Pair told to remove fence put up to stop fly-tippers

3:08pm Monday 7th January 2008

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By Neil Macfarlane »

A COUPLE who built a fence to stop fly-tippers from dumping rubbish outside their house have been warned they must take it down or face a large bill.

The Burtons, who live at Kielder Drive, Darlington, had to clear up two skip loads of refuse after street cleaners refused to visit the site.

The ownership of the stretch of wasteland behind the family's back garden is unknown, and Darlington Borough Council staff would not access the site because it was not clear whether it was public land.

But when David and Lorraine Burton took matters into their own hands and put up a fence to stop the fly-tippers, they received a letter from the council's legal department.

The family have been warned that they will have to pay for the council to remove the fence or take it down themselves.

"All we ever wanted was for the council to do its job and clear that rubbish away," said motherof- two Lorraine Burton, 42.

"The mess is unbelievable and this has been going on for years.

"The fence in our back garden has collapsed three times because of the amount of rubbish that gets piled up against it.

"Trying to get the council to come out and clear it is a nightmare."

The land has become a fly-tipping hotspot and it took the Burtons six weeks to clear it.

The couple filled two skips with garden waste, paving stones, children's toys, washing lines, beer bottles and full bin bags.

At one point, the pile became infested with rats and drug paraphernalia has been found hidden at the site.

Mrs Burton said yesterday that the couple put up the fence as a last resort because the council would not help.

"We don't want this land, and it has cost us a lot of money to do this," she said. "The council didn't clear up this land because it is hidden away and nobody can see it but us.

"Somebody from Street Scene once came out and said they didn't even know the land existed.

"We have been to the land registry office at Durham and the land is not registered to the council.

"The land wasn't theirs when we asked them to clear it up, but they're very quick to act now that we have done something about it ourselves.

"We haven't done anything wrong - we're just trying to look after our property."

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said: "We will review the situation this week and we will be happy to hold discussions with the residents in question before any action is taken."