A clean up operation has been completed after fly-tippers dumper 380 tonnes of waste on railway lines on Merseyside.
Network Rail is cracking down on fly tipping after £76,000 was spent to remove the rubbish in Fazakerley.
The dumped rubbish includes fridges, cookers and mattresses.
The rubbish blocked 100 metres of railway access road which prevented staff from being able to maintain the railway equipment.
Railway staff and Reliance Service Solutions cleared the waste and recycled 42% of it.
Allan Gibbs-Monaghan, infrastructure maintenance delivery manager for Merseyside said: “The constant clearing up of illegal fly tipping on railway land significantly reduces our taxpayer-funded maintenance spend which is used to keep the railway in a good condition for economically important passenger journeys across the Merseyrail network.
“Our message to railway fly-tippers is clear: we will hunt you down and apply the full weight of the law to bring your crimes to justice.”
Jane English, deputy managing director at Merseyrail, said: “Fly-tipping on the Merseyrail network is completely unacceptable and has a real effect on the safety of our passengers and staff, and the ability for us to run a reliable and safe service across the Liverpool City Region.
“We welcome the introduction of surveillance equipment and added security in the Fazakerley area, and hope that this deters other potential fly tippers from dumping their rubbish on our network.”
Chief inspector Jayne Lewis, from British Transport Police, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on the environment and the railway. It is an unsightly nuisance which costs money to clear up. Far from being a victimless crime, items dumped on the railway pose a real safety risk to passengers and staff. Additionally, money spent on disposing of the rubbish could otherwise be invested in the rail network.
“We continue to work together with our partners and increase patrols in the area. Action will be taken against those responsible. We urge anyone with information about fly-tipping on the railway to contact us on 0800 405040, or through our text number 61016. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
The unsightly mess at Wango Lane was spotted by an eagle-eyed Merseyrail train driver who reported it to Network Rail's Liverpool Delivery Unit.
Chris Vermakk, managing director from Reliance service solutions, said: “We have been set many challenges before but nothing like this – it took some real planning and working closely with Network Rail to complete the work. This is one of the biggest fly-tipping jobs we've ever had. Fortunately, the waste dumped was not hazardous, but sometimes it can contain extremely dangerously materials like asbestos. In some cases, food waste is present which attracts pests. We hope we don't see fly-tipping on this scale again but will continue to support Network Rail should they need us in future as they continue to fight against fly-tipping blight.”
Flytippers should be banned and prosecuted and if they continue then put them in prison.
A locked access gate to the NR roadway would seem to be a wise investment, as would cameras. Shame that tippers don’t understand, or don’t care about their impact on the railways and their passengers.