Fly-tippers are turning Keswick’s recycling centre into a stinking dump which poses a health hazard to the public.
That is the view of councillor Allan Daniels who is calling for CCTV cameras to be installed at the Otley Road facility to end the problem and catch the culprits.
“It is absolutely disgusting,” said Mr Daniels. “It is overflowing and there is rubbish all over the floor. You could smell the stench coming from it as I drove into Otley Road car park.
“I didn’t see any rats but there are bound to be rats or mice or other vermin there. It is a health hazard,” he added.
The recycling centre run by Allerdale Borough Council is meant to be used by local residents to only leave household waste such as bottles, cans and plastics or paper and card in large containers.
It provides back-up for monthly door-to-door collections for both sets of recyclables.
However, Mr Daniels believes that much of the rubbish is being left by local businesses, including shops and market traders.
He says the recycling centre can’t cope as it is only emptied on Tuesdays and Fridays, so he wants collections to be made more frequently or enforcement action to be taken, with fines issued to offenders.
“It is fly-tipping. There are boxes that I would suggest have some from businesses but the labels have been ripped off. It is local people as well but most of it is trade waste. Local businesses are saving money on commercial waste pick-ups.
“This is not a dump. It is not Flusco. It is a recycling centre yet the bottle bank is almost empty. It has been like this the last few weeks. I’m going to ask for CCTV cameras to go up.
“We have got to find out who is dropping their rubbish there,” added Mr Daniels, who is a Conservative member of Allerdale Borough Council and an independent on Keswick Town Council.
He plans to raise the matter at a meeting of the authority today. It had first been brought to his attention by fellow town councillor Alan Dunn.
Meanwhile, Allerdale is to install more rubbish bins on Market Square to cope with an increase in waste from people with takeaway food and drink or from sitting outside because of social distancing restrictions.
