Valued open spot used as a dump

FLY-TIPPING fears resurfaced in Ottery this week after waste wielding dumpers used a valued open space as a skip.

Building materials were left in bushes at the Millennium Green and one site trustee warned: “We’re going to see more and more of this.”

A patio pack, sack, metal bars and what appeared to be sandstone and cement, were left at the well-used plot.

The spot is privately owned by the Millennium Green Trust on behalf the people of Ottery – meaning funds will have to be found to pay for removal of the rubbish, said mayor Glyn Dobson, one of the site’s trustees.

“That space is there for the public to enjoy, and they can’t enjoy it if people are going and dumping stuff down there,” he added.

“The problem is they charge when you go down to the tip, there is no skip any more, and they won’t pick it up from door steps. It’s no excuse, but I believe we’re going to see more and more of this.

“The rubbish will have to be removed privately.”

A disappointed Di Passey, chairman of trustees, said: “It’s a place for public amenity and this isn’t nice to see. We want it left clean and tidy. New waste charges have been blamed for an increase in waste dumping.

Devon County Council (DCC) introduced a levy for non-household waste at its recycling centres earlier this year.

The district council, which clears up fly-tipping mess in public places, said there had been more than 30 calls to tackle problems in the region as a result.