Taxpayers to pay £100,000 to remove Oxford's 'superdump'

Specialist teams will start removing the rat-ridden rubbish pile at Redbridge Hollow, off Old Abingdon Road, at the end of this month, Oxfordshire County Council has announced.

The mountain of mattresses, building and household waste has plagued the area on and off for almost 30 years.

But six months on after The Oxford Mail revealed the return of the eyesore at the traveller site in February, the county council announced Cassington firm M&M Waste Solutions will remove the rubbish at a cost of £65,000 to the taxpayer.

And in what is believed to be a move to prevent further tipping, the local authority plans to spend a further £35,000 to build a children's play area on the site.

Judith Heathcoat, the deputy leader of the county council said: "The actions of a small number of irresponsible people have cost the general taxpayer £65,000.

"Along with Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxford City Council we are committed to identifying and taking action against those who undertake this criminal act."

The latest spree of dumping is understood to have started this time last year, but the council admitted it has has no idea who the criminals are. Only one person has been fined for fly tipping offences.

Ms Heathcoat said businesses and homeowners had a 'duty' to ensure their waste was 'properly disposed of', adding people could be fined if it rubbish belonging to them was tipped.

In the past, Oxfordshire’s taxpayers have footed the bill to remove the waste, including a cost of £280,000 in 2010.

In 2008, the county council set aside £858,000 of taxpayers' money to remove the mess.

None of the actions taken over the past two decades to stop the problem - such as installing fences, CCTV cameras and carrying out enforcement operations - have prevented the dumping.

Members of the public also paid £130,000 in a year - £2,500-a-week - for security guards to be on duty 24 hours a day at Redbridge Hollow until 2012.

The poor record of preventing the problem has raised concerns in the community, with fears the removal operation will not result in a long-term solution.

Colin Charlett, chairman of Kennington Parish Council, is worried how fly-tippers in the future would be stopped from blighting the area.

He called for CCTV to be put in place to catch those responsible and warned if measures weren't put in place, the problem could return in 18 months to two years.

He added: “Everybody is very upset about the stuff being dumped there.

"We are also upset that an awful lot of public money is being spent to clear illegally dumped rubbish when we cannot get the roads fixed and other things.

"We are happy to see it being cleared. We would like to see something done to prevent it happening again and to help catch the people responsible for it."

The majority of rubbish is in the entrance to the travellers’ site, which is in the jurisdiction of the Vale of White Horse District Council, but owned by the county council.

Other spots blighted by waste include the allotments, which are owned by Oxford City Council.

It has been suggested hazardous material such as asbestos could be within the rat-ridden dump.

Richard Webb, head of community protection services at the county council, said officers could not prove who had been illegally dumping the waste, but added the Vale had fined one person.

He said: "If we secure evidence that proves who has been doing the tipping then formal legal action is likely.

"We have held discussions with site residents and they are committed to working with us to prevent further illegal waste tipping.

"They will be monitoring the land that has been affected by the tipping and reporting anyone seen undertaking this criminal activity to us for investigation."

The £35,000-children’s park will include a selection of play equipment and open space for ball games, but no timetable is set for when it will be built.

The county council said the site's residents and the county council’s Gypsy and Traveller Service will be maintaining the area.

Mick Joyce, who lives on the Redbridge Hollow site, previously told the Mail he 'did not really know' who was dumping the waste.

He added: "There has been asbestos thrown over the top. It's too dangerous."

Mr Joyce said the community wanted to see the area cleared and replaced with a children's play area, which would deter future fly tipping.