I’m being plagued by fly-tipping and nothing is being done about it

A fed-up Blackpool resident says she has been trying to get fly-tipped rubbish removed from outside her back gate – and is still waiting after two months.

Annie Valentine, 59, of Danesbury Place in central Blackpool, says not only have the items not been removed, but even more items have been dumped there since she first reported it.

Annie said: “It is literally outside my back gate.

“The bin bag has been ripped by the seagulls and who knows what is in it, I don’t want to start trying to remove these things myself and I shouldn’t have to.

“I reported it to the council services who deal with it and someone came round two months and told me it would be removed. But no one came back to take it away.

“Two weeks ago I had another visit and it was still left – and now more stuff has been dumped there.

“I’m really fed up with it, you feel like you’re banging your head against the wall.”

Items discarded in the alley directly behind her house on Danesbury Place include a black bin bag full of domestic rubbish, cans and bottles,  pieces of wood, two drain pipes, a broken patio table and the shattered glass from the top ot it.

The issue was flagged up to community activist William Banks, who last month launched an initiative called the ‘Big Blackpool Dirty Weekender’ in a bid to get something done about fly-tipping,  urging the public to report any incidents across the town  to Blackpool Council.

He said: “Fly-tipping continues to be a problem and apart from being an environmental issue, it impacts on people’s mental health. They shouldn’t have to put up with this.

“We need to see a more proactive way to remove the rubbish and get it dealt with sooner. The public shouldn’t try to do it themselves because they might remove evidence of who is responsible and some of the waste could even be harmful.

“What we need is a website that lists properly licensed firms who dispose of rubbish responsibly, instead of unlicensed operators who take the money and then just dump the stuff

“A stronger enforcement of the law would also help.”

Fly-tipping remains a serious issue across Lancashire, and there were more than 5,410 fly-tipping incidents reported in Blackpool alone in a single year (2024/5) according to Government department DEFRA.

Although a successful prosecution can result in a fine of up to £50,000 and/or 6 months imprisonment, transgressors still blatantly flout the law.

Enveco NW Environmental Services is a Blackpool Council-owned company that acts as the primary environmental and waste management service provider for Blackpool,  managing domestic and commercial waste, street cleaning, parks maintenance, and the Household Waste Recycling Centre (tip) on Bristol Avenue in Bispham.

Enveco was contacted for a response and said the issue at Danesbury Place would be looked into.