WARRINGTON Borough Council is being urged to install CCTV in an ‘tucked away’ area blighted by fly-tipping – but it has confirmed an investigation into the issue is taking place.

A Saxon Park resident has expressed serious concerns about fly-tipping in the area as he criticised the council for not installing CCTV on the land.

The resident, who did not wish to be named, highlighted the waste which falls on council-owned land at Forrest Way, over the bridge towards the entrance to the Trans Pennine Trail.

The resident – who has repeatedly spotted the waste while out cycling – has previously raised the issue.

But resident, who is a local representative for the Cycling UK charity’s Cycle Advocacy Network, says the council has taken his complaint seriously and believes it is currently investigating evidence.

He said: “I have reported it to the council but, if it’s anything like last time, it’ll be ages before it’s cleared.

“This lot of waste is household and seemingly commercial waste, as well as someone’s post that was on two lots of the items.

“My reason for continuing to raise this is because the area is a goldmine for illegal activity and it really needs CCTV putting in.

“There is drug taking at night, constant car ‘drift’ races around the island for hours at a time, trucks parked up and obviously the fly-tipping to name a few.

“The area is constantly used as a drifting track for idiots in their cars. The constant screeching of tyres and engines being revved to within an inch of their life carries across onto Saxon Park and can be heard inside our homes.

“When I complained to the council and suggested a traffic calming bump or similar on the island, they said they didn’t have the funds and there was no reported accidents – of course, there is no reported claims as what they are doing on a public road is illegal.

“There has been broken car parts on the road on a few occasions so I think even when they crash they just drive off.”

The resident said he is ‘sick to the back teeth’ of fly-tipping and that it is a ‘shame’ that cyclists and people walking are ‘blighted by these issues’.

He added: “What is frustrating is the fact that they (the council) did finally put CCTV signs and prosecution threats up during the pandemic when I reported it them, but there are not any actual cameras.

“If the council funded these, it would eliminate so much of the various issues and be a funding generator for any successful prosecution but, of course, it won’t happen.”

Warrington Borough Council says it is aware of ongoing issues with fly tipping in this area and that there is currently an investigation open for this site.

A spokesman added: “Fines have been issued previously for fly-tipping in this area and it is recognised a problem location due to its remoteness, lack of passive surveillance, and proximity to Gatewarth Community Recycling Centre.

“CCTV is used in different locations across the borough to tackle fly tipping, but for understandable reasons we do not make the placement of cameras known. Signage is erected to act as a deterrent to make people aware that CCTV may be in operation.

“We have recently received £35,000 in funding to tackle fly tipping in Warrington. This will assist with increased availability of equipment and identification of offenders. CCTV is part of a package of measures to deal with the problem, alongside ensuring that residents take more responsibility for their waste by complying with our bin policy and, when paying for waste to be removed privately, ensuring that only licensed operators are used.

“Our officers regularly visit fly tipping hotspots to gather intelligence and discuss issues with residents, and if necessary, provide education on the importance of dealing with waste responsibly. Residents can report fly-tipping to us via our website at warrington.gov.uk/flytipping.”