Fly-tipping from 'student move outs' cost business

Pizza shop owner Ilhan Ozcan says people dumping rubbish in a back lane is a routine problem

A business owner said fly-tipping behind his pizza shop, which increases when students move out nearby, is costing him financially.

Ilhan Ozcan has run Pizzaholic in Heaton, Newcastle, since 2010 and said household rubbish being dumped in and around his large commercial bins has always been a problem.

But a recent incident led Mr Ozcan to believe landlords and letting agents were also contributing to the mess, as students tend to leave the suburb in May and June.

A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said the Labour-led authority was investigating and it was aware of problems around waste disposal on Chillingham Road, particularly surrounding "student move outs".

Mr Ozcan said he has had to pay three times over the past year to dispose of his takeaway shop's rubbish after his bins were filled.

"It is making the area dirty as well as costing me financially," he said.

Newcastle City Council said it was aware of the waste disposal problems on Chillingham Road

The bins are usually locked but Mr Ozcan said even if they were left open "for five minutes" they would be filled immediately.

"That's how crazy it is," he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Ozcan went into the back lane to find rubbish strewn around the bin as well as large objects including a damaged sofa.

"I think it's the landlords," Mr Ozcan said, adding that July was usually the time letting agents were getting properties ready for a new set of students to move into in August.

"I usually contact the city council but I'm sick of it," he said.

A council spokesperson said: "We recognise that improper use of commercial bins places an unfair burden on business owners.

"While student activity may contribute to the issue, we are also investigating reports that landlords and letting agents may be involved in the disposal of waste."

They added that council teams were working to address the concerns and that enforcement action would be taken where necessary.