‘Disgraceful’ flytip of tyres at New Forest beauty spot

A LARGE dump of tyres at a New Forest beauty spot was the latest in an increased number of flytips across the district that have cost almost £50,000 to clear over the last eight months.

Forestry England hit out at those responsible for 70 tyres found in Longslade Heath car park at Wilverley on Saturday morning for their “lack of respect”.

Local dogwalker Martin Barrell expressed his sadness at discovering the pile when he visited the site that morning to walk his dog.

“It’s disgraceful that people can ruin the public spaces in this way, and it comes only a couple of weeks after a number of mattresses were dumped at Wootton Bridge,” he told the A&T.

“It’s a beautiful area to go and walk and plenty of families go there with their children, so it’s just very sad that people do these things.”

Mr Barrell speculated that whoever dumped the tyres had done so to avoid paying a fee for their proper disposal.

A spokesperson for FE revealed to the A&T it had spent a total of £48,000 dealing with flytipping incidents across the Forest since 1st April.

Among them have been four dumps including asbestos during August at sites in and around Bashley, Burley and Hurn.

Responding to the latest flytip, the FE spokesperson said on Tuesday: “Sadly, this incident is another example of the lack of respect some people have for the New Forest, its residents and wildlife.

“This car park is usually closed over the winter, but this year [FE] have kept some car parks open, including Longslade Heath and Yew Tree Bottom, as Forestry England recognises that greater numbers of people want to spend time outdoors.

“Forestry England has arranged for the tyres to be removed today, a costly and lengthy exercise given the weight of the tyres.”

The spokesperson continued: “The scale and cost of waste collection is considerable, but Forestry England’s funds are limited.

“This is a significant proportion of their budget being absorbed, which they would rather spend on managing the open Forest habitats, the woodlands, and the maintenance of facilities here in the New Forest.”

FE actively investigates flytips alongside New Forest District Council in a bid to trace and fine offenders.

Anyone with information can contact FE in confidence by calling 0300 067 4601 or emailing southern.enquiries@forestryengland.uk