Hartlepool site being used as a '˜dumping ground' says resident

Items dumped on the former site of the Co-op shop at the junction of Raby Road and Young Street.

David Oliver said the piece of waste land in Raby Road is a magnet for fly-tippers and an ‘eyesore’.

The 64-year-old said the land, on the vacant land next to the former Odeon cinema in Raby Road, in on a main route for people visiting the town and he fears what people will think about the sight of the mess.

Items dumped on the former site of the Northeastern Co-op shop at the junction of Raby Road and Young Street Picture by FRANK REID

A spokesman for Hartlepool Borough Council said they do not own the land, but are working with the landowner to sort the situation out.

David, who lives in Hart Station, said he uses the Mill House Leisure Centre almost every day and the land is opposite the facility and never seems to be clean.

He said it is where a Co-op store used to stand, next to the old Odeon Cinema, but this has since been demolished.

David said: “I have been reporting this situation for not weeks, not months, but for years.

“Since the building was pulled down it has just been used as a dumping ground, it is an absolute disgrace, a total eyesore.”

He said it is not just everyday rubbish, such as bottles and packets, people use it to flytip all sorts of things, including old furniture.

He said: “There’s everything just been tipped on there.”

David said: “It really, really annoys me. I love Hartlepool, it’s my home town. I don’t know what people from outside the area must think when they see this.”

A Hartlepool Borough Council spokesman said: “The land is privately owned and it is therefore the landowner’s responsibility to remove the rubbish and prevent any future fly-tipping.

“The council’s environment team is in contact with the landowner to resolve this matter.”