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Fly-tippers spoil the view for artistic Island photos

Fly-tipping in Southdown Road, Halfway
Fly-tipping in Southdown Road, Halfway

Fly-tipped waste which is spoiling the view for residents has been branded disgusting.

Linda Brinklow says she is fed-up with the rubbish dumped at the top of Southdown Road, Halfway.

As well as general bags of waste, there are mattresses, a fridge freezer and even a bed which have been left across the footpath and on the green verge at the side.

The problem has been reported to Swale council, which has asked its contractors to clear the waste, and a street warden has put up a sign warning people they can be fined for fly-tipping.

The fridge freezer has since been removed but not by the council.

Mrs Brinklow, 64, is taking part in A Year in the Life of Sheppey – an art project to create a diary of the Island using 365 photos – and she says the fly-tipping is spoiling her attempts.

She said a lot of the waste looks like builders’ materials but she said there’s no paperwork there.

Mrs Brinklow, of Queenborough Road, Halfway, added: “It’s been there for a long time but I just suddenly flipped; every time I go up there and look and there’s more stuff.

Linda Brinklow
Linda Brinklow

“It’s beautiful up there, the views are wonderful.

“I wanted to take pictures and capture the area but there’s rubbish at my feet. It’s disgusting.

“It’s not on. We have a beautiful Island, let’s keep it that way.”

A spokesman for Swale council added: “The rubbish will be cleared by the end of the week.

“We would not have gone out there to clear only the fridge.”

Swale council and the Environment Agency are clamping down to try and reduce the amount of fly-tipping in Swale.

In the last year, there have been 8,354 incidents which cost the council more than £500,000 to clear up.

Anyone caught fly-tipping, or if your waste is taken away by an unregistered carrier, you could be fined up to £5,000 and/or a given custodial sentence.

  • To report fly-tipping, call 01795 417580 or goonline
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