Cash-strapped council faces £1m bill to clear up illegal super tip

Alec Doyle, local democracy reporter

A Welsh council is facing a bill of more than £1 million to clear up an illegal super-tip.

Over 1,200 tonnes of rubbish was dumped on the Riverside Lane site in Flintshire, with enforcement action taken after a fire threatened to burn down homes on a traveller site adjacent to the dump in November, placing families at risk.

Original estimates following inspections of the site in December led to Flintshire County Council agreeing to spend £402,000 from its dwindling contingency reserves.

That amount increased last month to £800,000 after officers reported the clean-up operation had been completed but there was more waste on-site than they initially thought.

But now officers are set to request an additional £230,000 – taking the total cost to clear the site up to £1,010,000.

Secured

The site has now been cleared and secured to prevent further unregulated dumping and ensure the safety of those living near the site on the banks of the River Dee.

At the outset councillors raised concerns over the initial cost of the clean-up at a time when budgets were being cut.

In December Liberal Democrat councillor David Coggins Cogan of Gwernaffield and Gwernymynydd told Flintshire’s Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee committee he was concerned about the decision to dip into the council’s meagre reserves.

“Audit Wales have issued a significant red flag commenting on our lack of reserves,” he said. “Taking such a significant amount makes me nervous, especially as we’ve already had storms and there may be more.”

Investigation

According to Flintshire’s Corporate Finance team, the plan was to recover what the council spent on the site when Natural Resources Wales and North Wales Police completed an investigation to identify who was responsible for the tip and launch a prosecution.

But those costs have continued to escalate. On Thursday, March 13 the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider the Month 10 Revenue Budget report which includes officers’ request for a further £230,000.

“The incident is being investigated by external agencies with those responsible likely to be pursued through legal channels,” said the revenue report. “The cost of the clean-up operation will be pursued as part of any associated legal action.”

Natural Resources Wales and North Wales Police are jointly investigating the dump to identify who was responsible.