Primary school blighted by drive-by fly-tipper
A “horrible, antisocial” pile of rubble was fly tipped outside a popular Surrey primary school by a lorry in a drive-by dump and run.
Neighbours heard a truck driving down Vine Road in East Molesey at about 11pm on Monday, February 26 but say they were unable to spot the culprit, a witness said. A video shows the swathes of rubble lining the residential street.
The huge mess was still there the following morning resulting in the road’s closure during the busy school run drop-off. The nearby school, St Lawrence Church of England Primary, wrote to parents warning of the shut street and knock-on impact.
A witness said: “I heard it thunder down into the road, but it was such a fast drive by that when we went out it was gone. I think one of the parked cars was damaged. Several neighbours came out and we tried to secure the scene from accidents with cones and bins. The police came about an hour later and then the highways lorry came with official road closure signs.”
On February 27, environmental officers from Elmbrdge Borough Council had moved the waste to the side of the road and installed barriers to keep traffic away.
“The police said it was unusual for flytipping to be right in the middle of a residential road rather than in a corner or wasteland. It is a horrible antisocial crime. People who need waste removing really should check that they are using a licensed disposal contractor and not just go for the cheapest. I don’t think people realise that they are responsible for their waste being disposed of legally and responsibly.”
Another parent said: “How can you do this and feel ok about yourself?”
A spokesperson for Elmbridge Borough Council said its enforcement team is visiting the site and will be making enquiries in the neighbourhood. A call for witnesses will also be put out on its social media channels.
The said: “The fly-tip has been reported to our contractors for clearance and will be dealt with within 24 hours. We take fly-tipping incidents very seriously and will investigate every occurrence. If there is enough evidence, we will prosecute the person responsible.
“We will shortly launch an anti-litter campaign for this spring/summer and reiterate a strong message that littering and fly-tipping are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. We will be working with community groups towards a cleaner and greener Elmbridge so that everybody can take pride in the borough. We have a beautiful borough, and we will do all we can to make sure it is being protected.”
A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: “We were called at around 11.30pm last night (26 February) to a report of a large amount of rubble strewn across Vine Road in East Molesey. We briefly attended to help clear the road and the incident was then passed over to National Highways.”
