The council has agreed to act on a fly-tipping hotspot after a resident said he was considering taking matters into his own hands.

Household items, including vacuum cleaners, a wooden chair, and plastic bottles were dumped and abandoned behind Marlborough Road South Car Park in Shirley, on a small stretch of land between the car park and a rear wall backing onto buildings situated on Shirley Road.

Founder of Shirley and Freemantle Community Watch Community Forum, Tony Weafer, has been calling on the council to act and told the Echo fly-tipping has been a long-running issue in the road.

But he said because it’s unadopted land, neither the council nor local businesses take responsibility for it.

He said: “It’s been a real issue for many years now.

“Hundreds of people are driving into the car park every week from all over the city and it will be one of the first things they see as they drive into Shirley.

“As the rubbish is on unadopted land – even though there’s CCTV in the car park – none of the surrounding businesses or council have taken responsibility for the rubbish that accumulates there.

“As a local resident it makes you want to take action and do something because you know that if the rubbish was just moved a few feet into a car parking space, all of a sudden it would be on council land, and they’d have to clear it.

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Fly-tipping on Marlborough Road (Image: Tony Weafer) “The matter of just a few feet has meant the rubbish has been allowed to build up for too long and the same people keep getting away with it and it’s the area that suffers.”

When the Echo contacted the council about the problem, Cllr Eamonn Keogh, cabinet member for environment and transport, said the rubbish would be removed as a “one-off measure”.

In a statement, he said: “Our officers attended the site on Thursday, February 27, and our city watch team has confirmed they have identified the vehicle involved through CCTV footage.

“Furthermore, we have recovered several addresses and engaged with residents, encouraging them to report any future fly-tipping incidents.

“This will enable the council to utilise CCTV evidence and pursue those responsible. As a one-off measure, we have instructed our street cleansing team to clear the waste in the coming days.  

“We are committed to holding those responsible accountable and will be seeking to recover the clearance costs from the fly-tippers.”

Cllr Keogh added: “We urge residents to remain vigilant and report any instances of fly-tipping the council.

“Notably, at this location, last year we received evidence of a fly-tip behind a shop, leading to a fixed penalty notice being issued for fly-tipping. Additionally, two littering fixed penalty notices and a warning letter were also issued in 2023.”