Tonnes of flytipping is cleared from Grimsby alley

Grimsby Councillor Steve Beasant regularly clears alleyways of flytipped rubbish

A council is paying out thousands of pounds to help people get rid of fly tipped rubbish from private alleyways in Grimsby.

North East Lincolnshire council has just spent £5,000 getting rid of dumped rubbish from an alley behind homes in the East Marsh in Grimsby.

It was cleared of bags of rotting rubbish, mattresses and old toys amongst other items.

The council has launched the Clear It scheme to help residents blighted by rubbish to get rid of it from their communities.

Resident David Page is helping clear up alleyways near his home

Through the voluntary community clearance scheme the council aims to support local people to come together, safely clean up an alleyway or an open space in their area and improve community pride.

North East Lincolnshire councillor Steve Beasant says: "It's disgusting, it smells and to be honest as a ward councillor we don't blame it all on the residents.

"It's one or two residents and we need strong enforcement to get at the culprits. I've been told landlords have been dumping stuff down here".

Resident David Page said: "You don't hear the flytippers coming. We've cleared this alley a few times but the problem in this area is people having access to get their rubbish away, when it's so easy to dump it.

'Zero tolerance'

"For a lot of people the alleys are going to always be a problem, it's an ongoing problem".

As part of the Clear It scheme, volunteers take responsibility for removing waste from an alleyway or patch of land and Council staff will help dispose of it.

The council will also lend equipment such as litter pickers, bin bags and large bins.

North East Lincolnshire councillor Stewart Swinburn told BBC Radio Humberside: "Some people expect the council to come and clear it all up, we will take enforcement action if necessary because it should be zero tolerance.

"It shouldn't be up to the council to clear all the rubbish away."