A POTENTIALLY deadly substance was found amid a huge pile of illegally-dumped rubbish which blocked off a country lane for four days.
Specially trained contractors had to be hired to clear the fly-tip, which completely blocked Penn Lane, off the A5 near Wibtoft, after piles of asbestos were found along with tyres, an old car seat and a fridge.
Officers from the council’s environmental protection team visited the scene after it was reported on November 14 and identified the asbestos.
The asbestos was safely removed from the site on Wednesday (November 16) – with the rest of the rubbish removed the following day, when the lane re-opened to traffic.
The council now faces a clean-up bill running into thousands of pounds, and has appealed for witnesses or anyone with information about the fly-tip to come forward.
Rugby Borough Council environment spokeswoman Coun Lisa Parker said: “This has the hallmarks of a commercial fly-tip carried out by someone happy to make an easy profit at the expense of the environment and the council taxpayer.
“The rural location may mean nobody witnessed the incident, but the debris could provide the vital clue for us to catch those responsible.
“It may be the case a householder paid somebody in good faith to remove the rubble, having been told the debris would be disposed of responsibly.
“However, in such a situation the law makes it clear the householder has a duty of care to check the person removing the waste has the necessary paperwork to legally dispose of it.
“So if you know someone who recently had an old-fashioned garage demolished and removed from a property, please contact our environmental protection team and help the investigation.”
Anyone with information about the incident can contact the environmental protection team at [email protected] or on (01788) 533857.
Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/reportaproblem to report fly-tipping.
