Wallhouse Road has been subject to fly-tipping for years, so much so that the rubbish can be seen from google earth.
One unfortunate business which is located lower down Wallhouse road state that the ditches on the road have “more freezers than Currys.”
Residents came out to say that the problem has gotten “worse and worse” over the years, despite their constant efforts to get the council involved. Their response is that the problem is situated on a private road.
“It is affecting the safety of the people in the borough whether they know it or not. It is getting worse and worse.” Said resident Kym, 61, from Barnehurst, located near Dartford.
Her concerns are around the danger of the rubbish, and that there might be another fire; especially with the number of tires that have been recently dumped at the site.
But after years of residents pursuing the case, Bexley Council has announced a bid to secure funding from the Department Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to install CCTV cameras along the street, as well as nearby lanes.
A local landowner, Berkely Holmes, has also offered to fund new security measures on the land. The plans would be to re-align the ditches as well as natural barriers alongside.
Plans to also create new culverts area also in talks, as the area is prone to serious flooding due to the rubbish build-up.
The boss of a local timber merchant on the road, Neil Fuller, stated that the fly-tipping has been an issue for many years. He predicts that it will take a “terrible accident” to draw more seriousness to the cause. This, he says, was after he nearly lost his business, amid the 2022 heat waves, which set the rubbish on fire.
“The fire brigade broke down the door ready for £2 million of time to go up in flames but it stopped 100 yards from the wood thankfully.”
Ruth Silverster, owner of Dartford composites, says that the litter on the road has been a huge issue for her and the business, but for different reasons.
“It’s the last image you want to convey when you are welcoming senior managers and high-profile clients from across the country.
“We are a legit company and it is damned embarrassing.
“You are associated with the image of the area you are working in and it is not a nice environment for them to be traveling through.”
For now, the council is still in talks to decide which method they are going to spend their budget on.