Piles of rubbish dumped yards from the sea wall has been pictured on one of Wales’ beautiful tourist attractions – right under the nose of a sign threatening fly-tippers with a £50,000 fine.
These pictures were taken by David-John Newman, who lives near Outfall Lane in St Brides, Newport, who says the land adjacent to the Welsh Coast Path has had fly-tipping problems for more than 20 years.
One of his photographs shows mounds of dumped rubbish lying right next to the warning sign, produced by Fly-Tipping Action Wales. Fly-Tipping Action Wales is a partnership initiative, sponsored by the Welsh Government and coordinated by Natural Resources Wales.
The sea wall is just behind this rubbish
Mr Newman said: “I live right next to the land, and this has been happening for about 20 years.
He added: “People go there to see the coastal path – in the background of the pictures is the sea wall itself. But instead of seeing the natural beauty of Wales all people see is the pile of rubbish.
“I’ve spoken to sea fisherman and local farmers and we are all sick of it. We’ve also had a problem with drug taking there in the past.”
So, whose responsibility is it?
A spokeswoman for Natural Resources Wales told us that although it had developed the coastal path in partnership with the Welsh Government, fly-tipping issues on the land in question is the responsibility of Newport council.
However, Newport council told us the land is not adopted by the local authority – but did condemn the fly-tippers and outline its commitment to tackling the problem.
It costs us £300,000 a year
A statement from the local authority said: “Fly tipping in Newport blights our landscape and those committing these crimes show little regard for the environment, the communities affected by their actions or the cost and work involved by Newport City Council in clearing up their mess.
“This sort of criminal activity costs the council more than £300,000 a year and impacts on the resources available for the delivery of other front line services.
“It is both disappointing and sad that so many cases of fly-tipping are reported each year. The vast majority of these incidents are not on council land.
“The impact of fly-tipping is also felt by landowners who can find themselves facing significant costs arranging for the waste to be removed.
“Tackling this sort of environmental crime is made more difficult by the perpetrators who go to considerable lengths to cover their tracks.”
See- http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/piles-rubbish-dumped-welsh-beauty-10518657
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