A MAN and his company have been charged after a 27 tonne mountain of rotting rubbish was dumped in a road.
The mound of industrial waste, which is longer than two double-decker buses combined, was dumped by back in January.
Furious locals complained about being trapped inside their homes by the humongous 80ft mountain of waste.
Local businesses were also been left stranded due to the blockage on Watery Lane in Lichfield,.
Now, Lichfield District Council said a man from Uttoxeter now faces multiple charges.
These include depositing waste, endangering road users, dangerous driving, breaching HGV drivers’ hours regulations, and obstructing the highway.
A company, based near Stafford, has been charged with depositing the waste and obstructing the highway.
Resident Elaine Hutchings, who owns a livery yard, previously said that the festering pile could be smelled from a distance.
She explained that the rural road – which was already inaccessible on one end due to ongoing works – was now completely unusable.
She said: “It’s industrial rubbish, building waste, you can smell it.
“Watery Lane is used as a cut-through. The one end was already shut due to scheduled works and this being dumpedthis morningmeans residents and businesses will be left isolated.”;;
She added that nine or ten households had been cut off – with a small number, including Elaine’s, able to escape their properties via an alternative route set up by housing developer Redrow.
The local told how staff from Lichfield District Council had been on-site to move the build-up, adding: “I had a message from a farmer and they sent me a photograph.
“I drove up and called the council, councillors and thewere already there.
“They are trying to sort the logistics of trying to get it moved.”;;
Both the man and company who have been charged are due to appear atCannockMagistrates’ on July 1.
Councillor Doug Pullen, the leader of Lichfield District Council, said: “This was an appalling act of environmental crime.
“Local people woke up to find their only route to and from their homes completely blocked, and the cost to the taxpayer of removing and disposing of the waste was nearly £10,000.
“Thanks to the swift action of our environmental health officers, suspects were quickly identified, leading to these charges.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping, because that’s what our communities rightly expect.
“This case is about more than prosecution. It’s about protecting our environment, supporting law-abiding businesses, safeguarding local people—and sending a strong message that illegal dumping will not be tolerated.”;;
