South Kesteven District Council proposes vehicle restriction on Fulbeck lane in bid to combat fly-tip blight
Councillors are proposing a ban on vehicles along a country lane to tackle persistent fly-tipping.
South Kesteven District Council will examine plans for the old A17 Pottergate Road in Fulbeck at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Landowners and other organisations – including Lincolnshire County Council and the National Farmers Union – have requested action after the area was blighted by numerous incidents of illegal dumping.
The proposed Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) seeks to restrict access to the vulnerable location, allowing only authorised vehicles.
Cabinet Member for People and Communities Rhea Rayside emphasised the financial burden on taxpayers and landowners caused by frequent clean-ups.
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“This is a vulnerable location for fly-tipping on the public road and private land next to it,” she said.
“Heaps of rubbish left there are the responsibility of the council to clear away, and it costs the taxpayer every time this happens. Rubbish dumped on private land can unfairly cost farmers thousands of pounds to clear, as it then becomes the landowner’s responsibility.”
Despite warning signs, continued fly-tipping incidents persist and prosecutions are challenging to carry out.
A report before councillors states there have been a total of 15 recorded incidents in the past four years - three in 2020, nine in 2022, and three in 2023.
In June 2020, Pottergate Road and surrounding land in both South Kesteven and North Kesteven saw several large-scale fly-tips consisting of part-processed waste. The heap left at Pottergate Road weighed approximately 40 tonnes.
Lincolnshire County Council plans to install a gate at the north entrance of the old A17 to prevent unauthorised access.
A public consultation – which ran from December 11, 2023, to January 8, 2024 – was said to show strong community support for the proposed order, with 80% in agreement.
One respondent described the fly-tipping as unbearable, citing its unsustainable financial and environmental costs.
The PSPO falls under the powers granted to local authorities under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, aiming to address specific nuisances affecting community wellbeing.
Failure to comply with the PSPO could result in fines, providing a deterrent against future offences.
The south entrance to Pottergate Road is already inaccessible, with the proposed gate to stop unauthorised access.
What do you think? Will the plan work to tackle fly tipping? Let us know your views in the comments below...
