Middlesbrough Council pays thousands to remove non-existent waste

Four of the allotments in Beechwood were left vacant early last year and later vandalised

The cost to clear vandalised allotments included thousands of pounds to remove contaminated waste although it emerged there was none, a councillor revealed.

Middlesbrough Council paid £24,000 to clean up the derelict and arson-hit Beechwood plots, £15,000 of which was for specialist waste removal.

Longlands and Beechwood councillor Joan McTigue asked if anyone in the council was "going to ask for a refund".

The council said the waste had to be "disposed of in the correct way".

Environment and community services director Geoff Field said: "The fee paid for the work did not include any extra charges of the removal of hazardous waste such as asbestos as none was found on the site."

Four of the allotments were left vacant early last year and later vandalised.

In a statement in July the authority said the site required "specialists in waste removal due to the potential of serious contaminants".

Council officer said £15,000 covered the cost of contaminated waste removal

Mrs McTigue was also sent emails from council officers confirming waste on the site was contaminated and explaining clearing and disposing of this accounted for £15,000 of the cost.

However, Mrs McTigue said an on-site contractor told her there was no contamination.

A response to a Freedom of Information Act request to the council confirms this, saying: "There are no contamination reports as at this point in time no contaminated waste has been identified by the contractor."

Mrs McTigue said: "How can one officer inform me that most of the £24,000 is because of the contamination which he claims is 'possibly asbestos', while more senior managers and indeed the contractor himself states there was no contamination?

"Had they removed it 18 months ago when I requested it, the cost would have been less and there was much less fly tipping to be removed there too."

Middlesbrough Council has previously been criticised over its governance, with ministers threatening to intervene.

Staff are now being given training in how to follow financial rules.