Cleaning blitz promised after alleys 'deluged' by rubbish

Middlesbrough Council removed 25 tonnes of rubbish from alleys over two days

A fortnightly clean-up has been promised for all the alleyways in a town blighted by fly-tipping.

Middlesbrough Council made the pledge after almost 25 tonnes of rubbish was removed from back lanes over two days, with a further six tonnes collected from a single alley shortly after.

The authority said its Environmental Neighbourhood Safety teams had been confronted by a "deluge" of dumped household and commercial waste in recent weeks.

It warned fly-tipping had been particularly severe in the Newport, North Ormesby and Central wards, but it added problems were "regularly reported" across the rest of Middlesbrough as well.

'Reclaim our streets'

Councillor Janet Thompson, executive member for community safety, described fly-tipping as "selfish, inconsiderate and unnecessary".

She added: "We need people to take responsibility for their own alleys and neighbourhoods – and keep telling us where the problems are and who’s responsible and we’ll make sure they’re held to account.

“Together we can reclaim our streets, back alleys and public spaces for the law-abiding folk who take genuine pride in their local area."

Middlesbrough Council aims to clear up alleyways every two weeks

Twenty-five people have been fined up to £800 for fly-tipping since the start of the year with three prosecutions resulting in convictions, according to the council.

Residents, businesses and landlords are also being urged to use bins correctly.