dedicated to catching flytippers and successfully prosecuting them – with vehicles used impounded and if individuals found guilty, vehicles crushed. LBHF are letting them ruin our local area, and it’s disgusting.”

A spokesman for the council said, “We’d like residents to please use our Report It system so we can clear and investigate all fly-tips.

“This is the best way to build a case and have our Enforcement team get involved.”

You can report fly-tipping to the council via its Report It app, via email: Cleaner.greener@lbhf.gov.uk or by calling 020 8753 1100.

Written with contributions from Hannah Neary and Jacob Phillips - Local Democracy Reporters

August 21, 2021