Warley Moor Reservoir: Truckload of old tyres dumped around Calderdale beauty spot

Andrew Tagg said he estimated around 20 tonnes of rubbish – including what looked like a truckload of old tyres – had been dumped along on Cold Edge Road, which becomes Withins Road after leaving Wainstalls and which leads on to Oxenhope.

He said the dumping is blighting the view of Warley Moor Reservoir.

Mr Tagg, who is a former Calderdale councillor, said he had made Calderdale Council aware of the tipped rubbish early in March.

But a fortnight later the mess had still not been cleared, he said.

“There are tyres along the route up to, I estimate half to three quarters of a mile.

“Either those responsible are going back and dumping more, or the original tipping was from a large HGV,” he said.

Mr Tagg wrote again to two senior councillors saying: “I made you aware that there were more than 20 tonnes of fly tipping along this beauty spot and as such is a stain on the reputation of Calderdale.”

He said littering and illegal tipping was a problem across the borough.

However, Calderdale Council’s Assistant Director for Neighbourhoods, Andrew Pitts, said the council had attended the site promptly after being told about the tipping but the amount meant moving it was not straightforward.

“We’re aware of the large amount of tyres which have been dumped near Cold Edge Road near to Warley Moor Reservoir.

“This is an outrageous act and we’re committed to finding those responsible.

“As soon as the issue was reported we attended the site, but due to the extent of the material dumped we’ve had to arrange for additional vehicles to support the clean up and for traffic management to be put in place to allow the rubbish to be safely removed,” he said.

Mr Pitts said operations like this are costly and on average it costs the council around £200,000 per year to deal with illegal dumping and fly tipping.

It would not hesitate to prosecute illegal tippers, he said.

“We work hard to identify those responsible for this dangerous and serious crime and this can involve gathering evidence from the waste to support investigations.

“We won’t hesitate to prosecute those responsible and work with the Environmental Agency and the Police to bring perpetrators of environmental crime to justice.

“We know most people respect our beautiful landscape, but we urge all residents to ensure they dispose of their waste responsibly.

“This includes making sure that any professionals hired to remove waste are registered waste carriers.

“Ask to see their licence before agreeing to hand over waste.

“If you don’t and it ends up fly tipped, you could face a big fine,” he said.

Mr Pitts said instances of fly-tipping can be reported online where an interactive map allowing people to drop a pin to report a problem with fly tipping.

It also allows residents to see where issues have already been reported, minimising duplication, said Mr Pitts.

“The map also allows council officers to easily see fly tipping ‘hot spots’ so efforts can be directed to these areas to prevent the illegal dumping of waste in future or catch the culprits in action.

“If you witness fly tipping or are aware of who might be involved in these crimes, please don’t hesitate to let us know, alternatively it can be reported to Crimestoppers.

“All reports are taken seriously and are always anonymous,” he said.

Mr Tagg suggested the council should use people serving community sentences, through the Community Payback Scheme, to clear littering and fly-tipping.

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