An astonishing 250 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish had to be cleared from a derelict pub site that had been boarded up for years.
The privately-owned former White Hart pub in Church Road, Northolt, is a grade II listed building that was closed in 2015 and bought by a developer, Legend Property Investments Ltd. It is claimed a pub with the same name had been on the site since the 14th Century.
Once the pub shut and was boarded up, the site became illegally encamped by travellers. They were evicted by the developer on two occasions, but had already started fly-tipping on the land.
Although the developer boarded up the perimeter of the site to stop the dumping, nothing was done to remove it until this summer when it was reported to Ealing Council.
After an inspection by envirocrime enforcement officers, the developer was issued with a legal notice from the council instructing it to clear the land of the waste.
There were all types of waste – including building rubble, electrical appliances, furniture, as well as hazardous items. It took 25 large skips for the developer to take away all 250 tonnes in stages.
Eventually, earlier this month, the council’s envirocrime officers inspected the site and were satisfied it had been fully cleared by the developer. The land is now being controlled and monitored by the developer to prevent further anti-social behaviour taking place – including new site permitter hoarding, iron gates, concrete blocks and regular inspections.
Landowners’ responsibility to keep site safe
Councillor Deirdre Costigan, the council’s cabinet member for climate action, said: “Sometimes, as they say, a picture paints a thousand words. And that is certainly true in this case. It is incredible to see how much waste was removed from this site.
“It is the responsibility of a landowner to remove waste from their land, even if the landowner is not the source of the rubbish. It is a shame that it took legal enforcement from the council to get that done, but we will not hesitate to issue such notices and I am pleased it was reported to us.
“If you see a problem, please tell the council’s envirocrime team. Landowners must not just wait around on a wasteland, they must keep sites in a safe condition.
“I know there are plans for a better future for the White Hart site, which will bring jobs and facilities to Northolt, instead of it sitting derelict.”
Report it
Fly-tipping is illegal. Whether it comes from a household or a business, the dumping of black sacks of rubbish, mattresses and other unwanted items on the road, pavement, park or anywhere else is fly-tipping. As a minimum, the fine is £400 and the maximum penalty is an unlimited fine or up to five years’ imprisonment. The council will prosecute where it needs to.
You can report online anyone you witness dumping illegally, or sites where it has occurred.
