Updated: Fly-tippers Heard Dumping Rubbish on Country Lane at 11pm, GBC Investigating

Published on: 20 Aug, 2021
Updated on: 24 Aug, 2021

Fly-tipped rubbish in Ockham Lane.

By Martin Giles

An Ockham resident heard fly-tippers at work late at night this week. When he went to check he found rubbish including a large black double fridge, a white fridge and multiple other items strewn across the middle of Ockham Lane completely blocking one lane of the road.

Ben Paton said: “Just after 11pm, on Wednesday (August 18) I heard a van or lorry stop in Ockham Lane followed by several loud crashes.

“When I went out I discovered all the dumped rubbish.  Fly-tipping is a chronic problem along Ockham Lane, Plough Lane and Old Lane.”

Updated: See police statement below.

Tipping regularly occurs at the entrance to Three Farms Meadow – at the gates into fields and along the verge along the whole length of Ockham Lane, according to Mr Paton.  Similar tipping takes place, he said, in Plough Lane – the extension of Ockham Lane into Cobham.

He continued: “Around ten fridges/deep freezes were dumped just off Old Lane a while back. A large collection was recently dumped at the entrance to a field at Upton Farm.

Fridges were among the items dumped on a previous occasion

“I phoned the police whilst examining the debris in the middle of Ockham Lane. Their advice? Contact GBC in the morning.

Ben Paton

“But Guildford Borough Council makes no effort to investigate. Examination of the debris might, for example, disclose the provenance of the waste and identify the culprits.”

“GBC and the police need to acknowledge that this is criminal activity. If the police had attended immediately (I called within two minutes of hearing the fridges hit the road) they might have intercepted the culprits as they travelled down Ockham Lane.

“Does GBC insist that the police investigate these crimes? Or does it have a cosy, “look the other way” relationship? How difficult is it to find the people who are regularly dumping fridges in this area – on one occasion about 30 of them?

Cllr James Steel

Lead Councillor for Environment, Cllr James Steel said: “We found this illegally dumped waste yesterday. It has now been moved to the side of the road and is no longer blocking it. We will remove it as soon as our collection team are able to and are investigating this incident following a lead from an item found at the scene.

“In some areas where fly-tipping is common we install a camera to catch fly-tippers. We are currently deciding if Ockham Lane needs such a camera.

“Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and costs the taxpayer thousands of pounds each year. We will not tolerate the actions of fly-tippers and will prosecute anyone caught fly-tipping waste.”

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: “Local authorities and the Environment Agency, rather than the police, have the powers to prosecute fly-tippers. Police can respond to fly-tipping if there is a “live” crime but all of our deployment decisions are based on the level of threat, harm or risk to the public and the need to respond to emergencies and priorities.

“In this case, a police officer checked the scene at around 11.15pm to ensure there was no obstruction, and we passed the information on to the local council as soon as we received the call so that they could respond appropriately.”

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