Tony Weafer, a Shirley resident and administrator of the local Facebook group, Shirley & Freemantle Watch Community Forum, said he reached breaking point following yet another incident of fly-tipping earlier this week.
He said: “For years, fly-tipping has been a constant problem in Shirley.
“Places like behind Costa, the Sainsbury’s car park and the Marlborough Road car park are repeatedly affected, and it’s unfair on local businesses and residents.”
The latest incident came to light on Monday, when Tony was informed by the manager of a shop on Shirley High Street about a large fly-tipping incident.
The manager reported that a large amount of rubbish had been dumped in the Marlborough Road car park overnight, creating an eyesore and inconvenience for customers.
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Tony said: “I went to the shop and spoke with the manager, who had some information about who was most likely responsible. I decided to deal with it directly and have words with those responsible.”
Tony Weafer (Image: NQ)
Shop staff were also able to assist by reviewing CCTV footage from the area. The footage showed a local resident wheeling a bin into the car park and emptying its contents onto the ground before leaving the scene.
Armed with this evidence, Tony returned to speak to the individual involved. He added: “I calmly explained what would happen next time if they continued to dump their rubbish there. I’m glad to say they took my advice on board.”
“I had a calm chat with them and explained the consequences of being caught fly-tipping.”
According to Tony, the resident agreed to clear up the mess immediately — and followed through on their promise. “They removed the rubbish within a few hours,” he added.
Fly-tipping has been the subject of countless posts on the Shirley & Freemantle Watch Community Forum and Tony hopes the incident sends a clear message to others in the community.