Fly tipping 
increases in 
Lisburn area

Vice -Chairman of Lisburn City Council Environmental Services Committee, Councillor Luke Poots, says fly tipping has increased to a “bizarre level”.

Mr Poots explained: “Not only is it unsightly and some of the waste highly dangerous but tipping this waste is a big waste of rate payers’ money.

“Rubber tyres are just among some of the waste/rubbish that has been tipped in different spots of the Lisburn city Council area including Downshire and Killultagh.

“A rubber tyre costs around £2 to dispose of in a garage so you can imagine the cost for the council having to clean up a couple of thousand tyres, haul them and dispose of them correctly.

“Other more harmful waste costs us even more money to dispose of with an increased risk for residents and council staff.”

Mr Poots said waste is being dumped illegally in the early hours of the morning and is encouraging people to report any suspicious activity.

He said: “I have contacted the local police who have been more than helpful. I have to thank those who have reported suspicious vehicles which is evident that they have been out burgling houses, stealing farm machinery, dumping illegal waste and much more. Without the help of the public the council and police are very limited and the public have proved a valuable asset for tackling crime head on.”

Councillor James Tinsley also condemned the “irresponsible people who decided to dump hundreds of tyres, causing a lot of inconvenience to the local people “on a rural country road” in Dundrod.

He said: “Unfortunately, this action has become more frequent and it was only last week when a load of tyres blocked the driveway of two local pensioners. These actions are costing the ratepayers of Lisburn thousands of pounds as our environmental staff have to collect and dispose of these tyres which costs time and money.”

He added: “When individuals get new tyres, they would normally pay a fee to have their old ones dumped. Someone out there has taken advantage of this and is pocketing the money for their own ends. I call on NIEA to investigate this problem and to ensure a proper audit trail is in place for all tyre companies or garages that deal with tyres.”

He appealed for anyone with information to contact police.