We're absolutely disgusted as our estate is strewn with split bin bags, used nappies and sanitary pads
The continuing scourge of mindless rubbish dumping has again reared it’s ugly head in one part of Merseyside. Residents in south Sefton are becoming increasingly frustrated after a spate of fly tipping incidents and careless waste disposal.
The LDRS was contacted this morning by a concerned local resident, who requested to remain anonymous in our reporting, but said they are ‘absolutely disgusted’ with the conditions at the communal bin stores around Bryant Road, in Litherland. The estate includes leaseholders and rented tenants, but the LDRs understands the waste disposal management is joint operation between One Vision Housing and Sefton Council.
The concerned resident said they have sympathy for both OVH and the council as they continue to fight fly tipping and inconsiderate piling up of rubbish, seeing it as both a blight on the community and a drain on resources. The resident said: “There’s large bins for people to use here, but some just dump their rubbish anywhere.
“There’s bags split with garbage all over the floor, paint cans, used nappies and sanitary pads.
“The problem is that it’s not covered or monitored, and once the bins get full, some people are just throwing the rubbish anywhere. It’s encouraging rats, and people will not walk in there, so they’re throwing their sh**e over the top.
“This has happened before and One Vision came out and cleared it all up. The residents have been keeping it tidy and keeping an eye on things, but now this.
“It’s a nice place to live and we don't like to be surrounded by crap.”
The LDRS raised the bin store issues with issues One Vision Housing earlier today, and we understand the rubbish has now been removed and the area thoroughly cleaned. However, there is a growing consenus that fly tipping must be eradicated in the borough and both OVH and Sefton Council have started initiatives to address the problem.
The illegal disposal of household, industrial, commercial or other waste is a serious criminal offence and costs local authorities tens of millions of pounds. Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show there were 3,903 fly-tipping incidents in Sefton in 2023.
In recent months, the council has introduced a range of measures to combat fly tipping incidents and waste dumping. At the end of last year, the local authority confirmed it is looking to raise the maximum penalty for fly-tipping from £400 to £1,000 and doubling the maximum penalty for littering from £75 to £150.
Additionally, a trial of CCTV monitoring is now underway, with the aim of increasing the council’s enforcement activity, whilst a Public Spaces Protection Order has been approved, and includes provision for council officers to tackle incidents of littering and other anti-social behaviour.
At a council meeting last night (January 20), Cllr Harvey, Cabinet member for cleansing and street scene, presented an update on the borough’s street cleansing, it stated: “Fly-tipping of household waste within Sefton has been a long-standing issue within the Borough.
“Additional resources have been allocated to tackle this issue and, following a successful recruitment, we will see three additional officers joining the Environmental Enforcement team at the start of the new year to focus on fly-tipping.
“This doubling of the team will be further enhanced by recruitment of two more enforcement officers to start in April 2026, ensuring that the team is able to patrol areas, engage with residents and businesses, investigate violations, and take action, issuing fines or preparing cases for prosecution.”