‘Fly-tipping has ruined our village — people who do it don’t care about the UK’

People living in a Norfolk village say their lives are being blighted by an ‘eyesore’ dump where tons of rubbish has been fly-tipped.

The site in Clenchwarton is piled high with furniture, caravans, insulation, pallets and oil tanks. In recent months, there have also been a spate of fires.

Villagers believe much of the flytipping is the work of one man and are furious the problem has been dragging on for years.

Keith Stapleton said: ‘It’s not nice for the village, but what can we do? I go to work at five in the morning and when I come back home at nine or ten o’clock, rubbish has appeared in those few hours.

‘You could do more patrols or have cameras – but people are very crafty.’

Mr Stapleton’s mum Lorraine said: ‘People who do it don’t really care about their country, that’s all.

‘They’re not bothered by the mess – but I don’t know what the solution is.’

She explained that some homeowners have taken to litter picking themselves, which is a ‘shame.’

‘I don’t think you should have to pay to bring in your rubbish to a centre. People don’t want to pay so they dump it anywhere,’ Ms Stapleton said.

Malcolm Ward added: ‘I used to live in that area – but it didn’t cause me any trouble. Now I know he’s constantly having fires, and there could be all sorts of fumes.

‘It’s not nice for the kids to be taking in. It is a bit of an eyesore.’

One person could be seen unloading more rubbish onto the site this week as witnesses watched on in fury.

Clenchwarton is a historic village dating back to Anglo-Saxon times and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book.

In August 2022, the fly-tipping area was made subject to a restriction order prohibiting access to, and the bringing in of waste, to the land.

The action was taken after a major fire ripped through the dump, prompting the Environment Agency to issue the landowner with a stop notice. The court order was lifted in February 2023.

Earlier this month, 65 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish was cleared by West Norfolk Council.

A statement from the authority said: ‘We share the community’s concerns about this completely unacceptable dumping of waste, and we are liaising with the Environment Agency as lead authority on this matter.

‘We will investigate and take action where we can whenever fly-tipping is reported.

‘To report illegally dumped rubbish, or help with an investigation, please visit our website.”

West Norfolk councillor Steve Bearshaw, who represents the ward, declined to comment, as did the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.

County councillor Alexandra Kemp, who also represents the area, said: ‘I would like to thank the borough council for clearing up the mess – but no one should ever be dumping rubbish in Clenchwarton in the first place.

‘It is selfish, thoughtless and dangerous. The Government’s promised new powers to tackle fly-tipping need to be sped up, andintroduced immediately.’

The Environment Agency and Clenchwarton Parish Council have also been approached for comment.

Earlier this year, a ‘putrid’ mound of illegally dumped rubbish was found on a site just off the M57.

In October, one of the UK’s biggest ever fly-tipping sites measuring more than 500ft long was found in a field next to the A34.

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