Pineham Lock: Northampton Borough Council to pay traveller waste clean-up cost

Industrial waste was dumped at Pineham Locks by a group of travellers

An operation to clear-up industrial waste dumped by travellers more than three months ago is due to begin after a council agreed to pay for it.

The travellers left Pineham Lock in Northampton after being served with an eviction notice in October.

Northampton Borough Council originally said clean-up costs would fall on landowners, but has now agreed to re-coup the money later.

County councillor Pinder Chauhan said the decision was "brilliant" news.

Residents had complained about stone throwing, fly-tipping and threatening behaviour after the travellers arrived at Pineham Lock in August.

• Waste left by travellers who 'terrorised' estate

• Landowners to foot bill for travellers' waste

When they eventually left, piles of waste, including gas cylinders and fridges, were found dumped on the site.

Pinder Chauhan said the waste had caused watercourses at the site, which sits on a floodplain, to be blocked creating flooding

County councillor for the area, Pinder Chauhan, had been trying to get the waste removed from the area.

She said watercourses had been blocked leading to flooding, which was particularly bad during periods of heavy rainfall over the Christmas period.

"Northampton Borough Council have said they will pay for the clear-up," she said. "Because it is private land it will eventually fall on the landowners.

"We suspect there is rubbish under the bridge which is blocking everything.

"It's brilliant this can be done. The residents have had to deal with this for a really long time.

"There is a clear path out of this now."

A spokesman for Northampton Borough Council said: "As there are still issues at the site with large amounts of fly-tipping not having been removed, we have taken the decision to use our environmental contractors to clear it and will look to recharge the landowners for this work."